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BrUhl, Heinrich, Graf von[hIn´rikh grAf´ fun brUl] Pronunciation Key, 1700–1763, Saxon statesman. He was adviser to Augustus II, king of Poland and elector of Saxony, and gained control of both governments after the accession (1733) of Augustus III. BrUhl advanced the economic and cultural development of Saxony but did not succeed in making the Polish crown hereditary with the Saxon rulers. An able diplomat, he neglected Saxon military potential and sought powerful allies. When King Frederick II of Prussia made (1756) a surprise attack on Saxony, initiating the Seven Years War in Europe, BrUhl fled with his king to Poland. There he remained throughout the war, while Frederick exploited Saxony. Charges that BrUhl amassed his fortune through fraud have not been proved.
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