This is Lavisse reporting Fritz talking to Seckendorff, after the August 5 flight attempt (August 6 being the day page Keith fessed up) and before Peter Keith's desertion was discovered. FW is keeping a close watch on Fritz but hasn't yet erupted into "massive conspiracy to overthrow me; off with everyone's heads" rage. They're in Bonn; it's evidently August 10. Fritz says:
"The peril of my life does not disturb me. Only I should regret that some officers, having knowledge of the thing, would be exposed to danger, when they have not committed a fault, but have simply allowed themselves to be inveigled into it by me. If the king promises pardon for them, I will admit all frankly. If not, they can cut off my head before I betray anybody."
And then Lavisse reports, not in direct discourse, Fritz mentioning Katte's name unsolicited. I had seen this before, but not from a primary source, so I didn't know whether to trust it.
But now we have a source is "Report of Seckendorff to the Emperor, August 14, 1730, Förster, III, pp. 1 et seq." And Lavisse adds, "This report must be consulted for the whole history of the attempt at escape."
It's Förster again!...Found it. Okay, yes, there is a report from Seckendorff, and it contains Fritz saying these things, although Lavisse putting it in first person direct discourse is just him livening up the narrative.
Okay, we have Fritz offering his life for Katte et al. (but also naming him as a conspirator) in August! And also saying that he doesn't mind dying, but would mind very much if anything happened to his friends. And saying that he hopes Katte can be saved.
It's like the court martial recommending FW consider the effect of killing Katte on Fritz: hurting Fritz is a feature, not a bug. Fritz, don't tell your father how to get to you! Ugh.
Interesting, it looks like volume 3 has a bunch of primary sources pertaining to volumes 1 and 2.
OMG, there's correspondence from May 1731, pertaining to the possibility of Fritz converting to Catholicism for the Austrian marriage project! Seckendorff and Eugene! Okay, this looks cool. It's going in the library. This part's in volume 3, pp. 28 ff., in German. Seckendorff's report on the escape attempt, also in German, opens the report. Also, I have to say, with all this practice, it's moderately easier for me to skim this font than it used to be. ;)
All right, I thought I was going to have to email our royal patron, but no, I have now found all three volumes and they're now in the library. Volume 3 has the worst scan job ever, but it's better than nothing.
I have to say, Lavisse has his shortcomings, but he keeps leading me to primary sources! That so far say what he says they say, no less.
Oh, hah, one page later in Lavisse: "The next day he was examined by Colonel Derschau, upon the questions prepared by the king." Look at how much more we know than we used to.
cahn, remember when we used to tell you about things we knew? And now we tell you about our discoveries as they happen! :D
Re: Grumbkow and Katte
"The peril of my life does not disturb me. Only I should regret that some officers, having knowledge of the thing, would be exposed to danger, when they have not committed a fault, but have simply allowed themselves to be inveigled into it by me. If the king promises pardon for them, I will admit all frankly. If not, they can cut off my head before I betray anybody."
And then Lavisse reports, not in direct discourse, Fritz mentioning Katte's name unsolicited. I had seen this before, but not from a primary source, so I didn't know whether to trust it.
But now we have a source is "Report of Seckendorff to the Emperor, August 14, 1730, Förster, III, pp. 1 et seq." And Lavisse adds, "This report must be consulted for the whole history of the attempt at escape."
It's Förster again!...Found it. Okay, yes, there is a report from Seckendorff, and it contains Fritz saying these things, although Lavisse putting it in first person direct discourse is just him livening up the narrative.
Okay, we have Fritz offering his life for Katte et al. (but also naming him as a conspirator) in August! And also saying that he doesn't mind dying, but would mind very much if anything happened to his friends. And saying that he hopes Katte can be saved.
It's like the court martial recommending FW consider the effect of killing Katte on Fritz: hurting Fritz is a feature, not a bug. Fritz, don't tell your father how to get to you! Ugh.
Interesting, it looks like volume 3 has a bunch of primary sources pertaining to volumes 1 and 2.
OMG, there's correspondence from May 1731, pertaining to the possibility of Fritz converting to Catholicism for the Austrian marriage project! Seckendorff and Eugene! Okay, this looks cool. It's going in the library. This part's in volume 3, pp. 28 ff., in German. Seckendorff's report on the escape attempt, also in German, opens the report. Also, I have to say, with all this practice, it's moderately easier for me to skim this font than it used to be. ;)
All right, I thought I was going to have to email our royal patron, but no, I have now found all three volumes and they're now in the library. Volume 3 has the worst scan job ever, but it's better than nothing.
I have to say, Lavisse has his shortcomings, but he keeps leading me to primary sources! That so far say what he says they say, no less.
Oh, hah, one page later in Lavisse: "The next day he was examined by Colonel Derschau, upon the questions prepared by the king." Look at how much more we know than we used to.