You do such good character voices. (Trenck's "protesting too much" was brilliant!)
Thank you. :) Mind you, I had assistance from Trenck himself, who protests a lot of how innocent and naive he was. Well, his description of the second Silesian War was just poor poor Fritz gallantly wanting to save the poor robbed of his Homeland Karl Abrecht of Wittelsbach certainly is… innocent… yeah.
Incidentally, so what do you think we have here? Another case of Fritz lusting after someone who has something with one of his younger siblings? Fritz sincerely thinks Trenck sold him out to the Austrians despite being until then a favored and trusted officer? Fritz jumps on that excuse? Trenck, despite having a sweet deal going on in Prussia, DID spy for the Austrians? I certainly think it's possible; he protests such an awful lot, he was young and adrenaline addicted, that's a good condition for doing stupid things. Also all this "you owe me!" insistence to the Habsburgs later - what exactly did they owe him, if he wasn't spying? Those few years of service between Glatz and Danzig didn't involve any great efforts, other than going to Russia and having another affair.
I do suspect one reason why Fritz was a very bad enlightened monarch and didn't even give him a proper trial - which even FW did for Katte, only to override the sentence, to be sure, but he did give him a trial first - was because he thought Trenck the bragger wouldn't be able to resist bringing up Amalie. And regardless of how much or little Fritz felt for his youngest sister at that point, that would have wrecked her marriage chances for good. That she would never marry at all was not something anyone could have foreseen back then. Though it's interesting that Fritz never forced her to. Question: If Wilhelmine hadn't already been married when FW died, would Fritz have married her off? Or would the combination of her being in her early 30s - and thus for her contemporaries no longer desirable marriage material, though the occasional match for royal women at that age did still happen - and her being his favourite sister have meant a life time in Prussia?
Mighty fortresses are useful for when you want to keep anyone from hurting your kid, and also for when you want to keep them from rescuing your kid while you hurt him.
They're also useable for one's nieces-in-law. Was somewhat stunned to discover this bit from the fallout of FW2's first marriage, you know, the one where Fritz briefly discovers his inner feminist. To recapitulate:
Young future FW2: *in love with Wilhelmine Encke, daughter of trumpetter* Fritz: You're the crown prince, so of course I ridicule you in public and bully you. And marry you off to a Braunschweig girl. Your aunt Charlotte's daughter Elisabeth is even beautiful and spirited, so consider yourself lucky.
FW 2 & Elisabeth: *dislike on sight*
FW2: *cheats, continues affair with Wilhelmine Encke*
Elisabeth: *cheats, has affairs with various officers because fuck that, she's not going to take this lying down like her precedessors as crown princess*
Friederike, baby of uncertain paternity: *is born
Elisabeth: *pregnant again*
Heinrich: *throws a mask ball*
Courtier to future FW during said masked ball, i.e. at a public occasion": So, your wife? Total ho!
FW: Uncle Fritz, watch me show of the education you gave me. "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. I am sadly forced to ask you to allow me to divorce my wife.
Fritz: Dear Charlotte, it's all our idiot nephew's fault for neglecting his wife's charms, I mean, what kind of royal bastard does that to his wife? But anyway. Literal bastards are a no go for the line of succession, so divorce it'll have to be. Mind taking your daughter back?
Charlotte: I do mind. She's disgraced me and my family. Do with her what you want, I am not taking her back.
(Me: Ooookay. Definitely your parents' daughter here, Charlotte.)
Fritz: Küstrin comes to mind for some reason. Elisabeth, sorry, I actually like you, but you're going to spend some months there to cool off. Then you're allowed to go to Stettin and retire to a country mansion, but you'll have to stay there. Also, Louise is going to raise your kid Friederike. You can keep the other one.
Elisabeth: *has miscarriage in Küstrin, then goes off to Stettin*
*flash forward to FW2 ascending to the throne*
FW2: Dear Liz, seeing as you are the mother of my eldest daughter and I'm no longer married to you but to another wife I didn't want, I think enough is enough. You can come to the capital if you like. Or go home to Braunschweig if you want.
Elisabeth: Thanks but no thanks. I like it here in Stettin. As for Braunschweig, when I eventually die at 92, outliving you all, there will be a clause in my Last Will stating that under no circumstances is my dead body going to lie among that lot, because fuck you, Mom, for not taking me back. Hohenzollern are the worst, forever and ever.
Diana Gabaldon: have read the first of those novels, know who she is, have even seen her in person at a Bavarian book festival.
Re: Our Insane Family: The Prequel Years
Thank you. :) Mind you, I had assistance from Trenck himself, who protests a lot of how innocent and naive he was. Well, his description of the second Silesian War was just poor poor Fritz gallantly wanting to save the poor robbed of his Homeland Karl Abrecht of Wittelsbach certainly is… innocent… yeah.
Incidentally, so what do you think we have here? Another case of Fritz lusting after someone who has something with one of his younger siblings? Fritz sincerely thinks Trenck sold him out to the Austrians despite being until then a favored and trusted officer? Fritz jumps on that excuse? Trenck, despite having a sweet deal going on in Prussia, DID spy for the Austrians? I certainly think it's possible; he protests such an awful lot, he was young and adrenaline addicted, that's a good condition for doing stupid things. Also all this "you owe me!" insistence to the Habsburgs later - what exactly did they owe him, if he wasn't spying? Those few years of service between Glatz and Danzig didn't involve any great efforts, other than going to Russia and having another affair.
I do suspect one reason why Fritz was a very bad enlightened monarch and didn't even give him a proper trial - which even FW did for Katte, only to override the sentence, to be sure, but he did give him a trial first - was because he thought Trenck the bragger wouldn't be able to resist bringing up Amalie. And regardless of how much or little Fritz felt for his youngest sister at that point, that would have wrecked her marriage chances for good. That she would never marry at all was not something anyone could have foreseen back then. Though it's interesting that Fritz never forced her to. Question: If Wilhelmine hadn't already been married when FW died, would Fritz have married her off? Or would the combination of her being in her early 30s - and thus for her contemporaries no longer desirable marriage material, though the occasional match for royal women at that age did still happen - and her being his favourite sister have meant a life time in Prussia?
Mighty fortresses are useful for when you want to keep anyone from hurting your kid, and also for when you want to keep them from rescuing your kid while you hurt him.
They're also useable for one's nieces-in-law. Was somewhat stunned to discover this bit from the fallout of FW2's first marriage, you know, the one where Fritz briefly discovers his inner feminist. To recapitulate:
Young future FW2: *in love with Wilhelmine Encke, daughter of trumpetter*
Fritz: You're the crown prince, so of course I ridicule you in public and bully you. And marry you off to a Braunschweig girl. Your aunt Charlotte's daughter Elisabeth is even beautiful and spirited, so consider yourself lucky.
FW 2 & Elisabeth: *dislike on sight*
FW2: *cheats, continues affair with Wilhelmine Encke*
Elisabeth: *cheats, has affairs with various officers because fuck that, she's not going to take this lying down like her precedessors as crown princess*
Friederike, baby of uncertain paternity: *is born
Elisabeth: *pregnant again*
Heinrich: *throws a mask ball*
Courtier to future FW during said masked ball, i.e. at a public occasion": So, your wife? Total ho!
FW: Uncle Fritz, watch me show of the education you gave me. "Caesar's wife must be above suspicion. I am sadly forced to ask you to allow me to divorce my wife.
Fritz: Dear Charlotte, it's all our idiot nephew's fault for neglecting his wife's charms, I mean, what kind of royal bastard does that to his wife? But anyway. Literal bastards are a no go for the line of succession, so divorce it'll have to be. Mind taking your daughter back?
Charlotte: I do mind. She's disgraced me and my family. Do with her what you want, I am not taking her back.
(Me: Ooookay. Definitely your parents' daughter here, Charlotte.)
Fritz: Küstrin comes to mind for some reason. Elisabeth, sorry, I actually like you, but you're going to spend some months there to cool off. Then you're allowed to go to Stettin and retire to a country mansion, but you'll have to stay there. Also, Louise is going to raise your kid Friederike. You can keep the other one.
Elisabeth: *has miscarriage in Küstrin, then goes off to Stettin*
*flash forward to FW2 ascending to the throne*
FW2: Dear Liz, seeing as you are the mother of my eldest daughter and I'm no longer married to you but to another wife I didn't want, I think enough is enough. You can come to the capital if you like. Or go home to Braunschweig if you want.
Elisabeth: Thanks but no thanks. I like it here in Stettin. As for Braunschweig, when I eventually die at 92, outliving you all, there will be a clause in my Last Will stating that under no circumstances is my dead body going to lie among that lot, because fuck you, Mom, for not taking me back. Hohenzollern are the worst, forever and ever.
Diana Gabaldon: have read the first of those novels, know who she is, have even seen her in person at a Bavarian book festival.