"but because he had a pretty face and a vivacious temperament, he gained the attention of Prince Heinrich who took him into his service as master of the horses on the occasion of his wedding (i.e. in 1751)
Yeah, I saw that, but my thinking was that he must have attracted Heinrich's attention already by 1751 in order for Heinrich to want to take him into his service at the first opportunity. But I wasn't sure how *much* earlier than 1751 and if 5 years was too much. And apparently he became a page for AW "after the peace," which I'm guessing is the peace of December 1745, so late 1746 was just possible. And Lehndorff wasn't around to report until 1748, right?
So if it was money, then Reisewitz wasn't the first. If it wasn't...
...or maybe he means Marwitz getting rehired as a guard after being fired as a page?
That is the first thing that came to mind for me. Because...
Marwitz did have an STD, Heinrich needed a doctor and that's what Fritz is alluding to. (Though I doubt it, because if he needed a doctor, Heinrich certainly had other options to ask - the gay steward, for one, brother AW, for another.)
So, if in March/April 1746, Fritz is taunting Heinrich about Marwitz having an STD, and Heinrich is so offended he spends the next six months not speaking to Fritz, I feel like he would rather DIE OF AN STD than admit Fritz was right to his face. I.e. I think AW or the steward would be looped in after promising to keep the secret to their grave, because Heinrich would never ever live it down otherwise.
Now, getting Fritz to rehire Marwitz, that, I think Heinrich could get behind. Especially since, didn't Ziebura say Heinrich flattered Fritz in an entirely uncharacteristic way to get Kalckreuth a promotion during the Seven Years' War?
Speaking of Marwitz's career, I still find it surprising that he was a page at age 23-24, depending when in the year his birthday falls. Do you think it's possible Lehndorff, who's writing ten years later about events he wasn't present for, is conflating, and Marwitz started as a page, but wasn't still a page in 1746?
Or do you think there were 23- to 24-year old pages running around?
Re: Not his type?
Yeah, I saw that, but my thinking was that he must have attracted Heinrich's attention already by 1751 in order for Heinrich to want to take him into his service at the first opportunity. But I wasn't sure how *much* earlier than 1751 and if 5 years was too much. And apparently he became a page for AW "after the peace," which I'm guessing is the peace of December 1745, so late 1746 was just possible. And Lehndorff wasn't around to report until 1748, right?
So if it was money, then Reisewitz wasn't the first. If it wasn't...
...or maybe he means Marwitz getting rehired as a guard after being fired as a page?
That is the first thing that came to mind for me. Because...
Marwitz did have an STD, Heinrich needed a doctor and that's what Fritz is alluding to. (Though I doubt it, because if he needed a doctor, Heinrich certainly had other options to ask - the gay steward, for one, brother AW, for another.)
So, if in March/April 1746, Fritz is taunting Heinrich about Marwitz having an STD, and Heinrich is so offended he spends the next six months not speaking to Fritz, I feel like he would rather DIE OF AN STD than admit Fritz was right to his face. I.e. I think AW or the steward would be looped in after promising to keep the secret to their grave, because Heinrich would never ever live it down otherwise.
Now, getting Fritz to rehire Marwitz, that, I think Heinrich could get behind. Especially since, didn't Ziebura say Heinrich flattered Fritz in an entirely uncharacteristic way to get Kalckreuth a promotion during the Seven Years' War?
Speaking of Marwitz's career, I still find it surprising that he was a page at age 23-24, depending when in the year his birthday falls. Do you think it's possible Lehndorff, who's writing ten years later about events he wasn't present for, is conflating, and Marwitz started as a page, but wasn't still a page in 1746?
Or do you think there were 23- to 24-year old pages running around?