I do not know whether I should congratulate Madame de Keith on her son's mission to Turin. With what you tell me, he will have to support himself in this post. He will be very constrained there
Karl has just arrived in Turin, and what is the first thing he does when he gets there? *drumroll* He complains about the high cost of living! #envoylife
He has nothing to negotiate; Fritz just wanted to respond to the King of Sardinia's request for a reciprocal envoy. Fritz tells Podewils not to bother forwarding Keith's reports, just give him the executive summary.
Ah, here we go, Hertzberg is responding to the other person's complaints about Karl! He must have been the recipient of that other letter.
I am sorry M. de Keith has displeased you with his proceedings. It is true that he is characterized by phlegm of a [??] and a coldness which goes too far, and by which he sometimes falls short of what one would expect/demand of him.
Okay, so I think I can identify the guy who was complaining about Karl, it's Oriane's youngest brother, Friedrich Ernst. Hertzberg has started talking to him about his other brother, Dodo Heinrich (the one who got to be envoy to London during the Seven Years' War). He doesn't name him, but it's January 1775, and he's very upset about some guy named Görne. Wikipedia tells me Dodo Heinrich "demanded his resignation in December 1774 because he deeply distrusted Görne. He also turned down the offer of an appointment as secret budget and directing minister of the General Directorate. He was therefore dismissed on January 11, 1775."
So Friedrich Ernst does not like his nephew Karl. Hertzberg seems to, in that he's always supporting the guy and ends up trying to salvage his career when he fucks up with the duel.
This is good, it means I have a point of handwriting comparison for Friedrich Ernst! (These people don't like signing their first names, even when they sign at all, which they often don't! It makes a historian's job harder, and calls for a lot of detective work.)
ETA: Duh, the bit about Karl not having to negotiate anything is in response to Uncle Friedrich Ernst saying he didn't think nephew Karl was cut out for negotation. Hertzberg's saying it doesn't matter, there's nothing to negotiate. It helps when you know what a letter is replying to!
Also, I've been wondering for years and years what on earth Prussia and Sardinia were negotiating in 1774; now I know why I couldn't find anything.
ETA: Duh, the bit about Karl not having to negotiate anything is in response to Uncle Friedrich Ernst saying he didn't think nephew Karl was cut out for negotation. Hertzberg's saying it doesn't matter, there's nothing to negotiate. It helps when you know what a letter is replying to!
Also, I've been wondering for years and years what on earth Prussia and Sardinia were negotiating in 1774; now I know why I couldn't find anything.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Minor Peter and Karl Keith findings
Date: 2025-01-15 03:36 pm (UTC)Karl has just arrived in Turin, and what is the first thing he does when he gets there? *drumroll* He complains about the high cost of living! #envoylife
He has nothing to negotiate; Fritz just wanted to respond to the King of Sardinia's request for a reciprocal envoy. Fritz tells Podewils not to bother forwarding Keith's reports, just give him the executive summary.
Ah, here we go, Hertzberg is responding to the other person's complaints about Karl! He must have been the recipient of that other letter.
I am sorry M. de Keith has displeased you with his proceedings. It is true that he is characterized by phlegm of a [??] and a coldness which goes too far, and by which he sometimes falls short of what one would expect/demand of him.
Okay, so I think I can identify the guy who was complaining about Karl, it's Oriane's youngest brother, Friedrich Ernst. Hertzberg has started talking to him about his other brother, Dodo Heinrich (the one who got to be envoy to London during the Seven Years' War). He doesn't name him, but it's January 1775, and he's very upset about some guy named Görne. Wikipedia tells me Dodo Heinrich "demanded his resignation in December 1774 because he deeply distrusted Görne. He also turned down the offer of an appointment as secret budget and directing minister of the General Directorate. He was therefore dismissed on January 11, 1775."
So Friedrich Ernst does not like his nephew Karl. Hertzberg seems to, in that he's always supporting the guy and ends up trying to salvage his career when he fucks up with the duel.
This is good, it means I have a point of handwriting comparison for Friedrich Ernst! (These people don't like signing their first names, even when they sign at all, which they often don't! It makes a historian's job harder, and calls for a lot of detective work.)
ETA: Duh, the bit about Karl not having to negotiate anything is in response to Uncle Friedrich Ernst saying he didn't think nephew Karl was cut out for negotation. Hertzberg's saying it doesn't matter, there's nothing to negotiate. It helps when you know what a letter is replying to!
Also, I've been wondering for years and years what on earth Prussia and Sardinia were negotiating in 1774; now I know why I couldn't find anything.
Re: Minor Peter and Karl Keith findings
Date: 2025-01-20 05:33 am (UTC)Also, I've been wondering for years and years what on earth Prussia and Sardinia were negotiating in 1774; now I know why I couldn't find anything.
omg, lol!