The Master liked the custom of the Germans of the times of old to have court fools; but he didn't understand it correctly. For instead of looking for those who would tell him and his entourage the truth in a jest at the right time, when no one else would, he sought clowns and acrobats. If he found them, they were given to supervisors who treated the poor fellows so harshly that they became depressed instead of becoming funny, bright and cheerful. Like one from Siebenbürgen, named Eisenbläser, whom the King nicknamed Cucumene, (...)who'd been put under the supervision of Wachtmeister Lieutenant Buzlaf. He was trashed daily by the later, was given iron balls attached to his feet like the eagles running around the palace, and was tormented to the core, of which the result was that he was found hanged in the attic.
(Result: distinct lack of court fool volunteers.)
The source of all this was: when he had to be in Berlin while being Crown Prince, he was at war with time. In order to kill it, he rode on his pages and footmen and beat them out of the room. Once he was on the throne, this princely pleasure had to be forsaken, and so he assembled his officers in the evening to the tabbaco college instead. But what little knowledge they possessed together was soon exhausted. The reading of newspapers, too, was soon over, and to investigate the likelihood of the reported was something this assembly knew as little about as about cause and effect of a given incident. So the gentlemen smoked and yawned at each other. Despite the marvelous conclusion that everyone who knew something had to be a fool had already been reached, the King decided that they needed someone like this, to tell them stories and give them causes to speak. Everyone suggested a candidate, among them Paul Gundling, who was a member of the Academy which was on the decline then, and it was praised that he was good at talking. (...)Now the assembly had enough to listen to, for this man was a scholar. As at first no one had a competing comment to make, the King started to respect the man. But as a just precaution against the admiration growing too much, it was decided that the man should be tempted. This temptation consisted of drowning him in titles, forcing him to drink until he'd grown a taste for it and even tank the rest of the glasses and mugs after a meal had finished, and once he was drunk, he was treated evilly in words and deeds. At one time, there was a wall built in front of his door, so that when he was looking for his room in the evening, he couldn't find it and had to spend the night searching for it; at another time, young bears (of which many declawed ones were walking around at Wusterhausen and and Potsdam in the court yards) were put into his bed, which welcomed him in their way when he returned drunken and crawling from the tobacco parliament in the night. Because he started to complain about it, it was said he wasn't just a fool, he was a Poltron. (?) Despite of him having surrendered completely to drink, all these evil doings grew too wild for him, and once he ran away, but only to his brother Hieronymus, who was a Professor in Halle. From there, he was brought back like a criminal under guard. There was a debate on how to punish him. But one noted through his unusual silence that he had been brought to depression and that at least his talking at the table and at the tobacco college would be over, which meant they'd be back where they started from, and he wasn't supposed to kill himself, either; so the decision was made that the entire tobacco parliament should go smoking and drinking to him, led by the King, and praise him, tell hm that there never was a greater scholar. So the poor man was won around again, was made to drink again, and now was treated thusly that everyone had their fun with him but his life and his health weren't endangered anymore, and the bears were left out of it from now on. (...) At last, he was buried in a barrel of wine as a coffin in the church at Bornstadt, and a succcessor sought everywhere. Those who accepted either knew not as much as he had done and so disappeared again, or they started to scheme instead, and thus coped better than the dear departed. Others who were put into the position avoided drink, arrogance and cowardice. Moreover, the knowledge of the King and his company had grown, so he now wanted more of the useful conversations and its entertainment than the crude pranks, and he grew fonder of a truth told as a jest, or a story in context than by grimaces and beatings, especially since the Master had now tasted philosophy.
Meaning: of course, I wasn't treat this way, reader! But I will admit thinking about my predecessor makes me a bit queasy.
While I almost can't believe the above reported story was written without awareness of how this makes FW sound, I am, sad to say, sure Morgenstern thought this bit of 18th century antisemitism was just jolly, too: FW after hunting sent the killed boars to the Jews who had to buy them at five Reichstaler a piece.
Morgenstern claims SD has promised him protection because he managed on two evenings in a row to be examined by FW about the family without having taken anyone's party or talked badly about anyone. He also reports that Old Desssauer faked the smoking, as mentioned in other books, and confirms FW liked oboists from the military. (Fredersdorf, watch out!)
Not in Morgenstern: back in the day, FW in his earliest instructions to his son's governors and teachers wanted SD to be the disciplining parent. They were never supposed to threaten little Fritz with him, only with his mother. I knew this, but what I hadn't known was that FW kept this up with the younger kids as well, at least according to Morgenstern, who writes:
Yes, even if the sons were already officers and in uniform with him, and if they'd been noughty, he led the criminal himself to be punished by the mother. Since he had never learned to punish or reward the children, his favourites weren't better treated than the other children, and he didn't distinguish one from the other by special surprises or treats. In my time, the favourites were the princes Wilhelm and Ferdinand, and Princess Ulrike. But since they all didn't get anything than friendly looks, addresses, sometimes kisses, and cheek stroking; so the author dares to claim due to the sheer number of such loving yet unprofitable caresses, the last one named was the one most loved, yes, even esteemed for her firm mind, and because she never showed discontentment or mocking laughter, and if she'd been a son, she'd have been preferred.
But FW believed in the superiority of the male sex too much to make a girl the overall favourite. Money heritage for the boys, btw:
52 000 Reichstaler for Prince Wilhelm 26 000 for Heinrich and Ferdinand each.
In 1737, there was talk of marrying Wilhelm to a Danish princess which since she had only one brother would have given him a shot on the throne. FW was all for it until there was a report that the girl was a dwarf, at which point the marriage was cancelled.
FW and the fight against superstition: stopped the last witch trials state, thought alchemy was rubbish, was in two minds about ghosts; mostly he didn't think they existed, but he wasn't sure about the White Lady ( the appearance of whom supposedly spelled Hohenzollern doom).
Let's see, what else: ah, yes, travel. Mom and Grandmom and Dad all took him along on journeys to the Netherlands when he grew up, and he was very positively impressed, not least by the hygiene. Morgenstern says FW surpassed the Muslims with their five daily washings, and was really very much into cleanlinesss. (Had an obvious reasult with Fritz and hygiene.) Alas the Netherlands lost their holiday trip allure for him when he once at at an inn, the innkeeper lady recognized him and without improving the quality of the food still when later presenting the bill demanded a kingly price from him, over 1000 Taler. When he gave her 30 ducats instead, she screamed after him that he was stiffing her and made a big scandal by clinging to the carriage. And FW never visited the Netherlands again. Otoh, he enjoyed his travellers from afar: Peter the Great was certainly a favourite. And speaking of Peter: look, says Mr. Morgenstern, Peter may get praise now, but in his day he was hated and called a tyrant by a great many of his subjects, too. Also he gave them more cause than FW. I'm sure FW's reputation will go the way of Peter's and rise through subsequent generations, though!
Edited 2021-03-08 17:38 (UTC)
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
Gundling! :((((( I just will never get over Gundling, and I do salute Morgenstern for giving him his day. ...Is this the source of the bear story, or was this just something that everyone kinda knew about, because BEARS? (And not the relatively innocuous Yuletide kind, either :P )
Because he started to complain about it, it was said he wasn't just a fool, he was a Poltron. (?)
If this were English I would say it was "poltroon," which is an archaic term (I think I learned it from medieval-ish historical fiction) that basically means a coward, with a sort of undertone of being kind of lower-class. A little like "knave," but with more of a "coward" vibe. *looks up etymology* Huh, it does seem to come from French "poltron," so there you go.
and the bears were left out of it from now on.
*rolls eyes* Well, about time *sigh*
FW after hunting sent the killed boars to the Jews who had to buy them at five Reichstaler a piece.
:((((((((((((((
thought alchemy was rubbish
Well, I guess that's a point! *is sad for Fredersdorf, if our mercury suspicions are true*
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
Is this the source of the bear story, or was this just something that everyone kinda knew about
The first Gundling life, and the one which most people later drew their information from until the later 19th century, was unfortunately the subsequently printed funeral speech by his rival and successor David Fassmann (who, as Stratemann notes in his dispatches, subsequently discovered having this office is unbearable and fled Prussia one and a half years later), which I take it depicts him as an idiot who had it coming, which is why I haven't read it yet. But it might be in there, too. Morgenstern is the first source I've seen who mentions the bears were declawed, though, which probably explains why Gundling survived that encounter. In any event Morgenstern didn't witness these events, of course, he was still in Halle back then, so he must have heard about them later. The first non-Fassmann biographical write-up on Gundling was published in 1795, i.e. after Morgenstern's death, so he really must have had other non-Fassmann sources for this sympathetic depiction of Gundling and what he had to put up with. Mind you, since he seems to have been sharp tongued himself, I can imagine some members of the tobacco parliament trying to intimidate him by telling him in detail about the Gundling era and what was done to Gundling.
BTW I have read Martin Stade's novel now, which is very good, but I'm still waiting for another non-fiction book before doing my write-up.
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
For instead of looking for those who would tell him and his entourage the truth in a jest at the right time, when no one else would
So I've always seen this as the stereotypical description of what a court fool is supposed to do (and the Roman generals during their triumphs were supposed to have something similar), but do you know to what extent that reflected reality? I have no idea what the actual historical evidence for fools looks like.
Because he started to complain about it, it was said he wasn't just a fool, he was a Poltron. (?)
cahn beat me to the explanation. Although, hilariously, I apparently read so much historical stuff that I was going to say, "In modern English, we have this word 'poltroon'." :P Although upon reflection, it's true that it's archaic enough that I would never use the word in speech, and would expect to be laughed out of the room if I did. (I already got laughed at once for using 'ruffian'!)
confirms FW liked oboists from the military. (Fredersdorf, watch out!)
Fredersdorf dodged a bullet there!
mostly he didn't think they existed, but he wasn't sure about the White Lady ( the appearance of whom supposedly spelled Hohenzollern doom)
Huuh. So Fritz and Wilhelmine come by their skepticism honestly! Remember the episode where Wilhelmine (whose memoirs are full of not believing in the supernatural) reports the alleged appearance of the White Lady in Bayreuth in a letter to Fritz, and Fritz responds with the story of the rats in Küstrin. I've always been intrigued by the concluding line, "As you see, ghosts are mainly imagination." Which implies that like FW, he entertained the possibility of some kind of ghosts! (I bet he wasn't expecting the posthumous MT kind, though. ;) )
Mom and Grandmom and Dad all took him along on journeys to the Netherlands when he grew up, and he was very positively impressed, not least by the hygiene.
Reminder for cahn that hygiene in the Netherlands was striking for all travelers, especially the "Hygiene? What's that?" French, who were more into conspicuous consumption.
look, says Mr. Morgenstern, Peter may get praise now, but in his day he was hated and called a tyrant by a great many of his subjects, too. Also he gave them more cause than FW. I'm sure FW's reputation will go the way of Peter's and rise through subsequent generations, though!
Ahahaha, now that you've read us Leineweber, I have to assume this is another instance of praeteritio: the rhetorical device of calling attention to something negative by seeming to deny it.
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
So I've always seen this as the stereotypical description of what a court fool is supposed to do (and the Roman generals during their triumphs were supposed to have something similar), but do you know to what extent that reflected reality? I have no idea what the actual historical evidence for fools looks like.
With the caveat that I have no in depth knowledge on this: as far as I do know, there were two separate sets of fools - "natural" fools and "artificial" fools. "Natural" fools were fools that were either mentally or physically handicapped, and were kept as grotesqueries; they also usually came with minders, and at most did acrobatic tricks. Artificial fools were the ones supposed to be witty and truth-as-jest telling, a la the Fool in King Lear. Of historical examples who sound as if they actually did that:
Kunz von der Rosen, court fool of the Emperor Maximilian I. (his most famous jest in that spirit is when he's asked about his opinion on a new peace treaty that's supposed to last a century, and he asks back how old the questioner thinks he is; hearing the reply, Kunz von der Rosen says "wrong, for I must be at least over 200 years old, for in my life time, two such peace treaties were made); Joseph Fröhlich, who was August the Strong's court jester (and got possibly depicted more often by the artists of his time in Saxony than the King himself was; he survived August and was still around, if in retirement, when the Seven Years War started, at which pointed he and his family fled to Poland); Will Somers, Henry VIII's fool; and Archibald Armstrong, fool to James VI and I.
The last British king to have a court fool, btw, was Charles I, since Charles II. did not revive the office after the Restoration. As you can see, continental princes kept up the office for longer. There were also female fools - Mary Queen of Scots and Mary Tudor both had them, for example, and the entry for Nichola, Mary Stuart's fool, containes a great diss on Mary biograpaher John Guy. After stating that absolutely nothing is known about what kind of fool Nichola was, about her jests (or lack of same) or acrobatics, just about her extensive wardrobe, the entry says "Historian John Guy imagines her bantering with Mary, and the Queen indulging her "wicked sense of humor". Note the "imagines". Mary Tudor's fool, Jane Foole, seems to have done acrobatics, and might have worked for Anne Boleyn before Mary got her after Anne's death, but again, we don't know what kind of jokes she made, if any.
Leonora Dori Galigai was described as originally the court fool to Maria de' Medici in a historical novel I've read, but in actually she was first Maria's milk sister (i.e. her mother was Maria's wetnurse) and then her lady-in-waiting when Maria became the second wife of Henri IV. Leonora and her husband, Concini, who was most likely Maria's lover dominated her, and after Concini was toppled and killed at the end of Maria's regency, Leonora ended up being accused of having bewitched the Queen and being burned at the state for it. Her reply to this charge (having used spells to bewitch the Queen), which the English wiki entry doesn't quote but the German does, was: „Mon charme fut celui des âmes fortes sur les esprits faibles“, which even historians who suspect her of having been involved with the murder of Henri IV. and of having been a bad influence in general credit with having been one of the all time great truth-to-power tellings, so it's a shame I can't list her as a court fool as well.
Fredersdorf dodged a bullet there!
Evidently. Though this might have been the straw that broke the camel's back and have driven Fritz to patricide - first a boyfriend beheaded, then a boyfriend stolen?
Edited 2021-03-14 06:51 (UTC)
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
Awesome, thank you! I figured you would have all sorts of interesting things to teach us!
„Mon charme fut celui des âmes fortes sur les esprits faibles“
Huh! Of all places, I recognize this line from The Mists of Avalon, where MZB apparently quietly borrowed it:
Later, she knew, the woman would tell a tale of enchantments and of fear, but in truth it was no more than this: the simple domination of a powerful will over one which had been given up, deliberately, to submission.
Evidently. Though this might have been the straw that broke the camel's back and have driven Fritz to patricide - first a boyfriend beheaded, then a boyfriend stolen?
AU where Fritz is determined to get Fredersdorf back, one way or another!
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
That line is way too similar to be a coincidence, so I bet MZB came across the original version somehow. Which is interesting, because unlike Catherine de' Medici, Maria de'Medici is far more obscure in history pop culture. (To us. Voltaire actually worked the burning of Leonora and her exit line in one of his historical works, and so 18th century readers like Fritz would have known who she was.)
AU where Fritz is determined to get Fredersdorf back, one way or another!
He. Since I don't see FW parting with one of his chosen Potsdam Giants unless the guy in question a) deserts, or b) storms in daggers in hand crying "Long live the Pope, G2 and the Crown Prince!", it would have to be fratricide....
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
That line is way too similar to be a coincidence, so I bet MZB came across the original version somehow.
Yep, that's what I'm thinking. (MoA is like GWTW, in that I'm constantly opening it and reading a few random pages when I'm in the mood for some effortless distraction, so I catch things very quickly.)
And yes, it is interesting, because I certainly was not familiar with that line (admittedly not my period). I think I figured out why: the Enlightenment has always spoken to me far more than the non-stop religious wars. To the extent that my interest in the 17th century has increased at all in recent months, it's solely because it provides explanatory context for the 18th century (hence the Thirty Years War reading I was doing and hope to resume at some point).
He. Since I don't see FW parting with one of his chosen Potsdam Giants unless the guy in question a) deserts, or b) storms in daggers in hand crying "Long live the Pope, G2 and the Crown Prince!", it would have to be fratricide....
And since both of those lead to death (barring a toddler AW intervention), patricide it is! Also, haha at "Long live the Pope, G2 and the Crown Prince!", I laughed. :)
I want this AU!
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
LOL! I feel like "ruffian" is something you could see in, IDK, Westerns or something -- like, circa early 20th C -- whereas I don't think I have ever seen "poltroon" used in any fiction that was set more recently than... maybe possibly the 1800's, but in my head it's way more associated with Middle Ages - ish historical fiction.
Ahahaha, now that you've read us Leineweber, I have to assume this is another instance of praeteritio: the rhetorical device of calling attention to something negative by seeming to deny it.
Ah! I knew the device of course, but not the name for it.
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
whereas I don't think I have ever seen "poltroon" used in any fiction that was set more recently than... maybe possibly the 1800's, but in my head it's way more associated with Middle Ages - ish historical fiction.
I guess Narnia is Middle Ages, but learning the word so young did nothing for my sense that this wasn't modern English. :P
I knew the device of course, but not the name for it.
Wikipedia informs me there are like 5 names for it, but praeteritio is the one I learned.
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He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
(Result: distinct lack of court fool volunteers.)
The source of all this was: when he had to be in Berlin while being Crown Prince, he was at war with time. In order to kill it, he rode on his pages and footmen and beat them out of the room. Once he was on the throne, this princely pleasure had to be forsaken, and so he assembled his officers in the evening to the tabbaco college instead. But what little knowledge they possessed together was soon exhausted. The reading of newspapers, too, was soon over, and to investigate the likelihood of the reported was something this assembly knew as little about as about cause and effect of a given incident. So the gentlemen smoked and yawned at each other. Despite the marvelous conclusion that everyone who knew something had to be a fool had already been reached, the King decided that they needed someone like this, to tell them stories and give them causes to speak. Everyone suggested a candidate, among them Paul Gundling, who was a member of the Academy which was on the decline then, and it was praised that he was good at talking. (...)Now the assembly had enough to listen to, for this man was a scholar. As at first no one had a competing comment to make, the King started to respect the man. But as a just precaution against the admiration growing too much, it was decided that the man should be tempted. This temptation consisted of drowning him in titles, forcing him to drink until he'd grown a taste for it and even tank the rest of the glasses and mugs after a meal had finished, and once he was drunk, he was treated evilly in words and deeds. At one time, there was a wall built in front of his door, so that when he was looking for his room in the evening, he couldn't find it and had to spend the night searching for it; at another time, young bears (of which many declawed ones were walking around at Wusterhausen and and Potsdam in the court yards) were put into his bed, which welcomed him in their way when he returned drunken and crawling from the tobacco parliament in the night. Because he started to complain about it, it was said he wasn't just a fool, he was a Poltron. (?) Despite of him having surrendered completely to drink, all these evil doings grew too wild for him, and once he ran away, but only to his brother Hieronymus, who was a Professor in Halle. From there, he was brought back like a criminal under guard. There was a debate on how to punish him. But one noted through his unusual silence that he had been brought to depression and that at least his talking at the table and at the tobacco college would be over, which meant they'd be back where they started from, and he wasn't supposed to kill himself, either; so the decision was made that the entire tobacco parliament should go smoking and drinking to him, led by the King, and praise him, tell hm that there never was a greater scholar. So the poor man was won around again, was made to drink again, and now was treated thusly that everyone had their fun with him but his life and his health weren't endangered anymore, and the bears were left out of it from now on. (...) At last, he was buried in a barrel of wine as a coffin in the church at Bornstadt, and a succcessor sought everywhere. Those who accepted either knew not as much as he had done and so disappeared again, or they started to scheme instead, and thus coped better than the dear departed. Others who were put into the position avoided drink, arrogance and cowardice. Moreover, the knowledge of the King and his company had grown, so he now wanted more of the useful conversations and its entertainment than the crude pranks, and he grew fonder of a truth told as a jest, or a story in context than by grimaces and beatings, especially since the Master had now tasted philosophy.
Meaning: of course, I wasn't treat this way, reader! But I will admit thinking about my predecessor makes me a bit queasy.
While I almost can't believe the above reported story was written without awareness of how this makes FW sound, I am, sad to say, sure Morgenstern thought this bit of 18th century antisemitism was just jolly, too: FW after hunting sent the killed boars to the Jews who had to buy them at five Reichstaler a piece.
Morgenstern claims SD has promised him protection because he managed on two evenings in a row to be examined by FW about the family without having taken anyone's party or talked badly about anyone. He also reports that Old Desssauer faked the smoking, as mentioned in other books, and confirms FW liked oboists from the military. (Fredersdorf, watch out!)
Not in Morgenstern: back in the day, FW in his earliest instructions to his son's governors and teachers wanted SD to be the disciplining parent. They were never supposed to threaten little Fritz with him, only with his mother. I knew this, but what I hadn't known was that FW kept this up with the younger kids as well, at least according to Morgenstern, who writes:
Yes, even if the sons were already officers and in uniform with him, and if they'd been noughty, he led the criminal himself to be punished by the mother. Since he had never learned to punish or reward the children, his favourites weren't better treated than the other children, and he didn't distinguish one from the other by special surprises or treats. In my time, the favourites were the princes Wilhelm and Ferdinand, and Princess Ulrike. But since they all didn't get anything than friendly looks, addresses, sometimes kisses, and cheek stroking; so the author dares to claim due to the sheer number of such loving yet unprofitable caresses, the last one named was the one most loved, yes, even esteemed for her firm mind, and because she never showed discontentment or mocking laughter, and if she'd been a son, she'd have been preferred.
But FW believed in the superiority of the male sex too much to make a girl the overall favourite. Money heritage for the boys, btw:
52 000 Reichstaler for Prince Wilhelm
26 000 for Heinrich and Ferdinand each.
In 1737, there was talk of marrying Wilhelm to a Danish princess which since she had only one brother would have given him a shot on the throne. FW was all for it until there was a report that the girl was a dwarf, at which point the marriage was cancelled.
FW and the fight against superstition: stopped the last witch trials state, thought alchemy was rubbish, was in two minds about ghosts; mostly he didn't think they existed, but he wasn't sure about the White Lady ( the appearance of whom supposedly spelled Hohenzollern doom).
Let's see, what else: ah, yes, travel. Mom and Grandmom and Dad all took him along on journeys to the Netherlands when he grew up, and he was very positively impressed, not least by the hygiene. Morgenstern says FW surpassed the Muslims with their five daily washings, and was really very much into cleanlinesss. (Had an obvious reasult with Fritz and hygiene.) Alas the Netherlands lost their holiday trip allure for him when he once at at an inn, the innkeeper lady recognized him and without improving the quality of the food still when later presenting the bill demanded a kingly price from him, over 1000 Taler. When he gave her 30 ducats instead, she screamed after him that he was stiffing her and made a big scandal by clinging to the carriage. And FW never visited the Netherlands again. Otoh, he enjoyed his travellers from afar: Peter the Great was certainly a favourite. And speaking of Peter: look, says Mr. Morgenstern, Peter may get praise now, but in his day he was hated and called a tyrant by a great many of his subjects, too. Also he gave them more cause than FW. I'm sure FW's reputation will go the way of Peter's and rise through subsequent generations, though!
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
Because he started to complain about it, it was said he wasn't just a fool, he was a Poltron. (?)
If this were English I would say it was "poltroon," which is an archaic term (I think I learned it from medieval-ish historical fiction) that basically means a coward, with a sort of undertone of being kind of lower-class. A little like "knave," but with more of a "coward" vibe. *looks up etymology* Huh, it does seem to come from French "poltron," so there you go.
and the bears were left out of it from now on.
*rolls eyes* Well, about time *sigh*
FW after hunting sent the killed boars to the Jews who had to buy them at five Reichstaler a piece.
:((((((((((((((
thought alchemy was rubbish
Well, I guess that's a point! *is sad for Fredersdorf, if our mercury suspicions are true*
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
The first Gundling life, and the one which most people later drew their information from until the later 19th century, was unfortunately the subsequently printed funeral speech by his rival and successor David Fassmann (who, as Stratemann notes in his dispatches, subsequently discovered having this office is unbearable and fled Prussia one and a half years later), which I take it depicts him as an idiot who had it coming, which is why I haven't read it yet. But it might be in there, too. Morgenstern is the first source I've seen who mentions the bears were declawed, though, which probably explains why Gundling survived that encounter. In any event Morgenstern didn't witness these events, of course, he was still in Halle back then, so he must have heard about them later. The first non-Fassmann biographical write-up on Gundling was published in 1795, i.e. after Morgenstern's death, so he really must have had other non-Fassmann sources for this sympathetic depiction of Gundling and what he had to put up with. Mind you, since he seems to have been sharp tongued himself, I can imagine some members of the tobacco parliament trying to intimidate him by telling him in detail about the Gundling era and what was done to Gundling.
BTW I have read Martin Stade's novel now, which is very good, but I'm still waiting for another non-fiction book before doing my write-up.
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
So I've always seen this as the stereotypical description of what a court fool is supposed to do (and the Roman generals during their triumphs were supposed to have something similar), but do you know to what extent that reflected reality? I have no idea what the actual historical evidence for fools looks like.
Because he started to complain about it, it was said he wasn't just a fool, he was a Poltron. (?)
confirms FW liked oboists from the military. (Fredersdorf, watch out!)
Fredersdorf dodged a bullet there!
mostly he didn't think they existed, but he wasn't sure about the White Lady ( the appearance of whom supposedly spelled Hohenzollern doom)
Huuh. So Fritz and Wilhelmine come by their skepticism honestly! Remember the episode where Wilhelmine (whose memoirs are full of not believing in the supernatural) reports the alleged appearance of the White Lady in Bayreuth in a letter to Fritz, and Fritz responds with the story of the rats in Küstrin. I've always been intrigued by the concluding line, "As you see, ghosts are mainly imagination." Which implies that like FW, he entertained the possibility of some kind of ghosts! (I bet he wasn't expecting the posthumous MT kind, though. ;) )
Mom and Grandmom and Dad all took him along on journeys to the Netherlands when he grew up, and he was very positively impressed, not least by the hygiene.
Reminder for
look, says Mr. Morgenstern, Peter may get praise now, but in his day he was hated and called a tyrant by a great many of his subjects, too. Also he gave them more cause than FW. I'm sure FW's reputation will go the way of Peter's and rise through subsequent generations, though!
Ahahaha, now that you've read us Leineweber, I have to assume this is another instance of praeteritio: the rhetorical device of calling attention to something negative by seeming to deny it.
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
With the caveat that I have no in depth knowledge on this: as far as I do know, there were two separate sets of fools - "natural" fools and "artificial" fools. "Natural" fools were fools that were either mentally or physically handicapped, and were kept as grotesqueries; they also usually came with minders, and at most did acrobatic tricks. Artificial fools were the ones supposed to be witty and truth-as-jest telling, a la the Fool in King Lear. Of historical examples who sound as if they actually did that:
Kunz von der Rosen, court fool of the Emperor Maximilian I. (his most famous jest in that spirit is when he's asked about his opinion on a new peace treaty that's supposed to last a century, and he asks back how old the questioner thinks he is; hearing the reply, Kunz von der Rosen says "wrong, for I must be at least over 200 years old, for in my life time, two such peace treaties were made); Joseph Fröhlich, who was August the Strong's court jester (and got possibly depicted more often by the artists of his time in Saxony than the King himself was; he survived August and was still around, if in retirement, when the Seven Years War started, at which pointed he and his family fled to Poland); Will Somers, Henry VIII's fool; and Archibald Armstrong, fool to James VI and I.
The last British king to have a court fool, btw, was Charles I, since Charles II. did not revive the office after the Restoration. As you can see, continental princes kept up the office for longer. There were also female fools - Mary Queen of Scots and Mary Tudor both had them, for example, and the entry for Nichola, Mary Stuart's fool, containes a great diss on Mary biograpaher John Guy. After stating that absolutely nothing is known about what kind of fool Nichola was, about her jests (or lack of same) or acrobatics, just about her extensive wardrobe, the entry says "Historian John Guy imagines her bantering with Mary, and the Queen indulging her "wicked sense of humor". Note the "imagines". Mary Tudor's fool, Jane Foole, seems to have done acrobatics, and might have worked for Anne Boleyn before Mary got her after Anne's death, but again, we don't know what kind of jokes she made, if any.
Leonora Dori Galigai was described as originally the court fool to Maria de' Medici in a historical novel I've read, but in actually she was first Maria's milk sister (i.e. her mother was Maria's wetnurse) and then her lady-in-waiting when Maria became the second wife of Henri IV. Leonora and her husband, Concini, who was most likely Maria's lover dominated her, and after Concini was toppled and killed at the end of Maria's regency, Leonora ended up being accused of having bewitched the Queen and being burned at the state for it. Her reply to this charge (having used spells to bewitch the Queen), which the English wiki entry doesn't quote but the German does, was: „Mon charme fut celui des âmes fortes sur les esprits faibles“, which even historians who suspect her of having been involved with the murder of Henri IV. and of having been a bad influence in general credit with having been one of the all time great truth-to-power tellings, so it's a shame I can't list her as a court fool as well.
Fredersdorf dodged a bullet there!
Evidently. Though this might have been the straw that broke the camel's back and have driven Fritz to patricide - first a boyfriend beheaded, then a boyfriend stolen?
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
„Mon charme fut celui des âmes fortes sur les esprits faibles“
Huh! Of all places, I recognize this line from The Mists of Avalon, where MZB apparently quietly borrowed it:
Later, she knew, the woman would tell a tale of enchantments and of fear, but in truth it was no more than this: the simple domination of a powerful will over one which had been given up, deliberately, to submission.
Evidently. Though this might have been the straw that broke the camel's back and have driven Fritz to patricide - first a boyfriend beheaded, then a boyfriend stolen?
AU where Fritz is determined to get Fredersdorf back, one way or another!
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
AU where Fritz is determined to get Fredersdorf back, one way or another!
He. Since I don't see FW parting with one of his chosen Potsdam Giants unless the guy in question a) deserts, or b) storms in daggers in hand crying "Long live the Pope, G2 and the Crown Prince!", it would have to be fratricide....
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
Yep, that's what I'm thinking. (MoA is like GWTW, in that I'm constantly opening it and reading a few random pages when I'm in the mood for some effortless distraction, so I catch things very quickly.)
And yes, it is interesting, because I certainly was not familiar with that line (admittedly not my period). I think I figured out why: the Enlightenment has always spoken to me far more than the non-stop religious wars. To the extent that my interest in the 17th century has increased at all in recent months, it's solely because it provides explanatory context for the 18th century (hence the Thirty Years War reading I was doing and hope to resume at some point).
He. Since I don't see FW parting with one of his chosen Potsdam Giants unless the guy in question a) deserts, or b) storms in daggers in hand crying "Long live the Pope, G2 and the Crown Prince!", it would have to be fratricide....
And since both of those lead to death (barring a toddler AW intervention), patricide it is! Also, haha at "Long live the Pope, G2 and the Crown Prince!", I laughed. :)
I want this AU!
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
Ahahaha, now that you've read us Leineweber, I have to assume this is another instance of praeteritio: the rhetorical device of calling attention to something negative by seeming to deny it.
Ah! I knew the device of course, but not the name for it.
Re: He's just a soul whose intentions were good: Morgenstern on FW. - B
I guess Narnia is Middle Ages, but learning the word so young did nothing for my sense that this wasn't modern English. :P
I knew the device of course, but not the name for it.
Wikipedia informs me there are like 5 names for it, but praeteritio is the one I learned.