cahn

Starting a couple of comments earlier than usual to mention there are a couple of new salon fics! These probably both need canon knowledge.

felis ficlets on siblings!

Siblings (541 words) by felisnocturna
Chapters: 2/2
Fandom: 18th Century CE RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great, Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf, August Wilhelm von Preußen | Augustus William of Prussia (1722-1758), Wilhelmine von Preußen | Wilhelmine of Prussia (1709-1758)
Summary:

Three Fills for the 2022 Three Sentence Ficathon.

Chapter One: Protective Action / Babysitting at Rheinsberg (Frederick/Fredersdorf, William+Henry+Ferdinand)
Chapter Two: Here Be Lions (Wilhelmine)

Unsent Letters fic by me:

Letters for a Dead King (1981 words) by raspberryhunter
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 18th Century CE RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great & Friedrich Heinrich Ludwig von Preußen (1726-1802)
Characters: Friedrich Heinrich Ludwig von Preußen | Henry of Prussia (1726-1802)
Additional Tags: Epistolary, Love/Hate, Talking To Dead People, Canonical Character Death, Dysfunctional Family
Summary:

Just because one's king and brother is dead doesn't mean one has to stop writing to him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

selenak

Now, Lehndorff has only had pleasant contacts with FW2 until this point. So the conclusion as to whether he wants to go to Berlin or not he arrives at is:

August 31t: I begin to collect my thoughts which were directed at a distance for days now and only occupied with a single question. A change of goverment changes all our plans. If I didn’t have children, I would remain quietly at home, and would watch the entire thunderstorm from afar, but as it is, I need to use the time I’m still alive and think of my children’s welfare The new King has only shown himself benevolent to me for all his life, and his father basically has left me to him. So nothing else remains but to show myself there. I was determined already to go to Berlin for my oldest son’s sake. But while I start to prepare, I receive the news the King is coming to Königsberg immediately to receive homage.

Renember,

cahn, the Kings of Prussia, other than F1, weren’t crowned at Königsberg, but they did receive homage there. Anyway, this makes life easier for Lehndorff, since he can present himself and his kids to FW2 there, and from there go to back to Potsdam and Berlin with him. The Duke of Holstein who has gone to Berlin for Fritz‘ funeral brings news that Heinrich was a bit in a mood already because of Wusterhausen (which according to FW’s last will would once Fritz and AW were both dead go to Heinrich), but FW2 has persuaded him to accept an annual income of 50 000 Taler instead. (I think FW3 is the one who just gives him Wusterhausen instead.) Heinrich seems to be so satisfied by this that he accepted without protest having to walk behind FW2’s sons at the funeral procession which Lehndorff had been sure he would not.

After dinner, I am eager to have my son come to me. Our reunion is touching. I love my children more than anything, and I only live fort hem. The boy has grown a lot, and makes an excellent impression. I notice that I have to change my plans concerning his future completely. I had destined him to study at the university so he would become an envoy, but I now see that he has a great passion for the soldier’s profession. Now I have to make a decision. May God guide my thoughts!

FW2 is totally nice and all, but once in Berlin, Lehndorff sees there are clouds on the horizon, for :
I wake up with a headache. It becomes so bad that I must give up the pleasure of presenting myself to the King, and decide to remain quietly at home. But around noon, the Duke of Holstein shows up at the order of Prince Heinrich and tells me I’m to present myself in boots and with a hat on my head to him. Miserable as I am, I still go to the Prince and am immediately received in his beautiful, wonderfully decorated apartment. The topics we talk about are so serious in nature that I have to declare I shall think about them thoroughly and write them down at another time.

If he did, Schmidt-Lötzen doesn’t provide the entry. At a guess, Heinrich has found out FW2 has not the slightest intention of letting him rejoin the army or of giving him any job whatsoever. It becomes ever more apparant in the diary Lehndorff didn’t just go to Berlin for his sons‘ sakes, he did expect FW2 to give him a job as well, but while FW2 keeps inviting him to meals and parties and adresses him in company and what not, a job offer of course does not happen.

We truly live in a strange time. It has so many mysteries and provides so much food for thought. My dear sons, when you read my writings, then let me tell you this: always keep your indenpendence, by keeping the fortune your parents will leave to you, however large or small it might be. Then you can await whatever fate will bring you. If I didn’t always stick to this principle, I would currently be in the greatest embarassment. I had great expectations. The late King has treated me ill for forty years, because I was devoted to the father of the current King. The current one has always been gracious towards me, has treated me with distinction and has ordered me to come here. The people even talked of high positions. I now arrive here, but – I hear of nothing. I still don’t get upset about this. I still have my lovely estate Steinort, which provides comfort through all the troubles for me. Never, my dear sons, devote yourself to deceptive hopes! Restrain yourself, limit your wishes, and withdraw to your homes when you’re fed up with people!

On the bright side:

In the evening, I was supposed to visit Prince Ferdinand, but when I get home, I find a letter from him wherein he writes he had to surrender me to Prince Heinrich, because the later has asked him to. I rush to him. I enjoy the treat of sitting in conversation with the Prince from 6 to 9 and to debate about all kind of matters. Among other things, he shows me a splendid watch set with diamonds hwich was the late King’s last gift to him. He also reads a eulogy to me which he has written about him. It is far more than that, it is a description of his entire government, with all his wars. If this piece of writing were ever known to anyone else, it would cause the greatest sensation. It is so clear and so true and with such deep knowledge as only a general who has commanded himself could write it.

Dammit, Lehndorff, you couldn’t have asked Heinrich for a copy? I want to read his eulogy to Fritz ~~the bastard~~!

For a newly free man, Heinrich keeps bringing up Fritz suspiciously often.

In the evening, I visit the Queen Widow. Prince Heinrich arrives to participate at the gambling, and I afterwards have dinner with him. The conversation is captivating as always. The Prince makes a remark which actually cannot be refuted. He said that when reading the eulogies to the late King he keeps finding people insisting the King was now among the blessed. Now we know the principles of this monarch. He believed in complete annihilation (of the soul). Therefore, the Prince concludes, that one can’t exactly rely on theologians and their judgment anymore.

Lehndorff meets Mirabeau at Hertzberg‘s, but doesn’t like him. Heinrich gets increasingly suspicious of the various sects and secret organizations and all the religion now getting into vogue in Berlin.
Much food for conversation offers a new religious direction which is becoming very popular. Its desciples call themsels the Inspired (Footnote: the Illuminati.) They include the free masons, the Herrenhuter and all kind of sects. One claims former Jesuits have provided the model. Prince Heinrich talks of this the entire evening and is terribly upset about it. He thinks this is very dangerous and thinks the movement gaining such momentum that all of Europe might be endangered. The Prince, who posses so much wit, has the gift to argue so clearly and to speak so charmingly that it is always a pleasure to listen to him. But I do believe that his welfare is suffering from it. Because he’s driven with such fire that the blood rushes to his head, and woe to him who argues against him!

What Lehndorff doesn’t mention: FW2 was increasingly influenced and ruled by such a sect, the Rosencreuzer, and that presumably was one big reason why Heinrich was so upset.

Edited Date: 2022-07-11 06:05 pm (UTC)

From:

mildred_of_midgard

Dammit, Lehndorff, you couldn’t have asked Heinrich for a copy? I want to read his eulogy to Fritz the bastard!

??!!!

YES!

Dammit.

For a newly free man, Heinrich keeps bringing up Fritz suspiciously often.

I bet he even writes letters. :P

Therefore, the Prince concludes, that one can’t exactly rely on theologians and their judgment anymore.

The theologians aren't claiming Frederick the Great is damned to hell for eternity? Tsk. I see they don't make theologians like they used to. ;)

What Lehndorff doesn’t mention: FW2 was increasingly influenced and ruled by such a sect, the Rosencreuzer, and that presumably was one big reason why Heinrich was so upset.

Yeeeep!

From:

selenak

??!!!

YES!

Dammit.

BTW, since Lehndorff seems pretty sure no one else will get to read/listen to this masterpiece, and since indeed there's no mention of it in any of the biographies, I think Heinrich really wrote it just for emotional release, and either later destroyed it himself, or it was confiscated by Hohenzollern censorship after his death. Totally fits with my Unwritten Letters present!

The theologians aren't claiming Frederick the Great is damned to hell for eternity? Tsk. I see they don't make theologians like they used to. ;)

But Mildred, naturally he's in heaven, sees the error of his Voltaire loving ways and hangs out with the greats of German literature instead. We know because various pamphlets tell us so!

re: Lehndorff not mentioning FW2's religious entanglements, I think, bearing in mind his addressing his sons mit outburst, at this point he's aware his diaries will most likely be read by his children after his death, and doesn't want to critisize the reigning monarch too directly lest it gets them into trouble (and/or causes them to destroy his diaries).

From:

cahn

But Mildred, naturally he's in heaven, sees the error of his Voltaire loving ways and hangs out with the greats of German literature instead. We know because various pamphlets tell us so!

Fritz's in Heaven, this we know
For all the pamphlets tell us so!
German greats with him belong:
Voltaire is weak, but they are strong!

(For non-Americans and non-religious Americans, there's a famous children's mainstream Christian song that goes like this:
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to him belong
They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me
The Bible tells me so.

Not being a mainstream Christian, I didn't know about this until I was in grad school, when I came across a Cthulhu variant, which I'm shocked not to currently be able to find easily on the internet. But anyway, D is mainstream Christian and later his mother taught me the actual lyrics :) )

From:

cahn

I had destined him to study at the university so he would become an envoy, but I now see that he has a great passion for the soldier’s profession. Now I have to make a decision. May God guide my thoughts!

I wouldn't have picked up on it had you not mentioned in another comment (haha, this is what I get for being so behind on my commenting!!) but this is really cool, that he is okay with that. I mean. It's certainly not unheard of centuries later for parenting not to work that way!

In the evening, I was supposed to visit Prince Ferdinand, but when I get home, I find a letter from him wherein he writes he had to surrender me to Prince Heinrich, because the later has asked him to.

Aw!
these recent Ferdinand-Lehndorff interactions have totally got me wondering if they were friends with benefits too, mind you :P

Dammit, Lehndorff, you couldn’t have asked Heinrich for a copy? I want to read his eulogy to Fritz the bastard!

THIRDED!

What Lehndorff doesn’t mention: FW2 was increasingly influenced and ruled by such a sect, the Rosencreuzer, and that presumably was one big reason why Heinrich was so upset.

Ohhhhh, okay, thanks for mentioning that -- I didn't realize that! (I assume this was one of the Ziebura sections I skimmed :D )