Editing James Louis Sobieski (section)

===Candidacy for the Polish-Lithuanian Crown===
[[File:Italian John III Sobieski.jpg|thumb|240px|right| This painting was commissioned by Jakub Sobieski in 1697. It depicts his [[Jan III Sobieski|deceased father]] pointing to a book entitled ''Hac Lege lego'' and accompanied by Jakub and his wife, suggesting that Jakub ought to be the next King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania.]]

With the death of Jakub Louis' father in 1696, no fewer than eighteen candidates stood for the vacant Polish-Lithuanian throne. Family rivalries prevented the election of Jakub Ludwik Sobieski even though Austria supported his candidacy. Jakub Ludwik Sobieski's own mother, Marie Casimire, favored her son-in-law, [[Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria]]. The powerful King [[Louis XIV of France]] supported [[François Louis, Prince of Conti]] (1664–1709).

In the end, [[Frederick Augustus I of Poland|Frederick Augustus, Elector of Saxony]], who renounced [[Lutheranism]] and converted to [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]] in order to qualify, was crowned as [[Frederick Augustus I of Poland|Augustus II, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania]] on 1 September 1697. It was the first time that a deceased monarch's son had not been elected to succeed him, the previous king's heir had been debarred from the throne by military force, and a German became king (which went against a tradition of avoiding German hegemony). Augustus II's first act as king was to expel the prince of Conti from the country.