No kidding. Btw, Heinrich's unwanted wife, also called Wilhelmine (commonly referred to as Princess Heinrich, to differentiate her from all the other Wilhelmines in this family), was a beauty and clever, as opposed to AW's wife, who like her sister Elisabeth Christine comes across as an avarage looking, well meaning Braunschweig girl in over her head and trying to make the best of it. Both AW and Ferdinand flirted with Wife-of-Heinrich Wilhelmine when she arrived as if to make up for Heinrich's lack of interest (within courtly limits, i.e. nobody assumed there'd be a scandal, and there wasn't); AW, though, kept up an intense and affectionate correspondance with her till the end of his life. (She wasn't whom he wanted to marry when asking Fritz - in vein - for the permission to divorce his wife, though, that was a lady in the court named Sophie von Pannwitz who according to her memoirs loved him, too, but was of the "no sex without marriage" persuasion, so they didn't have an affair, either. He did have a lot of short term affairs, with various other ladies.

What I also learned from these latest bunch of biographies: brother Ferdinand was actually permitted to marry for love. Whom did he fall in love with and marry? Wait for it - his niece, daughter of his and Fritz' sister Sophie. At which point you throw up your hands and wonder, leaving the close cross generational blood relationship and moral implications of same aside, why on earth a Hohenzollern would marry another Hohenzollern. (Seriously, guys, this is not how you want to compete with the Habsburgs.)

SD and non-Fritz kids: don't know. I mean, they're all "Woe, the best of mothers is dead" when she dies, but that's par the course for the era. Also the German wiki entry for Ulrike (though not the English one) says SD said about her that Ulrike was the sole daughter "whom I could never deny anything to."

The source Ziebura quotes re: the "little Wilhelm asks for mercy" story is Freilnghausen, who was a preacher from Halle whom FW had preach in Wusterhausen, his country mansion, and who noted down the following:

"The prince had been told by his mother the previous day how and for what he should plead, but Wilhelm was afraid his father would be angry. Seckendorff and Grumbkow, too, had talked to him and told him they would ease his path to the King, by saying something like "I believe your son carries something within his heart, Sire..." But only when the mother threatened him with the rod if he didn't say anything, he asked (SD's chief lady in waiting) von Kameken what "hanging" meant, if people got hurt by it, and of one died from it - and then he went to his father."

Whereupon this scene happened.

The prince began by kissing his father's hands and to stroke his cheeks. Rex asked: "You want something, don't you?" Wilhelm: "Yes, Papa." Rex: "What is it?" Wilhelm: "Please don't hang the long fellow who ran away." The King smiled but did not yet give a positive answer. The Queen signalled that the intercession found her favour. Grumpkow and Seckendorff, too, aided the little Prince. Whereupon Rex started to kiss the Prince and hold him in his arms. Now the Queen signalled (Freilinghausen) silently, he, too, was supposed to say something. (Freilinghausen) admonished mercy and said that one had to be harsh if murder had been committed, but in this case surely mercy sould take preference over the letter of the law. The King agreed, and so did the generals present.

Now obviously, saving a human life - especially of a poor guy who just was kidnapped for his body length - is a good thing, but it's still a bit chilling to read all the adults present using this kid. Now this was toddler Wilhelm; child and een Wilhelm, when brother Fritz sends him loving big brother letters from Neuruppin and Rheinsberg and asks him "to tell me bluntly whether or not the King has talked about me; even with a clear conscience I find myself somewhat concerned in this matter", is also delivering as requested:

As you want to know all what the King has been saying about you, so I allow myself to write to you that he has said this noon that he's building a lot of beautiful houses in Berlin; for he knew very well that after his death, my dear brother would have comedies and parties, mistresses and balls; that it would be a pleasure to my brother to waste all the money he had been saved with such hardships; but by now he did not care anymore. Secondly, he said he didn't like fops despite having one in the family. He knew very well which one, but that one was too old to be improved.
You will be surprised, dear brother, that I find the time to write, but I am not in good grace myself right now, and thus have not been taken along on the hunt. I have not done anything wrong! It is only that I did not know the name of a village. But it is alright, as long as he doesn't punish me harder, the way he does a hundred others. Now I am afraid I am boring you, and thus I conclude with the assurance that I will never forget the good advice of a brother whose affection I hope to deserve in the future.

Ziebura quotes a German (rhymed) translation of the praise-and-instruction poem Fritz wrote to AW, which ends with, after wishing glorious deeds (and more voluntarily read books) to young Wilhelm:

"While I am happy to observe
your victories, your joy, your nerve,
and shall content myself with philosophy
Your education as my only trophy"

(English rhymed translation of German rhymed translation by yours truly. It's not Schlegel and doesn't properly scan, but then neither is the Fritzian original.)

To which Whilhelm replies:

"For the epistle which you've sent
And all the praise that you did spent,
Receive much thanks! To me you wish much wisdom
With which, dear brother, you've always endowed been.
To all of us it would be good to heed,
to follow where your mind us wants to lead.
Then I'd be saved from clumsy ignorance,
through you, most noble brother - what a chance!
You are in everything a perfect man,
in body and in mind: salute I can!"

The tragic irony is that AW did learn more, improved his French, geography, maths etc to please his brother. Flash forward to 1749, Fritz has a big argument with Heinrich (which precedes him forcing Heinrich to marry)warming up his FW roleplay, AW tries his old role as family mediator, and:

F: You believe blindly anything (Heinrich) says. (...) Heinrich is your idol, your blind friendship doesn't let you recognize his mistakes. I love him as a brother but would regret it if he doesn't improve in the various aspects I told him. I am not acting out of a whim or to boast. Only his sloppy behaviour is at fault.

AW: I am sad to learn of the unfortunate idea you have of your brothers. The picture of Heinrich you paint, I don't recognize. You ascribe a character to him which I haven't notice, and you consider me so clueless that you believe I am dazzled and fooled by him.

(Can we say "Projecting into Heinrich much, Fritz?")

The roleplay: they finished it before the Diplomatic Revolution. But yes, Prussia wins. Heinrich-as-Fritz first defeats Hannover - the brothers assume that the English Parliament wouldn't be willing to okay British troops to save Hannover, since they felt their royals were too much involved with Hannover anyway - and then fights the Austrians to a standstill.

It does have all the signs of a modern RPG, for, to quote from the biography:

While Heinrich, playing the King, laid out the political-strategic plan and also wrote diplomatic notes, dispatches from ambassadors and memoranda, it was Gessler's, that it is Wilhelm's job to work out the practical side of the enterprise. He sent the King his dispositions for the occupation and defense of Hildesheim, made sketches of the Hildesheim, Misburg and Hannover fortresses indicating siege and weopon positions. He also organized supply lines and the disposition of the field ambulance units. He drew large maps for the battle plans.

How do we know all this? Because our two princes had the whole thing assembled and privately printed once they were done. It's not known whether Fritz ever got a copy.

AW's son Heinrich: nope, Ziebura says nothing about him other that he exists, though yes, I know he's supposed to have been Fritz' favourite nephew. Re: Wilhelmine the younger, I checked out wiki, and while English wiki is longer, German wiki has more about her relationship with Fritz. She married William V. of Orange, which makes her the ancestresss of the current Dutch royals. (BTW, this Hohenzollern connection is also why Willy was offered asylum/retirement in the Netherlands after WWI.) German wiki has this to say: She conducted a lengthy political correspondance with her uncle Frederick the Great, whose favourite niece she was supposed to be. Armed with his advice, she tried to win political influence on the rule of the Netherlands.

Fritz! Encouraging a woman to overrule her man on the throne when it suits you! I'm shocked, simply shocked. Whoever made you believe that would work?

Mysterious Marwitz episode: it's most frustrating. We will find out one day, I hope.:)