On that note, I'm not sure how much this still applies for Prussia in the 18th century, but I can't help but associate how in 16th century Tudor England, dying a "good" death during your public execution, which most definitely included prayer and a profession of faith (as well as proclamation of loyalty to the Sovereign), was quintessential. In that sense, Katte was following a pattern. (The only roughly contemporary pre revolutionary public execution in 18th century Europe I can immediately think of wasn't comparable to Katte's case at all - the famous hanging, drawing and quartering of the wannabe assassin of Louis XV which Casanova was witness to.)
Whatever went through his head, though: every one present that day sympathized with and admired him. And to bring this back to Schiller again, one major reason why I speculate that Don Carlos started off as Schiller being inspired by the Fritz-Katte-FW situation is Posa's existence. Because there is no Posa (or a differently named best friend) in any account of the historical Carlos, including the infamous "black legend of Spain" ones Schiller drew from. The character was utterly and completely invented by Schiller, as opposed to every single other character in the play. And if you write about a royal Father/son conflict during which the son's dearly beloved best friend is killed in front of him, and you live just a generation post Katte at a time when Friedrich II. still is on everyone's minds - well. (Schiller's and Fritz' lifetimes overlap, but Schiller wasn't on the public consciousness yet when Friedrich died - too young. Goethe, who was ten years older than Schiller, was, and with his usual attitude towards German literature Fritz dimissed "Götz von Berlichingen" as a load of unprincipled rubbish. This did not deterr young Goethe one bit (and he didn't bear a grudge, either - there are a lot of complimentary references to "the great King" from him later in life), but then he had a rock iron self confidence, and also the awareness that having the German states' most famous Monarch publically complain about your first drama is actually great free publicity.
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Whatever went through his head, though: every one present that day sympathized with and admired him. And to bring this back to Schiller again, one major reason why I speculate that Don Carlos started off as Schiller being inspired by the Fritz-Katte-FW situation is Posa's existence. Because there is no Posa (or a differently named best friend) in any account of the historical Carlos, including the infamous "black legend of Spain" ones Schiller drew from. The character was utterly and completely invented by Schiller, as opposed to every single other character in the play. And if you write about a royal Father/son conflict during which the son's dearly beloved best friend is killed in front of him, and you live just a generation post Katte at a time when Friedrich II. still is on everyone's minds - well. (Schiller's and Fritz' lifetimes overlap, but Schiller wasn't on the public consciousness yet when Friedrich died - too young. Goethe, who was ten years older than Schiller, was, and with his usual attitude towards German literature Fritz dimissed "Götz von Berlichingen" as a load of unprincipled rubbish. This did not deterr young Goethe one bit (and he didn't bear a grudge, either - there are a lot of complimentary references to "the great King" from him later in life), but then he had a rock iron self confidence, and also the awareness that having the German states' most famous Monarch publically complain about your first drama is actually great free publicity.