Nowadays we can assume with certainty that a social worker from the Child Protective Services would stand on the steps of Castle King’s Wusterhausen, where Frederic II grew up. Accusingly she would hold up a letter in which the father, King Friedrich Wilhelm, himself had written down the daily routine for his nine year old son, and she might threaten to take away the child.
Which would have been better, anyhow.
The ‚Soldier King‘ was really delighted when at the 24th
January 1712 Friedrich was born: finally a heir to the throne, (both sons
born before died as babies).
But very soon he finds out that his son was not,
as the King himself had said, „a sort of
human dough which can be moulded as one wants.”
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The father loves discipline, frugality, military and
hunting – his artistically inclined, delicate son soon is hated by the
authoritarian, choleric and iracible absolutistic despot, who tries to
exorcise Friedrich’s „effeminate conduct“
by all means. Sleep, he is convinced, makes children stupid, that’s why the
night rest is shortened.
Here – cited but abridged – an original letter by the
King dictating the daily routine for the nine year old crown prince:
Regulations,
how my oldest son Friedrich should do his studies in Wusterhausen. Wusterhausen,
3rd September 1721
Then he was taught in Bible reading, History,
Christendom, Map, Moral, and German letters.
„At five o’clock
p.m. He should wash his hands and go to the King, ride out, diverting himself
in fresh air and not in the chamber and do what He wants, so long as it is not
against God.”
On Tuesday fencing is added to the curriculum, also
letter writing and arithmetics, Wednesday only history „to strengthen memory“, Thursday as Monday, but instead of German
letter writing French and arithmetic, Saturday “everything will be repeated what He has learned in the whole week (…)
to see if He has profited, then the afternoon is for Fritzen, but if He has not
profited, He should repeat everything He had forgotten between two to six o’clock.
You should
get him used to dress as quickly as a human being can. You should also teach
him that he does the dressing himself and that He becomes proper and tidy, and
not so dirty.”
On Sunday poor little Fritz is allowed to rise at 7
a.m. – but has to hurry to dress, wash, comb, powder and pray in a quarter of
an hour.
“Then He should
breakfast in seven minutes time.”
Well, you could say, that is a tough curriculum – but why
the CPS?
Friedrich is often beaten, when twelve years old the
father gives his son slaps in the face in public; often he gets confinement to
his room with bread and water, and Friedrich writes, how his father e.g. gets
berserk about a lesson in Latin („Papa, I
decline mensa, ae“)and yelled at the teacher:
“Oh, you villain,
Latin for my son! Get out of my sight!” and he gave him a beating and kicks (…)
Scared by the blows and by the furious look on my father’s face, I hid under
the table, stiff with fright, (…). I saw my father after the accomplished throw-out come after me – I shake even more, he grips me at my hair, pulls me from
under the table, drags me into the middle of the room and finally gives me some
boxes on the ears: “Come again with your mensa and you will see how I’ll set
your head straight!”
“Books,
flute, documents – when he caught them they were thrown into the fireplace, and
always the burning of my books was accompanied by strokes or very insistent
rebukes.”
But it should get even worse.
(all quotes
from „Allergnädigster Vater“, editor Frank Schumann, Berlin 1968, translated by
me)
16 comments:
No such things as the rights of children back then. The horror that was childhood, whether in a rich or poor family, was something to be endured.
'his artistically inclined, delicate son soon is hated by the authoritarian, choleric and iracible absolutistic despot,'
This makes me frightfully sad. And a slap in the face, though less physically destructive than a blow which prompts bruising or bleeding, diminishes a person so desperately -- especially if it is routine. I grieved as I read this.
Oh dear what a difficult life it must have been being a child back in those days...
the pendulum has swung the other way now!
I am right now reading (slowly) Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks. While Thomas Buddenbrooks is not the tyrant King Friedrich clearly was, the dynamic you describe here is certainly present.
There is a dinner table scene in which the father, out of "his duty to show some concern about the boy, to test him a little on facts, to rouse his sense for practical things," would quiz him on such things. The boy, Hanno, would be mute, and finally burst into tears, causing the father to shout "You can sit there brooding like a deaf-mute for the rest of your life for all I care!"
And here is the punchline, for Hanno was passionate about the piano: "Whenever the senator voiced his objections to Hanno's passionate preoccupation with music, he would fix on these very points: the dreamy softness, the weeping, the total lack of vigor and energy."
I don't know what to draw from this, but I was struck by the parallels, so thought I'd set it down.
I'll say. A case, indeed. Too bad for Freidrich there were no caseworkers then. Sadly, child abuse is still not a thing of the past. At least children have some rights now.
Dear Pondside,
I like that you point out that there has been no difference for rich or poor, when the childhood was miserable (and if one reads much later Charles Dickens, one sees the horror of it).
Dear Suze,
I felt quite guilty that I posted such a sad story on Sunday - normally my posts are more cheerful, I hope. Violence in any form is ugly, no excuses for that.
Dear Hostess,
that is an interesting thought - it is not good for anybody, whether parent or child, to become an absolutistic monarch.
Dear Susan,
I am deeply impressed: I love Thomas Mann - one needs a lot of patience and time to read him.
Your quote is so interesting and I discussed it with Husband. It is striking how similar the disgust of the fathers is! Thank you for showing the parallels.
I can only interpret it as a hate of a man who feels threatened by something he might feel in himself too - and wants to abstain from by any means. Thomas Mann had this side, and Friedrich became/was, so it is said, what his father feared most.
I am so glad that nowadays at least in our countries people can live as the want to - and that the model of man as a tough super hero has changed a lot.
Dear Jayne,
yes, it is so sad when one reads in newspapers what still happens, even in rich countries. And to think of the poor countries - where often a family is forced to let the children work - I am so glad that a lot of producers nowadays try to buy only from manufacturors where child-labour is forbidden.
At least he didn't have to mow the lawn!!!
Children today have it too soft.
Oh IG,
I always think of the glorious Victorian lawn-mowers: guinea pigs with sort of little muzzles that let them eat the grass till a special height :-)
Hi
This is a very interesting post, Britta! It is certain that King Friedrich Wilhelm dealt with his son too harshly, however, I doubt if Friedrich could become such a strong King and a military hero without that strict and hard discipline(or you may call it a kind of abuse) which had been given by his father. Discipline usually makes it possible for a man to endure the rigour of hard work. How about his case?
Oh I forgot to tell this to you: You look very charming with an apron in the former post!!
Dear Sapphire,
one can grow against strong external conditions, or one can break. IG above wrote that nowadays education is too soft, and sometimes I see mothers of toddlers who are downright lazy (my impression), afraid of their children. A child has to learn that there is not only the little 'Me', but others to consider - if you never say 'No' it will get petulant. And one cannot learn without repetition and discipline. But I think one can teach that lovingly.
Friedrich II saw a lot that he wanted to change (and he did) - but the price was also that he learned to speak with double tongue.
Thank you! Someone remark that it came just in time with World's Day of Woman :-)
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