and Augustus thinks this is a great opportunity, because who wouldn't want to be King?
Poniatowski: Well, as to that...
He must not have power over the army, as he might use it against the nation; he must not control the treasury, as access to funds would enable him, not only to corrupt the nation's representatives, but also to raise troops and pursue autonomous policies; he especially must not have the right to impose taxes, as this would enable him to oppress his citizens; he must not have any influence over foreign policy, as he might drag the country into war or make unfavourable alliances; the system of justice must remain outside his realm of influence; under no circumstances should he have any influence over legislation, despite the fact he was the only individual with legistlative initiative.
Holy crap. Yeah, I can see that this king must have had an uphill job. To put it mildly!
but there's a reason why Leopold was relieved to get rid of him, and it's not just he could trade him in for one of the best military commanders of the age.
Burn!
But because Charles is such a bad politician and strategist, he's off to Russia next year. Where Peter had six years to prepare, and where Charles finds out the hard way why you just don't invade Russia, especially once the winter arrives.
...whoops.
And certainly Dresden under Augustus became breathtakingly beautiful. "Elbflorenz", Florence at the Elbe, wasn't just a nickname. Even the patriotic Lehndorff who when he finally saw Versailles thought Sanssouci was better was wowed by Dresden. (It's beautiful again today after a long interlude because the city was really flattened in WWII, and most of the buildings had to be reconstructed from scratch, which didn't happen until reunification and some serious money being pumped into it. But even so, it's worth looking at the famous Canaletto paintings to appreciate just what a stunner old Dresden was.)
Huh. I didn't know it was known for being beautiful, though I did know it was flattened in WWII. Guess I better add it to my very long list of things to see...
(Fritz and Caroline Fredersdorf in rare unitiy: Absolutely!)
You're welcome, and here is another link, which tells about the rebuilding of Dresden and shows pictures from before the bombing, after, and now: this vid.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Tim Blanning: Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
Date: 2025-01-05 06:30 am (UTC)Eek! Yeah, that's pretty ruthless.
and Augustus thinks this is a great opportunity, because who wouldn't want to be King?
Poniatowski: Well, as to that...
He must not have power over the army, as he might use it against the nation; he must not control the treasury, as access to funds would enable him, not only to corrupt the nation's representatives, but also to raise troops and pursue autonomous policies; he especially must not have the right to impose taxes, as this would enable him to oppress his citizens; he must not have any influence over foreign policy, as he might drag the country into war or make unfavourable alliances; the system of justice must remain outside his realm of influence; under no circumstances should he have any influence over legislation, despite the fact he was the only individual with legistlative initiative.
Holy crap. Yeah, I can see that this king must have had an uphill job. To put it mildly!
but there's a reason why Leopold was relieved to get rid of him, and it's not just he could trade him in for one of the best military commanders of the age.
Burn!
But because Charles is such a bad politician and strategist, he's off to Russia next year. Where Peter had six years to prepare, and where Charles finds out the hard way why you just don't invade Russia, especially once the winter arrives.
...whoops.
And certainly Dresden under Augustus became breathtakingly beautiful. "Elbflorenz", Florence at the Elbe, wasn't just a nickname. Even the patriotic Lehndorff who when he finally saw Versailles thought Sanssouci was better was wowed by Dresden. (It's beautiful again today after a long interlude because the city was really flattened in WWII, and most of the buildings had to be reconstructed from scratch, which didn't happen until reunification and some serious money being pumped into it. But even so, it's worth looking at the famous Canaletto paintings to appreciate just what a stunner old Dresden was.)
Huh. I didn't know it was known for being beautiful, though I did know it was flattened in WWII. Guess I better add it to my very long list of things to see...
(Fritz and Caroline Fredersdorf in rare unitiy: Absolutely!)
Hee!
Re: Tim Blanning: Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
Date: 2025-01-05 06:47 am (UTC)https://www.kunst-fuer-alle.de/index.php?mid=76&lid=1&stext=canaletto+dresden
Tiny glimpse at restored Dresden today:
https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/585020.html
And yes. It really was one of Europe‘s most beautiful cities.
Re: Tim Blanning: Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
Date: 2025-01-09 03:50 am (UTC)Re: Tim Blanning: Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
Date: 2025-01-09 09:06 am (UTC)Re: Tim Blanning: Augustus the Strong: A Study in Artistic Greatness and Political Fiasco
Date: 2025-01-11 11:34 pm (UTC)