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
Imaginary Waldemar being still busy in Brandenburg, it was natural for
Kaiser Karl to find him genuine, and keep up that goblin-dance round
poor Kurfurst Ludwig, the late Kaiser's son, by no means a lover of
Karl's. Considerable support was managed to be raised for Waldemar.
Kaiser Karl regularly infeoffed him as real Kurfurst, so far as
parchment could do it; and in case of his decease, says Karl's diploma
farther, the Princes of Anhalt shall succeed,--Ludwig in any case is to
be zero henceforth. War followed, or what they called war: much confused
invading, bickering and throttling, for two years to come. "Most of the
Towns declared for Waldemar, and their old Anhalt line of Margraves:"
Ludwig and the Bavarian sort are clearly not popular here. Ludwig
held out strenuously, however; would not be beaten. He had the King of
Denmark for Brother-in-law; had connections in the Reich: perhaps still
better he had the REICHS-INSIGNIA, lately his Father's, still in hand.
He stood obstinate siege from the Kaiser's people and the
Anhalters; shouted-in Denmark to help; started an Anti-Kaiser, as we
said,--temporary Anti-Kaiser Gunther of Schwartzburg, whom the reader
can forget a second time:--in brief, Ludwig contrived to bring Kaiser
Karl, and Imaginary Waldemar with his Anhalters, to a quietus and
negotiation, and to get Brandenburg cleared of them. Year 1349, they
went their ways; and that devils'-dance, which had raged five years and
more round Ludwig, was fairly got laid or lulled again.
Imaginary Waldemar, after some farther ineffectual wrigglings, retired
altogether into private life, at the Court of Dessau; and happily died
before long. Died at the Court of Dessau; the Anhalt Cousins treating
him to the last as Head Representative of Albert the Bear, and real
Prince Waldemar; for which they had their reasons. Portraits of this
False Waldemar still turn up in the German Print-shops; [In Kloss
(_Vaterlandische Gemalde,_ ii. 29), a sorry Compilation, above referred
to, without value except for the old Excerpts, &c., there is a Copy of
it.] and represent a very absurd fellow, much muffled in drapery, mouth
partially open, eyes wholly and widely so,--never yet recovered from his
astonishment at himself and things in general! How it fared with poor
Brandenburg, in these chaotic throttlings and vicissitudes, under the
Bavarian Kurfursts, we can too well imagine; and that is little to what
lies ahead for it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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