Elisabeth Christine let everyone feel through her imperious nature that she was finally the only queen.
Is this right? Huh. I guess I can understan why EC might want to punch down herself a little for a brief moment
Ziebura has this from Lehndorff, who certainly had that impression directly after SD's death. (I think I told you about this? He even has an argument re: SD's funeral arrangements with her, and she apologizes the next day, but this doesn't make him feel much warmer towards her. This series of entries are the ones containing the "she'd have made an excellent burgher's wife" dig, amidst raving about how great SD was at Queendom.) I was a tad sceptical during my original reading of the diaries, but Sophie von Voss backs him up here - i.e. EC after SD's death trying to be more authoritarian (and failing at it) - so now I think it was another case of damned if you do, damned of you don't for her. (Her mother-in-law had critisized her as not sufficiently regal, after all.)
Aw, I remember selenak telling us about that passage where Lehndorff is rolling his eyes that Mina is so upset about Heinrich's wound. It's still pretty funny to me :P
Lehndorff is usually complimentary about Mina, and during the time they lived together in Heinrich's Berlin residence (remember, when Lehndorff had no more Berlin place but wanted to live there to be near his sons and Heinrich told him to move into his town residence with his family, ca. 1799), he had tea with her every day- but every now and then you get a remark like this, complete with an aside that she hears perfectly well and yet they had to repeat to her three times that Heinrich was fine before she got up again. You can practically hear him think "if anyone gets to faint at the prospect of Heinrich being wounded, it's me, and I don't do it, plus we all now how things are between you two, so cut the dramatics!"
Did AW give Mina his engagement ring?? I mean, I guess it's not quite as bad as giving her his kids, but...
Yes, he did. It was also the ring he was wearing all the time. The fact that he did made the rounds quickly, since Lehndorff knows about this detail even before Heinrich's January visit to Berlin as executor of AW's will.
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
so now I think it was another case of damned if you do, damned of you don't for her. (Her mother-in-law had critisized her as not sufficiently regal, after all.)
Yeah, first she got criticized for not talking, then she got criticized for talking too much and not having anything interesting to say. Then she's either not regal enough or too imperious.
Sucks to be her. :/
You can practically hear him think "if anyone gets to faint at the prospect of Heinrich being wounded, it's me, and I don't do it, plus we all now how things are between you two, so cut the dramatics!"
This is ringing a bell now that you mention it!
Ziebura seems to think that Wilhelmine, like EC, had the misfortune of actually falling in love with, or at least developing feelings for, her husband.
No pity for the wives indeed. :(
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
I was a tad sceptical during my original reading of the diaries, but Sophie von Voss backs him up here - i.e. EC after SD's death trying to be more authoritarian (and failing at it)
I just got to the part where Amalie writes the "we all suck, except Louise, she's an angel" letter, and she too says that EC is authoritarian.
I remember when you first read this book to us and titled your post "Why you should never marry a Hohenzollern." I guess that's what Amalie titled her letter.
I like how she finishes it, "Let's be real: I probably suck too. [I was raised by Hohenzollerns, after all.]"
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
Yes, Amalie ending her letter this way is what makes it more than an exercise in venting or even spite, and gave me a clue to her personality.
Lehndorff reports that Amalie and EC had their clashes when locked up together in Magdeburg during the various evacuations, with two main motives - when churchgoing, Amalie went to Reformed service, EC went to Lutheran church "and thus we have a schisma" said Lehndorff. (Remember, the Hohenzollern were Calvinists, not Lutherans, though the majority of their subjects were Lutherans, and so were the Braunschweig in-laws. And point of contention no2. was that Fritz kept asking for Amalie when wanting visitors during the war, never for EC, which was just humiliating. (Note that Heinrich did the same thing - as Ziebura points out, while his wife had to ask repeateadly for her household budget, he was worrying in letters to Ferdinand about his sister, and when visiting Berlin for the first time in years after AW's death, he asked Amalie to meet him ahead of his arrival in Berlin, not Mina.) I wouldn't be surprised if EC emphasizing that SHE was the Queen was connected to this.
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
Yes, I loved that she finished it like that <3 and I thought of your take on her when I read that.
"and thus we have a schisma" said Lehndorff.
Hee. (Also, seeing a quote from him after reading all this malicious stuff from Hervey is so refreshing!)
Remember, the Hohenzollern were Calvinists, not Lutherans, though the majority of their subjects were Lutherans, and so were the Braunschweig in-laws.
Ah! I had forgotten, thank you. This is one of those things I really should have remembered, given all the predestination and all -- although I guess part of this is that I tend to conflate "saved by God alone" with "predestination," despite valiant efforts by my spouse's (Lutheran) church members to inform me that this is Not Right :)
Also, now that I'm finally commenting on this part: HEINRICH. UGH. YOU ARE THE WORST. Well, it's good to get the problematic part of my problematic fave. I guess.
Oh no, wait, Fritz is also THE WORST:
The king invited them, but not his wife, to Potsdam and to the Turkish tent, where he had refreshments served to the ladies who wanted to watch the military parades in Berlin.
So let me get this straight... he invited his wife's sister but not him?? Good thing Louise was an angel :P
Edited 2020-09-20 05:14 (UTC)
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
You can practically hear him think "if anyone gets to faint at the prospect of Heinrich being wounded, it's me, and I don't do it, plus we all now how things are between you two, so cut the dramatics!"
:D This is why it's funny! I love Lehndorff <3
So I feel like there is something sort of especially terrible about it being his engagement ring that he gave Mina. Not sure why I am fixated on this when the kid handoff thing was obviously way worse -- okay, yeah, probably so I don't have to look as hard at that part :P
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Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
Is this right? Huh. I guess I can understan why EC might want to punch down herself a little for a brief moment
Ziebura has this from Lehndorff, who certainly had that impression directly after SD's death. (I think I told you about this? He even has an argument re: SD's funeral arrangements with her, and she apologizes the next day, but this doesn't make him feel much warmer towards her. This series of entries are the ones containing the "she'd have made an excellent burgher's wife" dig, amidst raving about how great SD was at Queendom.) I was a tad sceptical during my original reading of the diaries, but Sophie von Voss backs him up here - i.e. EC after SD's death trying to be more authoritarian (and failing at it) - so now I think it was another case of damned if you do, damned of you don't for her. (Her mother-in-law had critisized her as not sufficiently regal, after all.)
Aw, I remember
Lehndorff is usually complimentary about Mina, and during the time they lived together in Heinrich's Berlin residence (remember, when Lehndorff had no more Berlin place but wanted to live there to be near his sons and Heinrich told him to move into his town residence with his family, ca. 1799), he had tea with her every day- but every now and then you get a remark like this, complete with an aside that she hears perfectly well and yet they had to repeat to her three times that Heinrich was fine before she got up again. You can practically hear him think "if anyone gets to faint at the prospect of Heinrich being wounded, it's me, and I don't do it, plus we all now how things are between you two, so cut the dramatics!"
Did AW give Mina his engagement ring?? I mean, I guess it's not quite as bad as giving her his kids, but...
Yes, he did. It was also the ring he was wearing all the time. The fact that he did made the rounds quickly, since Lehndorff knows about this detail even before Heinrich's January visit to Berlin as executor of AW's will.
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
Yeah, first she got criticized for not talking, then she got criticized for talking too much and not having anything interesting to say. Then she's either not regal enough or too imperious.
Sucks to be her. :/
You can practically hear him think "if anyone gets to faint at the prospect of Heinrich being wounded, it's me, and I don't do it, plus we all now how things are between you two, so cut the dramatics!"
This is ringing a bell now that you mention it!
Ziebura seems to think that Wilhelmine, like EC, had the misfortune of actually falling in love with, or at least developing feelings for, her husband.
No pity for the wives indeed. :(
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
I just got to the part where Amalie writes the "we all suck, except Louise, she's an angel" letter, and she too says that EC is authoritarian.
I remember when you first read this book to us and titled your post "Why you should never marry a Hohenzollern." I guess that's what Amalie titled her letter.
I like how she finishes it, "Let's be real: I probably suck too. [I was raised by Hohenzollerns, after all.]"
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
Lehndorff reports that Amalie and EC had their clashes when locked up together in Magdeburg during the various evacuations, with two main motives - when churchgoing, Amalie went to Reformed service, EC went to Lutheran church "and thus we have a schisma" said Lehndorff. (Remember, the Hohenzollern were Calvinists, not Lutherans, though the majority of their subjects were Lutherans, and so were the Braunschweig in-laws. And point of contention no2. was that Fritz kept asking for Amalie when wanting visitors during the war, never for EC, which was just humiliating. (Note that Heinrich did the same thing - as Ziebura points out, while his wife had to ask repeateadly for her household budget, he was worrying in letters to Ferdinand about his sister, and when visiting Berlin for the first time in years after AW's death, he asked Amalie to meet him ahead of his arrival in Berlin, not Mina.) I wouldn't be surprised if EC emphasizing that SHE was the Queen was connected to this.
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
"and thus we have a schisma" said Lehndorff.
Hee. (Also, seeing a quote from him after reading all this malicious stuff from Hervey is so refreshing!)
Remember, the Hohenzollern were Calvinists, not Lutherans, though the majority of their subjects were Lutherans, and so were the Braunschweig in-laws.
Ah! I had forgotten, thank you. This is one of those things I really should have remembered, given all the predestination and all -- although I guess part of this is that I tend to conflate "saved by God alone" with "predestination," despite valiant efforts by my spouse's (Lutheran) church members to inform me that this is Not Right :)
Also, now that I'm finally commenting on this part: HEINRICH. UGH. YOU ARE THE WORST. Well, it's good to get the problematic part of my problematic fave. I guess.
Oh no, wait, Fritz is also THE WORST:
The king invited them, but not his wife, to Potsdam and to the Turkish tent, where he had refreshments served to the ladies who wanted to watch the military parades in Berlin.
So let me get this straight... he invited his wife's sister but not him?? Good thing Louise was an angel :P
Re: No Pity for the Wives readthrough (cont) - Seven Years' War
:D This is why it's funny! I love Lehndorff <3
So I feel like there is something sort of especially terrible about it being his engagement ring that he gave Mina. Not sure why I am fixated on this when the kid handoff thing was obviously way worse -- okay, yeah, probably so I don't have to look as hard at that part :P