No, he shows up, as his conversion and marriage are big deals. But there‘s nothing new, so I didn‘t mention it. (I.e. he‘s nice, also has good taste re: art, but a good politician, he‘s not, either, though as opposed to Dad a good husband and a sincere (Catholic) Christian. Basically the bland second act to Dad‘s flamboyant first act.)
Countess Cosel: to be fair, his other exes didn‘t insist he had promised to marry them. And didn‘t have her interest in politics. Aurora von Königsmarck did, and went on diplomatic missions for Augustus long after she was an ex, but she didn‘t voice political opinions other than his own. At a guess, Cosel was perceived as dangerous in a way the others weren’t, not just by August but by Flemming who was her enemy No.1 and the most important politician at court, and maybe either or both were afraid that if if she did get free again, she’d either be able to charm Augustus once more if she got into his presence or work against him in a way that hurt. Or: if we accept the marriage pledge as genuine, a good lawyer could use this to legitimize her kids and thus muddy the Saxonian succession, hence also A3 not letting her out. BTW, all of this is me speculating, not Blanning. Blanning is especially baffled since Cosel survived even A3, i.e. her imprisonment didn‘t even end when Augustus died. (He doesn‘t mention it did technically end years before her death - see also Heinrich showing up mid war - but that at this point she didn‘t want to leave anymore.) So he just says he can‘t explain.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Tim Blanning: Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
Date: 2025-01-04 04:42 pm (UTC)Countess Cosel: to be fair, his other exes didn‘t insist he had promised to marry them. And didn‘t have her interest in politics. Aurora von Königsmarck did, and went on diplomatic missions for Augustus long after she was an ex, but she didn‘t voice political opinions other than his own. At a guess, Cosel was perceived as dangerous in a way the others weren’t, not just by August but by Flemming who was her enemy No.1 and the most important politician at court, and maybe either or both were afraid that if if she did get free again, she’d either be able to charm Augustus once more if she got into his presence or work against him in a way that hurt. Or: if we accept the marriage pledge as genuine, a good lawyer could use this to legitimize her kids and thus muddy the Saxonian succession, hence also A3 not letting her out. BTW, all of this is me speculating, not Blanning. Blanning is especially baffled since Cosel survived even A3, i.e. her imprisonment didn‘t even end when Augustus died. (He doesn‘t mention it did technically end years before her death - see also Heinrich showing up mid war - but that at this point she didn‘t want to leave anymore.) So he just says he can‘t explain.