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

Løvenørn letters: Oct 21, 1730

[mildred_of_midgard]

Nothing worth reproducing in full here, but I was amused enough to summarize: he's writing to Sölenthal again, and complaining that he hasn't heard a word from Sölenthal in the last month, even though he has been delivering complete reports on Hotham, FW, and everything happening here in Berlin. Løvenørn would be "very mollified" to learn that Sölenthal's silence is because of some illness, or maybe the letter got lost.

I just like how he put those in that order and jumped straight to, "I hope you're sick!" :'D

Oh, hey, the next letter, also on the 21st, says there's been no change in the state of affairs regarding the Crown Prince, unspecified people ("on") are upset at what's already happened, and seek to drown their chagrins in wine.

Ha!

Oh, gosh, there's a scribbled out bit that mentions Guy Dickens, and I think is FW announcing he's not giving any of his kids to England, ever.

Yes, FW, we know. The double marriage and the single marriage are off.

Re: Løvenørn letters: Oct 21, 1730

[selenak]

The amazing thing is that SD still hasn‘t given up, and won‘t until Fritz of Wales ties the knot. Just think of her telling Wilhelmine to live with Bayreuth Friedrich like brother and sister so the marriage can be dissolved… Imagining any scenario under which FW would agree to an English marriage at this point just wrecks my brain, but then, that‘s true obsession for you, only rivaled by Marguerite Louise‘s „I want to return to France!“ goal when married to a Medici.

Re: Løvenørn letters: Oct 21, 1730

[mildred_of_midgard]

Imagine if these women had lived in societies that allowed them causes worthy of all that energy!

Re: Løvenørn letters: Oct 21, 1730

[cahn]

:(