18th-Century Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 38

[cahn]

Gonna go ahead and make this post even though Yuletide is coming...

But in the meantime, there has been some fic in the fandom posted!

Holding His Space (2503 words) by felisnocturna
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 18th Century CE RPF, 18th Century CE Frederician RPF
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf/Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great
Characters: Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf, Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great
Additional Tags: Protectiveness, Domestic, Character Study
Summary:

Five times Fredersdorf has to stay behind - and one time Friedrich doesn't leave.

Using People (3392 words) by prinzsorgenfrei
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 18th Century CE RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great/Hans Hermann von Katte
Characters: Friedrich II von Preußen | Frederick the Great, Hans Hermann von Katte
Additional Tags: Fluff, Idiots in Love, reading plays aloud while gazing into each others eyes
Summary:

Friedrich had started to talk to him because he had thought of him as a bit of a ditz.
And now here he was. Here he was months later, bundled up in this very same man’s blankets with a cup of hot coffee in front of him, its scent mixing with that of Katte’s French perfume.
_
Fluffy One Shot about one traitorous Crown Prince and the sycophant he accidentally fell for.

Comments

Re: Henry IV and Bertha

[mildred_of_midgard]

As you can see, cahn, history is full of bonkers shenanigans no matter what period you look at. :D

Otoh, the fact that they had five children after he attempted to divorce her by itself is no proof of a good relationship, nor is the fact she went with him on most of his journeys - I mean, just look at SD/FW, a marriage where with the big exceptions of the Northern War and the tail end of the War of the Spanish Succession, they were together most of the time, and produced 13 children.

So, while I had the same "kids =/= good relationship even in our own time, never mind the past" reaction, I would argue that SD/FW isn't comparable:

1. The man wanting to have sex and the woman not wanting to is very different than the man not wanting to have sex. Henry could have pulled a Fritz, but he didn't. There was no question of FW not wanting to have sex with SD, and until she'd produced those 14 children, she wasn't in a very good position to say no. Not that men can't be pressured into having sex with women they don't like, or or that they can't demonstrate their power over the woman by making her have sex, but he did make a choice there.

2. SD accompanying an unchallenged FW in Prussia is a world of difference from Bertha siding with her husband when he'd been excommunicated by Pope Gregory, his nobles were trying to elect another king, even his excommunicated bishops who were *also* trying to get to Italy and get Gregory to lift the ban were refusing to accompany Henry, and his mother Agnes sided with the Pope. Bertha could have been forgiven for going, "Sorry, my higher spiritual duty here is to the Church," and not tobogganing down an Alpine pass in an unsually cold winter to help Henry out. (Even if what she really meant by "higher spiritual duty" was "At last, my chance to be rid of you!" or "Sorry, but I'm not going down with a sinking ship.")

There are many possibilities that aren't "siblings" or even "good relationship," but like you, I do like the theory (and hope it's true, because most of the other possibilities are much worse). Headcanon!

AU scenario: Bertha sides with Henry's enemies. Does her mother open the pass to Italy for him?

(If anyone is wondering where the 18th century went, I have notes on Isabella of Parma and also Fredersdorf from my most recent reading, but it may be a bit before I can write them up.)

ETA: Henrv VIII of England: dammit. Wolsey never told me that was a divorce option! I could have been a sex fiend demanding unspeakable acts, too!

ROFL! Now *there's* an AU. Does Catherine do a 180 and start demanding a divorce?