One would hope, since he became a leading general, and even with a secretary, that would be hard without this ability. His German wiki entry says it might be a legend (that his father didn't have him educated) and that at any rate Prince Moritz didn't do worse than other generals. (True: while he's co-responsible for Fritz' big defeat at Kolin, he also fought in victorious battles such as Leuthen.)
Lehndorff wasn't too keen on him, as mentioned, but he does report the lack of education, so if it was a legend/rumor, it was one already known to contemporaries and deeemed believable. In his entry on January 24th (i.e. Fritz' birthday) 1753, he writes: Great gala dinner at the Queen's; all foreign princes participate, including Prince Moritz, who is an odd fellow. His father let him grow up completely according to nature, without providing him with the least bit of education. As a result, he's grown into an idiot the likes of which habe rarely been seen. He has a strong disposition towards all things military, loves his soldiers like a commander, loves his horses and his dogs. He also treats them all in the same style.
Mind you, of course he could exaggarate. (See also Voltaire, well, some guy claiming in the 1752 pamphlet that AW could neither read nor write until Fritz got on the throne because FW didn't believe in education.) But even taking this with a pinch of salt, I think it's a safe bet Moritz von Anhalt-Dessau can't have received much of an education, and people noticed.
*now envisions the sons of old Dessauer singing Pink Floyd*
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Re: Fritz-Duhan Follow-Up
Date: 2020-11-19 01:38 pm (UTC)Lehndorff wasn't too keen on him, as mentioned, but he does report the lack of education, so if it was a legend/rumor, it was one already known to contemporaries and deeemed believable. In his entry on January 24th (i.e. Fritz' birthday) 1753, he writes: Great gala dinner at the Queen's; all foreign princes participate, including Prince Moritz, who is an odd fellow. His father let him grow up completely according to nature, without providing him with the least bit of education. As a result, he's grown into an idiot the likes of which habe rarely been seen. He has a strong disposition towards all things military, loves his soldiers like a commander, loves his horses and his dogs. He also treats them all in the same style.
Mind you, of course he could exaggarate. (See also Voltaire, well, some guy claiming in the 1752 pamphlet that AW could neither read nor write until Fritz got on the throne because FW didn't believe in education.) But even taking this with a pinch of salt, I think it's a safe bet Moritz von Anhalt-Dessau can't have received much of an education, and people noticed.
*now envisions the sons of old Dessauer singing Pink Floyd*