Frederick the Great discussion post 11

[cahn]

In our last installment, our heroes found that Henri de Catt's memoirs, a major source for current biographers of Frederick the Great, are not to be trusted!!

rheinsberg

Comments

Re: Zimmermann sets the record straight

[selenak]

Maybe Trenck got the extra special gravestone because he didn‘t sleep with Fritz. Not in the sense of him having turned a pass down, don‘t get me wrong, in the sense that Fritz might have had urges but didn‘t, wanting to be a good mentor like Suhm (this being the early 1740s, and Trenck still quite young), and then it turns out young, innocent Trenck has totally getting it on with Amalie behind his back.

Incidentally, Zimmermann is totally indignant about a memoirist for publishing an „indelicate“ anecdote about Amalie and then of course he himself renders the entire story in a footnote. Which goes thusly: When Amalie became Abbess of Quedlinburg, X said to her: „You only have to obey three vows, poverty, humility and chastity. Considering you are a princess living in luxury, and you have a strong will and do not listen to anyone, will you be able to keep at least the third?“

Otherwise, Zimmermann continues to be bizarrely hilarious. And totally should have signed up for Yuletide. After going on about how Fritz was the best politician ever and saw through everyone, he reveals how Fritz got all his Austrian intel and always knew exactly what MT was planning. Because, see, Prussia trained handsome young men („Adonisses“) explicitly for the purpose of seducing Viennese maids of ladies-in-waiting who were confidants to MT. The idea being that MT tells her plans to her favourite ladies-in-waiting, the ladies blab to their maids, and the maids to their Prussian lovers. Now, this method was actually used by East German spy master Marcus „Mischa“ Wolf with West German secretaries of politicians (the infamous „Romeos“), though I doubt Wolf ever read Zimmermann. And the honeytrap is a tried and true spy method through the ages. But my problem here is that I‘ve read the letters MT wrote to her favourite (former) lady in waiting, whom she tells quite a lot about what‘s going on with her emotionally, but politics are severely lacking in that equation. I‘m also amused Zimmermann in the age of the Revolution (about which more in a moment) plays it safe by claiming the Prussian male honey traps went for the maids, not for the ladies-in-waiting, aka noble women who are still alive and could make trouble for him.

Continuing in the RPF vain: Zimmermann complains about that ungrateful bastard Voltaire - Fritz of course totally saw through him and would never ever have allowed him in his presence again post 1753, he only ever loved Voltaire the writer and had nothing but deserved contempt for Voltaire the person! And that burning of the pamphlet wasn‘t intolerant censorship with uncomfortable inquisition overtones, it was tender protection for poor, poor Maupertuis‘ feelings!“ Voltaire is the worst person ever with his gay slanders about Manly Fritz ; and then there’s that terrible guy Mirabeau with his more recent slanders, which included the observation that Fritz, Voltaire aside, with whom he couldn‘t live, surrounded himself only with second class intellectuals because the first class ones would never have stood for his endless Fritzplaining, and that Fritz actually had little idea about France and the French because all he knew were a few exiles and outdated literature. Lies! Roars Zimmermann. Don‘t the current (remember, publication date is 1790, not a year after the Bastille got stormed) events inFrance prove that Fritz saw the French national character clearly, that every criticism Fritz ever made of the French court was totally justified? Lest we think he has a good point with the later half of that statement, Zimmermann then goes on to provide us with several pages, written in first person, of what Fritz would have said about the French Revolution, if he‘d lived. Because Zimmermann can totally hear him say that, and he wants to share it with us. I kid you not. (If you‘re wondering, Fritz would have pointed out that the French always have to go over the top because they aren‘t the English or the Americans, both of whom already had their revolutions, but not as explosively. Among other things.)

In less bizarro and more familiar RPF-news, Zimmermann says that „Ritter Andreas von Mitchell“ was without a doubt Fritz‘ favourite ambassador and tells an anecdote about Fritz on one occasion where Mitchell came into firing range along with him told Mitchell „this is hardly an envoy‘s place“ , whereupon Mitchell supposedly replied that if this was Fritz‘ place to be thus exposed, his place was at Fritz‘ side. Zimmermann also also lives with the impression Mitchell burned all his papers during the 7 Years War lest they be captured by the enemy, which, well, not so much. In general, Zimmermann says Fritz treated the ambassadors as well or badly as his own ambassadors were treated in the respective other courts. Except, of course, he graced them with his wonderful wit and Fritzplaining, which no one else could rival. Der einzige König!

Conclusion: Zimmermann, go and play with (P)Russian Pete. He‘s your kind of fanboy.

Re: Zimmermann sets the record straight

[mildred_of_midgard]

Maybe Trenck got the extra special gravestone because he didn‘t sleep with Fritz.

Oooh, could be!

„You only have to obey three vows, poverty, humility and chastity. Considering you are a princess living in luxury, and you have a strong will and do not listen to anyone, will you be able to keep at least the third?“

Hahaha. Thanks for providing this anecdote, Zimmermann. :P

(You go, Amalia. Live it up!)

Otherwise, Zimmermann continues to be bizarrely hilarious. And totally should have signed up for Yuletide.

Indeed. All of these are awesome, and I guess I should have expected the rest of his work to live up to what I'd already heard about the STDs and penis operation, but I did not! Thank you so much for sharing all of these.

Except, of course, he graced them with his wonderful wit and Fritzplaining, which no one else could rival. Der einzige König!

*spittake*

Conclusion: Zimmermann, go and play with (P)Russian Pete. He‘s your kind of fanboy.

Zimmermann would make an excellent addition to the Very Secret Transcripts, if not as a participant, then as one of the providers of content that gets an overview in the guide to fandom. :D