Glasow was the son of a "Zeugleutnant" of a Zeughaus in Brieg, Silesia. He had joined the infantry regiment at Brief when still a very young man of 16 years. The King took him out of it due to his advantageous form, made him a chamber hussar and planned to educate this young man, whom he also had taught by various teachers. He liked him enormously, and thus usually called him by his first name: Karlchen
(Mes amies, you know that Karlchen is little Charles, a form of address hat denotes affection, right? Much like FW, in a good mood, occasionally speaks of Fritzchen, so noted by Seckendorf Jr. early in his diary.)
When the King had to take to the field in 1756, the Secret Chamberlain Fredersdorf couldn't join the King on his campaign due to his long term illness of which he did die not too long thereafter. So the King transferred everything to Glasow, whom he made his valet on this occasion, had tailored some very beautiful civilian clothing for him, and gave him his personal treasury and the supervision about his household, despite Glasow still being very young.
For a few days, the King told him personally how he had to run everything; especially, he taught him how to do the accounts about the income and expenditure of the royal household. Now there was a particular secretary in charge of this, but that one remained with Fredersdorf, and wasn't called to Dresden until the opening of the next campaign on the following year in the spring of 1757; until then Völker, who was a smart fellow, administrated this office together with Glasow.
(Not to spoil anything, but Völker will be the villain of this tale. It's the first time I've heard of his existence; he's introduced only in the previous page as "a man named Völker" who supposedly did the much rumored poison attempt together with Glasow, a story Niicolai sets out to rectify. How Völker got into this story pre Nicolai, I have no idea; note that neither Lehndorff nor Kalckreuth nor Münchow nor von Henckel mention him at all. I haven't seen mention of any "Völker" in 20th century biographies, either, Mildred, have you?
ETA: Aha and shame on me. Not Völker, but Henckel von Donnersmarck, reading his journal entry again, which I just linked to, does mention a "Wöllner" as Glasow's good friend who got also arrested and condemned to running the gauntlet. Okay then, and apologies, Nicolai, there was indeed a second person involved./ETA
The King showed even more grace to Glasow, and often made him large presents; but Glasow was not always grateful. When the King had his winter quarters in Dresden in the winter of 1756, Glasow started to consort with two women. The King didn't like his people to have this kind of relationships at all; and in this particular case, additional circumstances were there why these relationships should be suspicious and dislikeable to the King for political reasons.
(Interestingly, Nicolai does not name the Countess Brühl, as opposed to Henckel, Lehndorff and Kalckreuth. Possibly because they are nobles writing their diaries and dictating memoirs and thus not having to fear law suits, whereas Nicolai is a commoner writing for publication?)
He therefore strictly forbade Glasow this kind of consorting, but the later didn't stop doing it. Glasow, whom the King had sleeping in the room next to his, wasn't in his bed for entire nights, and when he was missing, the King could easily guess where he had to be spending his time. Now the man who encouraged young Glasow in this kind of loose living because he could take advantage from his wastefulness was the King's Kammerlakei and Treasurer Völker.
The King knew very well about the connection between these two men, and thus blamed Völker for Glasow's debauchings, as he knew Völker as an otherwise not at all foolish man, and held him to be the seducer of the young and inexperienced Glasow. Now despite the King tried to improve his valet's behavior through harsh reprimands, threats and punishments, his affairs grew steadily worse when the King near the end of March 1757 took his main quarters at Lockwitz, a small mile away from Dresden. Glasow continued to keep up his relationships in Dresden. Nearly every night, he rode to Dresden. The King couldn't fail to notice this and grew even more disgruntled. However, as Glasow otherwise was still in favor with the King, it was all too understandable that no one dared the tell the King about the exact nature of the consorting this favourite was doing.
Glasow took into his service a fellow named B*** who until then had been in service with an officer from the Garde du Corps who lived near Berlin, but then kicked him out in disgrace some time later. This B*** subsequently went to his old master. B*** now started to talk very loudly about Glasow's suspcious relationships in Dresden, and that Völker was seducing him into them, and added that if the King only knew the true circumstances, whom he should be told about, both of them would suffer evil consequences.
Völker knew that what this fellow was saying was the truth, and he grew greatly afraid that through either him or his master the King should find out the true circumstances. He therefore persuaded Glasow that it was necessary to get rid of this fellow for their shared safety's sake.
Through Völker's persuasions, the young and inconsiderate Glasow was seduced to start a very serious enterprise worthy of punishment. Völker wrote an order of arrest to the commander of Magdeburg in the name of the King, Glasow used the King's small seal, B*** was arrested, and sent via transport to Magdeburg.
The commander in Magdeburg thought the order of arrest which hadn't been signed by the King to be suspicious. Some claim that it had been signed by the King's name, but in an unreadable fashion. The Commander now sent the original arrest warrant to the King, and asked whether the King truly wished the arrestant to be brought to this fortress.
The King was not a little amazed about this turn of events. He investigated further, and Vöker's own handwriting testified against him, and proved he had seduced Glasow into such a punishable abuse of the royal authority. The King was incensed. He ordered that the prisoner was to be released at once. He sent Glasow for a year to the fortress Spandau, and Völker had to run the gauntlet twentyfour times, and later was put into the third bataillon of the guard as a common soldier. The type of punishment alone proves enough that a crime such a poisoning can't have beeen an issue. Also, people who are well informed have testified the complete truth of all of the above named circumstances to me.
The King had to punish the irresponsible abuse of his authority by Glasow, but he still kept being fond of him, as he seemed to be convinced that Glasow as a young man had simply been seduced, and hadn't acted out of malice. He even asked how (Glasow) was doing during his imprisonment. If Glasow had survived the time of his arrest, there can't be any doubt that he'd been accepted back into the King's favour, and might even have been put back on his old posts. However, he died in Spandau three weeks before his term of imprisonment was over. When the King heard about his death, he cried a few tears, and was even more angry with Völker, whom he saw as the seducer of the poor young man.
Völker accepted his fate, and during the war became a sutler. After the war, he found opportunity to leave the army through the fact hat he could create Russian leather, got his dismissal, and started to work in the Russian leather factory of the manufacturer Schneider in Berlin. As he didn't have luck in this art, he then found a way to get a job in Prussia via the recently installed tobacco administration. Carelessly, he signed a report which ended up being read by the King. The King noticed the name. He asked, and when he learned that this was the same man who had been in his service, he had him casheered at once and ordered to put im into a garnison regiment, where Völker died only a few years ago.
This ends the Nicolai version of the tale of Glasow (and Völker). If you want to refresh your memory on what people at the time it happened (i.e. 1750s) or shortly thereafter wrote about Glasow, the relevent Rheinsberg collection is here. There are just enough common elements to show Nicolai got his story from people who themselves had at least some part of the tale, but the differences are still startling and fascinating.
Most of all, of course, "Völker". Now, see above, I just saw there was not a "Völker" but a "Wöllner, the King's footman and coffeemaker" who got indeed arrested and punished along with Glasow according to Henckel von Donnersmarck, Heinrich's AD who was around at the time. However, Henckel seems to have had no doubt that Glasow was the main culprit, and far from being a seduced youth manipulated by someone else was "the tyrant of the Royal Household" in the post-Fredersdorf era. Sadly, Nicolai doesn't say where he has the story from, other than that the people are trustworthy. The other pro-Glasow source we have is Kalckreuth, but Kalckreuth blames Glasow's dismissed servant for wrongly accusing him and doesn't say anything about Völker/Wöllner at all, so I don't think Kalkreuth is Nicolai's source. (My other reason for doubting it is that Heinrich doesn't get mentioned once in six volumes of anecdotes, and I think if Nicolai had an in with Heinrich's former boyfriend AD, there's be some stories at least co-starring him.)
Next: "Karlchen". Glasow's first two names were Christian Friedrich, without a "Carl" (or Karl). However, there was, of course, Carl "Carel" the favoured page, and I suspect in the retellings, he and Glasow might have gotten mixed up somewhat. (It was also Carel who got the teachers.)
As we now know due to the state archive letters from Fredesdorf's actual successor to Fredersdorf, Glasow did indeed abuse a seal, only it was Fredersdorf's, not Fritz'. And Nicolai was right in that a poisoning attempt is unlikely to have happened if you look at the punishment, but nothing in Fritz' granting mercy in reaction to Glasow's father's petition makes it sound as if Glasow would only have been in Spandau for a year if he hadn't died.
Lastly: Fritz objecting to Glasow's "consorting with women", and noticing Glasow's nightly absence: I don't think Nicolai is trying to insinuate something - as valet, it would have been Glasow's duty to be available next door or in the King's room itself -, and he's far less blatant than Kalckreuth or Lehndorff about Glasow's good looks originally getting him noticed by Fritz, but he does mention it. Otoh, Nicolai unlike Lehndorff and writing with the hindsight of knowing Fredersdorf would die does not mention the possibility of jealousy and presents it as straightforward that Glasow got the valet job because Frederdorf was too ill.
So, friends, what do you think? Were Glasow's shady actions due to manipulations by Völker/Wöllner or was the later just a confederate? Is it significant that Völker/Wöllner was the coffeemaker (though I still think an actual poison attempt would have had far more serious consequences)? And who were Nicolai's absolutely trustworthy sources he can't name by name? (Very much as opposed to his sources elsewhere about other things, including the Katte anecdotes, where he gives the names each time.)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Glasow: the Nicolai version
Date: 2021-02-23 09:46 am (UTC)(Mes amies, you know that Karlchen is little Charles, a form of address hat denotes affection, right? Much like FW, in a good mood, occasionally speaks of Fritzchen, so noted by Seckendorf Jr. early in his diary.)
When the King had to take to the field in 1756, the Secret Chamberlain Fredersdorf couldn't join the King on his campaign due to his long term illness of which he did die not too long thereafter. So the King transferred everything to Glasow, whom he made his valet on this occasion, had tailored some very beautiful civilian clothing for him, and gave him his personal treasury and the supervision about his household, despite Glasow still being very young.
For a few days, the King told him personally how he had to run everything; especially, he taught him how to do the accounts about the income and expenditure of the royal household. Now there was a particular secretary in charge of this, but that one remained with Fredersdorf, and wasn't called to Dresden until the opening of the next campaign on the following year in the spring of 1757; until then Völker, who was a smart fellow, administrated this office together with Glasow.
(Not to spoil anything, but Völker will be the villain of this tale. It's the first time I've heard of his existence; he's introduced only in the previous page as "a man named Völker" who supposedly did the much rumored poison attempt together with Glasow, a story Niicolai sets out to rectify. How Völker got into this story pre Nicolai, I have no idea; note that neither Lehndorff nor Kalckreuth nor Münchow nor von Henckel mention him at all. I haven't seen mention of any "Völker" in 20th century biographies, either, Mildred, have you?
ETA: Aha and shame on me. Not Völker, but Henckel von Donnersmarck, reading his journal entry again, which I just linked to, does mention a "Wöllner" as Glasow's good friend who got also arrested and condemned to running the gauntlet. Okay then, and apologies, Nicolai, there was indeed a second person involved./ETA
The King showed even more grace to Glasow, and often made him large presents; but Glasow was not always grateful. When the King had his winter quarters in Dresden in the winter of 1756, Glasow started to consort with two women. The King didn't like his people to have this kind of relationships at all; and in this particular case, additional circumstances were there why these relationships should be suspicious and dislikeable to the King for political reasons.
(Interestingly, Nicolai does not name the Countess Brühl, as opposed to Henckel, Lehndorff and Kalckreuth. Possibly because they are nobles writing their diaries and dictating memoirs and thus not having to fear law suits, whereas Nicolai is a commoner writing for publication?)
He therefore strictly forbade Glasow this kind of consorting, but the later didn't stop doing it. Glasow, whom the King had sleeping in the room next to his, wasn't in his bed for entire nights, and when he was missing, the King could easily guess where he had to be spending his time. Now the man who encouraged young Glasow in this kind of loose living because he could take advantage from his wastefulness was the King's Kammerlakei and Treasurer Völker.
The King knew very well about the connection between these two men, and thus blamed Völker for Glasow's debauchings, as he knew Völker as an otherwise not at all foolish man, and held him to be the seducer of the young and inexperienced Glasow.
Now despite the King tried to improve his valet's behavior through harsh reprimands, threats and punishments, his affairs grew steadily worse when the King near the end of March 1757 took his main quarters at Lockwitz, a small mile away from Dresden. Glasow continued to keep up his relationships in Dresden. Nearly every night, he rode to Dresden. The King couldn't fail to notice this and grew even more disgruntled. However, as Glasow otherwise was still in favor with the King, it was all too understandable that no one dared the tell the King about the exact nature of the consorting this favourite was doing.
Glasow took into his service a fellow named B*** who until then had been in service with an officer from the Garde du Corps who lived near Berlin, but then kicked him out in disgrace some time later. This B*** subsequently went to his old master. B*** now started to talk very loudly about Glasow's suspcious relationships in Dresden, and that Völker was seducing him into them, and added that if the King only knew the true circumstances, whom he should be told about, both of them would suffer evil consequences.
Völker knew that what this fellow was saying was the truth, and he grew greatly afraid that through either him or his master the King should find out the true circumstances. He therefore persuaded Glasow that it was necessary to get rid of this fellow for their shared safety's sake.
Through Völker's persuasions, the young and inconsiderate Glasow was seduced to start a very serious enterprise worthy of punishment. Völker wrote an order of arrest to the commander of Magdeburg in the name of the King, Glasow used the King's small seal, B*** was arrested, and sent via transport to Magdeburg.
The commander in Magdeburg thought the order of arrest which hadn't been signed by the King to be suspicious. Some claim that it had been signed by the King's name, but in an unreadable fashion. The Commander now sent the original arrest warrant to the King, and asked whether the King truly wished the arrestant to be brought to this fortress.
The King was not a little amazed about this turn of events. He investigated further, and Vöker's own handwriting testified against him, and proved he had seduced Glasow into such a punishable abuse of the royal authority. The King was incensed. He ordered that the prisoner was to be released at once. He sent Glasow for a year to the fortress Spandau, and Völker had to run the gauntlet twentyfour times, and later was put into the third bataillon of the guard as a common soldier. The type of punishment alone proves enough that a crime such a poisoning can't have beeen an issue. Also, people who are well informed have testified the complete truth of all of the above named circumstances to me.
The King had to punish the irresponsible abuse of his authority by Glasow, but he still kept being fond of him, as he seemed to be convinced that Glasow as a young man had simply been seduced, and hadn't acted out of malice. He even asked how (Glasow) was doing during his imprisonment. If Glasow had survived the time of his arrest, there can't be any doubt that he'd been accepted back into the King's favour, and might even have been put back on his old posts. However, he died in Spandau three weeks before his term of imprisonment was over. When the King heard about his death, he cried a few tears, and was even more angry with Völker, whom he saw as the seducer of the poor young man.
Völker accepted his fate, and during the war became a sutler. After the war, he found opportunity to leave the army through the fact hat he could create Russian leather, got his dismissal, and started to work in the Russian leather factory of the manufacturer Schneider in Berlin. As he didn't have luck in this art, he then found a way to get a job in Prussia via the recently installed tobacco administration. Carelessly, he signed a report which ended up being read by the King. The King noticed the name. He asked, and when he learned that this was the same man who had been in his service, he had him casheered at once and ordered to put im into a garnison regiment, where Völker died only a few years ago.
This ends the Nicolai version of the tale of Glasow (and Völker). If you want to refresh your memory on what people at the time it happened (i.e. 1750s) or shortly thereafter wrote about Glasow, the relevent Rheinsberg collection is here. There are just enough common elements to show Nicolai got his story from people who themselves had at least some part of the tale, but the differences are still startling and fascinating.
Most of all, of course, "Völker". Now, see above, I just saw there was not a "Völker" but a "Wöllner, the King's footman and coffeemaker" who got indeed arrested and punished along with Glasow according to Henckel von Donnersmarck, Heinrich's AD who was around at the time. However, Henckel seems to have had no doubt that Glasow was the main culprit, and far from being a seduced youth manipulated by someone else was "the tyrant of the Royal Household" in the post-Fredersdorf era. Sadly, Nicolai doesn't say where he has the story from, other than that the people are trustworthy. The other pro-Glasow source we have is Kalckreuth, but Kalckreuth blames Glasow's dismissed servant for wrongly accusing him and doesn't say anything about Völker/Wöllner at all, so I don't think Kalkreuth is Nicolai's source. (My other reason for doubting it is that Heinrich doesn't get mentioned once in six volumes of anecdotes, and I think if Nicolai had an in with Heinrich's former
boyfriendAD, there's be some stories at least co-starring him.)Next: "Karlchen". Glasow's first two names were Christian Friedrich, without a "Carl" (or Karl). However, there was, of course, Carl "Carel" the favoured page, and I suspect in the retellings, he and Glasow might have gotten mixed up somewhat. (It was also Carel who got the teachers.)
As we now know due to the state archive letters from Fredesdorf's actual successor to Fredersdorf, Glasow did indeed abuse a seal, only it was Fredersdorf's, not Fritz'. And Nicolai was right in that a poisoning attempt is unlikely to have happened if you look at the punishment, but nothing in Fritz' granting mercy in reaction to Glasow's father's petition makes it sound as if Glasow would only have been in Spandau for a year if he hadn't died.
Lastly: Fritz objecting to Glasow's "consorting with women", and noticing Glasow's nightly absence: I don't think Nicolai is trying to insinuate something - as valet, it would have been Glasow's duty to be available next door or in the King's room itself -, and he's far less blatant than Kalckreuth or Lehndorff about Glasow's good looks originally getting him noticed by Fritz, but he does mention it. Otoh, Nicolai unlike Lehndorff and writing with the hindsight of knowing Fredersdorf would die does not mention the possibility of jealousy and presents it as straightforward that Glasow got the valet job because Frederdorf was too ill.
So, friends, what do you think? Were Glasow's shady actions due to manipulations by Völker/Wöllner or was the later just a confederate? Is it significant that Völker/Wöllner was the coffeemaker (though I still think an actual poison attempt would have had far more serious consequences)? And who were Nicolai's absolutely trustworthy sources he can't name by name? (Very much as opposed to his sources elsewhere about other things, including the Katte anecdotes, where he gives the names each time.)