cahn | Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 44

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Not only are these posts still going, there is now (more) original research going on in them deciphering and translating letters in archives that apparently no one has bothered to look at before?? (Which has now conclusively exonerated Fritz's valet/chamberlain Fredersdorf from the charge that he was dismissed because of financial irregularities and died shortly thereafter "ashamed of his lost honor," as Wikipedia would have it. I'M JUST SAYING.)

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From:

selenak

What about his son, also credited by wiki with saving Caroline Matilda from the Danes?

From:

felis

Ahaha, great, thank you, wiki. But he looks rather promising re: being the one who wrote the letter!

ETA: Aha, I knew I'd talked about this guy before (briefly, see the end of the comment). He even met Fritz while he was envoy in Saxony (a couple of years after the letter was written).

Edited Date: 2023-06-23 01:37 pm (UTC)

From:

mildred_of_midgard

I slept through all the fun stuff and woke up to a flurry of messages that I keep marking to reply to and then find that someone else has anticipated me!

Yes, I had meant to mention that it couldn't be Robert Murray Keith the ambassador of whom we've heard so many times (or at least I who read foreign policy have), because I checked first thing and he wasn't living in London, as Felis found. But I didn't check for a son, and yes, he looks very promising!

From 1760 to 1762, his regiment served in Germany, involved in several engagements. However, after the war, his regiment was disbanded, and he was placed on half pay. After visiting Paris, he settled in London.

Well, there you go!

From:

selenak

Ah, and I see in your earlier comment you say that he is related to the Scottish Keith brothers, which would make it plausible for him to be the Robert who gets the sword!

From:

mildred_of_midgard

ETA: Aha, I knew I'd talked about this guy before (briefly, see the end of the comment). He even met Fritz while he was envoy in Saxony (a couple of years after the letter was written).

Oh, nice! And ditto what Selena said about being related to the Keith brothers!

Okay, very convincing, if not 100% certain, identification made.