Well, he still sounds a bit whistful or at least complimentary about Frau von Katte even after getting married, as in this entry:
I travel with my wife to Wolmirstedt where we've been invited by Obermarschall Wallenrodt. There is a great celebration apropos the wedding of one old General Katt with a Fräulein v. Möllendorf. I mention the age of the newly wedded because his wife the day after the wedding told him: "You haven't heard me come up last night, you were too soundly asleep." All in all, we were thirty. The provincial splendour in their precious old cloths, and the bowings wouldn't end. My sole consolation were one Mrs. General Katt, born v. Truchseß, and my amiable cousin Frau v. Katt, born v. Rosey, who gave us a concert after dinner. We remained dining until 7 pm, then came the concert and the ball. Young Podewils, whom I've brought along, enjoyed himself so thoroughly with Frau v. Angern that he stayed the night. At 2 am, we were happily back home.
I have to say, Lehndorff, bringing up the age factor of the newly wedded here is rich given your own marital plans and history. Though the age gap between both of his actual wives and him were way more standard for the times, i.e. the bride below or only slightly above twenty, the man between thirty and forty.
But to be fair, he does sound fond of both of his wives, and let's not forget, says no to an offer from Heinrich to come with him on his second Russian journey because he wants to stay with wife 2 and children instead, which is no small thing. And with wife 1, when Fritz has finally given him permission to travel abroad he goes to a (German) spa with her instead because she's so sick. And he was a fond father as well. So there were worse husbands than Lehndorff to be had among th Prussian nobility, but good lord, that doesn't make the bargaining and pressuring for little Catherine du Rosey less crass.
Well, he still sounds a bit whistful or at least complimentary about Frau von Katte even after getting married, as in this entry:
Oh, sure, he still likes her as a person. But I think the more time goes on after he's married, the more reconciled he is to how his life turned out, and the more he starts rewriting history in his head.
I have to say, Lehndorff, bringing up the age factor of the newly wedded here is rich given your own marital plans and history. Though the age gap between both of his actual wives and him were way more standard for the times, i.e. the bride below or only slightly above twenty, the man between thirty and forty.
Yeah, I was drafting a reply to cahn about normal age gaps for the period: the man being in his 30s or 40s and the woman being below or only slightly above 20 is standard. Lehndorff never comments on that. He pretty consistently comments on it when a *really* old man, like in his 60s or 70s, gets married to a much younger woman. And if I'm remembering correctly, he wasn't the only one of his time to think that the age gap between a 17-yo Catherine du Rosey and a 40-something Ludolf was normal, but that a 60-year-old man marrying a teenager, especially a younger one, was squicky.
good lord, that doesn't make the bargaining and pressuring for little Catherine du Rosey less crass.
Right, or less damaging to little Catherine, which is the most important thing in my book.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Lehndorff's one who got away
Date: 2025-01-12 12:58 pm (UTC)I travel with my wife to Wolmirstedt where we've been invited by Obermarschall Wallenrodt. There is a great celebration apropos the wedding of one old General Katt with a Fräulein v. Möllendorf. I mention the age of the newly wedded because his wife the day after the wedding told him: "You haven't heard me come up last night, you were too soundly asleep." All in all, we were thirty. The provincial splendour in their precious old cloths, and the bowings wouldn't end. My sole consolation were one Mrs. General Katt, born v. Truchseß, and my amiable cousin Frau v. Katt, born v. Rosey, who gave us a concert after dinner. We remained dining until 7 pm, then came the concert and the ball. Young Podewils, whom I've brought along, enjoyed himself so thoroughly with Frau v. Angern that he stayed the night. At 2 am, we were happily back home.
I have to say, Lehndorff, bringing up the age factor of the newly wedded here is rich given your own marital plans and history. Though the age gap between both of his actual wives and him were way more standard for the times, i.e. the bride below or only slightly above twenty, the man between thirty and forty.
But to be fair, he does sound fond of both of his wives, and let's not forget, says no to an offer from Heinrich to come with him on his second Russian journey because he wants to stay with wife 2 and children instead, which is no small thing. And with wife 1, when Fritz has finally given him permission to travel abroad he goes to a (German) spa with her instead because she's so sick. And he was a fond father as well. So there were worse husbands than Lehndorff to be had among th Prussian nobility, but good lord, that doesn't make the bargaining and pressuring for little Catherine du Rosey less crass.
Re: Lehndorff's one who got away
Date: 2025-01-12 01:10 pm (UTC)Oh, sure, he still likes her as a person. But I think the more time goes on after he's married, the more reconciled he is to how his life turned out, and the more he starts rewriting history in his head.
I have to say, Lehndorff, bringing up the age factor of the newly wedded here is rich given your own marital plans and history. Though the age gap between both of his actual wives and him were way more standard for the times, i.e. the bride below or only slightly above twenty, the man between thirty and forty.
Yeah, I was drafting a reply to
good lord, that doesn't make the bargaining and pressuring for little Catherine du Rosey less crass.
Right, or less damaging to little Catherine, which is the most important thing in my book.