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: FW parenting

[mildred_of_midgard]

yes, I was different from my father, but that was because I am a righteous Christian man and my father, with all respect I kept showing him, was not. Clearly, it was God's will I should become King and should do everything correctly. Which means that it can't be God's will to give me a son different from me, because what would be the point?!?

Ugh, this makes so much sense! Of course, I would expect nothing less from the author of a certain recent ToT fic that also managed to get inside FW's head. ;)

all enthusiastic about being seen as perfect Dad and manly comrade by his son(s)

You know, I could almost feel sorry for him, if he hadn't reacted to disappointment by BEATING THE KID UP. I may have grown up in an unintellectual family, I may have been told not to study physics that wasn't in the Bible, I may have been forbidden to take certain classes (some of which I managed to take on the sly, some not), but it was nothing like this! Poor Fritz.

who might have listened with just half an ear, as we say in German

We have this one in English too.

That's still a far cry from "couldn't read or write", but that nonetheless is how an actual envoy reported it home to France.

True! And this was all 10 years before, so I can see how the story would change in the telling. Incidentally, Catt has the opposite: he has Fritz sneaking out of bed to read, almost getting caught by his governor Finck, and not daring to do it again. I also find that unlikely. I think there was a lot of sneaking. :P