That and "that awful man" is what I remember as well, but next month or so I've been planning to read one of the new MT biography which I've so far only read the prologue (the one summarizing her changing image in history) of. Then I will be able to tell you more. However, googling for quotes just now reminded me of this bit near the end of Maria Theresia's life:
*Younger line of the Wittelsbach line which rules Bavaria*: Is about to die out. Joseph: Hm, which situation does this remind me of? Okay, Mum. Time to invade Bavaria. My first wife was the late Duke's daughter.
MT: WTF, Joe?
Joseph: Look, we don't want the Hohenzollern to dominate the Empire, do we? More than they already do. And modelling myself on Fritz has taught me preemptive war is utterly the thing to do. He'll respect me when we battle, trust me.
MT: *writes to Catherine in Russia* Dear Catherine, I really don't want another war with bloody Fritz, but I can't write to him directly. Pray tell him I'm offering a preemptive truce with you as the go-between, and be as good as to scare my boy Joseph into backing off.
Catherine: Dear Joseph, there's just one of the younger monarchs who manages the Fritzian mixture of being a reformer and a magnificent bastard, and it's not you. If you don't want me to invade as well, accept the pledge to negotiate this Bavarian succession thing by non-military means which your mother and I just arranged.
Dear Fritz, you don't want another war with MT now, do you? Partitioning Poland together is more fun. Pray agree to her preemptive truce of not fighting and the negotiation stuff.
Joseph: Mum, how could you! I'm threatening to resign as Emperor. Then where will you be?
MT: Still on the throne, with your younger brother as co-ruler. I told you. No more war in my life time.
Joseph: Fine. God, I'm so embarrassed. What must Fritz think of me?
Fritz: Accepts MT's Catherine-forwarded offer.
MT: *dies*
Matthias Claudius (North German poet - but not a Prussian, he was from Holstein, aka the dukedom of Catherine's assassinated husband): *writes a poem about her which gets published and reproduced in most German newspapers*
Sie machte Frieden! Das ist mein Gedicht War ihres Volkes Lust und ihres Volkes Segen, Und ging getrost und voller Zuversicht Dem Tod als ihrem Freund entgegen. Ein Welterobrer kann das nicht. Sie machte Frieden! Das ist mein Gedicht!
She made peace! This is my poem. She was her people's delight and her people's blessing, and faced death as a friend full of confidence and comfort. A conqueror of the world can not do that. She made peace! This is my poem.
Re: speaking of musical relationships....
*Younger line of the Wittelsbach line which rules Bavaria*: Is about to die out.
Joseph: Hm, which situation does this remind me of? Okay, Mum. Time to invade Bavaria. My first wife was the late Duke's daughter.
MT: WTF, Joe?
Joseph: Look, we don't want the Hohenzollern to dominate the Empire, do we? More than they already do. And modelling myself on Fritz has taught me preemptive war is utterly the thing to do. He'll respect me when we battle, trust me.
MT: *writes to Catherine in Russia* Dear Catherine, I really don't want another war with bloody Fritz, but I can't write to him directly. Pray tell him I'm offering a preemptive truce with you as the go-between, and be as good as to scare my boy Joseph into backing off.
Catherine: Dear Joseph, there's just one of the younger monarchs who manages the Fritzian mixture of being a reformer and a magnificent bastard, and it's not you. If you don't want me to invade as well, accept the pledge to negotiate this Bavarian succession thing by non-military means which your mother and I just arranged.
Dear Fritz, you don't want another war with MT now, do you? Partitioning Poland together is more fun. Pray agree to her preemptive truce of not fighting and the negotiation stuff.
Joseph: Mum, how could you! I'm threatening to resign as Emperor. Then where will you be?
MT: Still on the throne, with your younger brother as co-ruler. I told you. No more war in my life time.
Joseph: Fine. God, I'm so embarrassed. What must Fritz think of me?
Fritz: Accepts MT's Catherine-forwarded offer.
MT: *dies*
Matthias Claudius (North German poet - but not a Prussian, he was from Holstein, aka the dukedom of Catherine's assassinated husband): *writes a poem about her which gets published and reproduced in most German newspapers*
Sie machte Frieden! Das ist mein Gedicht
War ihres Volkes Lust und ihres Volkes Segen,
Und ging getrost und voller Zuversicht
Dem Tod als ihrem Freund entgegen.
Ein Welterobrer kann das nicht.
Sie machte Frieden! Das ist mein Gedicht!
She made peace! This is my poem.
She was her people's delight and her people's blessing,
and faced death as a friend
full of confidence and comfort.
A conqueror of the world can not do that.
She made peace! This is my poem.