Yes, Amalia was supposedly born in 1737, but that's not a birth record. That's a marriage record saying she's 32 in 1769. That's absolutely subject to being off by a year.
True enough, and people have been known to cut off years from their ages when marrying, i.e. on their marriage certificate. If you want near contemporary examples, Napoleon and Josephine did it in their marriage entry in both directions - he made himself a few years older, and she made herself a few years younger, in oder to cover up the age difference between them. And even a century later, when Ellen Ternan, who as a young woman had been Charles Dickens' lover in his last few years, married years after Dickens' death, she made herself ten years younger, possibly so her husband would never find out she and Dickens were an item.
While none of this definitely proves that Amalia was Charlotte von Knyphausen's illegitimate child, it makes a plausible case, and yes, does clear up why both Hanway and Lehndorff think three years apart Fritz' gestures are the respektive first ones in Peter's direction.
Mind you, it's interesting that Fritz would pick 1750 as the date to return that ill-gotten money. Maybe talking to Voltaire reminded him of the old scandal and he decided to follow up on his then determination? Or enough time had passed since the whole Tido affair, whether or not it included some Mollwitz trash talk?
Wow. I can't believe, after I corrected this typo a million times in the bio, I come into salon and write "von Schönhausen" in the comment title and the text. She was not a "von"; I have not seen "von" in any of my research! She was merely Amalia Schönhausen.
True enough, and people have been known to cut off years from their ages when marrying, i.e. on their marriage certificate.
Yep, exactly what I was thinking! Probably women especially, though I don't have hard data on that (there's more social pressure on women to conform to a standard of "youthful").
If you want near contemporary examples, Napoleon and Josephine did it in their marriage entry in both directions - he made himself a few years older, and she made herself a few years younger, in oder to cover up the age difference between them.
Oh, neat, thank you! I might use this.
yes, does clear up why both Hanway and Lehndorff think three years apart Fritz' gestures are the respektive first ones in Peter's direction.
Been bugging me since at least 2020. :D The trick to historical research is to investigate unrelated or loosely-related things, and then the historical record comes full circle and solves little mysteries for you.
Also explains why Peter's memoirs in 1751 don't indicate any change in Fritz's attitude toward him. Not that they would necessarily *have* to, being so concise, and 10 years of neglect could easily outweigh one gift via your mother-in-law, but I was a little surprised.
Mind you, it's interesting that Fritz would pick 1750 as the date to return that ill-gotten money.
Varnhagen von Ense said the foreign policy scene vis-a-vis Russia was getting a little tense, and Fritz decided to get on Schwerin's good side in case war broke out. No idea if that's true or not.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Amalia von Schönhausen
Date: 2025-08-11 04:05 pm (UTC)True enough, and people have been known to cut off years from their ages when marrying, i.e. on their marriage certificate. If you want near contemporary examples, Napoleon and Josephine did it in their marriage entry in both directions - he made himself a few years older, and she made herself a few years younger, in oder to cover up the age difference between them. And even a century later, when Ellen Ternan, who as a young woman had been Charles Dickens' lover in his last few years, married years after Dickens' death, she made herself ten years younger, possibly so her husband would never find out she and Dickens were an item.
While none of this definitely proves that Amalia was Charlotte von Knyphausen's illegitimate child, it makes a plausible case, and yes, does clear up why both Hanway and Lehndorff think three years apart Fritz' gestures are the respektive first ones in Peter's direction.
Mind you, it's interesting that Fritz would pick 1750 as the date to return that ill-gotten money. Maybe talking to Voltaire reminded him of the old scandal and he decided to follow up on his then determination? Or enough time had passed since the whole Tido affair, whether or not it included some Mollwitz trash talk?
Re: Amalia Schönhausen
Date: 2025-08-11 11:12 pm (UTC)True enough, and people have been known to cut off years from their ages when marrying, i.e. on their marriage certificate.
Yep, exactly what I was thinking! Probably women especially, though I don't have hard data on that (there's more social pressure on women to conform to a standard of "youthful").
If you want near contemporary examples, Napoleon and Josephine did it in their marriage entry in both directions - he made himself a few years older, and she made herself a few years younger, in oder to cover up the age difference between them.
Oh, neat, thank you! I might use this.
yes, does clear up why both Hanway and Lehndorff think three years apart Fritz' gestures are the respektive first ones in Peter's direction.
Been bugging me since at least 2020. :D The trick to historical research is to investigate unrelated or loosely-related things, and then the historical record comes full circle and solves little mysteries for you.
Also explains why Peter's memoirs in 1751 don't indicate any change in Fritz's attitude toward him. Not that they would necessarily *have* to, being so concise, and 10 years of neglect could easily outweigh one gift via your mother-in-law, but I was a little surprised.
Mind you, it's interesting that Fritz would pick 1750 as the date to return that ill-gotten money.
Varnhagen von Ense said the foreign policy scene vis-a-vis Russia was getting a little tense, and Fritz decided to get on Schwerin's good side in case war broke out. No idea if that's true or not.
Re: Amalia von Schönhausen
Date: 2025-08-18 03:11 am (UTC)