cahn, when you get to the "French sickness" in chapter 10, that's syphilis. Everyone had to name it after someone else's country, in order to throw shade on their morals. Because xenophobia and disease outbreaks go together.
*looks around*
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Anyway, I guess Kaphengst can have syphilis because he's an unintelligent money waster exploiting Heinrich, and Marwitz can't have gonorrhea because he's a competent military man on the obelisk and "first love"? I don't think that's how it works, Ziebura...
I agree, though in fairness the source for Kaphengst having syphilis is Lehndorff in a diary entry, who has it from Heinrich's secretary, whereas the source for Marwitz having gonorhea is Fritz in a letter to his younger brother that's full of tauntings and mind messing anyway. This said, STD isn't a meritocracy, and Ziebura's mistake is that she argued "it probably wasn't true because Marwitz had these good qualities" instead of "it probably wasn't true because Fritz".
Incidentally, speaking of Fritz, Fontane, wanting to get his travel book published in 19th century Prussia being all "the literal version of this message can't be rendered here", I can understand, but Krockow and Ziebura, you should be able to give us the unprintable version of "Dump Kaphengst" ! What did Fritz tell his page to tell Heinrich EXACTLY?
Also, what do we think motivated Fritz? Kaphengst is a public embarassment? a new round of fraternal powerplay? Brotherly concern? (I don't mean that sarcastically. Part of the twisted messed up ness of their relationship is that Fritz does care.)
"Because Fritz" is the strongest counterargument *I've* ever seen. It's kind of a gamble to accuse someone of an STD to their lover, though. As soon as Heinrich can reunite with him, that's checkable.
Still. I give it 50-50. Fritz is Fritz and willing to gamble the fate of the whole state on decisive but possibly catastrophic battles.
but Krockow and Ziebura, you should be able to give us the unprintable version of "Dump Kaphengst" !
Right? Is the letter still extant, though, or are they following Fontane?
What did Fritz tell his page to tell Heinrich EXACTLY?
Fritz: Stop letting your boytoy lead you around by the balls. (When I ran up huge debts at Rheinsberg, it was on my own behalf, no one else's. I also knew I had a throne coming to me.)
Which leads me to...
Also, what do we think motivated Fritz?
My guess? The money wasting freaking him out at an existential level. Heinrich's second in line to the throne at this point, and Fritz has one foot in the grave. All it takes is one accident or illness* to remove future FW2 from the succession...Even without that, Fritz in a year or two will be talking about prepping Heinrich to set himself up as the power behind the throne of Useless Nephew (TM). So in other words, I see them as roleplaying the previous generation again.
The difference is that Crown Prince Fritz was "wasting" money on his own expenses, "forcing" FW to try to break his will to get him to stop, whereas King Fritz has the option of just removing Kaphengst. Furthermore, King Fritz has this whole story in his head about how AW's biggest fault was being influenced by the people around him, and he removes "bad" influences from FW2 on the same grounds.
Ghost of FW: Well done, son. Ghost of Peter Keith: *waves from Wesel*
So, brotherly concern, yes, convincing himself he knows what's best for everyone, yes, freaking out over the future of his country...possibly the definitive factor at work here.
* And, as a reminder for cahn, Henricus Minor, FW2's brother and beloved by Fritz, has recently died young (19) of smallpox.
Detective Mildred, I think you're onto something. I hadn't considered the succession question as of 1774 (when Fritz demanded the Kaphengst dumping), and it's true, the idea of someone like Kaphengst with unlimited access to the state treasury is frightening to any responsible monarch, let alone Son of FW.
I'm glad you asked! I hadn't given it serious thought until you did.
Small correction to my chronology: I'd forgotten to check the birth dates of FW2's sons, and sure enough, he had a couple small children in line for the throne in 1774 (birthdates 1770 and 1773). But since Heinrich's going to be regent in the absence of their father, and (at least in Fritz's mind in 1776) Cardinal Richelieu for their father, the same point applies.
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rheinsberg
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
*looks around*
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
Anyway, I guess Kaphengst can have syphilis because he's an unintelligent money waster exploiting Heinrich, and Marwitz can't have gonorrhea because he's a competent military man on the obelisk and "first love"? I don't think that's how it works, Ziebura...
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
Incidentally, speaking of Fritz, Fontane, wanting to get his travel book published in 19th century Prussia being all "the literal version of this message can't be rendered here", I can understand, but Krockow and Ziebura, you should be able to give us the unprintable version of "Dump Kaphengst" ! What did Fritz tell his page to tell Heinrich EXACTLY?
Also, what do we think motivated Fritz? Kaphengst is a public embarassment? a new round of fraternal powerplay? Brotherly concern? (I don't mean that sarcastically. Part of the twisted messed up ness of their relationship is that Fritz does care.)
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
"Because Fritz" is the strongest counterargument *I've* ever seen. It's kind of a gamble to accuse someone of an STD to their lover, though. As soon as Heinrich can reunite with him, that's checkable.
Still. I give it 50-50. Fritz is Fritz and willing to gamble the fate of the whole state on decisive but possibly catastrophic battles.
but Krockow and Ziebura, you should be able to give us the unprintable version of "Dump Kaphengst" !
Right? Is the letter still extant, though, or are they following Fontane?
What did Fritz tell his page to tell Heinrich EXACTLY?
Fritz: Stop letting your boytoy lead you around by the balls. (When I ran up huge debts at Rheinsberg, it was on my own behalf, no one else's. I also knew I had a throne coming to me.)
Which leads me to...
Also, what do we think motivated Fritz?
My guess? The money wasting freaking him out at an existential level. Heinrich's second in line to the throne at this point, and Fritz has one foot in the grave. All it takes is one accident or illness* to remove future FW2 from the succession...Even without that, Fritz in a year or two will be talking about prepping Heinrich to set himself up as the power behind the throne of Useless Nephew (TM). So in other words, I see them as roleplaying the previous generation again.
The difference is that Crown Prince Fritz was "wasting" money on his own expenses, "forcing" FW to try to break his will to get him to stop, whereas King Fritz has the option of just removing Kaphengst. Furthermore, King Fritz has this whole story in his head about how AW's biggest fault was being influenced by the people around him, and he removes "bad" influences from FW2 on the same grounds.
Ghost of FW: Well done, son.
Ghost of Peter Keith: *waves from Wesel*
So, brotherly concern, yes, convincing himself he knows what's best for everyone, yes, freaking out over the future of his country...possibly the definitive factor at work here.
* And, as a reminder for
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
Re: Heinrich readthrough!
Small correction to my chronology: I'd forgotten to check the birth dates of FW2's sons, and sure enough, he had a couple small children in line for the throne in 1774 (birthdates 1770 and 1773). But since Heinrich's going to be regent in the absence of their father, and (at least in Fritz's mind in 1776) Cardinal Richelieu for their father, the same point applies.
Re: Heinrich readthrough!