Introduction Below is a letter by a son of Christian Ernst von Münchow, who president at Küstrin during Friedrich's imprisonment. Christian Münchow was, according to some accounts, the one who brought the news to Friedrich that Katte was to be executed, and who was present in the room with Friedrich when it took place. Friedrich also stayed at Münchow's house in Küstrin after he was released from the fortress and was placed under house arrest in the town.
It's not entirely clear what the son's first name is, or when the letter was written. This is the data we have.
The letter is transcribed by Gottfried Gallus in his Geschichte der Mark Brandenburg für Freunde historischer Kunde (vol. 5, pp. 530-532), which was published in 1803. He mentions that the author of the letter was eighty years old at time of writing. The letter by Münchow was written to the author Friedrich Nicolai, to tell him what parts of his book Charakterischen Anekdoten von Friedrich II Münchow believed to be factually wrong. The Anekdoten were published 1788-1792.
I have been unable to find a son of the elder Münchow who would be both alive and 80 years old before 1803. According to Wikipedia, his youngest son, Alexander Christoph von Münchow, would have been 80 years old in 1806, the year of his death. If we assume that Gallus is rounding up, then Alexander von Münchow would have been four years old at the time of Katte's execution.
Biographer Carlyle reports the presence of a seven-year-old son of Münchow who would help smuggle contraband to the imprisoned crown prince. Intriguingly, he reports that the seven-year-old child went back into petticoats, to the wonder of the neighbors, and that these petticoats were used to aid the smuggling. If he was in fact four years old at the time, perhaps he was merely in petticoats and no reversion was needed.
Whether four or seven, his age needs to be taken into account when relying on his memories as an eyewitness of Katte's execution. However, since his father was president at the time, and since, in a passage not quoted in this letter, the younger von Münchow says he later served as a personal page to Friedrich, he was closely associated with at least two people directly involved.
The translation is by selenak (with one missing sentence supplied by me), and the copy used is that on archive.org. I struggled with the font, so there may be more errors than usual in the transcription. I also silently modernized some but not all spelling, to make my life easier.
Text Es ist in der Anekdoten-Sammlung falsch, wenn daselbst gesagt wird, der Kronprinz habe müssen die Enthauptung des Lieutenants von Katte mit ansehen. Er ist nicht aus dem Zimmer des Schlosses gekommen, welches mein Vater zu diesem Arrest abgetreten hatte. Aus diesem Zimmer aber konnte nicht der Richtplaz gesehen werden; eine Mauer, welche den Graben, der das Schloss damals umgab, vom Walle trennte, verhinderte die Aussicht dahin. Katte ward durch eine militarische Wache zum Richtplaz auf den Wall geführet; der Zug ging vor dem Schlosse, und also vor den Fenstern des Prinzen vorüber; der Prinz, in dessen Zimmer der Kommandant General Löpel und mein Vater in diesem Augenblick, ich weiß nicht, ob auf Befehl oder aus eigner Fürsorge gegenwärtig waren, drängte sich zum Fenster, ofnete es, als der Zug ankam, und rufte laut diese Worte: pardonnez-moi, mon cher Katte! Dieser antwortete: la Mort est douce pour un si aimable Prince. Nun trat der Prinz vom Fenster mit thräuenden Augen ab, und setzte sich auf einen Lehnstuhl; eine Ohnmacht wollte ihn anwandeln, mein Vater hatte sich mit Schlagwasser versehen, nöthigte ihn zum Einnehmen, und ehe dies vollzogen ward, lag Katte's haupt schon vom Körper getrennt auf dem Sandhaufen, der von der Ecke des Schlosses, oder des Prinzen Arrestzimmer, etwa 30 bis 50 Schritt entfernet, aber durch eine alte hohe Mauer dergestalt separiret war, daß er nicht gesehen werden konnte. Der Kommandant verließ den Prinzen; mein Vater ließ sich mit verschliessen, und ein Arzt und ein Feldscheer wurden den Tag über im Schlosse von meiner Mutter insgeheim behalten; mein Vater verließ den Prinzen erst tief in der Nacht, als derselbe eingeschlafen war. Wäre ein Befehl gewesen, daß der Prinz die Enthauptung ausehen solle, so hätte es der oft benannte Kommandant, der sehr pünktlich alle Befehle vollzog, um so gewisser gethan, da es sehr leicht war, denn aus dem Arrestzimmer ging eine Thüre und Treppe nach einem am Schlosse, zur Defension desselben an gebauten erhabenen Orte, den man den Weißkopf nannte, und welcher ehemals unter dem Markgrafen Hans zu einem Richtplaz für Statsverbrecher angeleget worden war. Er durfte ja Katten nur daselbst richten, oder den Prinzen zu Zusehen dahin führen lassen. Ich selbst, der dieses schreibet, habe von diesem so genannten Weißkopf, den mir meine Eltern zum Garten und Spielplazze erlaubt hatten, das Blut von Katte in die Höhe sprizzen sehen. Es war auch nur zufällig, daß der Prinz diese traurige Prozession nahe vorbei ziehen sahe. Denn es hing bloss von meinem Vater ab, ob er dieses, oder ein anderes seiner Wohnzimmer, oder gar keines abtreten wollte. Die wahren Arrestanten-Stuben waren gar nicht in diesem 2ten, sondern in 3ten Stockwerk des Schlosses. Mein Vater erbot sich nicht allein dazu, sondern er mußte sich Mühe geben, den Konmmandanten zu überreden, den Prinzen nicht in jene kleine Arrestantenstube zu setzen. Aus dieser hätte er gar nichts von Katte's Zug sehen können. Mein Vater aber hätte es gewiß nicht gethan, wenn er hätte vermuthen können, daß der Ort zur Enthauptung in dieser Gegend gewählt werden würde. Dieser enge Arrest hat nür 6 Wochen gedauert; alsdann bezog der Prinz ein Quartier in der Stadt, und wohnte als Auscultator den Sessionen der Kriegs- und Domainenkammer bei. Er musste in der Folge Referate machen, mit meinem Vater der Königl. Aemter bereisen, und Anschläge davon verfertigen. Man hatte noch einen von ihm perfertigten Anschlag des Amtes himmelstädt und viele Vota von seiner hand bei der Kammer aufbemahrt, welche aber durch das Bombardement mit verbrannt sind. Der ganze Aufenthalt des Prinzen in Küstrin hat nur 1 Jahr gedauert, und nicht einmal ganz voll. So viel ich mich erinnere, etwa 8 bis 9 Monate.
Translation The claim in the collection of anecdotes that the crown prince was forced to watch Lieutenant v. Katte's beheading is wrong. He did not leave my father's room in the fortress which my father had given to him at that point. From my father's room, you couldn't see the place of execution; a wall which separated the ditch which then was surrounding the keep from the outer wall blocked the view. Katte was led by a military guard to the execution place on the walls. The progress went past the keep, and thus past the windows of the Prince; the Prince, in whose room Commandant Löpel and my father were at this moment, I don't know whether due to an order from above or due to their own concern, pushed to the window, opened it when the sad train arrived, and called out loud these words: "pardonnez-moi, mon cher Katte!" The later answered: "La mort est douce pur un si aimable Prince." Then the Prince, crying, stepped back from the window and sat down on an arm chair. He was about to faint, my father had equipped himself with spirits for such an occasion and made him drink them, and before this was over, Katte's head was already separated from the body and lying on the sand heap which was 30 to 50 paces away from the chamber that served as the Prince's arrest room, but through the old wall so separated that it could not be overseen. The commandant left the Prince; my father let himself be locked up with the Prince, and my mother kept a doctor and a field medic on alert through the whole day; my father only left the Prince deep into the night when the Prince had finally fallen asleep. If there had been an order that the Prince was to see the beheading, the Kommandant who was very conscientious in following his orders would have obeyed it to the letter, which would have been very easy, since there was a door and stairs leading from the arrest room to a higher platform commonly called the Weisskopf - "White head" - and which had been earlier used as an execution spot for treason against the state under the Margrave Hans. All he would've had to do was execute Katte there, or have the prince taken to watch from there. I, who am writing these lines, have watched Katte's blood spray high from this same Weißkopf which my parents allowed me to use as garden and playground.
It was just by accident that the Prince saw the sad procession at all. For it only depended on my father whether he'd give this or another of his living rooms to the prince. The true goal cells for arrested personnel weren't located on this level but on the third floor of the fortress. My father did not just offer his room but he had to persuade the Kommandant not to put the Prince into one of these cells. From said cells, he wouldn't have been able to watch Katte's train at all. However, my father would not have done that if he had reason to suspect that the place of execution would be chosen in this area. This close confinement had lasted for six weeks; afterwards, the Prince was moved into town quarters, and attended as auscultator the war chamber sessions. He had to do reports, had to travel with my father to royal offices, and had to make suggestions. We kept some of his suggestions for the office in Himmelstadt by his hand, but it was burned during the Küstrin bombardment. The entire stay of the Prince in Küstrin only lasted one year, if that. As far as I recall, it lasted only eight to nine months.
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Katte Textual Criticism: Münchow (DO NOT REPLY)
Date: 2020-01-04 12:18 pm (UTC)Below is a letter by a son of Christian Ernst von Münchow, who president at Küstrin during Friedrich's imprisonment. Christian Münchow was, according to some accounts, the one who brought the news to Friedrich that Katte was to be executed, and who was present in the room with Friedrich when it took place. Friedrich also stayed at Münchow's house in Küstrin after he was released from the fortress and was placed under house arrest in the town.
It's not entirely clear what the son's first name is, or when the letter was written. This is the data we have.
The letter is transcribed by Gottfried Gallus in his Geschichte der Mark Brandenburg für Freunde historischer Kunde (vol. 5, pp. 530-532), which was published in 1803. He mentions that the author of the letter was eighty years old at time of writing. The letter by Münchow was written to the author Friedrich Nicolai, to tell him what parts of his book Charakterischen Anekdoten von Friedrich II Münchow believed to be factually wrong. The Anekdoten were published 1788-1792.
I have been unable to find a son of the elder Münchow who would be both alive and 80 years old before 1803. According to Wikipedia, his youngest son, Alexander Christoph von Münchow, would have been 80 years old in 1806, the year of his death. If we assume that Gallus is rounding up, then Alexander von Münchow would have been four years old at the time of Katte's execution.
Biographer Carlyle reports the presence of a seven-year-old son of Münchow who would help smuggle contraband to the imprisoned crown prince. Intriguingly, he reports that the seven-year-old child went back into petticoats, to the wonder of the neighbors, and that these petticoats were used to aid the smuggling. If he was in fact four years old at the time, perhaps he was merely in petticoats and no reversion was needed.
Whether four or seven, his age needs to be taken into account when relying on his memories as an eyewitness of Katte's execution. However, since his father was president at the time, and since, in a passage not quoted in this letter, the younger von Münchow says he later served as a personal page to Friedrich, he was closely associated with at least two people directly involved.
The translation is by
Text
Es ist in der Anekdoten-Sammlung falsch, wenn daselbst gesagt wird, der Kronprinz habe müssen die Enthauptung des Lieutenants von Katte mit ansehen. Er ist nicht aus dem Zimmer des Schlosses gekommen, welches mein Vater zu diesem Arrest abgetreten hatte. Aus diesem Zimmer aber konnte nicht der Richtplaz gesehen werden; eine Mauer, welche den Graben, der das Schloss damals umgab, vom Walle trennte, verhinderte die Aussicht dahin. Katte ward durch eine militarische Wache zum Richtplaz auf den Wall geführet; der Zug ging vor dem Schlosse, und also vor den Fenstern des Prinzen vorüber; der Prinz, in dessen Zimmer der Kommandant General Löpel und mein Vater in diesem Augenblick, ich weiß nicht, ob auf Befehl oder aus eigner Fürsorge gegenwärtig waren, drängte sich zum Fenster, ofnete es, als der Zug ankam, und rufte laut diese Worte: pardonnez-moi, mon cher Katte! Dieser antwortete: la Mort est douce pour un si aimable Prince. Nun trat der Prinz vom Fenster mit thräuenden Augen ab, und setzte sich auf einen Lehnstuhl; eine Ohnmacht wollte ihn anwandeln, mein Vater hatte sich mit Schlagwasser versehen, nöthigte ihn zum Einnehmen, und ehe dies vollzogen ward, lag Katte's haupt schon vom Körper getrennt auf dem Sandhaufen, der von der Ecke des Schlosses, oder des Prinzen Arrestzimmer, etwa 30 bis 50 Schritt entfernet, aber durch eine alte hohe Mauer dergestalt separiret war, daß er nicht gesehen werden konnte. Der Kommandant verließ den Prinzen; mein Vater ließ sich mit verschliessen, und ein Arzt und ein Feldscheer wurden den Tag über im Schlosse von meiner Mutter insgeheim behalten; mein Vater verließ den Prinzen erst tief in der Nacht, als derselbe eingeschlafen war. Wäre ein Befehl gewesen, daß der Prinz die Enthauptung ausehen solle, so hätte es der oft benannte Kommandant, der sehr pünktlich alle Befehle vollzog, um so gewisser gethan, da es sehr leicht war, denn aus dem Arrestzimmer ging eine Thüre und Treppe nach einem am Schlosse, zur Defension desselben an gebauten erhabenen Orte, den man den Weißkopf nannte, und welcher ehemals unter dem Markgrafen Hans zu einem Richtplaz für Statsverbrecher angeleget worden war. Er durfte ja Katten nur daselbst richten, oder den Prinzen zu Zusehen dahin führen lassen. Ich selbst, der dieses schreibet, habe von diesem so genannten Weißkopf, den mir meine Eltern zum Garten und Spielplazze erlaubt hatten, das Blut von Katte in die Höhe sprizzen sehen. Es war auch nur zufällig, daß der Prinz diese traurige Prozession nahe vorbei ziehen sahe. Denn es hing bloss von meinem Vater ab, ob er dieses, oder ein anderes seiner Wohnzimmer, oder gar keines abtreten wollte. Die wahren Arrestanten-Stuben waren gar nicht in diesem 2ten, sondern in 3ten Stockwerk des Schlosses. Mein Vater erbot sich nicht allein dazu, sondern er mußte sich Mühe geben, den Konmmandanten zu überreden, den Prinzen nicht in jene kleine Arrestantenstube zu setzen. Aus dieser hätte er gar nichts von Katte's Zug sehen können. Mein Vater aber hätte es gewiß nicht gethan, wenn er hätte vermuthen können, daß der Ort zur Enthauptung in dieser Gegend gewählt werden würde. Dieser enge Arrest hat nür 6 Wochen gedauert; alsdann bezog der Prinz ein Quartier in der Stadt, und wohnte als Auscultator den Sessionen der Kriegs- und Domainenkammer bei. Er musste in der Folge Referate machen, mit meinem Vater der Königl. Aemter bereisen, und Anschläge davon verfertigen. Man hatte noch einen von ihm perfertigten Anschlag des Amtes himmelstädt und viele Vota von seiner hand bei der Kammer aufbemahrt, welche aber durch das Bombardement mit verbrannt sind. Der ganze Aufenthalt des Prinzen in Küstrin hat nur 1 Jahr gedauert, und nicht einmal ganz voll. So viel ich mich erinnere, etwa 8 bis 9 Monate.
Translation
The claim in the collection of anecdotes that the crown prince was forced to watch Lieutenant v. Katte's beheading is wrong. He did not leave my father's room in the fortress which my father had given to him at that point. From my father's room, you couldn't see the place of execution; a wall which separated the ditch which then was surrounding the keep from the outer wall blocked the view. Katte was led by a military guard to the execution place on the walls. The progress went past the keep, and thus past the windows of the Prince; the Prince, in whose room Commandant Löpel and my father were at this moment, I don't know whether due to an order from above or due to their own concern, pushed to the window, opened it when the sad train arrived, and called out loud these words: "pardonnez-moi, mon cher Katte!" The later answered: "La mort est douce pur un si aimable Prince." Then the Prince, crying, stepped back from the window and sat down on an arm chair. He was about to faint, my father had equipped himself with spirits for such an occasion and made him drink them, and before this was over, Katte's head was already separated from the body and lying on the sand heap which was 30 to 50 paces away from the chamber that served as the Prince's arrest room, but through the old wall so separated that it could not be overseen. The commandant left the Prince; my father let himself be locked up with the Prince, and my mother kept a doctor and a field medic on alert through the whole day; my father only left the Prince deep into the night when the Prince had finally fallen asleep. If there had been an order that the Prince was to see the beheading, the Kommandant who was very conscientious in following his orders would have obeyed it to the letter, which would have been very easy, since there was a door and stairs leading from the arrest room to a higher platform commonly called the Weisskopf - "White head" - and which had been earlier used as an execution spot for treason against the state under the Margrave Hans. All he would've had to do was execute Katte there, or have the prince taken to watch from there. I, who am writing these lines, have watched Katte's blood spray high from this same Weißkopf which my parents allowed me to use as garden and playground.
It was just by accident that the Prince saw the sad procession at all. For it only depended on my father whether he'd give this or another of his living rooms to the prince. The true goal cells for arrested personnel weren't located on this level but on the third floor of the fortress. My father did not just offer his room but he had to persuade the Kommandant not to put the Prince into one of these cells. From said cells, he wouldn't have been able to watch Katte's train at all. However, my father would not have done that if he had reason to suspect that the place of execution would be chosen in this area. This close confinement had lasted for six weeks; afterwards, the Prince was moved into town quarters, and attended as auscultator the war chamber sessions. He had to do reports, had to travel with my father to royal offices, and had to make suggestions. We kept some of his suggestions for the office in Himmelstadt by his hand, but it was burned during the Küstrin bombardment. The entire stay of the Prince in Küstrin only lasted one year, if that. As far as I recall, it lasted only eight to nine months.