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: Stuarts and Scotland

[selenak]

Huh. ...I don't know that it would be inconsistent with human nature to conclude that people would rather live with the Terror than without parties. (Or, rather, think they would rather, after both periods are safely behind them.)

Clearly, I need to make this a poll: would you rather live in the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell or in France when the Committee of Public Safety is in charge?

Catholics, the Irish as a whole and Royalists in the Vendee as well as the good citizens of Lyon: We have a very different opinion here than your avarage Parisian or Londoner would have.

FW: They could still go hunting, though. I like hunting! But no more debut balls, that's rubbish.

Heeee!

I do wonder whether FW would have the same problem his cousin G2 had, to wit, not getting the English obsession with fox hunting. Remember, G2 had continental preferences in this regard (boars and deer, yay, foxes, nay! "You can't even see a fox from your horse, what even is the point?") But otherwise, hunting is basically the only arena where the English nobility would not have been aghast when confronted with their new sovereign.

FW: Händel, I like you, but, as Nicolai and my son tell us, only in arrangements for military musicians. That's me defunding opera and theatre right here. Must save money! And why the hell would I need yet another palace? One as a London residence, one for summer and autumn for hunting, that's it. All the others get closed or sold or rented. Now, what's this I hear about tall brave Highlanders?

Re: Stuarts and Scotland

[cahn]

Händel, I like you, but, as Nicolai and my son tell us, only in arrangements for military musicians.

Oh nooooo! I am now noping right out of this AU :)