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: Pomeranians

[selenak]

While I wouldn't exclude the possibility there's some guy named Leindorf or Leyendorf whom we haven't heard off so far, I really want this to be Lehndorff. I just checked and his visit to Fredersdorf from which we get the much quoted description is in the entry of October 23rd, 1757, so if Fredersdorf sent him melon seeds in January, it precedes that and would explain why Lehndorff feels he can drop by on the retired Fredersdorf despite not being on close socializing terms.

On the pro "this is Lehndorff" side: Fredersdorf and Lehndorff would have had to coordinate the one or two per year occasions where Fritz and EC are in the same place at the same time, and of course there are all of Lehndorff's "Let me emigrate to London with Hotham Jr.!" petitions to Fritz in early 1756 which presumably had to go through Fredersdorf as well. So I'm imagining they had an okay though not intense working relationship (in the famous description, Lehndorff pats himself on the back for not trying to win Fredersdorf's favour when Fredersdorf was ultra influential like everyone else tried to and hanging out with him only now that Fredersdorf is retired), and maybe Fredersdorf liked Lehndorff well enough for this nice gesture. ((I imagine not many private people were able to grow melons in Brandenburg!)

On the contra "nah, not Lehndorff!" side: Wasn't this before Lehndorff's older brother bites the dust? I.e. Lehndorff doesn't have Steinau yet, in fact, he has no estates, he just has his Berlin lodgings, so where would he let those melons grow?

Melon seeds

[mildred_of_midgard]

Wasn't this before Lehndorff's older brother bites the dust?

Wow, your chronology memory is sharp! I remembered the October 1757 visit off the top of my head, but not this one.

The Frederician library chronology tells me older brother bit the dust 2 years later, in December 1758 (blood poisoning from wounds received at Hochkirch in October). So maybe it's "Lehndorff" but not our Lehndorff.

Now, if older brother is with the army in October 1758, that makes me think he should be with the army in January 1757. On the one hand, it's winter leave, so he could be in Potsdam. On the other hand: if he's with the army, where is he growing the melons? Is he in Potsdam on leave, then forwarding them to his estate Steinort in East Prussia? (Which is not under occupation yet.) Seems a bit convoluted.

Maybe the melon seeds are intended for Schönhausen?

ETA:

While I wouldn't exclude the possibility there's some guy named Leindorf or Leyendorf whom we haven't heard off so far

Oh, and btw, I did google this before asking, and didn't get any hits except for Lehndorff, making me think it's not actually a separate German surname, but just a "spelling is fluid" thing.

Re: Melon seeds

[selenak]

OMG great point! Yes, and we do know from the Fritz/EC letters they were on fruit exchanging terms. (One of the nicer Fritz letters to EC is when he says thank you for one of her baskets of Schönhausen-grown fruit and promises he'll surpase her with his countergift.)

Re: Melon seeds

[mildred_of_midgard]

Yes, and we do know from the Fritz/EC letters they were on fruit exchanging terms. (One of the nicer Fritz letters to EC is when he says thank you for one of her baskets of Schönhausen-grown fruit and promises he'll surpase her with his countergift.)

Yes, exactly! That's what I had in mind. I think this might be a case of "king's treasurer sending melon seeds to queen's chamberlain," not Fredersdorf sending melon seeds to Lehndorff.

But it does reinforce your point that they had a working relationship as intermediaries for their respective bosses, which I'm sure Lehndorff could draw on when dropping by in October as a private individual.

Re: Melon seeds

[selenak]

In which case, I am charmed and somewhat "awwww" minded to discover a(nother rare) nice gesture from either Fritz to EC or Fredersdorf to EC via Lehndorff!

Re: Melon seeds

[mildred_of_midgard]

:)

Also, let us take this moment to remember the broccoli seeds that Algarotti sent Fritz, and the broccoli test fic that none of us have yet written (ahem). :D

Re: Melon seeds

[mildred_of_midgard]

Also, speaking of chronology, Fritz was in Berlin January 4-January 12, and Potsdam January 12-13, so that would have been an opportunity to communicate to Fredersdorf that he should send EC some melon seeds.

Re: Melon seeds

[selenak]

Which wouldn be yet another example why the story where an indignant Fritz broke off relations with Fredersdorf and never communicates with him again after the Kiekenmal desaster is wrong.

Re: Melon seeds

[mildred_of_midgard]

Also what I was thinking! It's also, as I've always said, weird that their correspondence stops in April 1756 (evidence that Fritz isn't speaking to him anymore), yet he continues in his sensitive position as treasurer until April 1757!

In related news, I'm currently trying to see if I can train a Tranksribus model to transcribe 2000 pages of Kriminal Senat material on Pfeiffer's culpability. It'll be expensive, but possibly worth it, since sorting out what accusations they say he's innocent on (the entire first 40 pages seems to be the Kriminal Senat justifying his conduct) and which guilty, for 2000 pages of convoluted syntax, is going to be a pain.

I'm getting better at reading the handwriting, though!

Re: Melon seeds

[cahn]

awwww, yeah! :D