Because reasons, I've been slowly working my way through Kloosterhuis. (Reasons mostly being "my German is just barely good enough now" and "I have a tablet to ameloriate the small font problem now", but also reading it on November 6 was </3.)
One thing I found that I don't remember you reporting was that Hans Heinrich, when he was in East Prussia, was apparently lining his pockets?
zähneknirschend hatten Bürgermeister und Rat ständige Einmischungen des Gehorsam gewohnten Generalleutnants in ihr Stadtregiment zu ertragen, der dabei durchaus auch tüchtig in die eigene Tasche (etwa zugunsten seiner Brau- und Hökergerechtigkeit oder bei der Verbesserung seines Gutes Reussen) zu wirtschaften verstand.
Grudgingly, the Burgermeisters and council had to endure the constant interference of the lieutenant general in their town regiment, the lieutenant general who was accustomed to obedience and who knew how to do business economically in his own pocket (like in favor of his brewing- or hawking-?? or in the improvement of his estate Reussen).
"Gerechtigeit" I only know as "justice", but "interests" or "businesses" makes more sense in context here. Anyway, it does sound like he's using his position for his financial benefit, especially with this footnote:
Entschädigung von Bürgern durch die Erben des verstorbenen Generalfeldmarschalls von Katte für ihre von diesem zu unbilligen Kaufpreisen abgekauften und seinem Gut Reussen zugeschlagenen Ländereien, 1743 – 1748)
Compensation of the townspeople by the heirs of the late Field Marshal von Katte for their lands purchased by this man at unreasonable prices and added to his estate Reussen, 1743-1748.
The 1743-1748 date is fascinating. It sounds like a long, drawn-out lawsuit, and it must have ended either with or just before the deaths of the two brothers in the duel over the inheritance. I wonder if the lawsuit was something else they clashed over. Or was it just the ginormous amount of money (lol, I'm seeing how HH got so rich :P) they stood to inherit?
And speaking of Hans Hermann's possibly corrupt immediate ancestors, Kloosterhuis talks about FW's decision not to dismiss Grandpa Wartensleben with his fellow "Wehs". Whereas Göse says, per your summary, "that the army was FW's beloved and holy grail, so if he'd been under the impression that Wartensleben, once in command, had fucked with the army, he would never have let it go as opposed to keeping the guy around and treating him like a man of honor. And FW did investigate the three Ws rather thoroughly," Kloosterhuis says FW probably didn't want to let the gruff ("schroffen") Old Dessauer take his place.
That seems like very odd speculation; Göse's line of reasoning is more convincing to me. Kloosterhuis cites Hinrich's bio of FW (which we talked about but never read), but I can't tell if the speculation is Kloosterhuis' or Hinrich's.
Kattes
One thing I found that I don't remember you reporting was that Hans Heinrich, when he was in East Prussia, was apparently lining his pockets?
zähneknirschend hatten Bürgermeister und Rat ständige Einmischungen des Gehorsam gewohnten Generalleutnants in ihr Stadtregiment zu ertragen, der dabei durchaus auch tüchtig in die eigene Tasche (etwa zugunsten seiner Brau- und Hökergerechtigkeit oder bei der Verbesserung seines Gutes Reussen) zu wirtschaften verstand.
Grudgingly, the Burgermeisters and council had to endure the constant interference of the lieutenant general in their town regiment, the lieutenant general who was accustomed to obedience and who knew how to do business economically in his own pocket (like in favor of his brewing- or hawking-?? or in the improvement of his estate Reussen).
"Gerechtigeit" I only know as "justice", but "interests" or "businesses" makes more sense in context here. Anyway, it does sound like he's using his position for his financial benefit, especially with this footnote:
Entschädigung von Bürgern durch die Erben des verstorbenen Generalfeldmarschalls von Katte für ihre von diesem zu unbilligen Kaufpreisen abgekauften und seinem Gut Reussen zugeschlagenen Ländereien, 1743 – 1748)
Compensation of the townspeople by the heirs of the late Field Marshal von Katte for their lands purchased by this man at unreasonable prices and added to his estate Reussen, 1743-1748.
The 1743-1748 date is fascinating. It sounds like a long, drawn-out lawsuit, and it must have ended either with or just before the deaths of the two brothers in the duel over the inheritance. I wonder if the lawsuit was something else they clashed over. Or was it just the ginormous amount of money (lol, I'm seeing how HH got so rich :P) they stood to inherit?
And speaking of Hans Hermann's possibly corrupt immediate ancestors, Kloosterhuis talks about FW's decision not to dismiss Grandpa Wartensleben with his fellow "Wehs". Whereas Göse says, per your summary, "that the army was FW's beloved and holy grail, so if he'd been under the impression that Wartensleben, once in command, had fucked with the army, he would never have let it go as opposed to keeping the guy around and treating him like a man of honor. And FW did investigate the three Ws rather thoroughly," Kloosterhuis says FW probably didn't want to let the gruff ("schroffen") Old Dessauer take his place.
That seems like very odd speculation; Göse's line of reasoning is more convincing to me. Kloosterhuis cites Hinrich's bio of FW (which we talked about but never read), but I can't tell if the speculation is Kloosterhuis' or Hinrich's.