History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 02Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 02
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
"He had 'the image of St. Michael painted on his standard;' contrary to
wont. He makes, or RE-makes, Markgrafs (Wardens of the Marches), to be
under his Dukes,--and not too HEREDITARY. Who his Markgraves were? Dim
History counts them to the number of six; [Kohler, _Reich-Historie,_ p.
66. This is by no means Kohler's chief Book; but this too is good, and
does, in a solid effective way, what it attempts. He seems to me by far
the best Historical Genius the Germans have yet, produced, though I do
not find much mention of him in their Literary Histories and Catalogues.
A man of ample learning, and also of strong cheerful human sense and
human honesty; whom it is thrice-pleasant, to meet with in those ghastly
solitudes, populous chiefly with doleful creatures.] which take in their
order:--
"1. SLESWIG, looking over into the Scandinavian countries, and the
Norse Sea-kings. This Markgraviate did not last long under that title. I
guess, it, became _Stade-and-Ditmarsch_ afterwards.
"2. SOLTWEDEL,--which grows to be Markgraviate of BRANDENBURG by and by.
Soltwedel, now called Salzwedel, an old Town still extant, sixty miles
to west and north of Brandenburg, short way south of the Elbe, was as
yet headquarters of this second Markgraf; and any Warden we have at
Brandenburg is only a deputy of him or some other.
"3. MEISSEN (which we call Misnia), a country at that time still full of
Wends.
"4. LAUSITZ, also a very Wendish country (called in English maps
LUSATIA,--which is its name in Monk-Latin, not now a spoken language).
Did not long continue a Markgraviate; fell to Meissen (Saxony), fell to
Brandenburg, Bohemia, Austria, and had many tos and fros. Is now (since
the Thirty-Years-War time) mostly Saxon again.
"5. AUSTRIA (OEsterreich, Eastern-Kingdom, EASTERNREY as we might say);
to look after the Hungarians, and their valuable claims to black-mail.
"6. ANTWERP ('At-the-Wharf,' 'On-t'-Wharf,' so to speak), against the
French; which function soon fell obsolete.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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