1. Voltaire certainly insinuates that for all the “harem” taunts there wasn’t much sexual action beyond maybe some petting. But then Voltaire is trash talking at that point and out to hurt.
Really, though? Because I thought he implied that Fritz was bottoming for his pages, that's what the "secondary role" was all about. At least other historians have taken it that way, have pointed out that he was trash-talking and out to hurt, and have pointed out the hemorrhoids. I mean, insinuating that the king is a bottom, and a bottom for his social inferiors, is WAY more slanderous than insinuating that he pets some pretty boys.
the court seems to be under the impression that Marwitz and Glasow were both people Fritz favoured with more than the occasional pinch in the cheek and a reasonable salary
Wow, a reasonable salary! :P His batman/page/I forget Claus gets included in the list too, especially based on some of the letters to Fredersdorf (if I'm recalling correctly).
I agree gossip had Fritz sexually active, but I think they were overestimating his sex drive. Not least because, as you point out, if Trenck didn't talk, nothing happened for him to talk about, and if it didn't happen with him, it probably didn't happen with the others either. But Fritz reacted similarly to the betrayals or alleged defections of both, and his fantasies may have played a role in the intensity of his reactions.
2. I agree 100% about the fantasies. I didn't mean to exclude that when I said "just likes to look," like the looking was aesthetic or something. I meant in terms of action, there's probably not much more than looking happening.
Inside Fritz's head? The thing about having a low sex drive is that it's not mutually exclusive with having an active sexual fantasy life. And power trips, especially when you have control issues but even when you don't, can feed heavily into sexual fantasies. I absolutely believe Fritz was getting off, figuratively and/or literally, on the idea of having charismatic pretty boys at his disposal.
3. contemporaries were sure that Heinrich‘s boyfriends did the topping
Wait, what? Which contemporaries? Lehndorff (or his sources)? Gossipy sensationalists demand quotes!
My own assumption is that most of them did top physically and he was into that, but also that he topped emotionally in the majority of cases
Makes perfect sense to me and fits pretty well with what I was imagining.
Re: Toppings of all types, continued
Really, though? Because I thought he implied that Fritz was bottoming for his pages, that's what the "secondary role" was all about. At least other historians have taken it that way, have pointed out that he was trash-talking and out to hurt, and have pointed out the hemorrhoids. I mean, insinuating that the king is a bottom, and a bottom for his social inferiors, is WAY more slanderous than insinuating that he pets some pretty boys.
the court seems to be under the impression that Marwitz and Glasow were both people Fritz favoured with more than the occasional pinch in the cheek and a reasonable salary
Wow, a reasonable salary! :P His batman/page/I forget Claus gets included in the list too, especially based on some of the letters to Fredersdorf (if I'm recalling correctly).
I agree gossip had Fritz sexually active, but I think they were overestimating his sex drive. Not least because, as you point out, if Trenck didn't talk, nothing happened for him to talk about, and if it didn't happen with him, it probably didn't happen with the others either. But Fritz reacted similarly to the betrayals or alleged defections of both, and his fantasies may have played a role in the intensity of his reactions.
2. I agree 100% about the fantasies. I didn't mean to exclude that when I said "just likes to look," like the looking was aesthetic or something. I meant in terms of action, there's probably not much more than looking happening.
Inside Fritz's head? The thing about having a low sex drive is that it's not mutually exclusive with having an active sexual fantasy life. And power trips, especially when you have control issues but even when you don't, can feed heavily into sexual fantasies. I absolutely believe Fritz was getting off, figuratively and/or literally, on the idea of having charismatic pretty boys at his disposal.
3. contemporaries were sure that Heinrich‘s boyfriends did the topping
Wait, what? Which contemporaries? Lehndorff (or his sources)? Gossipy sensationalists demand quotes!
My own assumption is that most of them did top physically and he was into that, but also that he topped emotionally in the majority of cases
Makes perfect sense to me and fits pretty well with what I was imagining.