Historical Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 48

[cahn]

Some awesome historical RPF candyheartsex stories for meeeeee (or by me, in one tiny case) with historical characters! I'm just going to note whom the stories are about here. They are all so good!!

Anne Boleyn/Catherine of Aragorn
Frances Howard and Frances Coke (or: James I's court was basically a HOTBED of scandal, omg)

And two that are also historical RPF but also consistent with the Jude Morgan novel The King's Touch, which is an excellent historical novel narrated by James ("Jemmy") Scott, Duke of Monmouth, Charles II's illegitimate son.

Princess Henrietta of England (Charles II's sister and wife of Philippe I duc d'Orleans)
James of Monmouth/William/Mary

Comments

Re: Peter's memoirs - Return to Prussia

[selenak]

Oh, I like it! Mind you, like Joseph decades later, I think by the time Fritz made it to Paris he would only have been pro forma "anonymous" but in reality everyone would have known who he was (given he was really bad at this undercover thing at this point), but Straßburg sounds promising, and the relative anonymity and relaxed surroundings there might have helped with making the reunion going better than in rl. I'm of course also curious as to how Fritz' entourage would have reacted:

Algarotti: has no idea who Peter is, and probably doesn't know much about the entire escape attempt saga (at least no more than common European gossip), since I bet Fritz never ever discussed it with him, but being Algarotti, he would have been great at picking up vibes

AW: might or might not actually remember Peter from Peter's time as FW's page, given AW was the favoured kid and thus often around his dad. While having an, err, unique perspective about what was important in 1730 (i.e. Heinrich moving in with him), totally knows about the seriousness of desertion (and as a toddler pleaded for a deserter courtesy of the other adults who didn't dare to). Probably heard Dad rant about deserter Keith. Might or might not pick up on vibes.

Fredersdorf: probably has a good idea as to who Peter is and that Fritz has written with a pardon and a return invite. Might have heard gossip among the rank and file in his army days. Will pick up vibes but probably first limit himself to discreet observing before forming an opinion on Peter. But he will have an opinion.

Young Guy Who is Manteuffel's Source: will report to to Manteuffel at once.

Re: Peter's memoirs - Return to Prussia

[mildred_of_midgard]

I think by the time Fritz made it to Paris he would only have been pro forma "anonymous" but in reality everyone would have known who he was

Agreed; I was assuming that if Fritz arrived, it wouldn't have been a matter of recognizing his king, but of getting an invitation to visit Versailles in his entourage, that sort of thing.

But yes to Strasbourg secret reunions!

being Algarotti, he would have been great at picking up vibes

Lady Mary: Did you pick up MY vibes!

Algarotti: Yes. And they scared the hell out of me (when I wasn't taking advantage of them to get my trips paid for).

totally knows about the seriousness of desertion

Remember Stratemann?

AW: "I don't want to be an officer. My Papa cuts off his officers' heads!"

FW: "Who told you that??!!"

AW: *wouldn't tell*

Stratemann: "What happened next is best passed over in silence, i.e., is not G- or even PG-rated, and won't fit in the Disney screenplay I'm writing."

But he will have an opinion.

Oh yeah. *g* And we've seen how he will "enquire with good and bad words" if necessary!

Young Guy Who is Manteuffel's Source: will report to to Manteuffel at once.

Yes, Wartensleben, one of the six most loved!

You know, I still haven't given up hope that if I improve my French some more, I can read some of the Manteuffel-Brühl correspondence that the Saxon archive has digitized, and maybe find something to support our hypothesis that Wartensleben is the young officer in Fritz's circle that Thea Seydewitz reported being in Manteuffel's pay.

Re: Peter's memoirs - Return to Prussia

[cahn]

Lady Mary: Did you pick up MY vibes!

I laughed out loud at this. Oh Lady Mary.

Wanted: A Royal Detective

[selenak]

Incidentally, who do you think told kid!AW about Katte? Because it’s not the death penalty for deserters per se - as mentioned earlier, we know who told AW about this one because it’s in the Pastor’s description of his visit to Wusterhausen a few years earlier, only then it was equally specifically hanging for a (non-noble) soldier unless AW pleaded for the guy -, it’s specifically the beheading of officers, which means someone did discuss Katte in front of kid AW. Now, it had to be either one or more of the other sibs or a member of the staff; he’d feel protective about either.

Siblings: Wilhelmine has an alibi, at the time Stratemann writes about this incident, she’s already “sick” i.e. confined to her rooms under house arrest and not taking meals with the family anymore. Ferdinand is a baby and Heinrich is four, so they have an alibi, too. Friederike is already married to the Margrave of Ansbach. Which leaves Charlotte, Ulrike or Amalie, because Sophie is the shy sister and also apparantly the least bright of the kids. A case could be made for either of the three: Charlotte was the family quipster and joker and seems to have gotten away with a lot in that regard, and could be hurtful with it, too, at least according to Wilhelmine (see also the supposed chat between her and SD about poor EC), so I could see her making a “are you sure you want to become an officer? They get beheaded sometimes, you know” remark to AW. Amalie as the youngest sister could have said something like this in anger and/or out of jealousy (precisely because this is the year where Heinrich moves in with AW at four years already instead of seven, the usual age when boys are separated from girls in their upbringing, while she’s not allowed to do anything, you bet!), and as adult Ulrike has a track record of sharing damaging gossip (see also: providing Fritz with the critical articles about him which were printed in an Erlangen newspaper at the height of the Fritz/Wilhelmine enstrangement, and of course the whole saga about the Finnish Sex Machine’s role in the existence of Gustav’s son)….

Staff: If either a governess or a teacher spilled the beans, I bet kid AW would want to protect them (he may remember Duhan got fired), but would they have risked talking about Katte in front of the royal kids, with their jobs and potentially more on the line? Somehow, I doubt it. If the source was one of the staff, I bet they were talking to each other and not aware AW was listening.

Re: Wanted: A Royal Detective

[mildred_of_midgard]

Quick, off-the-cuff reply before work: the Brandenburg pastors were brave, is all I'm saying.

Re: Wanted: A Royal Detective

[cahn]

Does that mean you think the Brandenburg pastors told AW this too?

If sibling, my vote is for Ulrike, because of what you say about sharing the damaging gossip. (Okay, I am not a huge fan of Ulrike :P )

Re: Wanted: A Royal Detective

[mildred_of_midgard]

Does that mean you think the Brandenburg pastors told AW this too?

I think they're a possibility that has to be considered! *g*

If siblings, then yes, Ulrike. She's also the one who stole Grandma SDC's incriminating letters and sent them to Fritz.

Re: Peter's memoirs - Return to Prussia

[cahn]

but being Algarotti, he would have been great at picking up vibes

lolololol
but does he make a pass at Peter?
or: how long does it take before he makes a pass at PEter?

While having an, err, unique perspective about what was important in 1730 (i.e. Heinrich moving in with him),

Hee, and aw, AW.

But he will have an opinion.

LOL!
*goes back to read your Voltaire story with Fredersdorf in it clearly very busy having offscreen opinions about Voltaire*

Re: Peter's memoirs - Return to Prussia

[mildred_of_midgard]

or: how long does it take before he makes a pass at PEter?

Well, judging by the fic Selena wrote for me, "just a few hours"! Though in that case, it was Peter who made the pass, and I imagine Fritz's presence would delay that.

The real question may be: How long before Algarotti proposes a threesome, and does Fritz accept?

Of course, as we learned from the article Felis and Selena read, Algarotti and Fritz stayed in separate inns in Strasbourg, so sex was clearly not their priority.

In short: I don't know, but that just means there are many ways a fic could play out that I'd be delighted with!

Re: Peter's memoirs - Return to Prussia

[selenak]

Fredersdorf would like to point out that he was staying at the same inn as Fritz did. He's just saying. :)

Re: Peter's memoirs - Return to Prussia

[mildred_of_midgard]

Sorry, sex with *each other* was clearly not Fritz's and Algarotti's priority. Sex with *other people* may well have been on the agenda. :)

Re: Peter's memoirs - Return to Prussia

[cahn]

awwwww <3