Frederick the Great discussion post 12

[cahn]

Every time I am amazed and enchanted that this is still going on! Truly DW is the Earthly Paradise!

All the good stuff continues to be archived at rheinsberg :)

Comments

Re: Poniatowski: Totally Objective Assessment of (P)Russian Pete

[selenak]

I know! No one could ever accuse Poniatowski of anti-Pete bias, nooooo.

And yes, Fritz is much more (P)Russian Pete's Dulcinea, not Suhm's. He's the Victoria to Suhm's Lord Melbourne, if anything. :)

(Voltaire: Ducinea nothing. He's Alcina, and specifically, my Alcina.)

Poor Pete. Catherine met Fritz. Poniatowski met Fritz. Neither of them bothered with an autograph. Meanwhile, who's the No.1 fan and only got a measly Black Eagle out of it before getting deposed?

Book reading: Poniatowski got his hands on a complete edition of the Pucelle, which was one of his earliest presents for Catherine (they read it together). And she was an avid reader. No idea whether Pete really wasn't one, though.

Re: Poniatowski: Totally Objective Assessment of (P)Russian Pete

[mildred_of_midgard]

And yes, Fritz is much more (P)Russian Pete's Dulcinea, not Suhm's.

Agreed, but this was an AU, and it made a little more sense in context. (Fritz has escaped, but now he's missing, no one knows where he is, and Suhm is riding all over Europe trying to find him.)

Btw, I totally stole your Paris/Helen of Troy line for them, it was *so* good, and in the unlikely event that this ends up postable, I would like to keep it and credit you, if that's all right?

Poor Pete. Catherine met Fritz. Poniatowski met Fritz. Neither of them bothered with an autograph. Meanwhile, who's the No.1 fan and only got a measly Black Eagle out of it before getting deposed?

At least you got to prove your #1 fan creds by saving his life!

And she was an avid reader. No idea whether Pete really wasn't one, though.

No idea either. The annual Yuletide requester, who does at least read modern revisionist Russian sources dedicated to Peter as well as contemporary sources that aren't Catherine-derived, says,

Peter, who had a good education, a massive library that he was highly invested in. Who had, according to his tutor in Russia, a superior memory and a love for fortification, an interest in mathematics and the sciences, but a lack of interest in the humanities.

But how rigorous her scholarship is, I don't know. So make of that what you will. (She also says the drinking thing was all lies, that he suffered from terrible hangovers, and so he watered his wine and drank very little.)