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cahnAnd including Emperor Joseph II!
from Derek Beales: Joseph II, Volume 2: Against the World, 1780 - 1790:
Joseph's alleged comment to Mozart about the Entführung, "Too many notes", has been taken as evidence of his ignorance. But he probably said something like, "Too beautiful for our ears, and monstrous many notes." It is always necessary to bear in mind, when appraising the emperor's remarks, his peculiar brand of humor or sarcasm. He was usually getting at someone. And he did not use the royal "we". The ears in question were those of the Viennese audience, whom he was mocking for their limited appreciation of Mozart's elaborate music.
(though not gonna lie, I think it is a LOT of notes)
from Derek Beales: Joseph II, Volume 2: Against the World, 1780 - 1790:
Joseph's alleged comment to Mozart about the Entführung, "Too many notes", has been taken as evidence of his ignorance. But he probably said something like, "Too beautiful for our ears, and monstrous many notes." It is always necessary to bear in mind, when appraising the emperor's remarks, his peculiar brand of humor or sarcasm. He was usually getting at someone. And he did not use the royal "we". The ears in question were those of the Viennese audience, whom he was mocking for their limited appreciation of Mozart's elaborate music.
(though not gonna lie, I think it is a LOT of notes)
German readers interested in Klement?
Date: 2022-01-23 03:54 pm (UTC)Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-29 06:02 pm (UTC)That after such a approach, the King of France will recognize the one of Prussia as a mediator of the peace and will pay him, first one million ECU and ECU 200 000 per months, to maintain 50,000 men, who would put fear into everyone, provided all - times, that the King of Prussia consenting that the Confederation of Hungary, after declaring their throne vacant and after electing for King the Crown Prince of Prussia, depending on that the latter, under the pretext of a voluntary escape from the court of his father, accepted the crown of Hungary, in which France intends to maintain it, concluding to this effect a separate treaty with the Confederation of Hungary and in supporting it with large subsidies.
The Crown Prince who's supposed to pretend to escape so he can become King of Hungary is FW, guys. According to Klement and Weber, a lot of French money went from Louis to F1's ministers Ilgen and Wartenberg to promote this scheme in Prussia, and at last the Prussians said okay, they'll go for it provided the throne of Hungary is declared vacant. Unfortunately Racoczky didn't manage to beat Prince Eugene, which meant the throne of Hungary remained in Habsburg possession. Weber admits there's no reason to accept all of this just because Klement said it happened but considers it at least possible some truth is in it because later Eugene, no fool, hired Klement believing he really had been Racoczky's right hand man and could deliver the spy goods. Given how the rest of Klement's life went, I'm not sure I follow his logic here.
Anyway, Klement sees which way the wind is blowing and shows up in Vienna in 1715 with lots of Racoczky's papers including those letters between Prussia, R and France. Klement gets an amnesty (as a now former Hungarian rebel, he needs one), a new job, and changes his religion from Prostant to Catholic, and now works in Eugene's chancellery until 1717. Quite why he quiit or was fired, Weber's sources aren't sure. Some say Klement didn't feel appreciated enough, Klement said to Saxon minister Flemming, his next boss, that Eugene totally didn't want want to fire him but had to but gave him a warning so Klement had a head start. Eugene himself, when asked somewhat too late by Flemming what the hell was up with Klement, wrote that ",, que c'étoit un homme adroit et que c'étoit dommage qu'il se fut tourné en mal", which means he must have considered him at least competent at something. Weber thinks Eugene might have gotten disillusioned as to Klement's relationship with the truth but considered him still as a potentially useful spy and thus didn't cut off all relations to him all at once.
Anyway, Klement next goes to Saxony under the alias of "Kleeberg" where he visits an old pal, the painter Mayockii, who introduces him to Saxony's most powerful minister, Flemming. While Flemming much later told FW HE saw through Klement at once, evidence shows otherwise. Back then, the Saxons were trying to marry their Kurprinz with an Archduchess (as in, one of Joseph I's daughters) in order to have a shot at the Imperial Throne and the Habsburg heritage, betting on MT's Dad not producing any more sons. So they were very eager to have a confidential source in Vienna. Klement promised he had such a person at his disposal and with enough money, he could get all kind of inside reports for them. What he actually did was using a Viennese gossip newsletter edited by a Countess von Schönkirch and furthered the information within to Flemming claiming this was directly from one of his former colleagues in Eugene's office. These Klement-forged secret reports still were available in the Saxon archives when Weber was writing, including one on all the differences between brothers Joseph and Charles, claiming that the plan had been to make Prince Eugene one the Spanish throne once Charles failed at getting/keeping it, and that Eugene once this secret plan emerged had a twelve hours meeting with Charles assuring him he didn't want the Spanish throne and offering to withdraw from all his offices, which ended with Charles urging him to stay. Given that the Spanish throne was well occupied by Philip the future frog, one wonders how Flemming could have brought the tale, but he literally bought it, along with other tales - a plan to marry Eugene to one of the archduchesses foiled! - Eugene has an argumentative mistress! The one who finally smelled a rat was, of all the people, not Flemming but August the Strong, who thought this actually did not sound much like the Eugene he'd met a couple of times. Klement, no fool, sensed it was time to get out of Saxony and told Flemming Eugene totally wanted him back and was willing to pay so Klement would spy for him in the Netherlands, and he was willing to do his bit for the Saxon cause while doing so, since he would of stop in Berlin en route, and wasn't there trouble with the Prussians? There was trouble with the Prussians, and Manteuffel had just switched from being envoy in Berln to being cabinet minister in Saxony, so was no longer available to soothe it. Flemming gives Klement a letter of reccommendation to Prussian minsiter Ilgen and some wine from his own cellar along with 600 Taler travellingl money, and Klement moves on to his next mark.
He stil tries to squeeze more money out of Flemming, though, claiming to have found a secret source in FW's chancellery. One of the reports he sent to Flemming has this bit: To look at state business superficially, one would judge the King of Prussia to be in an awe-inspiring state, I would even believe this to be the case if one looked at the hearts of his ministers, of his subjects. and soldiers; but his ways of interacting with the ministers ensure their hate, and they wish for his death or some great misfortune.
In short, Fleming could deliver lots of ministers as spies since they all resented FW that much, who specialized in humiliating people and parce qu'il ne sait suivre que l'humeur brusque et cruel du Prince de Dessau etc.. This letter was going to spell doom for Klement in the long run, since Fleming would produce it once the bonkers climax of our conman's career had happened.
Now, looking for his next mark, Klement used a friend of his painter pal's, one Lehmann, to spread the news that he was Eugene's super secret agent, that an Austria/Prussia rapprochment was wanted but the Prussian envoy in Vienna, one of the Schwerin family, could no longer be used for such a thing, since his wife was argueing with Eugene's mistress. (Klement: providing Eugene with a heterosexual reputation!) This was a relatively harmless tale, but when Lehmann offered the Court Preacher Mylious or Bishop Jablonski as an intermediary so that Klement could spread this happy news, Klement went one better and said that if there wasn't going to be an Austria/Prussia approchement, Team Vienna had an attack on Prussia in mind, complete with kidnapping FW and his treasury. There was even an insulting letter from Eugene at hand saying FW was "a little King" whom one could crush in two to three months". Lehmann, as a Prussian patriot, now considered it his duty to report such a horrible plan to the highest authority, knew that FW was best approachable at Wusterhausen, and Klement gets his personal no witness audience with FW in September 1718 at Wusterhausen. By this time, the tale of the conspiracy had grown. Not only was the "FW replaced by Fritz, who gets raised as a Catholic" detail added, but also Klement said the whole dastardly plan had been Flemming's idea (who suggested it to Eugene), no one hated FW as much as Fleming, he, KLement, had been in the room when the scheme was formed, and so had been that other dastardly Saxon, Manteuffel.
The Manteuffel part was to have consequences not so miuch for Manteuffel, but for his mistress, Frau von Baspiel, who did write him secret letters after all, and who was busted on that occasion. (Also her husband lost his job with FW.) Meanwhile, Klement, evidently inspired by his personal encounters with FW, kept adding details - Eugene had even gotten the Hannover okay for this dastardly plan. FW is thunderstruck. Also Klement is his man now. According to Pöllnitz, Klement is smart enough to decline the 1200 Taler the King offers him immediately saying he hasn't earned them yet, but according to Legationssekretär Wlhelmin, Klement received 7000 Taler from FW and another 2000 later, and also, he changed faiths again (this time to Reformed Protestant).
I should add here that unlike the editor of the FW/Old Dessauer letters, Weber uses Pöllnitz on the bonkers Klement affair as a reliable source, and thus includes the bit with the dramatic scene where Old Dessauer confronts a deeply paranoid FW who has taken to sleeping with his pistols under his bed and lies down his sword in front of him. FW now trusts Old Dessauer, at least, and tells him the whole sordid tale. Old Dessauer thinks it's all rubbish and advises to at least ask Flemming and Eugene for a comment. For now, though, FW completely trusts Klement who produces lots of Eugene letters to go with his claims. The amazing thing is that Klement had the opportunity to make a quick getaway - he even was outside of Prussia on a trip - but didn't take it, so was arrested on December 4th 1718. (Here we get a physical description by the arresting officers who bring hin to Spandau - "the black and brown fat gentleman in an Hungarian furcoat". Klement gets interrogated, but in a friendly way, FW even sends him food on silver plates from the royal kitchen. He sticks wit his story and says, in tears, that he knows he can't prove it, Eugene and Flemming will deny everything but he, Klement, did it for FW and the Protestant Faith! FW is wavering but wants to believe him. On December 9th, no one is allowed to get in and out of Berlin anymore, it's hunt the traitor time. (One of the people busted on this occasion: the secretary of Katte's grandpa Wartensleben, Bube, who borrows the clothing of a female "moor" to escape in disguise, but is controlled and outed. And as mentioned, Frau von Baspiel's correspondence with Manteuffel and Flemming gets uncovered. There is nothing in it about a kidnapping/murder scheme, but it does prove she was reporting on FW for the Saxons. Her imprisonment lasts until January7th 1719 in Spandau, then FW lets her go but banishes her from Berlin. (Fritz, as a favor to his mother, will not only call her back but make her the governess of his youngest sisters.)
Saxon Legationssekretär Wilhelmi also gets strip searched in his own living quarters against all diplomatic conventions. FW writes to August that August can't blame him for this since an assassinaton/kidnapping attempt was planned! He knows it has been!
August: WTF?!?
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-29 06:57 pm (UTC)Weber quotes from his letters, and the letters referring to him, at length untranslated in the original French, just to make my life harder.
I knoooow, I saw! He did this to me in the stuff I read, too. :/
Wilhelmine, child of a Klement-believing father and a snob, considers he might have had Philippe d'Orleans or the King of Denmark as an illegtimate Dad, but no such thing,
Ahahaha, sorry, Wilhelmine!
Again according to himself, which is always a problem if you've been exposed as an international conman.
Very true. Alas for reliable sources, but this whole write-up is a giant soap opera, which is of course why I asked for it. :D
Louis looking for allies among the Hungarians against his enemy the Austrians and trying to woo the Prussians away isn't implausiblel
My memory of various sources I've read was that Louis was funding Rakoczi for exactly this reason (think funding Jacobites when fighting England), so I think that's real. And they definitely tried to woo the Prussians a few years later, by sending Rottembourg (with permission to bribe Grumbkow and Ilgen), so this is also plausible, I agree.
The Crown Prince who's supposed to pretend to escape so he can become King of Hungary is FW, guys.
At least it would have been plausible! Prussian crown princes are always trying to escape! :PP
Wait, though, this is ringing some faint bell. Have we heard this story before? Or am I thinking of a different secret treaty? Maybe one with Austria that future F1 agreed to when he was crown prince?
Given how the rest of Klement's life went, I'm not sure I follow his logic here.
Hahaha. Eugene could have been conned too, Weber! His right-hand man in the Netherlands seems to have been a huge embezzler, for one thing.
claiming that the plan had been to make Prince Eugene one the Spanish throne once Charles failed at getting/keeping it, and that Eugene once this secret plan emerged had a twelve hours meeting with Charles assuring him he didn't want the Spanish throne and offering to withdraw from all his offices, which ended with Charles urging him to stay. Given that the Spanish throne was well occupied by Philip the future frog
Huuhh. So there was definitely talk of sending Eugene to the Spanish front as a *general*, which Eugene did not want, but king??? Neither the Habsburgs nor the Bourbons would have stood for this!
Meanwhile, Klement, evidently inspired by his personal encounters with FW, kept adding details - Eugene had even gotten the Hannover okay for this dastardly plan. FW is thunderstruck.
Lol! Well, I mean, FW's paranoia is easy to feed into here. Klement must have thought he'd hit the jackpot!
Klement gets interrogated, but in a friendly way, FW even sends him food on silver plates from the royal kitchen. He sticks wit his story and says, in tears, that he knows he can't prove it, Eugene and Flemming will deny everything but he, Klement, did it for FW and the Protestant Faith! FW is wavering but wants to believe him.
Man, you could make a movie out of this bonkers episode! And then everyone would critique it as unrealistic. :PPP
One of the people busted on this occasion: the secretary of Katte's grandpa Wartensleben, Bube, who borrows the clothing of a female "moor" to escape in disguise, but is controlled and outed.
And again! The screenwriters would get criticized for too much imagination.
Saxon Legationssekretär Wilhelmi also gets strip searched in his own living quarters against all diplomatic conventions. FW writes to August that August can't blame him for this since an assassinaton/kidnapping attempt was planned! He knows it has been!
Wow, this episode is truly bonkers. And I love how Wilhelmine's source was FW and she totally bought it!
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-30 09:25 am (UTC)You'd have to sell it as a satire even if you just stuck to the truth. Well, alleged truth, what with Pöllnitz' and Klement's own accounts in the mix. But still!
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-30 10:02 am (UTC)Also, I just thought for the first time: Die Geschichte des Gestiefelten Katers fits so much in this era with these guys, doesn't it?
All this said, I'm surprised that none of the later German satirists having a go at the Prussian state took the Clemens/Klement story and ran with it. Yes, censorship applied till WWI, but you could get around it in historical drama, especially if publishing in a not Hohenzollern ruled state before 1870.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-31 07:50 am (UTC)Yeah, I think we can see how Klement's con man career evolved. Let's say he did work for Racoczky, though possibly not as his right hand man, but still high enough to know R. got funded by Louis and that there were also French attempts to move the Prussians from Team Austria to Team France. When he gets himself hired by Eugene, he relays that intel, but he thinks he needs to spice it up a little since it's not something Eugene couldn't have figured out on his own (I mean, since it makes so much sense Louis would pursue those policies). So he adds the story of an offer of the Hungarian Crown to Prussia, complete with the Crown Prince pretending to escape in order to come to Hungary to get crowned and ruled. This is not something anyone could have figured out, it's new, and it gets him interest. And from this point onwards, his stories get more and more adventurous.
Wait, though, this is ringing some faint bell. Have we heard this story before? Or am I thinking of a different secret treaty? Maybe one with Austria that future F1 agreed to when he was crown prince?
Yep, the later, the one people held against F1, calling him "weak" for it, whereas the F1 defending biographers of the last decades pointed out his Dad agreed to a similar secret treaty with Louis of all the people (which even involved making Louis, Catholic Superpower Absolutist extraordinaire, executor of his will).
So there was definitely talk of sending Eugene to the Spanish front as a *general*, which Eugene did not want, but king??? Neither the Habsburgs nor the Bourbons would have stood for this!
No kidding, and Eugene knew that. He also never showed ambitions of wanting to rule any fiefdom, and notably did NOT try to marry into either the Habsburgs or another powerful and influential family. But Weber says that Klement in his made up reports basically wrote Eugene as Wallenstein. (
The female mooor who whose clothes Bube the secretary borrowed is referred to by Weber as "die Mohrin der Markgräfin Philippine" - I didn't have time to look it up, but is Philippine Mrs. Wartensleben or are we talking about one of the Schwedt wives?
ETA: also, check out how much of the files on Klement from the Secret Prussian State Archive survive! Wow. Lots of material still there.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-02-03 02:26 am (UTC)The latter, apparently, but I can't easily find which one, and like you, I have no time. (I am now again waiting on a script to finish running before I can resume work.)
ETA: I can't find a wife named Philippine or Philippe, but the late Margrave at this date was Philip. Wilhelmine calls his wife the "margravine Philippe" or "margravine Philippine" (depending on your translation, I really don't have time to check out the French). Is it possible that she and Weber are doing the equivalent of "the Princess Heinrich"? I.e. it's actually Philip's widow Johanna Charlotte?
ETA: also, check out how much of the files on Klement from the Secret Prussian State Archive survive! Wow. Lots of material still there.
Wow, yes! And those would have been closed to Weber, right? Only special people, like Preuss, got access?
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-02-03 08:09 am (UTC)Is it possible that she and Weber are doing the equivalent of "the Princess Heinrich"?
By Jove, I think you've got it. Yes, that makes sense.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-30 09:24 am (UTC)Yeah, same with the Fritz/Manteuffel essay, what with all their letters being in French.
at last the Prussians said okay, they'll go for it provided the throne of Hungary is declared vacant
But but but. Prussia only had the one and only crown prince, why would they ever agree to this?
On the other hand, that's quite the number of possible thrones you are collecting there, FW, first the English one through adoption, now the Hungarian one through political scheming.
Eugene had even gotten the Hannover okay for this dastardly plan. FW is thunderstruck.
Hee. :D This keeps being a most entertaining tale indeed.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-30 09:55 am (UTC)Provided Klement didn't make up this part entirely: maybe the idea was that F1 could tell the Emperor "yes, my son has been a very naughty boy, but a) I had no idea, and b) I don't have another son, so it's not like I can disinherit him, and so you'll have to live with having lost the Hungarian Crown to us Hohenzollern.
Incidentally: in rl, if FW had died or other reasons been unable to inherit, I suppose the Prussian Crown would have gone to one of F1's younger half brothers, the Schwedt cousins.
On the other hand, that's quite the number of possible thrones you are collecting there, FW, first the English one through adoption, now the Hungarian one through political scheming.
You know, having just read the gigantic Joseph biography, I can only imagine how the Hungarians would have responded to being ruled by FW. The Protestant part of the nobles might have been happy for a few weeks before finding out what FW's idea of how the nobility should participate in any state ruled by him looked like. The Catholics would have been appalled from the get go. And I can definitely see him make a couple of Josephenian reform decisions guaranteed to piss off the population, like
- no more Latin at school! We wanted the kids to understand what they're learning, therefore: all classes have to be in German!
This keeps being a most entertaining tale indeed.
One wonders what Thomas Mann would have made out of the Geschichte des Hochstaplers Johann Michael Klement...
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-31 12:42 am (UTC)Heh.
The Crown Prince who's supposed to pretend to escape so he can become King of Hungary is FW, guys.
....wow!
Philip the future frog
I gotta say this is both hilarious and also a greeeeat way of reminding me which Philip this was :P
August the Strong, who thought this actually did not sound much like the Eugene he'd met a couple of times.
Heeee. It seems remarkable that he got away with so much for so long (until he overreached himself) but... I guess a lot of people hear what they want to, in any century.
Weber uses Pöllnitz on the bonkers Klement affair as a reliable source, and thus includes the bit with the dramatic scene where Old Dessauer confronts a deeply paranoid FW who has taken to sleeping with his pistols under his bed and lies down his sword in front of him.
Gotta say I still love this story :D
Old Dessauer thinks it's all rubbish and advises to at least ask Flemming and Eugene for a comment.
Old Dessauer has some good advice!
the secretary of Katte's grandpa Wartensleben, Bube, who borrows the clothing of a female "moor" to escape in disguise, but is controlled and outed.
OMG. I agree with all of you, this is so crazy you would hardly be able to put it in a movie!
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-31 08:12 am (UTC)....wow!
I suspect Klement might have dimly recalled that FW's father F1 had done a runner when being Crown Prince. (Or rather, Kurprinz, since there was no Kingdom of Prussia yet and thus no Crown.) However, he clearly hadn't met FW yet, otherwise the idea of FW a) able to pretend anything, and b) successfully faking being disobedient to his father (FW who prides himself on having been the perfect son even with a father whom he fundamentally disagreed with) would have been squashed as soon as it occured.
(BTW, I don't mean FW was incapable of lying or attempting deception, just that he was really bad at it. See his letter to Grandma of how French gossip has it all wrong and of course he doesn't beat up his servants, he knows how a prince ought to behave!)
BTW, what's interesting is that (Not so Old yet) Dessauer, who loathed Grumbkow - and Grumbkow had been fingered by Klement as one of the guilty parties in the big Kidnapping & Murder conspiracy - was so sceptical from the start not just on his own account, and didn't use the opportunity to say, sure, Grumbkow so would, why don't you execute him or at least banish him, and when the investigation, which he got to spearhead, did find various bribed people only accused them of what he'd found (like Frau von Baspiel of her Manteuffel & Flemming correspondence), instead of attempting to make them confess what FW very much wanted to hear. Innate sense of order, innate sense of justice, or awareness that if they go to war about a fake accusation with Saxony and/or the Empire, this will not be good for anyone?
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - I
Date: 2022-01-31 01:03 pm (UTC)Some innate sense of order, maybe, but from what I've learnt about Old Dessauer so far, I'd suggest an innate sense of 'honour', for whatever warped personal definition of that he used. One that saw lies and schemes as something that was beneath him I'd say, which means not getting into wars for fake reasons on one hand, but also making speeches about how he'd have killed the Duke of Orleans and his family on the other. See also: his attempted duel with Grumbkow (instead of getting rid of him through third means like you suggested), his going through with marrying a commoner when he could have kept her as a mistress, even bringing back Grundling - because in his eyes, it wouldn't have been honourable to flee the country, unlike fulfilling your role as the "court fool" and enduring the whims of your superiors (which would have included himself), just as the soldiers had to endure his ideas of Prussian Discipline.
Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-01-29 06:02 pm (UTC)Next we get a lot of mutually insulted letters between Vienna, Berlin and Dresden on a general note of "how dare you?" Some personal letters between August and FW soothe some feelings until FW caves in March 1719 and provides the requested declaration of honor for Flemming and Manteuffel, the phrasing of which from another man would be called ambigous: „ Je veux bien déclarer que je ne garde aucune rancune contre ces ministres , mes que je pour eux toute l'estime que leur bonnes qualites le meritent."
Meanwhile, poor Legationssekretär Wilhelmi wants to get out of Prussia toute suite after his rough treatment, and doesn't feel better about FW's intentions when a soldier named "Simson" shows up at 7 pm in the evening and announces he's watching Wilhelmi on FW's behalf day and night. Wilhelmi needs a hero to rescue him! Enter Suhm. Suhm at last achieves the permission for Wilhelmi to do as he pleases once he's paid his outstanding debts in Berlin. Except that Dresden and Vienna have demanded Wilhelmi should now be present at Klement's trial as observer. (On the bright side, this means we have Wilhelmi's reports in the Saxon archive. At least we had them, no idea whether they survived WWII.) Since FW stll wants to believe in Klement's original story, Dresden now provides that letter from Klement to Flemming about how FW's ministers really feel about him. FW is stunned. (Again.) This from his friend Klement! He's off to Spandau to confront Klement with this letter. Klement admits to having written it. FW no longer is against the death penalty for Klement.
Unfortunately for Lehmann, his presence at the trial was required, and this new spirit of Saxon/Prussian unity meant he was extradited. Testifying against Klement didn't mean he wasn't accused of participating in the scheme himself by Prussian law. They were both condemned to be pinched twice with hot iron at different places in the city. Then Lehmann was beheaded, and Klement was hanged. The pamphlet about his execution has him say that while he regrets having caused trouble between monarchs with his lies, he did it all for the Protestant faith and FW. FW says if only Klement had been an honest fellow, he'd have prized none more, and supposedly keeps his picture.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-01-29 07:07 pm (UTC)Oh, FW. As always, he believes what he wants to believe.
„ Je veux bien déclarer que je ne garde aucune rancune contre ces ministres , mes que je pour eux toute l'estime que leur bonnes qualites le meritent."
Hee, I remember this!
Enter Suhm. Suhm at last achieves the permission for Wilhelmi to do as he pleases once he's paid his outstanding debts in Berlin.
Oh, huh. Is this why Suhm was initially sent to Berlin? Because Wikipedia tells me 1720 is when he began his stint as envoy to Prussia.
Dresden now provides that letter from Klement to Flemming about how FW's ministers really feel about him. FW is stunned. (Again.) This from his friend Klement!
LOL, this is so FW! He's always stunned when his FRIENDS turn on him. Like Lovenorn!
The pamphlet about his execution has him say that while he regrets having caused trouble between monarchs with his lies, he did it all for the Protestant faith and FW. FW says if only Klement had been an honest fellow, he'd have prized none more, and supposedly keeps his picture.
Oh, wow. That's...that's so unbelievable and yet so believable from FW! Who could never quite convince himself that Saxony and Austria hadn't been trying over *something* on him.
You could not make these people up. Thanks for the very detailed summary, that was great!
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-01-31 08:18 am (UTC)Weber said "Suhm, who happened to be in Berlin" - der sich in Berlin befand - now whether that means he was in Berlin by chance or whether he was sent there but not yet as an envoy, I couldn't make out. The way I understood it that Legationssekretär Wilhelmi had been acting as de facto Saxon envoy ever since Manteuffel got promoted to cabinet minister, but with the understanding a proper successor as envoy had yet to be appointed. Hardly unusual, given all we know about Diplomatic practices in the 18th century by now.
Be that as it may, I suspect Suhm able to get Wihelmi off the hook with FW might have contributed to his official appointment as Saxon envoy the next year?
BTW, in the round of "How dare you?" letters between Prussia, Saxony and Austria, one of FW's points out he's been so helpful to August by sending Countess Cosel back to him as demanded, and how is he repaid? This was all very recent, remember.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-02-03 02:32 am (UTC)Ah, yes, this makes sense!
Hardly unusual, given all we know about Diplomatic practices in the 18th century by now.
Yes, and this is why I don't think Peter had reason to be terribly upset in 1747 about Fritz leaving the guy in London who possibly hadn't even taken an oath of loyalty to Prussia. The whole point was that "random guy" Michell wasn't accredited and didn't have to be paid much, if anything at all. You just left someone like him there as a point of contact so you weren't totally out of the loop. You sent, and paid, an accredited ambassador, when you had something to negotiate or your relationship with that state was otherwise very important to you.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-01-30 09:29 am (UTC)Ahaha, that's a really nice bit of phrasing - both FW's (if it was his own to begin with) and yours.
Wilhelmi needs a hero to rescue him! Enter Suhm.
Aw.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-01-31 06:14 am (UTC)Heeee!
Since FW stll wants to believe in Klement's original story, Dresden now provides that letter from Klement to Flemming about how FW's ministers really feel about him. FW is stunned. (Again.) This from his friend Klement! He's off to Spandau to confront Klement with this letter. Klement admits to having written it. FW no longer is against the death penalty for Klement.
Oh FW. This is just... so FW. (Also, so entertaining :P )
(Tangentially, one of the things I really admire about your recaps is how you can place these little tags early on to be pulled on later, like That Letter. I find that really hard.)
FW says if only Klement had been an honest fellow, he'd have prized none more, and supposedly keeps his picture.
! I... believe that from FW. OMG.
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-01-31 08:25 am (UTC)Thank you, though I have to admit I did read those 75 pages twice before writing my summary and the second time I certainly paid attention when the letter came up and thus knew I had to point it out in my own write up.
FW says if only Klement had been an honest fellow, he'd have prized none more, and supposedly keeps his picture.
! I... believe that from FW. OMG.
Gotta point out that the phrasing isn't unlike Fritz saying about Voltaire that if only he hadn't had such a rotten character and been dishonest, he'd have been the greatest guy ever. And Fritz definitely kept Voltaire's picture!
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-02-03 05:51 am (UTC)ahahaha Voltaire, that's true! But of course this means I have to ask: was Klement tall?
Re: Klement: the Weber Version - II
Date: 2022-02-03 07:51 am (UTC)