18th-Century Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 37

[cahn]

More diaries of our favorite 18th-century Prussian diary-keeper have been unearthed and have been synopsized!

January 18th: Blessed be thou to me! Under your light, my Prince Heinrich was born!

Comments

Re: Katte

[mildred_of_midgard]

Prussian Count Rothenburg's wife

Correction: French Count Rottembourg's wife, whose name is given as Eva Sophie, née Helmstat. Source: Martin von Katte.

Now, all that information does is add to my confusion, because as you may (not) recall, my sources are evenly divided on whether Rottembourg was ever married. Some contemporary documents say "died never married," others say he was married, and at least one is specific about him marrying a Jeanne-Madelene d'Helmstat on April 10, 1721.

Now I've got a second name for her! But it is increasingly looking like he married a Helmstat woman of some name.

(Me: three pages further in Hinrichs and more sidetracked than ever.)

Re: Katte

[selenak]

I'm reminded of the many first names of Mrs. Peter von Keith. But at least the last name is consistent!

Re: Katte

[mildred_of_midgard]

At least hers were recognizably variants of the same name! Adriane, Ariane, Oriana, Origana... Eva Sophie and Jeanne Madelene have nothing in common! What I'm reminded of is the various names of Peter's oldest son that show up in various combinations: Peter, Reinhard, Carl, and Ernst.


Also, lol, looking up Ariane's spellings, I ran across this AU plot bunny of hours that I'd forgotten:

Lastly: if Peter met Algarotti and Lord Hervey, then maybe also Lady Mary? (Maybe Algarotti thinks Peter would make a good alternate object for her affections and tries to set them up, but Lady Mary isn't into Prussians pining for their first imprisoned and then "reformed" prince on a romantic level; however, they could maybe empathize on a "the one I love loves someone else more" Level?

Algarotti to Lord Hervey: Look, if it works out, it's win win for everyone! She stops pining for me. He gets an additional sponsor and some free education, given the sheer range of her knowledge. Sure, there's an age difference, but clearly that's not a problem for her or you. The Queen has one poor guy less to sponsor and could consider advancing my career instead. Mary/Peter OTP!

Sadly, we've since discovered that Peter did *not* leave London a few weeks after Algarotti arrived, but almost a year before, but I still love the OTP AU!