#Crown Prince frederick Augustus of saxony

[princessvictoriamelita]

Wedding photo

Then Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony married Archduchess Louise of Austria in Vienna on 21 November 1891.

[drosera-nepenthes]

The King of Saxony, has six children by Louise, three boys and three girls, five born in wedlock, the youngest born without wedlock. The children born in wedlock are:

The present Crown Prince, born 1893.

Frederick Christian, likewise born in 1893.

Ernest, born 1896.

Margaret, born 1900.

And Marie Alix, born 1901.

The youngest Princess of Saxony, so called Anna Monica, was born by Louise more than six months after she left her husband and nearly three months after her divorce.

Louise desired to retain Anna Monica in her own custody, but though the child's fathership is in doubt, to say the least, Frederick Augustus insisted upon the little one's transference to his care.

[history-of-fashion]

1714 or 1715 Nicolas de Largillière - Crown Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony

(National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne)

[venicepearl]

Princess Maria Alix Luitpolda Anna Henriette of Saxony, Duchess of Saxony (27 September 1901 – 11 December 1990) was the sixth child and third-eldest daughter of Frederick Augustus III of Saxony and his wife Archduchess Luise of Austria, Princess of Tuscany and a younger sister of Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony and Friedrich Christian, Margrave of Meissen. Through her marriage to Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden, Maria Alix was a member of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.

[oldfritz]

[Wilhelmina] noted that [Frederick William] mellowed under the twin influences of Bacchus and Venus; chiefly the former in the forms of bumpers of tokay. The famous nude scene, when Frederick William and his son were taken into a room of the palace [of Augustus the Strong of Saxony] and shown a naked girl behind a tapestry, was laid on for the king's benefit, not the crown prince's. According to Pollnitz, Frederick William took it well: he remarked, 'I have to admit she is rather pretty',and turned away. Other accounts have the furious king rudely pushing his son out of the room, or taking his hat off and putting it over the crown prince's eyes. Perhaps the most significant comment about this farce comes from a letter that Frederick William wrote to the Alte Dessauer, in which he stated, 'I have returned in the same state in which I left'; that is, he had remained faithful to the queen.

Frederick the Great by Giles MacDonogh

[misfortunate-margravine]

Strap in guys, this is gonna be a long post.

Today is the 313th birthday of this guy

who was born the 28th of February 1704.

Who is this? It’s Hans Hermann von Katte, a person you have probably heard of if you’ve been following my blog for a while. Mainly because I’m a little bit in love with this idiot.

Why? Because his death was about as dramatic as it gets.

Why did he die? Well, because this guy,

Crown Prince Frederick of Prussia, had some problems with his dad.

More under the cut.

First, some facts about Katte:

Katte, like I said, was born on February 28th 1704 in Berlin. He spent his childhood in Berlin and Wust (today: Wust-Fischbeck), where his family was originally from. His first school was a christian boarding school in Halle where his teacher noted that “Ingersleben wants to be a soldier, Katt is more into poetry and dreamery” and that he didn’t have any religious motivation whatsoever and only tried to impress his dad.  Later he studied French and Law (and some painting) in Utrecht and Königsberg and traveled through Europe, afterwards his grandpa, Alexander Hermann von Wartensleben, got him into the Gens d’armes because he was good with horses. Like Frederick, whom he met anywhere between 1727 and 1729, he loved music (apparently he even composed some stuff…) and played the flute. He also knew how to paint and apparently painted a miniature of a portrait of Frederick and his sister, which he kept right up until his death. He was very close to Frederick and helped him a lot. He delivered letters to Frederick’s sister (who hated him) and stood guard when Frederick had secret flute lessons.

(He was a little shit as well. Took a horse into his cousin’s living room, tried to spontaneously quit his job to go to Britain…)

Back to Frederick and his problems.  His dad’s vision of a Prince didn’t quite correspond with Frederick’s vision of a Prince. So, at age 18, he told his friend Mr. von Katte up there about his plans to run away to England.

Hans Hermann, even though it didn’t always seem like it, wasn’t completely stupid and tried to hold young Fritz back from completely ruining his life.

At least for some time.

Then, in August, Fritz got him to actually go through with the plan together with him and their mutual friend Peter Karl Christoph von Keith, who was the only one to actually make it out of Prussia after Frederick warned him (there were more people involved, but those three are the most important). Katte was warned as well and had more than enough time to run away, but for some reason he didn’t.

Short version: A lot of shit went down and this happened:

That’s Katte on his way to getting beheaded, reading the bible. Oh, and the pained looking guy behind bars/the pair of hands is Frederick.

There are two versions of his death:

1. He was lead past Fritz’s window in Küstrin and executed a few meters further down the street.

2. He was executed in front of Fritz’s window.

Both are sad and in both cases they said their goodbyes in French. Some sources have Frederick blowing him a kiss, some sources have him say “My life for his!”, all of them have him begging for Katte’s life.

The most popular conversation they supposedly had is: “Forgive me, my dear Katte, in God’s name, forgive me.” (sometimes: “Your death is my fault!”) “There is nothing to forgive. I die for you with joy in my heart.” (sometimes: “If I had a thousand lives, I’d sacrifice them all for you.”)

Yeah, if those two were straight BFFs my name is Helmut (Katte also wrote goodbye letters to his grandpa, his father, and Frederick.).

Hans died the 6th of November 1730 and was first buried in Küstrin. Then his father asked whether he could mayyyybe have his son back and some servants had to get the decaying body and move it all the way from Küstrin to Wust. 

Wust is in today’s Saxony-Anhalt and Küstrin is in Poland. The cities are about 200 km apart.

200 km with a decaying body.

Fun fact: Before his death, in his youth, kids around Magdeburg apparently sang:

Those who have eyebrows Like the knight Katt Are sent to the gallows Or onto the crushing wheel. Foreshadowing.

Fun Fact 2: His grandpa had to pay the execution fee.  “Hi, we killed your grandson whom you loved dearly, here’s the bill.”

There is not much about Katte (he only lived to age 26 after all), but I think that he is very interesting.  If the “Crown Prince Trial”, the “King’s Drama” or the “Katte Tragedy” would have ended differently, all of European history would have turned out different.

Maybe Frederick the Great wouldn’t have become Frederick the Great. Maybe he would have died at 18 and we’d have had Augustus William as a king. Or Henry.  Maybe he would have been happier. Maybe Katte would have lived a longer, happier life.

It’s all a big maybe, but I think this story is a great example of how one person living or dying could have altered history.

[electorquotes]

The Political State of Great Britain, 1733

Page 262: ‘Be it known, That his Polish Majesty, as Elector of Saxony, and his most Serene Highness the Elector of Bavaria, being mindful of the harmony and good intelligence long established between the two high Electoral Houses; as also of the strict union of blood between the two families for some years past; and for strengthening it more and more, have resolved not only to keep a sincere friendship in virtue of the Electoral Union; but also for its support, to conclude a Treaty of Amity, conformable to what the present conjuncture of the times may require, and for the reciprocal security and prosperity of their estates. To this end, the two High Contractors have agreed, by their said Ministers, to the following Articles ….

Page 268: Frederick Augustus, King of Poland, Great Duke of Lithuania, etc. Elector of Saxony, etc. was born the 12th of May 1670. He was son to John George 3, Elector of Saxony, of the Albertine Branch, who died the 12th of September 1691; by Anne Sophia, daughter of Frederick, King of Denmark. He succeeded to the Electorate of Saxony, May 7, 1694, after the decease of John George 4, his eldest brother, who then died without issue. He was elected King of Poland the 17th of June 1697, and crowned the 15th of September following. He married the 10th of January 1693, Christina Everhardina of Brandenberg-Bareith, who died the 5th of September 1727, aged 56 years, and left one only son, who is Frederick Augustus, who was during his father’s Life Prince Royal of Poland, and Electoral Prince of Saxony, and is now Elector of Saxony. He was born the 7th of October 1696; and was married August 20, 1719, to Maria Josephina, Archduchess of Austria, being the eldest daughter of the late Emperor Joseph.

[nj-vadodara-blog]

The Dresden Green, the Archduke Joseph and the Florentine. (Part 5/6)

Dresden Green Diamond

(L to R: Replica of the Dresden Green, the Dresden Green in its hat clasp setting; image courtesy of Pinterest.) 

The earliest mention of this particular jewel was somewhere in the 1700s. The discovery of the rare green diamond took place in the mines of Kollur, Andhra Pradesh. It got its name; the Dresden Green from the place of the same name. Dresden is the Capital of Saxony, a state in Germany. The diamond is said to have been on display in Dresden for about two centuries. Mentions of the diamond have been made in articles and letters that were written or published in the 18th century. 

The Dresden Green is a 41 carats (8.2 g) diamond that is naturally green. On being studied by the Gemmological Institute of America, it was found to be of a superior quality, not to be found as often amongst its kind. IIa type which is classified as a percentage short of a completely natural diamond devoid of impurities and such diamonds are usually colourless which makes the Dresden Green all the more special. Long exposure to beta and gamma radiation (we’re talking about years) is what causes the entire stone to turn green colour; also known as the irradiation of diamonds.

(The Dresden Green accompanied by the Dresden White in its hat clasp design; image courtesy of Famous Diamonds.) 

The Dresden Green has since been a part of the contents housed by the Green Vault that was created at the behest of Frederick Augustus I. After the originally designed ornament featuring the jewel came apart, Frederick Augustus II had the court jeweller design a second ornament; the Decoration of The Golden Fleece which held both, the Dresden Green and the Dresden White. In the 1970s this ornament too fell apart and the Dresden Green was finally incorporated into a beautiful hat clasp design.   

The Archduke Joseph Diamond

(The Archduke Joseph August; image courtesy of Wikimedia.) 

Archduke Joseph August (who reigned from 1872 to 1962), a prince of the Hapsburg Dynasty was the first recorded owner of the diamond which is why the diamond got this name. 

Originally the diamond weighed 78.54 carats but was later cut down and now weighs 76.45 carats. It is a colourless diamond with a high internal clarity cut in a rectangular cushion shape that comes from the Kollur mines, Andhra Pradesh.

(The Archduke Joseph Diamond; image courtesy of Famous Diamonds.) 

The diamond was eventually passed down to his son, years later it was safely locked away in a vault during the Second World War. It resurfaced at Christie’s during an auction in Geneva, 1993 and then again in another auction by the same Auction house in 2012 where it was sold for a world record price; more than three times the price of $6.5m which is what it was sold for in 1993. It is now in the care of Molina Fine Jewellers owned by Alfredo J. Molina.   

The Florentine Diamond

(Replica of the Florentine diamond by Scott Sucher who is a stone cutter and an expert in faceting replicas of famous diamonds; image courtesy of Famous Diamonds.) 

This diamond was known by a host of names, some of which are the Tuscan, the Tuscany Diamond, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, the Austrian Diamond and the Austrian Yellow Diamond. It was however, famous as the Florentine diamond. The jewel was a complex and irregular, nine-sided, 126-faceted double rose cut yellow diamond that weighed 137.27 carats (27.454 g).

(Top to Bottom: Drawing of the Florentine diamond by Tavernier, drawings of the Florentine diamond by  Max Bauer from his 1904 book - Precious Stones; images courtesy of Famous Diamonds.) 

The history of this diamond is disputed but as per records found in the writings of Jean Baptiste Tavernier who was a French jeweller and traveller. According to Tavernier’s notes, the jewel was one among many possessions of the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1657. It made its way into the collection of the Habsburg Crown Jewels in the Hofburg in Vienna during the early 1900s. 

The stone is said to have been stolen from Charles I of Austria at some point and was apparently brought to the United States in the 1920s where it was re-cut and sold. At present there isn’t any knowledge of the Florentine Diamond’s whereabouts.    

[artsandmusiccompositionforu-blog]

Music History Monday - The Best Gig in the World! January 30, 2017 Robert Greenberg, Music-Historian-in-Residence San Francisco Performances​ #MusicHistoryMonday robertgreenberg.com thegreatcoursesdaily.com The Best Gig in the World! We wish a spirited and in all ways happy birthday to the composer and flutist Johann Joachim (J. J.) Quantz, who was born in Oberscheden, Hanover (in what today is central Germany) on January 30, 1697, 320 years ago today. (“You say flutist, and I say flautist . . .” Actually, I say “flutist” because that’s how North Americans denote someone who plays the flute. In English speaking countries outside of North America, the word “flautist” rules. “Flutist” is by far the older term; according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it entered the English language in 1603 having been drawn from the French word flûtiste. It wasn’t until the mid-nineteenth century that the hoity-toits over the pond began using the word flautist, which was drawn from the Italian flautist. And there’s your TMI moment for today!) You want to talk about breaking a father’s heart? On his deathbed, J. J. Quantz’ blacksmith father begged his 10 year-old son to follow him in the family trade. It didn’t happen, as J.J.’s extraordinary promise as a musician was already apparent. Quantz was one of those irksome people who could play (and play well) any instrument he picked up, among them the violin, trumpet, and harpsichord. But it was as an oboist that he began his career: in 1718, at the age of 21, he was appointed oboist to the court of Augustus II, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. Six years later – in 1724 – the 27 year-old Quantz looked around and did not like what he saw: there were just too many good oboists active, and his chances for advancement were next to nil. So he did what any musical polymath would do under like circumstances: he switched instruments and took up the flute. Quantz chose wisely. We don’t know what sort of oboe player he was, but we do know that within a few years he was considered one of the greatest flute players in all of Europe. In 1728, the 31 year-old Quantz performed in Berlin, and among those in the audience was the 16 year-old crown prince of Prussia, Frederick II. The crown prince was so knocked out by what he heard that he immediately arranged to take flute lessons from Quantz, despite the fact that his father – King Frederick Wilhelm I – did not consider the flute a properly “manly” pursuit for a Prussian crown prince. (Perhaps King Frederick Wilhelm I would have preferred his son take up pillaging neighboring states? Hunting down and killing defenseless wild animals? Deflowering peasant virgins on their wedding day?) In the end it was yet another case of a father’s wishes being ignored: the 16 year-old crown prince began taking flute lessons from Quantz and continued doing so for 13 years, during which the two bonded like chewing gum and the sole of your loafers. When Crown Prince Frederick became the King of Prussia in 1740, Quantz received an offer no one could refuse. Come to Sanssouci – the royal residence in Potsdam, just outside Berlin – and become court composer and conductor, and flute and composition teacher to the king. In return, Quantz would take orders only from the king; he would not have to play in the court orchestra; he would receive a salary of 2000 thalers a year and generous bonuses for each new work he composed. Beyond sweet. It was a job for life: Quantz moved to Potsdam in December of 1741 and remained there until his death 32 years later, in 1773. And what a boss! Hey, they didn’t call King Frederick II “Frederick the GREAT” for nothing. Aside from his extraordinary accomplishments as a soldier and statesman, he was a music freak who was estimated to have participated in more than 10,000 performances during his reign. Quantz composed over 300 flute concerti for performance by himself and Frederick and they remain among the most brilliant works ever written for the instrument. As we observed just a moment ago, Quantz was not only “Freddy the G’s” flute teacher, but his composition teacher as well. Among the King’s compositions are four concerti for flute, works that the king would have performed himself. They are competent, even elegant works, and they offer up the evidence that had he not been born a crown prince, Frederick might have made a go at a career in music.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Royal Engagement

Then Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony and his fiancée Archduchess Louise of Austria in 1891.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony and his fiancée Archduchess Louise of Austria surrounded by her parents, Ferdinand IV, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Grand Duchess Alice née Bourbon-Parma as well as Louise's older brother Archduke Leopold Ferdinand and her younger siblings in 1891.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Then Crown Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony with his fiancée Archduchess Louise of Austria and Louise's mother Alice, Grand Duchess of Tuscany née Bourbon-Parma in 1891.

This marriage did not end well...

[princessvictoriamelita]

Group portrait (whole figures) of the Princesses Mathilde and Maria Josepha and prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony; dressed in Wendish costume on the occasion of the golden wedding of their grandparents King Johann and Queen Amalie of Saxony in 1872.

Source: Stadtmuseum Dresden

Photograph by Atelier "Teich-Hanfstaengl / Königlich Sächsischer] Hofphotograph, Dresden."

[princessvictoriamelita]

Crown Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony with his fiancée, Archduchess Louise of Austria ( Habsburg-Lorraine). 1891.

Louise was born on 2 December 1870 as the daughter of Ferdinand IV, the last Grand Duke of Tuscany and his second wife, Princess Alice of Bourbon-Parma.

On 21 November 1891, she married Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony in Vienna.

Source: Royal Collection

Photograph by Otto Mayer, Dresden.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Young Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony, future King and Saxony's last monarch before 1918 when Royalty was abolished in Germany.

Source: Sachsen Archives

[princessvictoriamelita]

Enhanced photograph of the children of Prince George of Saxony (future King) and Infanta Maria Anna of Portugal. Early 1880s.

Princess Mathilde (1863-1933), Prince Frederick Augustus (1865-1932), Princess Maria Josepha (1867-1944), Prince Johann Georg (1869-1938) and Prince Maximilian (1870-1951).

Youngest child Prince Albert (1875-1900) is missing.

Prince Frederick Augustus would become King of Saxony after his father's death in 1904 until 1918 when Monarchy was abolished in Germany.

Princess Maria Josepha married at 19 Archduke Otto Franz of Austria, "der Schöne" (the handsome), younger brother of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was killed in Sarajevo. Her eldest son, Charles, was the last Emperor of Austria.

Source: Pinterest

This is the original photograph also enhanced by me.