So he has both the pov of someone who adores the princes (most of the times) and loves spending time with them, and is able to step back and see that from the pov of whom to place an impressionable teen with, they're not so great.
Very true. I do think Fredersdorf must have had a solid grasp of Fritz's strengths and weaknesses. Even if he managed to rationalize Fritz's right to do what he did, he could probably spot a mile away a situation about to escalate out of control, and probably decided to help smooth things over.
the more it strikes me that Fritz did feel a need for them to love him.
Absolutely agree. That's why I think Fredersdorf might have been motivated to solve this problem not for Heinrich's sake but for Fritz's sake, because he knows Fritz is going to be miserable if his family hates him. And why the approach I suggested for a Fredersdorf intervening directly with Fritz was to highlight how good things were going to be and how well-disposed toward Fritz his brothers were going to be after he didn't force the marriage down Heinrich's throat.
It's also why the time you asked, "What did he want out of his family relationships? I mean, emotionally," my answer included, "Affection: I think this was a big one. Fritz craved affection all his life and could never seem to get enough," and why when you asked if he was genuinely offended at Heinrich giving him the cold shoulder, my reaction was, "Hell, yes. Fritz was the needy type."
Fritz has an inner FW yelling "But I don't want you to fear me, I want you to love me!"
Yesss, I was thinking of this too. :/
, i.e. have a chat with AW as the most harmony loving brother and respectfully suggest that talking Heinrich into apologizing might be best for everyone.
That does sound plausible.
The Wilhelmine travel letters website has scans of the originals so you can see the handwriting, but I take it Trier doesn't, if it's exclusively based on Preuss?
Correct, or at least not that I've found.
"Ausfertigung" sounds as if the letters were dictated
Interesting. The most common notes on sources are "Nach dem Concept," "Nach der Ausfertigung," "Nach Abschrift der Cabinetskanzlei," "Nach Aufzeichnung des Cabinetssecretärs," "Der Zusatz 'de la main propre du Roi' nach Abschrift der Cabinetskanzleî," and "Eigenhandig."
I've never been clear on the nuances of what's a dictation vs. a clean copy made for the archives or what, but I've been assuming that "Eigenhandig" means the whole thing is in Fritz's handwriting, since at least some of the time they indicate when it's just the postscript in his hand. "Nach dem Concept" sounds like it's from a draft. I'm not sure about Ausfertigung vs. Abschrift.
But if Ausfertigung is a dictation, then the majority of the letters to Heinrich in the political correspondence are dictations too.
Re: Brotherly Conduct I: The Prelude
Very true. I do think Fredersdorf must have had a solid grasp of Fritz's strengths and weaknesses. Even if he managed to rationalize Fritz's right to do what he did, he could probably spot a mile away a situation about to escalate out of control, and probably decided to help smooth things over.
the more it strikes me that Fritz did feel a need for them to love him.
Absolutely agree. That's why I think Fredersdorf might have been motivated to solve this problem not for Heinrich's sake but for Fritz's sake, because he knows Fritz is going to be miserable if his family hates him. And why the approach I suggested for a Fredersdorf intervening directly with Fritz was to highlight how good things were going to be and how well-disposed toward Fritz his brothers were going to be after he didn't force the marriage down Heinrich's throat.
It's also why the time you asked, "What did he want out of his family relationships? I mean, emotionally," my answer included, "Affection: I think this was a big one. Fritz craved affection all his life and could never seem to get enough," and why when you asked if he was genuinely offended at Heinrich giving him the cold shoulder, my reaction was, "Hell, yes. Fritz was the needy type."
Fritz has an inner FW yelling "But I don't want you to fear me, I want you to love me!"
Yesss, I was thinking of this too. :/
, i.e. have a chat with AW as the most harmony loving brother and respectfully suggest that talking Heinrich into apologizing might be best for everyone.
That does sound plausible.
The Wilhelmine travel letters website has scans of the originals so you can see the handwriting, but I take it Trier doesn't, if it's exclusively based on Preuss?
Correct, or at least not that I've found.
"Ausfertigung" sounds as if the letters were dictated
Interesting. The most common notes on sources are "Nach dem Concept," "Nach der Ausfertigung," "Nach Abschrift der Cabinetskanzlei," "Nach Aufzeichnung des Cabinetssecretärs," "Der Zusatz 'de la main propre du Roi' nach Abschrift der Cabinetskanzleî," and "Eigenhandig."
I've never been clear on the nuances of what's a dictation vs. a clean copy made for the archives or what, but I've been assuming that "Eigenhandig" means the whole thing is in Fritz's handwriting, since at least some of the time they indicate when it's just the postscript in his hand. "Nach dem Concept" sounds like it's from a draft. I'm not sure about Ausfertigung vs. Abschrift.
But if Ausfertigung is a dictation, then the majority of the letters to Heinrich in the political correspondence are dictations too.