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Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 40
I'm trying to use my other account at least occasionally so I posted about my Yuletide gifts there, including the salon-relevant 12k fic that features Fritz, Heinrich, Voltaire, Fredersdorf, Saint Germain, Caroline Daum (Fredersdorf's wife), and Groundhog Day tropes! (Don't need to know canon.)
Re: Imperial Succesions: I
Scene: Romans are shouting angrily over the death of Germanicus. Livia and Tiberius are inside.
Tiberius: Mother, did it ever occur to you that it might be you they hate, more than me?
Livia: Nothing ever occurs to you that didn't occur to me first. That is the affliction under which I live.
And also the creme de la creme of 1970s actors, in major and minor roles. It made Derek Jacobi's name in the title role, of course, which he plays from when Claudius is ca. 15 years old to his death (and btw his old age make up is abnormally good for the time, so much so that I've seen people surprised Derek Jakobi wasn't old in the 1970s already, despite the fact we see the younger Claudius a lot). Sian Philipps created one of the most memorable female villains ever as Livia. (And like Jacobi, we see Livia go from young woman shortly after the Battle of Actium to old woman in her 90s in the course of the show.) And young John Hurt was the definite Caligula; I've linked you to two scenes when we were discussing Cartagia, who is very much modelled on this performance. Then you have the likes of young Patrick Stewart as Sejanus, leading
Interesting -- and did any of these involve wives? (I'm wondering why he refused to marry.)
Wellllll, how to put this. Basil's mother was Theophanu, not the most famous bearer of that name - that would be the HRE Empress, who was probably named after this earlier Theophanu - who started out being married to Romanos II. Whom she supposedly encouraged to off his father and precedessor Constantine VII., though bear in mind blaming the woman is always the done thing for historians. Romanos himself dies young when Theophanu is just 22, leaving her with two tiny children. She's supposed to be Regent, but the government de facto is done by a palace Eunuch, with whom she argues. Theophanu then starts an affair with the successful general Nikephoros Phokas, a massively popular general who's just managed to end a century of Byzantine defeats by scoring an amazing series of victories against the Saracenes. He gets rid of the Eunuch and marries Theophanu. Now, he doesn't harm the kids, little Basil and little Constantine, but nor does he content himself with the role of Regent. Instead, he becomes little Basil's Co-Emperor. This works out just fine for a few years, and Nikephoros continues with his victory streak, which means the Byzantine Empire actually starts expanding again, after, like I said, a century of defeats and shrinking. But it also means Nikephoros is rarely in Constantinople, since he didn't stop leading from the front lines when he became Emperor, and after a while, there's trouble in Paradise. And lo, Theophanu starts an affair with young, hot John Tsimiskes, nephew of Nikephoros. She leaves the bedchamber unlocked, and John Tismiskes slips in and kills Nikephoros on the night of December 11th, 996. Or at least that's the story acccording the new Emperor John I. Tismiskes. As mentioned earlier for another Emperor, since everyone is Christian now murdering your predecessor without an excuse kinda looks bad, especially since the Patriarch of Constantinople is supposed to crown you. So John T. pulls the old "it was her idea, she seduced me!", does a nominal penance and gets crowned while Theophanu is banished. To legitimize himself further, he marries Theodora, a daughter of Romanos II. from his first, pre-Theophanu marriage. Bear in mind young Basil is also still Emperor; he and John nominally reign together. John then is a very successful Emperor, winning more battles and being good at administration, until he suddenly dies a sudden death that makes people speculate about poison again, this time by the Eunuch Basil Lekaphanos, who has been in the palace administration since Romanos II.'s time and who happens to be the uncle of now not so little anymore Basil II. Basil II has a few more years where Uncle Basil the Eunuch reigns, then he gets rid of him via banishment and then he rules himself for decades, being the third fabulous battles winning general on the throne in a row and having such a tight grip on his subjects that he could stay away from the capital for years on his campaigns without anyone daring to revolt against him, or scheme. But he never, ever marries, keeps brother Constantine in luxurious idleness and does now allow nieces Zoe and Theodora (all the Theodoras, btw, are obviously named after the most famous Theodora, the wife of Justinian) to marry.
Sidenote for German history: When Otto I. had wanted a Byzantine bride born to the purple for his son, future Otto II, Nikephoros' reaction was "no way, German upstart! You're not the Roman Emperor, I am!" When Otto asked again once Emperor later, John, who needed his ursurpation acknowledged by as many people as possible as quickly as possible, said yes, sure and sent his niece, the younger Theophanu, who will in time become Empress of the not yet holy Roman Empire, and will together with her mother in law Adelheid be an awesome regent.
Re: Imperial Succesions: I
Tiberius: Mother, did it ever occur to you that it might be you they hate, more than me?
Livia: Nothing ever occurs to you that didn't occur to me first. That is the affliction under which I live.
LOL, okay, this is awesome!
Then you have the likes of young Patrick Stewart as Sejanus, leading [personal profile] andraste to observe: "In I, Claudius a character kills her husband to have more sex with Patrick Stewart. I understand her motivation."
HA. ...yeah, fair!
Wellllll, how to put this.
RIGHT. With a personal history like that, I guess it would be more surprising if he did marry, huh.
As mentioned earlier for another Emperor, since everyone is Christian now murdering your predecessor without an excuse kinda looks bad
Your phrasing of this continues to be hilarious to me :D
Sidenote for German history: When Otto I. had wanted a Byzantine bride born to the purple for his son, future Otto II, Nikephoros' reaction was "no way, German upstart! You're not the Roman Emperor, I am!" When Otto asked again once Emperor later, John, who needed his ursurpation acknowledged by as many people as possible as quickly as possible, said yes, sure and sent his niece, the younger Theophanu, who will in time become Empress of the not yet holy Roman Empire, and will together with her mother in law Adelheid be an awesome regent.
Ah, cool! Thanks for always making these connections for me!