1740 and All That

Going through the various letters and documents found in the appendices of various 19th century biographers - Preuss, Förster et al - has produced a great many interesting and character-illuminating quotes, several of which are to be found in the letters exchanged between Crown Prince Friedrich and Grumbkow. (To recapitulate: Grumbkow was a minister of war (and other departments) in FW's cabinet, as close a friend as FW ever had, ally to Imperial envoy Seckendorff, enemy to Queen Sophia Dorothea. Pre 1730, he contributed his share to the increasingly toxic situation between FW and his son, mostly due to representing Imperial interests against British interests as pushed by Sophia Dorothea. However, Grumbkow was also a pragmatist who saw young Fritz as still the best candidate for the succession, and starting with running interference between father and son during the Küstrin year started to cultivate Fritz politically and socially. Whether he'd have fared as badly as Seckendorff would under the rule of Friedrich II, we'll never know; he died in 1739. Fritz, in a private letter to Wilhelmine, was entirely unmoved, if not somewhat delighted. Theirs had been an entirely pragmatic "let's be mutually useful to each other" relationship, mutual assurances of affection not withstanding. One early document, from the August of 1731, has Grumbkow providing guidelines for Friedrich's future behaviour which Fritz seems to have listened to. Not that he had much choice; this was the month in which FW visited Küstrin, father and son saw each other again for the first time in a year, and Fritz made his official submission to his father, complete with literally kissing his feet, plea of forgiveness and promise to do whatever his father wanted in the future.

( You and your sister need some boundaries )

After looking in vain for a post-Küstrin Katte mention in letters from Fritz to people he actually cared for - Suhm, Algarotti, Wilhelmine, or, for that matter, Voltaire - , it was not a little startling to find a Katte reference by Fritz in a letter to Grumbkow, this one. The letter is dated October 29th, 1737. Context: FW seems to have shown dislike towards Mantteuffel, Saxon envoy, patron of Wolff the philosopher who is much resented by FW (though this will later change), part time Austrian spy instructed to get close to Fritz. Fritz in 1737 withdraws from Mantteuffel and writes to Dad's good friend Grumbkow:

( I cannot be accused of cowardice )


Lastly, one more quote from a letter by Fritz to Grumbkow. It's the one right after the letter with the Katte reference, here, dated 1st November 1737. As far as both a pointed and shivery image for his relationship with his father goes, it can't be bettered, and it also contains more than a hint of future Friedrich II:

You were kind enough to come to my defense when the King talked about me. An artist never had as bad an opinion of his own creation as the King has of me. If this is artistic modesty, I must admit I find it goes a bit too far. I'd rather believe it's an old prejudice he's always had against me and which is too deeply rooted for him to abandon in age which makes him judge my character so badly. Who is to say one can't go to war against France just because one loves the good writers who have written in French and loves the witty and polite people this nation has produced?