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: Maria Antonia

[mildred_of_midgard]

I vote for her considering the Comte de Broglie as insufferable.

I agree, for the reasons you mention!

LOL for „a quick and haughty temper“. Towards whom?

Well, apparently toward Broglie, when she refused to dance with him!

BTW, I just recalled Valori and his insightful Fritz commentary. Does Valori ever show up in „The King‘s Secret“, and if so, do we know what he thought about his fellow envoy?

No, not that I recall. I don't think they were ever stationed at the same foreign court, and I don't remember him showing up in the endless intrigues (admittedly skimmed by yours truly) when Broglie is in disgrace in France.

ETA: I just did a search through The King's Secret to confirm, and Valori's name is only mentioned once, in a footnote, quoting a letter that Broglie sent to Valori reporting on his attempt to pass through the Prussian lines.

Interestingly, though, the citation for that is Valori's memoirs. Clearly I need to go look up that passage and see if Valori has any commentary in his memoirs! (I suspect not, or the Duc de Broglie would have reported it, but you never know.)

Son of ETA: No, not seeing any commentary from Valori on the Comte de Broglie, just the letters the latter wrote to Valori to complain about his difficulties getting through the Prussian lines. Which might be worth reading in themselves! But no insightful pen portraits, alas.