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Last post, along with the usual 18th-century suspects, included the Ottonians; changing ideas of conception and women's sexual pleasure; Isabella of Parma (the one who fell in love, and vice versa, with her husband's sister); Henry IV and Bertha (and Henry's second wife divorcing him for "unspeakable sexual acts"). (Okay, Isabella of Parma was 18th century.)

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From:

selenak

I dimly seem to recall Wegfraß thinks the adoption business was done for the Kiekemal occasion specifically. But yes, to me it looks like a part of a larger long term business arrangement between Fredersdorf and the Trachtenbergs.

Here's something tangentially I'm curious about: Did either of the Trachtenbergs outlive Fredersdorf? also, October 1752 is when Fredersdorf becomes engaged. I.e. before this point, presumably if he died his heirs would have been his biological family (surviving siblings, nieces and nephews), but would the adoption business also made the Trachtenbergs potential heirs? Because while usually the one who inherits is the one who gets adopted, not the one who adopts, I could see the Trachtenbergs (nobles) going as far as adoption of commoner Fredersdorf not simply for this one Kiekemal estate business or because that gives them an in with the powerful Chamberlain and Secret Councillor, but also because they think, he's really wealthy by now, but also very sickly, and if we're not v. old and sick ourselves, we might have the chance to outlive him and get part of that money.

...which would no longer be the case once Fredersdorf is actually married and doesn't only have a wife but the (theoretical) chance for children. But since the engagement doesn't happen until October 1752, earlier 1752 events would not have been affected by this from the Trachtenberg pov. Of course, I could be entirely wrong here, and the adoption would not have given the Trachtenbergs any claims on Fredersdorf's inheritance in any event, even if he'd died a bachelor.

From:

mildred_of_midgard

I dimly seem to recall Wegfraß thinks the adoption business was done for the Kiekemal occasion specifically.

Oh, interesting. Yeah, I need to read this.

Here's something tangentially I'm curious about: Did either of the Trachtenbergs outlive Fredersdorf?

Same thing I was curious about! But I couldn't find them in a quick google yesterday. I will have to put on my detective hat and try again.

Okay! She was 66 in 1752, childless, and the sole heir of her family (her brother had died unmarried). She was thrown out of a carriage thanks to a careless driver in April, she lay in bed in pain dictating her last will, she died June 1.

Her two heirs are her husband, Colonel Baron von Trachenberg, and her adoptive son, Fredersdorf. Her husband gets most of the inheritance, Fredersdorf gets an estate, but he has to pay Trachenberg 800 talers in cash every year, for his support in his old age.

Ah! He dies in May 1757, aged 68, so just after Fredersdorf retired (April 1757).

But, in 1752 Trachenberg is very concerned that Fredersdorf will die before him, so he goes and gets a notarized document from the Saxon authorities saying that the payment will be made even if Fredersdorf dies, and also that Fredersdorf's not allowed to sell or mortgage it. "800 talers a year," says the author, "that will be a heavy burden on Fredersdorf until the death of the baron."

Now to tie this in with the Kiekemal chronology, from the Rheinsberg post: "On July 7th 1752, Colonel von Trachenberg transfers all his claims on the Bock property plus the Kiekenmal land to Fredersdorf."

So first the Trachenbergs adopt Fredersdorf, then the wife leaves a property to him, then she dies, then her husband transfers the Kiekemal property to him, then a few months later (January 1753) Fredersdorf offers to sell the Kiekemal property to Frau von Marschall.

Then Fredersdorf dies a few months after Colonel Baron von Trachenberg. His heirs for the estate in Saxony are his surviving siblings and children of his predeceased siblings.

In conclusion, it was kind of a race for who would die first, the elderly Trachenberg or the sickly Fredersdorf, but it doesn't seem like Trachenberg was expecting an inheritance from Fredersdorf if he died childless (esp. since he was apparently very worried about not even being able to get any money from the estate that used to belong to his wife, never mind the stuff that had nothing to do with him).

That's what I've got so far! More discoveries no doubt await us.

I have to say, though, it is really interesting to be linking up the chronology of Fredersdorf and the Trachenbergs at Kiekemal with the chronology of Fredersdorf and the Trachenbergs at Rübenau in Saxony, which apparently no one has ever done before!