Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 39

[cahn]

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.)

Comments

Re: Sixteenth-century question about proposing

[mildred_of_midgard]

Yeah, we talked about that, and she had a lot to say about the differences between what the royals/nobles did and what their subjects thought about what they did, and whether said subjects protested and/or took precautions to keep it from happening to their own daughters.

Because yeah, I can (and did, upthread) name a bunch of skeevy noble and royal marriages for political purposes off the top of my head from all periods across all of Europe, but what the lower classes thought about it is pretty far outside my area, so I am taking recessional's word on it.

there's also whatever Thomas Seymour did with teenage Elizabeth when she lived with him

But this kind of thing happens even in our day, there being a huge difference between what happens irl and what you will have your good guys proudly state is a good idea in a play.