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cahnAnd, I mean, it doesn't have to be just 18th century characters, either!
(also, waiting for Yuletide!)
(also, waiting for Yuletide!)
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Re: If Fritz had a stroke...
Date: 2022-01-04 10:50 pm (UTC)*nod*
F: Want to conspire together to get me back in the driver's seat?
H: Yes oh yes. You bastard.
Oh, man, would read!
(But he's going to make it a condition that he gets some actual JOB during and after.)
And Fritz dies before he can take it away again, like he'd planned. Oooh, does that change history? Would FW2 have fired Uncle Heinrich from his existing job? Leaving him in his rural estate and not listening to him is one thing, but firing him is another...
Re: If Fritz had a stroke...
Date: 2022-01-05 11:14 am (UTC)Would FW2 have fired Uncle Heinrich from his existing job? Leaving him in his rural estate and not listening to him is one thing, but firing him is another...
I think that would depend mainly on two questions.
a) what kind of a job is it? Are we talking cabinet minister here, or ambassador to France/Russia/Sweden (all plausible jobs for Heinrich to demand and have)? Because "ambassador" is the job I think he'd be more likely to keep.
b) What lesson does FW2 draw from Fritz' Heinrich-aided return to power? Is it
1) Damn, I shouldn't have frozen out Uncle Heinrich, then he'd have been on my side, and he's clearly more competent than any of my hangers-on, or
2) Everyone around me was right about Uncle Heinrich, he is really a power hungry snake waiting to strike! Must ensure that never happens again!
Because I'll remind, as Ziebura reports, there was a lot of anti-Heinrich mood in Berlin post FW2's acension at least in the circles around him and in the reports by people like Mireabeau, he was suspected of wanting to make a power grab, and when it became clear FW2 wouldn't do more than invite him to festivities and otherwise was happy with him in Rheinsberg far away from any power, there was accordingly "yay!"
Now, the reason why I think Heinrich would have a better shot at keeping his job if that job is "ambassador" even if FW2 is inclined to option b) is that the geographical distance helps for Heinrich's competence to outweigh Fw2's and his circle's distrust/resentment. Especially for the circle. If Heinrich is in Paris/Stockholm/St. Petersburg, he isn't likely to want influence FW2 (that's THEIR job) or take the cabinet posts they want. Granted, all these a plump envoy assignments, but also fiendishly difficult, and Heinrich has proven he can negotiate with Catherine and his Swedish relations, and get Parisians to completely change their minds about him (for the better).
Of course, from 1789 onwards Paris is, err, in unique circumstances. Which reminds me, how about this: After helping Fritz back to power, Heinrich decides to go with Steuben to America! (On the rationale that if Fritz changes his mind and goes back on his promise, the (ex)colonies are reallly really far away, and he can always pretend recall letters are lost, ditto if a resentful FW2 eventually succeeds Fritz, and hey, representing Prussia there, helping with the army building, and potentially becoming constitutional King, that's all interesting work!
Re: If Fritz had a stroke...
Date: 2022-01-06 11:42 pm (UTC)This is the AU I never knew I always wanted. As soon as I read that, I thought, "I predict
Now, the reason why I think Heinrich would have a better shot at keeping his job if that job is "ambassador" even if FW2 is inclined to option b) is that the geographical distance helps for Heinrich's competence to outweigh Fw2's and his circle's distrust/resentment.
This, and all the rest, make perfect sense.
Re: If Fritz had a stroke...
Date: 2022-01-11 06:01 am (UTC)YES! I think this is the one trope that hits all of our buttons in a big way :D