Hans' Sacrifice

A young Crown Prince of Prussia fell for an army officer six years his senior. The King was not amused...

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Author’s Note

A warm welcome to my new followers and subscribers and greetings to all. The poem that follows is part of a series dedicated to highlight queer love through the ages.

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BACKGROUND

A strong mutual attraction and shared love for music, philosophy and poetry, evolved into an intimate relationship between young Crown Prince Friedrich of Prussia and Hans Hermann von Katte, a nobleman, an army officer, and six years Frederick’s senior. Frederick’s father, King Frederick William I, often referred to as “the soldier king” and known for his violent proclivities, was enraged by his son’s romantic liaison with von Katte. He believed his son and heir to the throne was an “effeminate fool,” and often humiliated him and beat him publicly.

Overwhelmed by his father’s abuse, the prince plotted to flee to Britain with his lover. Katte supported the prince’s plan to escape his despotic father. The plot was uncovered and the couple was arrested and imprisoned. Charged with treason, Katte was sentenced to death. A petition of mercy from Frederick was ignored. The king made his son watch Katte’s beheading on November 6, 1730. When Katte was brought up to be executed, Frederick shouted: “Please forgive, my dear Katte, in God’s name, forgive me.” Katte responded: “There is nothing to forgive, I die for you with joy in my heart!” Frederick then fainted.

The king exiled his son to a small village for two years, after which he forced him into a loveless marriage. Although Frederick never spoke openly again about von Katte, several biographers believe his father’s cruelty and the loss of his lover scarred him deeply. After ascending the throne in 1740, he appointed Katte’s father field marshal and raised him to the hereditary rank of count. In addition, his actions revealed that his sexuality was central to his life and character. Frederick the Great, as he came to be known, surrounded himself with a circle of friends who were exclusively male and filled the palace with homoerotic artwork. He repealed the death penalty for sodomy, allowed freedom of the press, and supported the arts.

As for Hans Hermann von Katte, he is remembered as a symbol of loyalty and sacrifice.

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Hans’ Sacrifice

I was the Prince of Prussia

who bared his soul

in tender verses

cradled between us
like shared breath.

Dust motes scintillated

adrift in the sunlight

seeping through the draperies,

as we nestled in my chamber

at Sanssouci.

You remained close and steadied me,
even when rumors flaying us

had reached the tyrant,

and the walls narrowed

around us.

We planned to flee—
youthful hope outpacing prudence.

They seized us

and named our offence treason.
Our transgression was love.

They took you to the fortress

where death awaited.

Your face lifted toward me.

In vain,

I pled for mercy.

I did not hear the blade

yet shuddered

as wakes of vultures

hung above

your headless coil.

Feverish with grief

I dissolved.

Lids closed,

eyes open,

staring at the edge of the future.

Cruelty had begotten a sacrifice.

Yours, my dear Hans.

My exile followed

and with it,

a measure of tranquility.

In the end,

when thunder tore the stillness,

it was because you died

that I rose to become

Frederick the Great,

as the shadow of the brute faded.

DCW

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