Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 45

[cahn]

Unfortunately, there was then at Berlin a King who pursued one policy only, who deceived his enemies, but not his servants, and who lied without scruple, but never without necessity.

(from The King's Secret - by Duke de Broglie, grand-nephew of the subject of the book, Comte de Broglie, and grandfather of the physicist) )

Comments

Re: The King's Secret: fighting Fritz

[selenak]

Honestly, I don't know. My instinct is to say that fencing master is more repectable because it's a manly occupation directly connected to soldier-ness (even though no one fences in wars anymore the later the century gets), and presumably often is a job for former soldiers. But that's just me guessing. Mildred is the one reading a biography of the Chevalier d'Eon right now, she should know!

Re: The King's Secret: fighting Fritz

[mildred_of_midgard]

Well, I don't *know*, but I wouldn't disagree. I did a search through the bio for "fenc", and most of the hits had to do with gender, not social class. I only saw one mention of the Chevalier giving fencing lessons; otherwise, they make their money in fencing tournaments.

Given the lack of mention of horror at crossing class boundaries, I would assume that a gentleman's son (but not daughter :P) could take up a respectable job as a fencing master! (But it would still be an insult if someone implied that Louis XV could do it when he lost his day job as king. Frankly, I think that would get you thrown in the Bastille for lese majeste.)