Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 42

[cahn]

Last post, we had (among other things) Danish kings and their favorites; Louis XIV and Philippe d'Orléans; reviews of a very shippy book about Katte, a bad Jacobite novel, and a great book about clothing; a fic about Émilie du Châtelet and Voltaire; and a review of a set of entertaining Youtube history videos about Frederick the Great.

Comments

Re: Charles Hanbury-Williams Tells It All: II

[mildred_of_midgard]

First time I hear of "contempt for her husband", or Wilhelmine being unable to read anymore.

Same on both counts!

I had rather be a post horse, with Sir J. Hind-Cotton on my back

I recognize this from MacDonogh, who footnotes it, "Sir John Hynde-Cotton, Jacobite MP and evidently a very fat or cruel baronet."

I would assume fat based on the specific language of "on my back". His wikipedia article doesn't make it totally clear, but he is certainly fat (although not immensely so), and if you assume either the painter does the usual thing and tone it down a bit, and/or he's put on some more weight in the 10 years after that portrait was made, I'm going to say Wikipedia probably supports my guess.

He makes a great rout with his Mother; but people that know him well, know he does not love her, and that the duty he has accustomed himself to pay her makes Berlin disagreeable to him; and therefore it is that he resides so much in Potsdam. All the outward show of respect to his Mother is a homage that he pays to himself through the belly that bore him.

Wow. That last line especially is scathing.

One would think that the wretched life that the King and Queen-Mother led under the late King of Prussia's reign (for he used one like a dserter in everything but shooting him, and the other like a kitchen wench), would have taught them humanity. Instead of which, they seem only to have learnt the art of making those under them as miserable now as they themselves were formerly.

Yeah, that is how the cycle of abuse often works. :/

Also, I note that the Brits shoot their deserters, apparently.

Like I said, H-W evidently did not notice Lehndorff's existence.

Lehndorff, meanwhile: *is hanging out with the Divine Trio*

I'm just saying, there may have been a reason. :P EC did have to scold him for not showing up to his actual job enough!

Re: Charles Hanbury-Williams Tells It All: II

[selenak]

First time I hear of "contempt for her husband", or Wilhelmine being unable to read anymore.

Same on both counts!


My current theory is that "Wilhelmine can't read anymore and has to use her pages and maids to read poetry and metaphysics to her" was a joke she made that H-W took to be the literal truth, and the idea she has contempt for her husband was based similarly on her saying something like "oh, he's happy in Bayreuth, enjoying the country life" in reply to a question why he didn't come with her. She definitely wasn't pretending to be sick during what turned out to be her last visit home. It's even mentioned in the Fritz/Frederdorf letters, as well as in the Fritz/Wilhelmine correspdonedence and some other eyewitness reports.

Wow. That last line especially is scathing.

No kidding. I mean, I am ready to believe that Fritz' feelings for his mother were more mixed than he ever admitted to himself, though nowhere near as much as those of his sisters. I wouldn't be surprised if somwhere in his subconscious, there lurked some blame for the whole English Marriage project disaster, encouraging him to write that letter to Caroline, and making it impossible to please her and FW at the same time. But he did love her, and of call her children, she was the most affectionate to him.

Yeah, that is how the cycle of abuse often works. :/

Very true. I'm curious, btw, as to who told H-W that FW treated SD "like a kitchen wench". I mean, he was controlling and emotionally abusive, absolutely, but if I recall how kitchen wenches were treated in that time and age and compare this to FW's treatment of SD, I have to say that is a bad comparison.

Lehndorff, meanwhile: *is hanging out with the Divine Trio*

I'm just saying, there may have been a reason. :P EC did have to scold him for not showing up to his actual job enough!

True enough, but if H-W spent his time either at SD's court or at EC's because few other people wanted to talk to him, then surely at some point he must have met Lehndorff. :) And what about Wartensleben the sugar hoarder, and EC's other chamberlain, Müller the chronic gambler?