Sir Charles Hotham, 5th Baronet
Charles Hotham | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 April 1693 |
| Died | 15 January 1738 |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/ | British Army |
| Rank | Brigadier-General |
Early life
Hotham was the eldest son of
Career
Hotham was elected
The double marriage
Queen
The Austrians had for years heavily funded the efforts of General
Colonel Hotham, who had been appointed a
The marriage talks, after some initial stumbling, held promise, especially as Hotham had made a good impression on the entire Hohenzollern family.
Frederick William approved wholly of the marriage of Wilhelmina to the Prince of Wales, and, while stating that the crown prince Frederick, at 18, was too young to marry, did let it be known that, within ten years, a marriage to a suitable English princess was acceptable. Unfortunately, George II, while willing to consider such an alliance, stated that he would only allow "both marriages or neither" which meant that the Anglo-Prussian alliance could not happen until Frederick was allowed to wed as well. Then, on 12 July, Hotham, in an attempt to strengthen his position by discrediting the Austrian contingent at court, produced letters incriminating Seckendorff and several of the King's associates. Frederick William flew into a rage at the tactic, threw the letter to the floor, and stalked out of the room.
Hotham took his treatment as an insult to the majesty of England, and immediately arranged for transport to take him back to England.
The Crown Prince had long contemplated fleeing Prussia to avoid the continual physical and emotional abuse of his father, but had held off on his plans so long as the double marriage prospect was viable.[6] With the collapse of the negotiations, he contrived, with his close friend Hans von Katte, to flee to Paris. The plan was discovered and both were arrested and gaoled. Katte was executed and Frederick was forced by his father to watch the execution from his cell window, an event which stood as a psychological milestone in the life of the future Frederick the Great.
Death and legacy
Hotham died, aged 45, on 15 January 1738, leaving one surviving son and three daughters. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son Sir Charles Hotham, 6th Baronet.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Cokayne, George Edward, ed. (1900), Complete Baronetage volume 1 (1611–1625), vol. 1, Exeter: William Pollard and Co, retrieved 4 February 2019
- ^ a b HOTHAM, Sir Charles, 5th Bt. (1693-1738), of Scorborough, Yorks. at The History of Parliament Online]
- ^
Aspray, Robert (1986). Frederick the Great: The Magnificent Enigma. New York: Ticknor and Fields. pp. 27–28. ISBN 0-89919-352-8.
- ^
Mitford, Nancy (1984). Frederick the Great. New York: E.P. Dutton, Inc. pp. 50–51. ISBN 0-525-48147-8.
- ^
MacDonogh, Giles (2001). Frederick the Great: A Deed in Life and Letters. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 60. ISBN 0-312-27266-9.
- ^ Aspray, 61-62.