Well, I'm not sure Lehndorff wants an erastes exactly, but between him definitely coming across as having a slight crush on Peter (true hero of 1730 and all that) and him, in the 1750s pre Hotham, still wanting a older mentor figure, I'd say he'd have gone for it, if he and Peter during that shared wine and conversation had been in the mood!
Incidentally, since you're as baffled about what the "Puncta" could be - did we ever go over suspects for who on earth leaked Katte's letters to his Father, grandfather and to FW? Because if according to Klosterhuis they were making the rounds in November in Berlin already, and in 1731 ended up in a pamphlet printed in the decidedly anti Prussian Rhineland, without ever a denial saying "nope, not what Katte wrote at all", someone must have.
So: Katte Family: obvious suspects, but would have infuriated FW by doing so. And Hans Heinrich still had more kids to lose.
Anyone from the Küstrin staff, who were in charge of going through all outgoing and incoming mail and sympathized with Katte, thus made copies? Mayyyybe, but again, very risky, and they just watched a guy losing his head at the King's displeasure.
Eichel, who presumably got copies of all three letters for the Archive? Hmmm. Does the most loyal bureaucrat and workoholic of the state have a sneaking "this was not cool, boss!" resister inside? Knowing himself to be the least suspected person ever and getting away with it?
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Re: A Katte Related Correspondance, or: No Mercy Like Hohenzollern Mercy
Date: 2020-02-05 11:31 am (UTC)Incidentally, since you're as baffled about what the "Puncta" could be - did we ever go over suspects for who on earth leaked Katte's letters to his Father, grandfather and to FW? Because if according to Klosterhuis they were making the rounds in November in Berlin already, and in 1731 ended up in a pamphlet printed in the decidedly anti Prussian Rhineland, without ever a denial saying "nope, not what Katte wrote at all", someone must have.
So: Katte Family: obvious suspects, but would have infuriated FW by doing so. And Hans Heinrich still had more kids to lose.
Anyone from the Küstrin staff, who were in charge of going through all outgoing and incoming mail and sympathized with Katte, thus made copies? Mayyyybe, but again, very risky, and they just watched a guy losing his head at the King's displeasure.
Eichel, who presumably got copies of all three letters for the Archive? Hmmm. Does the most loyal bureaucrat and workoholic of the state have a sneaking "this was not cool, boss!" resister inside? Knowing himself to be the least suspected person ever and getting away with it?