Editing Albert, King of Saxony (section)

==Early life==
Albert's education, as usual with German princes, concentrated to a great extent on [[military]] matters, but he attended lectures at the [[University of Bonn]]. His first experience of warfare came in 1849, when he served as a captain in the [[First War of Schleswig]] against [[Denmark]].

When the [[Austro-Prussian War]] broke out in 1866, Albert, then [[Crown Prince]] (German: ''Kronprinz''), took up the command of the Saxon forces opposing the [[Prussian Army]] of [[Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia (1828–1885)|Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia]]. No attempt was made to defend Saxony, and the Saxons fell back into [[Bohemia]] and effected a junction with the [[Austrian Empire|Austrians]]. They took a prominent part in the battles by which the Prussians forced the line of the [[Jizera River|Jizera]] and in the [[Battle of Jičín]]. The Crown Prince, however, succeeded in effecting the retreat in good order, and in the decisive [[Battle of Königgrätz]] (3 July 1866), he held the extreme left of the Austrian position. The Saxons maintained their post with great tenacity but were involved in the disastrous defeat of their allies.

During the operations, the Crown Prince won the reputation of a thorough soldier. After peace was made and Saxony had entered the [[North German Confederation]], he gained the command of the Saxon army, which had now become the XII army corps of the North German army, and in that position, he carried out the necessary reorganisation. He proved a firm adherent of the Prussian alliance. On the outbreak of the [[Franco-Prussian War]] in 1870, he again commanded the Saxons, who were included in the 2nd army under Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, his old opponent. At the [[Battle of Gravelotte]], they formed the extreme left of the German army, and with the Prussian Guard carried out the attack on [[Saint-Privat-la-Montagne|St Privat]], the final and decisive action in the battle.

In the reorganisation of the army which accompanied the march towards Paris, the Crown Prince gained a separate command over the 4th army (Army of the Meuse) consisting of the Saxons, the Prussian Guard corps, and the IV ([[Province of Saxony|Prussian Saxony]]) corps. He was succeeded in command of the XII corps by his brother [[George of Saxony|Prince George]], who had served under him in Bohemia.

Albert took a leading part in the operations which preceded the battle of [[Sedan, France|Sedan]], the 4th army being the pivot on which the whole army wheeled round in pursuit of [[Patrice de MacMahon|MacMahon]]; and the actions of Buzancy and [[Battle of Beaumont|Beaumont]] on 29 and 30 August 1870 were fought under his direction. In the [[Battle of Sedan]] itself (1 September 1870), with the troops under his orders, Albert carried out the envelopment of the French on the east and the north.

Albert's conduct in the engagements won for him the complete confidence of the army, and during the [[Siege of Paris (1870-1871)|Siege of Paris]], his troops formed the north-east section of the investing force. During the siege, he blocked French attempts to break out of the encirclement at [[Battle of Le Bourget|Le Bourget]] and [[Battle of Villiers|Villiers]]. After the conclusion of the [[Treaty of Frankfurt (1871)]], he was left in command of the German army of occupation, a position which he held till the fall of the [[Paris Commune]]. On the conclusion of peace, he was made an inspector-general of the army and a [[field marshal]].