We haven't had a thread yet called "sodomy"? Must remedy that. :P
So Horowski just told me that Fritz abolished the death penalty for sodomy. Now, I had *always*, as far back as high school, seen him criticized for not doing that. Since then, I've also seen him criticized in fiction for the hypocrisy (in Diana Gabaldon's Lord John series, and in an AO3 "Katte lives" fic where Fritz and Katte fight and, iirc, temporarily break up over the issue).
The interesting thing is that Horowski says Fritz's rationale for abolishing the death penalty was that young men always attend executions, and one doesn't want to give them ideas they might not have on their own.
That quote I recognized from Blanning:
It is undeniable that through frightful public capital punishments, many young and innocent spirits, who naturally want to know the reason for such a terrible execution, especially if they are also unaware of the finer sentiments (just as the criminal is), will be scandalized rather than improved, and it is even possible that evil tendencies may be awakened in them, tendencies of which they previously had no inkling.
Now, that *does* sound like he's talking about sodomy. Unfortunately, Blanning cites a secondary source: Richard J. Evans, Rituals of Retribution: Capital Punishment in Germany 1600–1987.
I can't find it cheaper than about $100 for purchase, but Stabi has it listed in the catalog in both English and German, though both entries say no copies are available. Looks like it's a 1,000+ page scholarly volume.
The Google book snippet shows me that there is a footnote or end note to the quote, but I can't see what it is. It also tells me that he wrote this in 1746.
Hmm. Would do more detective work if I had time, but back to Horowski!
Sodomy
So Horowski just told me that Fritz abolished the death penalty for sodomy. Now, I had *always*, as far back as high school, seen him criticized for not doing that. Since then, I've also seen him criticized in fiction for the hypocrisy (in Diana Gabaldon's Lord John series, and in an AO3 "Katte lives" fic where Fritz and Katte fight and, iirc, temporarily break up over the issue).
The interesting thing is that Horowski says Fritz's rationale for abolishing the death penalty was that young men always attend executions, and one doesn't want to give them ideas they might not have on their own.
That quote I recognized from Blanning:
It is undeniable that through frightful public capital punishments, many young and innocent spirits, who naturally want to know the reason for such a terrible execution, especially if they are also unaware of the finer sentiments (just as the criminal is), will be scandalized rather than improved, and it is even possible that evil tendencies may be awakened in them, tendencies of which they previously had no inkling.
Now, that *does* sound like he's talking about sodomy. Unfortunately, Blanning cites a secondary source: Richard J. Evans, Rituals of Retribution: Capital Punishment in Germany 1600–1987.
I can't find it cheaper than about $100 for purchase, but Stabi has it listed in the catalog in both English and German, though both entries say no copies are available. Looks like it's a 1,000+ page scholarly volume.
The Google book snippet shows me that there is a footnote or end note to the quote, but I can't see what it is. It also tells me that he wrote this in 1746.
Hmm. Would do more detective work if I had time, but back to Horowski!