Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 40

[cahn]

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.)

Comments

Re: Pop Quiz opportunity for Fredericians

[selenak]

Ah, I remembered just this part: Let the King think only that he is not marrying me for himself, and that it is for me; and he himself will have a thousand sorrows to see two people who hate each other, and the most unhappy marriage in the world, to hear mutual complaints which will be so many reproaches to him for having erected the instrument of our yoke. As a good Christian, let him reflect if it is right to want to force people, to cause divorces, and to be the cause of all the sins that an ill-suited marriage makes us commit.

(Heinrich: Would that Fritz had remembered that part.
Fritz: I did.)

But not "a pistol shot can deliver me from my sorrows and from my life". Okay, then the Vid makers and whichever biography they have this from are excused, though I agree he's bluffing here. Also, isn't there also a later quote where he says (to Wilhelmine or someone else) he made the protests extra massive so FW would feel Fritz made a really big concession when inevitably caving on the marriage front?

Re: Pop Quiz opportunity for Fredericians

[mildred_of_midgard]

Fritz: I did.

Oooouch.

Okay, then the Vid makers and whichever biography they have this from are excused

It's in MacDonogh, which is where I learned it from. I know he has his problems, but the more salon has gone on, the more I think he's a goldmine of primary sources, and once I get my French and German up, I still dream of going through his footnotes and reading some of his citations for more context. I still hate him for using the "first footnote" citation and not having a separate bibliography I can browse, but at least he *does* cite almost all his sources. Something I'm beginning to appreciate by comparison with the competition...

though I agree he's bluffing here

The whole correspondence between him and FW and Grumbkow here shows that Fritz is desperately trying to play them off against each other, but the vid makers cannot be expected to know this and can be forgiven for taking the letter at face value.

Also, isn't there also a later quote where he says (to Wilhelmine or someone else) he made the protests extra massive so FW would feel Fritz made a really big concession when inevitably caving on the marriage front?

I don't remember it, but I haven't read their correspondence, so there very well may be!