Katte was beheaded at the fortress of Küstrin, where the king forced Frederick to watch the execution. However, when he was brought up to be executed, Frederick shouted in French to Katte, “Veuillez pardonner mon cher Katte, au nom de Dieu, pardonne-moi!” (“Please forgive me dear Katte, in God’s name, forgive me.”) Katte called back in the same language, “There is nothing to forgive, I die for you with joy in my heart!” Frederick then fell to the floor in a dead faint. Katte’s body was left overnight on the execution scaffold that reached up to Frederick’s window by order of the king.
Upon witnessing his death, Frederick was plunged into deep despair for three days. After that, he never spoke of Katte again nor ever visited his grave. Katte’s body was initially buried in the fortress moat on the king’s instructions. However, at the family’s request, it was exhumed and transferred to the family crypt in Wust. His grandfather was given the executioner’s bill to pay and the executioner’s sword.[7] However, four weeks after his accession to the throne in 1740, Frederick appointed Katte’s father field marshal and raised him to the hereditary rank of count. But since his younger sons died without descendants, the title expired only eight years later.
Yeah Frederick the Great was uh not fucking well. Really good at war, like military dress uniforms the world over are still inspired by what he thought men looked hot in, but yeah he was certainly one of the heavily traumatized gay kings of Renaissance Europe.
Frederick the Great wasn’t well? His dad, Frederick Wilhelm, was deeply unwell, but Frederick the Great was remarkably well-adjusted for a traumatized pre-industrial king. Plays the flute, loves dogs, loves men, embraces art and philosophy, looks after the welfare of the common people, and has a little war, as a treat.
I mean, Fredrick William I was an all around freak. The guy collected (kidnapped) tall men from all over Europe to put into his personal infantry regiment. He even started a breeding program with tall women for his tall fellows to create more tall children.
“The most beautiful girl or woman in the world would be a matter of indifference to me, but tall soldiers—they are my weakness”
It was actually a pretty sweet gig for the giant soldiers, they got way better pay and benefits and never saw battle because they were too precious to the king.
Explanation: from Wiki:
They must have been roommates
Jesus Christ, that’s uhhh… deeply depressing. History makes me sad sometimes. :(
Yeah Frederick the Great was uh not fucking well. Really good at war, like military dress uniforms the world over are still inspired by what he thought men looked hot in, but yeah he was certainly one of the heavily traumatized gay kings of Renaissance Europe.
Frederick the Great wasn’t well? His dad, Frederick Wilhelm, was deeply unwell, but Frederick the Great was remarkably well-adjusted for a traumatized pre-industrial king. Plays the flute, loves dogs, loves men, embraces art and philosophy, looks after the welfare of the common people, and has a little war, as a treat.
I mean, Fredrick William I was an all around freak. The guy collected (kidnapped) tall men from all over Europe to put into his personal infantry regiment. He even started a breeding program with tall women for his tall fellows to create more tall children.
It was actually a pretty sweet gig for the giant soldiers, they got way better pay and benefits and never saw battle because they were too precious to the king.
I believe I listened to a podcast about this.
If it is the same one… They were clearly best friends.