Fredersdorf might well have been critical of Fritz on this occasion (and others), I don't mean to say that he wasn't!
But if word on the street also favored Fritz, it's possible that Fredersdorf might have too? However, I wouldn't be surprised if Fredersdorf's echo chamber wasn't so much word on the street (although that might feed into it) or even the "officers [who] have offered their resignation rather than be targets for Fritz' bad mood," but the nobles, intellectuals, artists, etc. who have to interact with Fritz and his mood at close range. And those people are usually but not always involved in quite a bit of friction with Fritz. See also Algarotti and his "worst road" leading back to Prussia*.
So Fredersdorf, even if he personally manages to live his best life with Fritz, will have plenty of chances to observe other people inside and outside the royal family not being so successful, and to form opinions about how it might not be 100% their fault. (He might credit himself for his own success, though, and silently sigh and wish other people would just do what he does and not bring out the worst in Fritz.)
The one thing I wouldn't see working, if he tried to intervene, would be holding up his own relationship with his brothers as a model, however diplomatically and indirectly. Because I just don't see Fritz seeing sufficient parallels between the loyalty and obedience he is owed as the head of the family, army, and kingdom on the one hand, and on the other, Fredersdorf and whatever squabbles he may have with his peasant brothers. Yes, there are rules about what you owe your various family members no matter who you are (so Fredersdorf honoring his mother is an A+ move to Fritz's way of thinking), but there are just some aspects in Fritz's situation (like army discipline) that Fritz is going to latch onto as justifying and indeed governing his own behavior.
And so I'm skeptical that Fredersdorf would even try it, after eighteen years of living with Fritz. The chances of Fritz being insulted by the implied lesson (and he is a suspicious individual who is constantly on the alert for people trying to manipulate him) are just too high. I wouldn't risk it.
Okay, haha, I said I didn't have opinions about anything being a historical error, but this is the closest I come to having an actual opinion about what's likely and unlikely.
If it were me, I'd go for holding up a picture of Fritz as benevolent king and his brother as loyal and grateful to him after this incident blows over with no damage done.
And if he finds Fritz in terrier mode, we all agree Fredersdorf backs off with a "Nothing I can do, and not worth wrecking my own relationship with him over." Just like with EC.
* To be fair to Fritz, while he definitely drove people away, Algarotti also had a penchant for showing up in a new city, falling passionately in love with it, and finding things to hate after three months. This is why the dissertation has two chapters titled something like "Some People Never Change I: Algarotti Looks for a New Job" and "Some People Never Change II: The Old Frederick Resurfaces" (chapter titles approximated from memory). He was no Voltaire, but he had his own...I don't know if I'd call that a flaw, but consistent personality traits, for sure.
As to whether Fredersdorf reads Fritz‘ private family correspondance: in peacetime, I‘m going with „no“, not unless Fritz explicitly tells him to. He might have to in war time in case it‘s urgent, because it would take too long since Fritz is in the field, but not in peace time.
I was waiting to see if you knew of any specific examples, but since neither of us does, I'm going to go with no too.
You might have told us and I forgot (we've passed 600,000 words! no one can possibly remember everything), but is it true that after August 1757, Fritz had correspondence with AW handled by a secretary? Unreliable source, but for the letters I've spot-checked up to August, Trier lists as "Nach der Ausfertigung. Eigenhändig," and the ones after simply as "Nach der Ausfertigung." Which makes me think maybe the later ones are indeed in a different hand?
And I do remember you telling us that AW had to handle Wilhelmine's correspondence during part of their falling out.
Re: Brotherly Conduct I: The Prelude
But if word on the street also favored Fritz, it's possible that Fredersdorf might have too? However, I wouldn't be surprised if Fredersdorf's echo chamber wasn't so much word on the street (although that might feed into it) or even the "officers [who] have offered their resignation rather than be targets for Fritz' bad mood," but the nobles, intellectuals, artists, etc. who have to interact with Fritz and his mood at close range. And those people are usually but not always involved in quite a bit of friction with Fritz. See also Algarotti and his "worst road" leading back to Prussia*.
So Fredersdorf, even if he personally manages to live his best life with Fritz, will have plenty of chances to observe other people inside and outside the royal family not being so successful, and to form opinions about how it might not be 100% their fault. (He might credit himself for his own success, though, and silently sigh and wish other people would just do what he does and not bring out the worst in Fritz.)
The one thing I wouldn't see working, if he tried to intervene, would be holding up his own relationship with his brothers as a model, however diplomatically and indirectly. Because I just don't see Fritz seeing sufficient parallels between the loyalty and obedience he is owed as the head of the family, army, and kingdom on the one hand, and on the other, Fredersdorf and whatever squabbles he may have with his peasant brothers. Yes, there are rules about what you owe your various family members no matter who you are (so Fredersdorf honoring his mother is an A+ move to Fritz's way of thinking), but there are just some aspects in Fritz's situation (like army discipline) that Fritz is going to latch onto as justifying and indeed governing his own behavior.
And so I'm skeptical that Fredersdorf would even try it, after eighteen years of living with Fritz. The chances of Fritz being insulted by the implied lesson (and he is a suspicious individual who is constantly on the alert for people trying to manipulate him) are just too high. I wouldn't risk it.
Okay, haha, I said I didn't have opinions about anything being a historical error, but this is the closest I come to having an actual opinion about what's likely and unlikely.
If it were me, I'd go for holding up a picture of Fritz as benevolent king and his brother as loyal and grateful to him after this incident blows over with no damage done.
And if he finds Fritz in terrier mode, we all agree Fredersdorf backs off with a "Nothing I can do, and not worth wrecking my own relationship with him over." Just like with EC.
* To be fair to Fritz, while he definitely drove people away, Algarotti also had a penchant for showing up in a new city, falling passionately in love with it, and finding things to hate after three months. This is why the dissertation has two chapters titled something like "Some People Never Change I: Algarotti Looks for a New Job" and "Some People Never Change II: The Old Frederick Resurfaces" (chapter titles approximated from memory). He was no Voltaire, but he had his own...I don't know if I'd call that a flaw, but consistent personality traits, for sure.
As to whether Fredersdorf reads Fritz‘ private family correspondance: in peacetime, I‘m going with „no“, not unless Fritz explicitly tells him to. He might have to in war time in case it‘s urgent, because it would take too long since Fritz is in the field, but not in peace time.
I was waiting to see if you knew of any specific examples, but since neither of us does, I'm going to go with no too.
You might have told us and I forgot (we've passed 600,000 words! no one can possibly remember everything), but is it true that after August 1757, Fritz had correspondence with AW handled by a secretary? Unreliable source, but for the letters I've spot-checked up to August, Trier lists as "Nach der Ausfertigung. Eigenhändig," and the ones after simply as "Nach der Ausfertigung." Which makes me think maybe the later ones are indeed in a different hand?
And I do remember you telling us that AW had to handle Wilhelmine's correspondence during part of their falling out.