Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 47

[cahn]

We haven't had a new post since before December 25, so obligatory Yuletide link to this hilarious story of Frederick the Great babysitting his bratty little brother, with bonus Fritz/Fredersdorf!

Comments

Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Broglie quotes

[mildred_of_midgard]

Reading the book on Kepler defending his mother from witchcraft accusations, which Selena recommended and I finally got around to picking up because my wife was listening to a podcast episode where the author was interviewed, I found Kepler's father going off to join the army and Kepler's mother tracking him down and demanding he come home. One of her arguments was that it was commonly known that there were lots of single women following the army around, and therefore lots of extramarital sex with soldiers happening.

This was an absolutely normal and widespread perception of what happened in armies with women accompanying them.

(The book is good, btw, very readable even to my slow-German-reading self. And it does exist in English if anyone wants to read it that way.)

Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Broglie quotes

[cahn]

Oh, cool! Which book is this again? Not that I can read this for some time, I'm still reading my Christmas presents!

Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Broglie quotes

[mildred_of_midgard]

You're still reading Christmas presents from previous Christmases! *cough* Massie.

It's Ulinka Rublack's The Astronomer and the Witch, available on Kindle.

Re: 1764-1772 Foreign policy: Broglie quotes

[cahn]

Well, I haven't actively gone back to reading that yet, lol, though I know I should. Whereas I'm actively reading one of selenak's Christmas presents right now, and am a little more passively reading one of yours (it is great to read during trips, which I haven't had one of for a while, but I should be having a couple coming up).