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: Løvenørn letters: Sept 26, 1730

[selenak]

I don't recall any kidnapped tall Brunswick citizens, but it's been literally years, so maybe the memory has faded. Otoh I feel that if something like this would have happened, it would have stood out of Stratemann's general positive take on FW (the way his description of Gundling's funeral did), and I would have noticed.

Re: Løvenørn letters: Sept 26, 1730

[mildred_of_midgard]

Makes sense!

I have to say, it was definitely a feeling of deja vu watching gangster!Fritz demand soldiers from Weimar during the Seven Years' War, and Anna Amalia as regent constantly trying to get out of it. Like father, like son, in some respects.

Re: Løvenørn letters: Sept 26, 1730

[selenak]

Oh, same here, when I read an Anna Amalia biography. Fritz thinking that his sistes' marriages mostly mean he can use troops from their husbands' territories now extends to nieces as well. And Weimar is much closer to Berlin than, say, Bayreuth or Ansbach.

Re: Løvenørn letters: Sept 26, 1730

[mildred_of_midgard]

Yeah, I'm slowly working my way through the Anna Amalia bio you mentioned (which I would still appreciate you checking out the citation for me on the Evil Catholic plot next time you're at the library; no rush), and yeah. This is the guy who kidnapped Seckendorff and wrote that letter to Heinrich about it, all right.