The battle of Minorca, won by the French on May 20, 1756,
Marian Füssels points out that this one, not Lobowitz in Saxony, which hadn't been invaded yet, can get the credit for being the first official battle of the 7 Years War and kicking it off. But neither German historians - who were invested in Fritz being the decisive lone eagle who always acts, not reacts - nor British historians (invested in the imagine of a) Prussia starting it all, and b) England always coming out on top in the wars they very reluctanctly get involved in) usually admit this.
No matter how mad I was at someone, if someone said that to me, I would take it as an attempted wake-up call to remind me that everyone, even me, makes mistakes...but I'm not an absolute monarch.
I would, too, but given this is Wilhelmine in late 1757 writing to Fritz who already sounds somewhat suicidal, I really don't believe she used sarcasm on that occasion.
Ziebura seems to think Heinrich and Ferdinand were wrong to encourage AW in holding out, "without considering how unhappy he felt about it."
She does, and I'm mostly thinking they were wrong, too, but that's with hindsight and the knowledge of AW's death. If you, like Heinrich and Ferdinand, assume AW will survive to be King one day and has at least the security that Fritz can't change the succession without petitioning the Emperor to do so, and if you assume that even if AW submits, Fritz will just repeat this kind of behavior ad infinitum (with AW and others), then it looks differently. Like you said, it was a lose-lose situation.
neither German historians - who were invested in Fritz being the decisive lone eagle who always acts, not reacts - nor British historians (invested in the imagine of a) Prussia starting it all, and b) England always coming out on top in the wars they very reluctanctly get involved in) usually admit this.
I imagine the Austrians also want Fritz to have started it? Though I'm not conversant with Austrian historiography.
I would, too, but given this is Wilhelmine in late 1757 writing to Fritz who already sounds somewhat suicidal, I really don't believe she used sarcasm on that occasion.
Exactly, that's why I find it so hard to wrap my head around that sentence. I can't imagine writing or reading it with a straight face, but I can't imagine Wilhelmine using the kind of sarcasm on Fritz that would be the only possible way I could compose that sentence. I don't care how abject I was trying to be, I would find a different way of phrasing it. But I guess Wilhelmine thought that was what he needed to hear.
if you assume that even if AW submits, Fritz will just repeat this kind of behavior ad infinitum (with AW and others), then it looks differently. Like you said, it was a lose-lose situation.
Definitely. There are pros and cons to any approach, and major cons to all. :(
She does, and I'm mostly thinking they were wrong, too, but that's with hindsight and the knowledge of AW's death. If you, like Heinrich and Ferdinand, assume AW will survive to be King one day and has at least the security that Fritz can't change the succession without petitioning the Emperor to do so, and if you assume that even if AW submits, Fritz will just repeat this kind of behavior ad infinitum (with AW and others), then it looks differently. Like you said, it was a lose-lose situation.
Yeah. It's not at all clear to me that it looks like the wrong move at the time, it's all lose-lose :(
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Re: AW readthrough - Seven Years' War
Marian Füssels points out that this one, not Lobowitz in Saxony, which hadn't been invaded yet, can get the credit for being the first official battle of the 7 Years War and kicking it off. But neither German historians - who were invested in Fritz being the decisive lone eagle who always acts, not reacts - nor British historians (invested in the imagine of a) Prussia starting it all, and b) England always coming out on top in the wars they very reluctanctly get involved in) usually admit this.
No matter how mad I was at someone, if someone said that to me, I would take it as an attempted wake-up call to remind me that everyone, even me, makes mistakes...but I'm not an absolute monarch.
I would, too, but given this is Wilhelmine in late 1757 writing to Fritz who already sounds somewhat suicidal, I really don't believe she used sarcasm on that occasion.
Ziebura seems to think Heinrich and Ferdinand were wrong to encourage AW in holding out, "without considering how unhappy he felt about it."
She does, and I'm mostly thinking they were wrong, too, but that's with hindsight and the knowledge of AW's death. If you, like Heinrich and Ferdinand, assume AW will survive to be King one day and has at least the security that Fritz can't change the succession without petitioning the Emperor to do so, and if you assume that even if AW submits, Fritz will just repeat this kind of behavior ad infinitum (with AW and others), then it looks differently. Like you said, it was a lose-lose situation.
Re: AW readthrough - Seven Years' War
I imagine the Austrians also want Fritz to have started it? Though I'm not conversant with Austrian historiography.
I would, too, but given this is Wilhelmine in late 1757 writing to Fritz who already sounds somewhat suicidal, I really don't believe she used sarcasm on that occasion.
Exactly, that's why I find it so hard to wrap my head around that sentence. I can't imagine writing or reading it with a straight face, but I can't imagine Wilhelmine using the kind of sarcasm on Fritz that would be the only possible way I could compose that sentence. I don't care how abject I was trying to be, I would find a different way of phrasing it. But I guess Wilhelmine thought that was what he needed to hear.
if you assume that even if AW submits, Fritz will just repeat this kind of behavior ad infinitum (with AW and others), then it looks differently. Like you said, it was a lose-lose situation.
Definitely. There are pros and cons to any approach, and major cons to all. :(
Re: AW readthrough - Seven Years' War
Yeah. It's not at all clear to me that it looks like the wrong move at the time, it's all lose-lose :(