Frederick the Great, discussion post 16

[cahn]

We have slowed down a lot, but are still (sporadically) going! And somehow filled up the last post while I wasn't looking!

...I was asked to start a new thread so that STDs could be discussed. Really! :D

Comments

Re: Some FW Speculation

[selenak]

Either fertility or marital relations or both broke down in the 1720s. I mean, there's the obvious first few years of trying desperately for a male heir who doesn't immediately die, but even after the 5 kids in 5 years, there's 6 more kids in 10 years, and then...2 kids in 8 years. It doesn't escape me that 1726-1730 is the height of the double marriage war. (Hmm. What was going on in August 1729?)

Wasn‘t that when the English marriages almost happened (since the Brits were willing to take Wihelmine without a dowry) except Charles Hotham the older then overdid it by going „oh, and btw, your pal Grumbkow is an absolute corrupt bastard who has to be removed, and here‘s the proof!“ ? Perhaps Ferdinand was conceived in the short period when SD could truly believe that at last her dream for her two oldest children would come true, and felt generous?

The gap between Amalie and Heinrich is noticable compared with earlier gaps. Now, according to Wilhelmine Amalie herself was an accident and SD didn‘t want to believe she was pregnant (as opposed to already having the change) until shortly before the birth, hence unexpected midwife FW. Which I suppose could be invented, but I don‘t see what would be the point, and Wilhelmine was certainly old enough to notice.

Of course, we shouldn‘t lose sight of the fact that the 1720s were also when FW‘s health started to break down and he began spending time in the wheelchair. As I seem to recall, Amalie‘s birth year, 1722, is where his Last Will (the one with „no whores, no theatre, no wars of agression!“ in the beginning) is from. So FW‘s health in addition to everything else could be another reason why the rate at which they produce offspring goes down.

Wondering about the summer of 1725 (i.e. when Heinrich was conceived) - SD tries really hard to get FW on board the English marriage project? It might also have been when she was afraid he‘d divorce her, but I‘m not sure about the year.

Re: Some FW Speculation

[mildred_of_midgard]

More when I haven't been awake for nearly all of 36 hours, but your comment made me realize that in all the copy-pasting, I left out Amalie - 1723. So 12 kids in 16 years, then 2 more over the next 7.

Re: Some FW Speculation

[mildred_of_midgard]

Wasn‘t that when the English marriages almost happened (since the Brits were willing to take Wihelmine without a dowry) except Charles Hotham the older then overdid it

That's what I thought, but no, that was only in 1730.

Dug into it a bit more, and apparently what was happening in 1729 was the resumption of the marriage negotiations, and in the summer there was a minor conflict between Hanover and Prussia that escalated. As usual, it took the form of Prussians kidnapping Hanoverians for the army, the Hanoverians retaliating against the recruiters, and FW completely overreacting. (Remember, this exact sequence of events had happened two years before, with Saxony, which was when he was ready to hang Suhm.) So in late August, FW got to the point of mobilizing 44,000 soldiers (source: Koser) in late August and declaring himself ready to invade. Right when Ferdinand was conceived.

Make of that what you will.

The gap between Amalie and Heinrich is noticable compared with earlier gaps.

It is apparently only a 3-year gap, due to my copy-paste error (1722 is AW), but it's still the first 3-year gap, and it was followed by a 4-year gap.

Of course, we shouldn‘t lose sight of the fact that the 1720s were also when FW‘s health started to break down

That is an excellent point, and probably accounts for a lot of what we're seeing.

1725: Not sure.

1722, is where his Last Will (the one with „no whores, no theatre, no wars of agression!“ in the beginning

1732 FW: Good job impregnating Frau von Wreech! Bodes well for your marriage.
1736 FW: There stands one who will avenge me! (Does it count as a defensive war if the Austrians have repeatedly screwed you over re Juliers and Berg?)