Blanning points out that it's still marvelously low compared to other countries. London alone had 48 executions per year, because even mild crimes came with the death penalty, whereas Fritz saved it for crimes that involved killing or trying to kill another person...and also soliciting desertion. *clears throat*
See, here's a cause for an argument in a Katte Lives!AU. :) (I also cleared my throat when "Sachsens Glanz und Preußens Gloria" had him say deserters are just the lowest of the low, and not because I found it inaccurate.) The difference to Britain is still striking, especially due to the historical English self image if being the most enlightened of nations, especially compared to the European continent. (Remember Bodanis in the Voltaire and Émilie book going on and on about the barbarity of Prussia and France and praising England?) Now England definitely had the greatest freedom of the press in the 18th century, but other than that...
BTW, I recently saw a tumblr post about how both Wilhelmine and Fritz would have been so much happier had the English marriages happened, and for Wilhelmine one of the arguments was that she would have escaped the Hohenzollern crazy and even without making it to the throne (since Fritz of Wales dies either way) would have been spent her days in happy serenity encouraging the arts in GB.
....someone really didn't do research on the Hannover cousins. Read Hervey's memoirs and tell me again Wilhelmine would have been happier in London than in Bayreuth, seriously.
the FW/SD kids are hardly textbook cases of robust physical health!
Re: Sodomy
See, here's a cause for an argument in a Katte Lives!AU. :) (I also cleared my throat when "Sachsens Glanz und Preußens Gloria" had him say deserters are just the lowest of the low, and not because I found it inaccurate.) The difference to Britain is still striking, especially due to the historical English self image if being the most enlightened of nations, especially compared to the European continent. (Remember Bodanis in the Voltaire and Émilie book going on and on about the barbarity of Prussia and France and praising England?) Now England definitely had the greatest freedom of the press in the 18th century, but other than that...
BTW, I recently saw a tumblr post about how both Wilhelmine and Fritz would have been so much happier had the English marriages happened, and for Wilhelmine one of the arguments was that she would have escaped the Hohenzollern crazy and even without making it to the throne (since Fritz of Wales dies either way) would have been spent her days in happy serenity encouraging the arts in GB.
....someone really didn't do research on the Hannover cousins. Read Hervey's memoirs and tell me again Wilhelmine would have been happier in London than in Bayreuth, seriously.
the FW/SD kids are hardly textbook cases of robust physical health!
Indeed not. That lot was constantly ill!