#old fritz

[friedrich-2]

There we go, lil' Prussian cookies

[fritz-on-a-blitz]

Something happened here, smol memes... Wasn't sure about the last one bc Italian but here we are. Enjoy your sassy gay friech of the month :))

[makiitabaki]

My (shitpost) contribution to the Fritztaire fandom:

And a Fritz version...

[spiritusnocte]

Autumn.

[oldfritz]

happy birthday to everyone's favorite bastard! hope it's a toasty one!

[micromegazz]

i watched mein name ist bach, IT WAS SO UNHINGED WHAT 😭😭

[eveninginsanssouci]

After a lot of internal bitching and moaning, I finally ponied up and tried Fritz's horrific coffee recipe. And yes, it truly was as godawful as I always knew it would be

[ratuszarsenal]

oh my God happy birthday old fritz. I'll always remember you for a) orchestrating the economic and then political fall of our country b) having a literal tragic villain origin story c) drinking coffee with mustard. christ

[saint-priska]

So you know that Claus Clausen played Hans Hermann von Katte in "Der alte und der junge König" (1935). You may also know that he played Prince Heinrich in "Der große König" (1942) but now I found this: him as young Friedrich 1930 in Königsberg on stage.

He played them all.

[mkalodeas]

I was reading Wikipedia and...

Just found out about this BAMF

Fredrick the Great. King of Prussia.

Listen here, Old Fritz was an amazing ruler. He was more interested in music and philosophy than war.

BUT he has great experience in the art of war and was a brilliant strategist.

Guys. He believed in absolutism, that the ruler should be the first servant of the State.

Guys, It's almost certain Old Fritz was gay.

He died childless.

He lost his reputation because Hitler idolized him and he became a Nazi symbol.

Which is a damn shame because he genuinely built the foundation that allowed Prussia to contest the Austrian Hasburgs leadership.

Guys he made library of poetry.

Guys he wrote "Anti- Machiavel" because he disliked Nicolo Machiavelli's "The Prince".

Old Fritz recieved his title 'the Great' after, at 33 years old, he got Austria to sign the treaty of Breslau & Dresden giving Prussia Silesia. I'm so proud and I'm not even Prussian.

Guys Old Fritz known as the Potato king. He was so clever.

He was against animal cruelty.

He was a francophile I'm crying XD.

He died at 74.

What a guy.

That.

That says "King" right?

Oml. His signature is just King. 😭

Low-key he's my fav. I thought I loved Catherine the Great. No, I'd just never heard about Old Fritz. Still love Miss Catherine but I gotta hand it to the Potato King okay?

[mattizard]

You know you haven't thought about your fav historical figure in a while when they suddenly appear in your dream.

The dream didn't make that much sense except that Friedrich der Große/Frederick the Great was there and was a nice host to me and my family I guess? And he was real chill, I think we were even good friends in the dream.

And he wasn't sexist! Which means it was 100% a dream lmao

[friedrich-2]

Guess who made Prussian themed cookies today. We'll decorate them later, I'll post a picture of them then

[fritz-on-a-blitz]

"A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in."

- local potato old man

[cometchasr]

A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in.

-Friedrich II von Hohenzollern

[freilufthintern]

Frederick the great.- Friedrich der Große. Drawing by me.

[oldfritz]

Hey so i hope this isn't weird? But I was wondering if there were ever any book passages or whatever that describe what Fritz looked like? Hair colour, eye colour, height or whatever haha.

And are there any tellings of him fighting in the wars or getting wounded or smth? Because I've heard he was supposed to fight in the front lines often, but I can't find a source for that.

Sorry, if this is bothering you or you don't have the time to look for this stuff. Hope you have a great day!!

Hey there! Dude, I've been asked about Fritz's asshole. You asking about his physical appearance is like a breath of fresh air. We also do have evidence of him fighting in wars and being shot at, but we'll get to all that (with sources) in a moment! First, the poncy boy face! Under a cut because heh, it got long (again)

Walk, Walk Fashion Baby:

As I don't know what exact period of his life you want to work with, I'm going to give you as much as I can for what he looked like at varying points. Obviously somethings don't change but in the interest of transparency, accuracy, and other important bullshit I'll try to cover everything. If I miss something, I encourage those also in the know to provide their own additions!

While Fritz favored French clothes in his youth, he practically stopped wearing them once he ascended to the throne. It was only on special occasions he would trot out the fancy stuff (so a couple times a year max); the rest of all time he'd be wearing the military uniform you see every portrait of him in (I believe every biography I've read has touched on this but credit to Blanning, Asprey, MacDonogh, Ritter, Carlyle, and whoever writes the next one <3)

For his height, MacDonogh places him at 5'2/1.60m(Frederick the Great, 133)

We get a more holistic picture of his appearance from the Comte de Guibert and his Observations. He describes Fritz as "stoop[ing] much' and 'short-sighted, [though] his fine blue eyes are full of vivacity and fire." He also remarks that his clothes are "commonly old and shabby" with the only mark of distinction being the Order of the Black Eagle on his breast. We don't get a color for his hair, but it is described as "always cued and carelessly twisted into a single buckle at the sides." Guibert, and many many other sources, comment on his frequent snuff-usage, with a snuff box always on his person (5-6, read it for yourself here).

From Bielfeld we do get his hair color though! Light brown. When it wasn't curled, it was tied back in a pig tail (he's just like me fr) (MacDonogh, 133).

For post-Seven Year's War, we turn to Carlyle now! His clothing is now described as likely to be stained with a "good deal of Spanish snuff." He lacks a "godlike physiognomy" with his "close-shut mouth with thin lips, prominent jaws and nose, receding brow, by no means of Olympian height [ed note: unprovoked?!]." His blue eyes have now dimmed to a grey. We're going to be here awhile, eviscerating an old man. Get out the Chicago style, big boy quote:

Not what is called a beautiful man; nor yet, by all appearance, what is called happy. On the contrary, the face bears evidence of many sorrows...of much hard labour done in this world; and seems to anticipate nothing but more still coming. Quiet stoicism, capable enough of what joy there were, but not expecting any worth mention; great unconscious and some conscious pride, well tempered with a cheery mockery of humour, --- are written on that old face; which carries its chin well forward, in spite of the slight stoop about the neck; snuffy nose rather flung into the air, under its old cocked-hate, ---like an old snuffy lion on the watch; and such a pair of eyes as no man or lion or lynx of the Century bore elsewhere. (Carlyle's Frederick the Great, 319-20).

For Old Man Fritz, we're fortunate enough that his death mask survives. It's the closest we'll ever come to knowing what he truly looked like (there's a few Pesne portraits he sat for, but royal portraiture is often a game of flattery). The only other way we'd know would be to, say, open his coffin and get a look at the old bones. Which Friedrich Wilhelm Fuerst von Hohenzollern did! He remarked upon the corpse's "aquiline jaw and prominent upper lip. His hair was 'ash grey' ...He was wearing a faded blue uniform tunic with red facings, black breeches and natural coloured leather boots, which covored his knees. ...What Prince Hohenzollern found most remarkable, however, was the corpse's likeness to the drawings and paintings of Adolph Menzel" (MacDonogh, 8; I can't help that this guy has the best index for 'getting asked random tumblr questions').

Austrians Shot the Sheriff:

(and they kept killing the deputies)

So, yeah, Fritz did fight in his own wars and is considered the last king in Europe to have done so. For all three Silesian Wars and the War of Bavarian Succession, he was campaigning at the same time and in much the same way (trains of books, dogs, and other can't-live-without luxuries not withstanding) as his men. It took him sometime to get his sea legs, so to speak. While the Mollwitz wound up being a win for the Prussian army as a whole, it was a personal embarrassment for Frederick. Before the battle, he wrote to friends and family accepting that his death was one possible outcome: "You know the fortunes of war, which respect the life of a king no more than that of a commoner. I don't know what will happen to me. If my time is up, remember a friend who loves you tenderly" (Asprey, 195). At the battle, he was noted for "leading by example, exposing himself to almost certain death" while rallying his troops. To his side, his cousin's head is exploded off by cannon fire (201). When another soldier intercepts a blow meant for Frederick, at Schwerin's suggestion Frederick hands over command and flees the battle. It's the last time he, personally, ever flees from battle (tactical retreats are another matter).

There were plots to kidnap him while on campaign. While these never came to fruition, they do demonstrate the vulnerable position he was putting himself in. The best example comes from Kunersdorf, the worst battle of Fritz's career and just an all-around shit show. But we're not getting into failed battle tactics and which flank fell apart (and please don't ask me that, I'll just parrot back whatever Asprey and Showalter have to say). Let's get the words straight from the horses mouth. Fritz, darling, tell us how one of the worst days of your life went:

I rallied them three times; at last I thought I would be captured and was obliged to yield the field of battle. My coat is riddled with bulletholes, two horses were killed under me, my misfortune is to still be alive. ...At this moment everyone is running away and I am no longer master of my own people...This is a cruel reverse which I shall not survive...I have no more resources, and to tell the truth I believe everything is lost...Goodbye forever (Asprey, 520).

Anyways, I hope this answered your question well enough! Fritz fought his own battles, dodged some bullets, and all while being a shriveled up husk of a man (to paraphrase Carlyle)