Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 46

[cahn]

Background: The kids' school has a topic for "Unit" every trimester that a lot of their work (reading, writing, some math) revolves around. These topics range from time/geographic periods ('Colonial America') to geography ('Asia') to science ('Space') to social science ('Business and Economics'). (I have some issues with this way of doing things, but that's a whole separate post.) Anyway, for Reasons, they have had to come up with a new topic this year, and E's 7/8 class is doing "World Fairs" as their new topic.

Me: I know E's teacher is all about World Fairs and I know she is great and will do a good job. But I feel like if we had a different teacher who wasn't so into World Fairs, they wouldn't do such a good job and another topic would be better.
Me: Like... the Enlightenment!
D: Heh, you could teach that! But you'd have to restrain yourself from making everything about Frederick the Great.
Me: But that's the thing! Everyone does relate to each other in this time period! Voltaire -- and his partner Émilie du Châtelet, who was heavily involved in the discourse of conservation of energy and momentum -- well, I've told you Voltaire had a thing with Fritz -- and then there's Empress Maria Theresa, who went to war with him a few times -- and Catherine the Great --
D, meditatively: You know --
Me: *am innocently not warned even though this is the same tone of voice that is often followed by, say, a bad pun*
D: -- it's impressive how everyone from this 'the Great' family is so famous!
Me: *splutters*
D, thoughtfully: But of course there's probably selection bias, as the ones who aren't famous don't get mentioned. You never see 'Bob the Great' in the history books...
Me: *splutters more*

Comments

Re: Money, Money, Money

[cahn]

Mainly by rediscovering a lot of medieval laws.

That... is diabolical!

Well, Weston found a medieval law from Edward III‘s time that said that knights not attending the coronation of a new king and personally swearing loyalty to their new liege could be fined.

Heeeee. Okay, I find this one hilarious. "You wanted to pay to be a knight, did you? Well, you'll just have to pay AGAIN!"

Re: Money, Money, Money

[selenak]

I find it hilarious, too, but I bet the knights did not. :)

One of the earliest things the Long Parliament did was to shut all those financial loopholes down, though not to spare the knights but to make Charles and future royals entirely dependent on them. I bet before those eleven years of personal rule, most people in the kingdom(s) who weren't lawyers specializing in old laws wouldn't even have been aware of the existence of said medieval laws, including Charles!

ETA: And of course you know how Charles II. who did not have that loophole anymore solved his financial problem - by making the secret treaty with Louis XIV promising to convert to Catholicism in exchange for cash (and fulfilling it by converting five minutes before he died).

James II: I don't need no stinking loopholes and I am a true son of the Church! I just need obedient subjects! Dad was right, just too nice!

Re: Money, Money, Money

[cahn]

Lol, yes, it's the kind of thing that is much funnier centuries later and not having to do it myself :)

One of the earliest things the Long Parliament did was to shut all those financial loopholes down, though not to spare the knights but to make Charles and future royals entirely dependent on them.

I imagine also they were annoyed at Charles having loopholes! (I mean, not that that would have been the main reason at all, but I'm sure it didn't help... :) )

And of course you know how Charles II. who did not have that loophole anymore solved his financial problem - by making the secret treaty with Louis XIV promising to convert to Catholicism in exchange for cash (and fulfilling it by converting five minutes before he died).

Oh, right! You of course did tell me that but I forgot, thank you for the reminder!