Voltaire referred to her as "the most famous woman of two centuries": Maria Aurora Countess of Königsmark (1662-1728) came from one of the wealthiest and most significant noble families of Europe at the time. She was highly educated, self-confident, and a radiant beauty. Born at Agathenburg Castle near Stade, she spent her youth in Hamburg and Stockholm. In search of her missing brother Philipp Christoph, Maria Aurora arrived at the Dresden court, where Augustus the Strong, captivated by her beauty and intelligence, made her his mistress and soon entrusted her with delicate diplomatic tasks. In 1696, she bore him a son, Moritz of Saxony, who became the most significant field marshal of France in the 18th century. After the end of her tumultuous affair with Augustus the Strong, she was to become the abbess of the Quedlinburg convent and thus a princess of the empire.