History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 03Carlyle, Thomas
History
History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 03
Carlyle, Thomas
Frederick II, King of Prussia, 1712-1786; Prussia (Germany) -- History -- Frederick II, 1740-1786; Social problems
Joachim I., Big John's son, hesitated hither and thither for some time,
trying if it would not do to follow the Kaiser Karl V.'s lead; and at
length, crossed in his temper perhaps by the speed his friends were
going at, declared formally against any farther Reformation; and in
his own family and country was strict upon the point. He is a man, as I
judge, by no means without a temper of his own; very loud occasionally
in the Diets and elsewhere;--reminds me a little of a certain King
Friedrich Wilhelm, whom my readers shall know by and by. A big, surly,
rather bottle-nosed man, with thick lips, abstruse wearied eyes, and no
eyebrows to speak of: not a beautiful man, when you cross him overmuch.
OF JOACHIM'S WIFE AND BROTHER-IN-LAW.
His wife was a Danish Princess, Sister of poor Christian II., King of
that Country: dissolute Christian, who took up with a huckster-woman's
daughter,--"mother sold gingerbread," it would appear, "at Bergen in
Norway," where Christian was Viceroy; Christian made acceptable love to
the daughter, "DIVIKE (Dovekin, COLUMBINA)," as he called her. Nay he
made the gingerbread mother a kind of prime-minister, said the angry
public, justly scandalized at this of the "Dovekin." He was married,
meanwhile, to Karl V.'s own Sister; but continued that other connection.
[Here are the dates of this poor Christian, in a lump. Born, 1481; King,
1513 (Dovekin before); married, 1515; turned off, 1523; invades, taken
prisoner, 1532; dies, 1559. Cousin, and then Cousin's Son, succeeded.]
He had rash notions, now for the Reformation, now against it, when he
got to be King; a very rash, unwise, explosive man. He made a "Stockholm
BLUTBAD" still famed in History (kind of open, ordered or permitted,
Massacre of eighty or a hundred of his chief enemies there),
"Bloodbath," so they name it; in Stockholm, where indeed he was lawful
King, and not without unlawful enemies, had a bloodbath been the way to
deal with them. Gustavus Vasa was a young fellow there, who dexterously
escaped this Bloodbath, and afterwards came to something.
In Denmark and Sweden, rash Christian made ever more enemies; at length
he was forced to run, and they chose another King or successive pair of
Kings. Christian fled to Kaiser Karl at Brussels; complained to Kaiser
Karl, his Brother-in-law,--whose Sister he had not used well. Kaiser
Karl listened to his complaints, with hanging under-lip, with heavy,
deep, undecipherable eyes; evidently no help from Karl.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account