Oh, and I really am getting a sense of everyone else's personalities and relationships for the first time from these letters travel letters. The Margrave sounds as if he's very careful and a bit scared when writing to Fritz - it's all "Sire" and expressions of fealty - but is a bit more relaxed when writing to August Wilhelm (whom Fritz has writing back, when he's not letting his secretary write to the Margrave, acknowledging the letters - he himself only writes directly to Wilhelmine, though this he does a lot). For his part, August Wilhelm - who was Wilhelm to his family - comes across as genuinely nice. Example:
"I just received your letter, dear brother, and I wish you a happy journey with all of my heart. You'll have the joy of living in a warm climate while the winter will reduce the rest of us to trembling knees and grinding teeth. And I do hope my sister's health will get better; I've always noticed that the winters were damaging to her. Please give her my love and don't the two of you forget me during such a long journey! P.S. I hope you aren't irritated when I'm writing to you without having been adressed." (Since the previous letter by the Margrave had been adressed to Fritz.)
Wilhelmine, like many a tourist after her, told all her siblings she'd bring souvenirs and do shopping for them (first in France, then Italy) if they told her what they wanted. What we don't have is a letter from her to her mother offering the same thing. Here's the letter which made me come to certain conclusions about Ulrike in the famliy context. Ulrike to Sophia Dorothea: "Gossip here talks of a journey which my Bayreuth sister undertakes to France. I cannot believe it. Maybe my disbelief hails from my wish that this news should be false. It seems to me that her rank and status cannot allow such an enterprise. And I fear that the King, my brother, would never condone the role which she would play on such an occasion. My heart always beats in affectionate sympathy with my dear, dear family. And it greatly distresses me if there is the slightest semblance of a disagreement. All the more so since it cannot but displease my beloved Mama. And your contentment is the aim of all my wishes. May God always answer your prayers, and may I never have the misfortune of displeasing you, and may I be able to flatter myself that my beloved Mama takes a benevolent view towards me."
Incidentally, "my Bayreuth sister" isn't an affectation of Ulrike's; Fritz also refers to "my Bayreuth sister" or "my sister in Bayreuth" (and "my Braunschweig sister" etc.) to differentiate his sisters when talking or writing about them to someone else. (Will have to check what that made Amalie, who never married. (That's the sister in Mein name ist Bach.) Have just learned the original inspiration for Fritz writing his anti-German-literature pamphlet of 1780 was a visit by Charlotte and Amalie which ensued in a debate he had with them about German literature and the German language.)
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Re: Prussian sibling correspondance
Date: 2019-10-13 12:00 pm (UTC)"I just received your letter, dear brother, and I wish you a happy journey with all of my heart. You'll have the joy of living in a warm climate while the winter will reduce the rest of us to trembling knees and grinding teeth. And I do hope my sister's health will get better; I've always noticed that the winters were damaging to her. Please give her my love and don't the two of you forget me during such a long journey! P.S. I hope you aren't irritated when I'm writing to you without having been adressed." (Since the previous letter by the Margrave had been adressed to Fritz.)
Wilhelmine, like many a tourist after her, told all her siblings she'd bring souvenirs and do shopping for them (first in France, then Italy) if they told her what they wanted. What we don't have is a letter from her to her mother offering the same thing. Here's the letter which made me come to certain conclusions about Ulrike in the famliy context. Ulrike to Sophia Dorothea:
"Gossip here talks of a journey which my Bayreuth sister undertakes to France. I cannot believe it. Maybe my disbelief hails from my wish that this news should be false. It seems to me that her rank and status cannot allow such an enterprise. And I fear that the King, my brother, would never condone the role which she would play on such an occasion. My heart always beats in affectionate sympathy with my dear, dear family. And it greatly distresses me if there is the slightest semblance of a disagreement. All the more so since it cannot but displease my beloved Mama. And your contentment is the aim of all my wishes. May God always answer your prayers, and may I never have the misfortune of displeasing you, and may I be able to flatter myself that my beloved Mama takes a benevolent view towards me."
Incidentally, "my Bayreuth sister" isn't an affectation of Ulrike's; Fritz also refers to "my Bayreuth sister" or "my sister in Bayreuth" (and "my Braunschweig sister" etc.) to differentiate his sisters when talking or writing about them to someone else. (Will have to check what that made Amalie, who never married. (That's the sister in Mein name ist Bach.) Have just learned the original inspiration for Fritz writing his anti-German-literature pamphlet of 1780 was a visit by Charlotte and Amalie which ensued in a debate he had with them about German literature and the German language.)