See, having learned more about F1's reasons as well as his father now, I'm wondering if it really was that smart, because he clearly equated FW with the Great Elector here - would FW have felt insulted by that?* - and played into FW's fears that, as you say, Fritz would turn out like Granddad.
* I have no idea how he felt about his own grandfather, but my impression is that he sure lived up to the name he got when it comes to interests, demeanour, and treatment of his sons. (Just like Schwedt!FW by the way, the Great Elector's other grandson called FW, a.k.a. the horrible cousin poor Sophie got married to.)
so he projected onto F1 all the negatives his father ever accused him of
Yeah, I was thinking along similar lines. Plus, if he in any way identified with F1 when he tried to escape, any later "my foolish youth" regret/embarassment might have been mixed into that anti-F1 sentiment as well.
Re: Once Upon A Time in Brandenburg: The Affair of the Poisons (Prussian Edition)
he clearly equated FW with the Great Elector here - would FW have felt insulted by that?*
This I very much doubt. The Great Elector in 1730 was the only Hohenzollern to have been titled "Great" (and by his contemporaries, no less). He won some legendary military victories (Fehrbelln, aka the "In den Staub mit allen Feinden Brandenburgs!" one Kleist used in his Prinz Friedrich von Homburg play), was regarded as a charitable protector of the Protestant Faith, too, due to immediately after Louis had revoked the Edict of Nantes releasing his own Edict of Potsdam with which he invited the Huguenot into Prussia, and was respected even by Catholic monarchs (including Louis). Basically, I would be very much surprised if FW didn't see his grandfather as a hero to emulate. (He didn't have any personal memories of him, of course.)
(I also recall Fritz once made a sarcastic remark about the longest surviving of the Schwedt sons always saying "I'm the son of the Great Elector", which would not work if the Great Elector in the FW era hadn't been upheld as the greatest Hohenzollern of them all to all and sunder.)
Re: Once Upon A Time in Brandenburg: The Affair of the Poisons (Prussian Edition)
I would be very much surprised if FW didn't see his grandfather as a hero to emulate
Oh, yeah, certainly in the political area, and when it comes to stuff like money and the army. My question was more inspired by the personal relationship side, i.e. how he saw the Great Elector vs. F1 relationship, but I guess in the end it was rather convenient that he could put the poisoning fears on a woman and ignore the actual Elector vs. F1 problems.
Re: Once Upon A Time in Brandenburg: The Affair of the Poisons (Prussian Edition)
On the personal relationship side, I would bet on FW's take being "In any father-son conflict, the father is always right." Unlike G2, who belatedly had to remember that *his* Dear Old Dad and he hadn't always been on the best of terms, FW was dutiful toward his father, even though his worst nightmare was another king like F1 on the throne of Prussia.
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Re: Once Upon A Time in Brandenburg: The Affair of the Poisons (Prussian Edition)
See, having learned more about F1's reasons as well as his father now, I'm wondering if it really was that smart, because he clearly equated FW with the Great Elector here - would FW have felt insulted by that?* - and played into FW's fears that, as you say, Fritz would turn out like Granddad.
* I have no idea how he felt about his own grandfather, but my impression is that he sure lived up to the name he got when it comes to interests, demeanour, and treatment of his sons. (Just like Schwedt!FW by the way, the Great Elector's other grandson called FW, a.k.a. the horrible cousin poor Sophie got married to.)
so he projected onto F1 all the negatives his father ever accused him of
Yeah, I was thinking along similar lines. Plus, if he in any way identified with F1 when he tried to escape, any later "my foolish youth" regret/embarassment might have been mixed into that anti-F1 sentiment as well.
Re: Once Upon A Time in Brandenburg: The Affair of the Poisons (Prussian Edition)
This I very much doubt. The Great Elector in 1730 was the only Hohenzollern to have been titled "Great" (and by his contemporaries, no less). He won some legendary military victories (Fehrbelln, aka the "In den Staub mit allen Feinden Brandenburgs!" one Kleist used in his Prinz Friedrich von Homburg play), was regarded as a charitable protector of the Protestant Faith, too, due to immediately after Louis had revoked the Edict of Nantes releasing his own Edict of Potsdam with which he invited the Huguenot into Prussia, and was respected even by Catholic monarchs (including Louis). Basically, I would be very much surprised if FW didn't see his grandfather as a hero to emulate. (He didn't have any personal memories of him, of course.)
(I also recall Fritz once made a sarcastic remark about the longest surviving of the Schwedt sons always saying "I'm the son of the Great Elector", which would not work if the Great Elector in the FW era hadn't been upheld as the greatest Hohenzollern of them all to all and sunder.)
Re: Once Upon A Time in Brandenburg: The Affair of the Poisons (Prussian Edition)
Oh, yeah, certainly in the political area, and when it comes to stuff like money and the army. My question was more inspired by the personal relationship side, i.e. how he saw the Great Elector vs. F1 relationship, but I guess in the end it was rather convenient that he could put the poisoning fears on a woman and ignore the actual Elector vs. F1 problems.
Re: Once Upon A Time in Brandenburg: The Affair of the Poisons (Prussian Edition)