Podcast appearances and mentions of king frederick

How a Young Prince Frederick celebrated his wedding to Princess Charlotte, and started a great Bavarian tradition.Based on the work of Mumfreds. Listen to the podcast at steamy stories.In 1808 people of Württemberg lived in the convergence of three cultures. The masculine lead industry and agriculture of the Germans, the Swiss provided enlightenment of the sciences, and the French liberality and arts added a healthy dose of libertine free thinking and even a tolerance for kinkiness.But Württemberg was moving forward with the final demise of the Holy Roman Empire just a few years earlier. Napoleon had just defeated the Austrian military and established a new Confederation of the Rhine.  The ethnic German people were split apart  and some were under the Austrian protectorate, while the Rhine was under French protectorate on both sides of the Rhine river, including the German homeland.Prince Frederick had watched as his older sister was given to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as a wife for Napoleon's brother, in exchange for his family's continued role of the Württemberg Kingdom, under the occupation of Napoleon's empire. Now Prince Frederick was being pressured by his parents and the court advisors, to strategically marry a well-bred heiress from the kingdom of Bavaria, princess Charlotte.Princess Charlotte was just 18 in the spring of 1810. A debutante, already being aggressively sought by Napoleon, she was terrified. When faced with the two unwanted options, she and her mother agreed that Frederick William was the better option and more respecting of their shared German heritage. Charlotte wept for weeks. She was still a girl of just 18 years. Her parents apologized repeatedly. It was especially difficult because Charlotte had always been a free-spirit and defiant of the stupid rules of etiquette that she violated almost daily.As an enthusiast of all things equestrian, Charlotte refused to ride ‘side-saddle'. She also found the practice to be a convenient excuse when the Royal Physician of Württemberg Court conducted a prenuptial gynecological exam a requirement in the nuptial contract between the kingdoms. As for Prince Frederick William, the marriage was even less anticipated. Charlotte was not the ideal sex object of his fantasies. Where he liked slender, tall older women, Charlotte was busty with a big round ass.Frederick liked the arts and sciences. He enjoyed the opera and studied astronomy.Charlotte loved animals and preferred German folk songs. Charlotte found little appeal in Frederick's lanky physique. She preferred the bulky, athletic, and masculine virility of farm-hands and tradesmen. A fall wedding Festival Back in 1810 Crown Prince Frederick William, sought the hand of the lovely princess Charlotte of Munich. She was the most desired woman in all of the ethnic German kingdoms. He courted her for many months, seeking to prevail over the efforts of Emperor Napoleon of France.Frederick's family negotiated aggressively with her father King Maximilian; whereby Frederick eventually asked Charlotte to marry him.Both kingdoms shared a strong disgust for all things French culture.It was the one topic where the two actually enjoyed conversation and felt compatibility. they were political allies and even business partners; but not at all romantically drawn to desire. She felt the same way he did, and accepted his offer. They were scheduled to marry on October 12th. As the date came close, she was starting to feel some trepidation. He was concerned and asked what was the problem. She shyly told him that she was expected to be with him; only with him, for the rest of her life. He said of course she would be only with him, and he would be only with her, as was customary.She thought carefully, and said; “Forever is a long time.”He did not want her to be so sad and thought for a while. He proposed an idea as a secret plan that they should not tell anyone about.At the wedding there would be a huge and joyous festival; a very German cultural Festival. At the festival she could go among the crowd and choose three men with which to make love.Upon hearing the idea, she was overjoyed at the thought and thanked him for his generosity and gladly accepted.The wedding was indeed a huge and joyous festival where everyone in Munich turned out. The first night of the festival was the night of their wedding. The celebration was scheduled to go on for 5 days.On the second day of the festival the prince approached the princess and told her today would be the day she made her three selections. She would go out and pick three men with which to ‘sow her oats.' She went to her dressing chamber to pick out her sexiest outfit. She chose the shortest dirndl she had. It stopped just below her ass.  The front of the dirndl plunged to show her beautiful Buxom cleavage. On her smooth legs she wore white by high stockings that ended below her dirndl. On her feet she wore elevated wedges. She was a vision. Her body was very visible and very sexy.The prince and princess began to make the rounds, where villagers were celebrating and congregating. As they walked, the men noticed princess Charlotte and paid her a great deal of attention. Offerings were made of pretzels, beer, and all sorts of treats, as she walked through the fair.She was pleasant of all and smiled as she always did. These were her people and she hoped they would come to accept her foreign Prince.Helmut the blacksmithAs they walked through the grounds they came upon a blacksmith, who had a stall set up to shoe horses. Charlotte stopped, and seemed to take a special interest. As one would expect, the blacksmith was quite strong, and also handsome. When she got close, a smile fell across his face and he gave greetings.“ I am Helmut, my princess;” he said in the most cultured enunciation he could contrive. She secretly knew Helmut from her frequent trips to the Stables. But that is their secret. The prince asked the princess if this might be one of the men. She smiled and said; “Indeed this would be one of the men if he so desired.” As the princess continued strolling, the prince stayed back briefly and invited Helmut to a special dinner with the princess that evening at 7:00. He graciously accepted. While he didn't understand what was fully ahead for him, he was happy to be able to spend an evening with the busty and charming princess. Robert the actorThey continued to walk through the fairgrounds with the prince often letting the princess drift ahead so he could see the reactions of the commoners as they look at her beauty. He watch her interact with the men of the Kingdom. As they continued, they came across a play that was just finishing up on the stage. The lead actor was quite athletically fit and very handsome. He flashed a smile at princess Charlotte and catching her off guard, she shyly looked away. The production poster listed the lead actor as ‘Robert.' What Prince Frederick didn't suspect was that Robert was also a part of the local Polo team. The two had secretly met in the Stables. The secret remains to this day. She composed herself and began to smile. He congratulated her and the prince on their wedding. She whispered to the prince that it might be fun to invite him to dinner. Shortly thereafter the prince did just that.Steffan the folk dancerAfter not much longer, the princess stopped in front of the stage where there was folk dancing.One of the dancers was agile, strong, and very skilled. As he lifted his twirling partner into the air, then safely caught her in his arms. She caught the vicarious thrill of experiencing being airborne and caught in his gentle arms. Steffan stepped back for his female dance partner to perform her feature solo. As he caught his breath, he looked out to the applauding crowds. He spotted the royal couple and was pleased. He had caught the princess's eye. She stood and watched him perform. in his lederhosen, not taking her eyes off of him. This was not missed by the dancer, and when the dance was over he came over and introduced himself to the princess. “I am Steffan”, he humbly bowed.This was but a rouse, as the dancer was part of a Mayday festival at the Munich Palace. Charlotte had graciously helped him find the dressing rooms when he'd gotten lost in the palace back halls. Charlotte felt a wetness as she recalled his tryst in her private Chambers just months ago; As Steffan talked with the prince, his eyes glanced up and down Charlotte's body. Memories led to arousal, and after several minutes, Steffan quickly dismissed himself to ‘prepare for the next number.His tight shorts left little to the imagination and it was clear that he was very well built down there. It also became obvious when he was talking to the princess, that she pleased him greatly and that is why he had to make a quick exit.Princess Charlotte smiled at The Prince and he understood that the dancer would be the third. The prince then extended an invite to him.The special guests come to dinner The dinner was scheduled for that evening at 7:00. A fire was made in the large fireplace and the finest Linens, China, and glassware were laid out.The cooks were busy making Gourmet Foods and the prince picked the wines himself. The princess was bathing and getting dressed for the evening. She had taken her time to clean and shave meticulously. She had chosen a metallic gold dress that plunged in the front bodice, and a skirt that stopped right at her bottom, in the back. She also wore matching metallic gold strappy shoes with towering heels. She also wore her gold earrings, necklace, and bracelets. On her right ankle was a gold anklet that the prince had bought her that day for the dinner. She looked irresistible. As the princess dressed upstairs, the men arrived early for the dinner. They too, had bathed and put on their finest clothes. The prince greeted them personally, and the young studs introduced themselves to each other.  The prince poured them each a drink and they toasted to each other and their good fortune. Prince Frederick explained to their astonishment and delight; the agreement the prince and princess had made ,and that they were the lucky men chosen.When the princess arrived downstairs, the prince met her before she walked into the dining room. To her surprise, the prince said that he would not be joining them. He wanted the men to have her to themselves and for her to have the men to herself. After thinking about it a bit, she realized that this might be more fun.The prince told her however, that he couldn't possibly resist watching her sexual conquests and would be watching from special consealments that were created near the dining room.They then walked into the dining room as the men stood up and were formally introduced by name to the princess.As she walked in looking lovely as can be. There were Smiles all around. The prince said his good-byes,and said he would stop in the evening, The princess and her suitors were seated for dinner and were poured wine from the servants. As the conversation began, the men paid great attention to the princess. The men stared deep into the eyes of the princess while she spoke and attended to her every need.Dancing In The ParlorAfter dessert was served Steffan asked the princess if she'd like to dance. She loved to dance and quickly accepted the offer from the handsome man. Charlotte led the man into the Parlor and went over to a cabinet on casters she opened the lid of the music box and cranked up the Armature. The Parlor was filled with the rich sounds of an Austrian Waltz. They began a formal Waltz, with the dancer expertly taking the lead and the princess easily keeping up. They glided around the room while Helmut and Robert looked on, seated on nicely-upholstered wing-back chairs.Not wanting to be left out, Robert cut in and continued the dance;  His intense blue eyes staring into the princesses. Helmut, not wanting to miss his turn, cut in. This allowed the princess to put her hands on his muscular arms as he easily spun her around the Dance Floor. During dinner, Prince Frederick had been sitting in a hall outside the dining room. He took great pleasure in watching the princess charm and be Charmed by the men. He found himself increasingly excited as the dancing started. His new wife was a youthful and sexy dancer, and watching her interact with the men turned him on immensely. When the quartet moved to the parlor, Prince Frederick went upstairs to a balcony overlooking the Parlor. A member of his Württemberg Entourage, Claudine was making her regular checks on his welfare. She was his tutor since he was 10 years old and she was 21.The woman taught Frederick on many subjects, and over time had become an adviser on many matters. She was tall, slender, and elegant. Her lessons often continued in his bed Chambers whenever they could safely conceal the ongoing sex education lessons. Now, 17 years later, Claudine now carries herself as a charming  and confident 39 year old vixen.From the balcony, the prince and his ‘tutor' (and secret lover) sat on the floor, behind the velvet drapes, and silently peered between the balusters, Charlotte's deportment with the young men.The quartet move to a slower song and the blacksmith pulled the princess close for a slow dance. The princess's head had been spinning from her wonderful evening and her third Goblet of wine, and now she was very close to and touching this muscular man. He too could feel her busty body with his strong hands around her firm waist he pulled her in closer to him she didn't pull away as she felt him stiffen.She began to feel a tingle inside herself. Before she knew it Robert the actor had stepped up and taken Helmut's place. As Robert stared into her eyes he leaned forward and gently put his lips to hers and she readily received them as she first did in that pile of straw in the horse stables.He pulled her close to him and continued to kiss her. She then felt a second set of hands on her hips from behind it was Steffan. Her dress was so short that his hands were right above the bottom of the dress. She briefly stopped kissing Robert as Steffen pulled her hips into him and began kissing her neck. Pressing into her rear end was that very large and now very hard cock that had attracted her earlier that day. He raised Goosebumps on her as he kissed her neck.From the balcony, Prince Frederick and Claudine had seen everything. He didn't miss a second of the meal or the dance.  Much like the viral men in the parlor, he too was very hard. To watch the woman he married be so pleased. To be able to watch her talk and flirt and touch and be touched was truly a pleasure. To see the way the young suiters desire her.Claudine began rubbing his crotch while sliding her other hand up under her own skirt.As Steffan continued to kiss the princess on her neck and ears, he slowly ground his cock against her white ass. With his hands around her waist the skimpy dress began fully raising from the grinding as it lifted. The actor in front of her looked down and realized she wasn't wearing any panties. He could see her perfect beautiful shaved cunt. He went wild, grabbing her head and kissing her deeply with his tongue. Steffan also noticing the dress had climbed up her body, began using his large hands to rub her large crack.The princess felt so good she was barely standing at this point, mostly being held up in the sandwich of the men. The blacksmith was standing on the sidelines with his cock out, stroking while looking at the scene he had in front of him.The actor was now kissing down the body of The Princess and Steffan turned the princess's head and began kissing her deeply as he reached in front and grabbed her heating tits and fondling her tall erect nipples. Robert had made his way down to her belly and was closing in on her cunt. The princess shook as Robert's lips came in contact with her cunt lips. He licked her cunt as she held his head against her. After the princess Broke Free from Steffan's kiss, she gave a look towards the waiting blacksmith. The look let Helmut know it was time for him to join the fun. Helmut, unable to contain himself, walked towards the melee. He ignored Steffan and the actor and picked up the princess and carried her to a large couch on the side of the room. He laid her down on the couch and began for lack of a better word, to ravage her body.He grabbed and sucked her nipples and then quickly moved down to her cunt, licking her clit. The other two men were quickly at the couch. The actor began sucking her nipples making the princess squirm. She wrapped her legs around Helmut's head. As Robert & Steffan worked their magic, she began to quiver.This stirred both of the men and their tongues sped up lapping her nipples and clit. Her back arched as the orgasm flowed through her body. As she recovered from her orgasm, the men stood her up and removed her mini dress so that only her gold platform heals and jewelry remained. At this point; Helmut was so turned on, he couldn't wait. He laid the princess back down, and guided his rigid cock inside her. As much as she enjoyed his mouth it felt really good to have his hard warm cock in her.The princess looked next to see that Robert had removed his clothes and had his hard shaft in front of her. The princess reached out and grabbed his cock. Robert's heart was pounding. The hand of this beautiful woman felt so good on him.Steffan stripped off his clothes and joined the group.The princess had her eyes closed as Helmut picked up his pace. She put her right hand on his muscular chest and rubbed down his chiseled abdomen, wrapping her hand around his thick cock as it slid in and out of her. She returned her hand to his chest and continued to jerk off the wood of Robert on her left.One of the thrust of Helmut's threw the princess's head back and as she look to the right she saw the naked body of Stefan.His cock was large and beautiful. It was exactly what she hoped for when she picked him for the evening. She slowed her hand down on the actor as she eagerly grabbed the thick rod of the handsome dancer. She slowly explored the entire length of his cock with her soft hand. He leaned over and touched and kissed her slowly, exploring her mouth; reaching over to gently caress her nipple. She firmly but gently grabbed the base of his cock, and pulled him close to her.  It was perfect, and she began licking and sucking it. She continued to suck as much of the cock as she could fit in her mouth,  to the rhythm of Helmut sliding in and out of her wet cunt. Helmut would not last much longer, and began to pick up speed. The princess began to tremble and slow down the actor and Dancer.As Helmut's hands wrapped around her tiny waist, she put her hands on his waist, to push him in further,He began grunted and began powerfully jack-hammering her. Her entire body was moving as Helmut slammed into her. He began to cum.  She felt his first shot squirt into her body, which pushed her into a full orgasm as her body clinched around him.  He kept pounding, shooting a large load  as she moaned. Charlotte was trembling from the orgasm Helmut had just given her. He held her in his strong arms, as she took a moment to recover. After some time, he withdrew his cock from her.Steffan grabbed the Princess's face with both hands, and kissed her passionately on the lips.He backed up and stared into her eyes. He could wait no longer. As he backed up, the Princess could see his turgid cock, standing at attention. He was extremely hard. With both hands on her waist, he pulled her towards him. He grabbed the base of his rod, and began to run it up and down the length of her cunt lips. He would have to move slowly, to get his large shaft into her tight cunt. Robert and Helmut saw that she might have some troubles, so they went up to the princess. They each took one of her shapely legs. She still had her golden heels on. They each held an ankle in one hand, and with the other they reached up to her inner thigh.They spread her legs wide apart, to give Steffan better access. As his cock pressed into the small opening between her cunt lips, she was both nervous and excited.Cum In The BalconyStill viewing from the Position to see his new wife, as naked and as hard as the other men; he had his cock in his hand. It was ecstasy to see his wife enjoying herself so much to allow her to have a variety he could not provide himself .He also liked being able to just watch the way she flirted, desired, and moved.He could just focus on watching her be sexual. It was such a turn on for him. Claudine sucked his cock while he lay on the balcony floor; her cunt spread wide above his adoring eyes. His cock deep in his concert's throat while the passionate sounds of a foursome filled the Parlor below their lofty perch. As Claudine's juices ran down the tongue of the prince, her inner thighs pressing tight against his ears while she shakes from the oral menstruation he has perfected.Frederick took it all in and paused his urges to thrust while Claudine indulged in the joy of her orgasm. She sucked his tip and flicked his head gently while her Bliss lingered. As Claudine's body came back to the moment, she fixed her desire to the cock in her mouth. Soon her head pressed down on his crotch and his cock rapidly entered and exited her throat. Her tongue synchronized in a swallowing sequence. In less than a minute later, his hips rocketed upward as his balls constricted into the base of his cock. His prostate began a series of jets sending cream deep into Claudine's receptive throat. She knew his body and his signs of eminent release. She's taking a deep breath before plunging down on his explosion with her expert tongue.She used a swallowing sequence to take every last drop into her throat. Claudine had become so proficient that it had been a couple years since she could remember the taste of Frederick's spunk. Downstairs The princess took a deep breath as Stefan's cock slowly entered her cunt.  She felt it spreading her and filling her up. She was very wet but Stephen still took his time. She was so tight he needed to move slowly. He paused after he was completely inside her, to give her a moment to once again get used to his massive cock.With her eyes closed she let out a breath feeling so full in her cunt. Slowly he moved back out and then gently pushed back into her. He increased the speed as she grew used to his size. He slid in and out of her, hitting spots on her that had never been felt before. Helmut and Robert released her legs. Starting at her shoulders, they each kiss down her body, gently touching and tasting her as they worked.From her legs up, they kissed around her breasts, settling on her erect and sensitive nipples. Kissing them, licking and sucking them.In appreciation, she reached out and grabbed each of their firm cocks. With a cock inside her, with two handsome men sucking her nipples and a cock in each hand, her head was spinning. his face and her breathing she began to lose control with that fat cock filling her up and both nipples getting sucked. She began to moan louder and louder and she moaned the man began sucking her nipples faster and faster.Finally she couldn't hold out any longer and began to come.She let out what was almost a scream and seemed to have cum for a full minute. She felt so good after she came completely inside her while he waited and she recovered he couldn't wait any longer and slowly started pumping her she moved her body in time with his and it felt good.Recovering the princess started to feel a tingle as Stefan again picked up the pace. It was at this time the princess saw something to her left. It was the prince. He was so turned on by the event that he had to get closer. He was naked and jacking off his hard cock at the sight of his beautiful bride. She felt so good with the comfort of knowing her husband gave his approval and was so turned on,She looked up and Stefan was staring straight into her eyes. She could feel the pre-cum dribbling inside her, from his massive cock and knew it wouldn't be much longer. It was now just him and her, as he wrapped his large hands around her tiny waist and began to Bear down on her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and started to moan. They locked eyes as he drove into her faster and faster. She could feel his balls slamming into her with each stroke she began to scream  as the orgasm took over and his cock began to twitch.She began wave after wave of orgasm as his cock began to come inside her. She could feel the hot spurts of his semen. He kept pumping till his big cock was drained. She laid back sweaty and completely spent as his cock went limp inside her. Charlotte's good nightWith her eyes closed she felt lips softly touch hers. It was Prince Frederick. He looked deeply into her eyes and thanked her for what she had done. It was such a pleasure to watch her. Stefan prepared warm water and began gently cleaning her up with washcloths. They then helped the princess nymph, to dress into a beautiful tight golden gown. The night had gone on for hours ,with all of the meeting, drinking, and dancing; Charlotte saw each man out separately, and some private words were spoken but not overheard. Frederick told Charlotte he'd be up a bit and she should get her rest. The two never shared a bedroom again.A tradition of need Frederick William and his wife Charlotte remained in two royal families from two Allied kingdoms of the German peoples. It would be years before their fathers' Reigns would be passed on, so the two developed humanitarian causes and charities, to benefit the people of the two kingdoms. Württemberg & Bavaria. This often meant a lot of travel in the two adjoining kingdoms. Together they kept up appearances and showed no public affection to each other.It's not that they lacked a libido; they just had no physical or emotional attraction to anything about each other. In the weeks after Frederick and Charlotte disclosed to each other that they both had romantic interests in other lovers. they both provided discreet accommodations to each other and still kept a mutual respect.Second Year, and the Dirndl Craze Princess Charlotte is widely recognized as the inspiration for Oktoberfest. Her Bountiful bosom is synonymous with the joy of a Bountiful Harvest. The beer garden waitresses all wore the 'Charlotte dirndls' at the Munich Oktoberfest of 1811, 2nd Annual Festival. Charlotte and Frederick traveled the second night to Württemberg to inaugurate a sister Festival there. Some of the Württemberg church ladies initially objected to this Bavarian hussie princess whom their Crown Prince had married. Prince Frederick caught word of the grumbling prudes and decided to tell the organizers that he would personally appear with Princess Charlotte to make the official pronunciation of the beginning of the festival, At the noon hour, all the crowds gathered in the festival Square. Troubadours and dancers, Artisans and Partiers, all stood with a hush as the prince and princess climbed the steps to the platform. "Men and women, People of Württemberg, and guests. It is good to Delight in the Bountiful provisions of the Almighty, and we are truly thankful. We Delight ourselves in the fruit of both our hard work and Providence." Prince Frederick paused then added; "You are all part of that bounty. Delight in each other. I have taken a wife and we celebrate our anniversary with you today."Charlotte was standing just behind, and to the side of Frederick. He stepped back and took her hand to have her step up next to him. She was wearing a new dirndl in the colors of Frederick's Kingdom coat of arms. It was low cut, daring, and revealed a lot of leg. Frederick watched as a few older ladies whispered and expressed some displeasure. Frederick resumed his words; "In our holy scriptures we are commanded to Delight in God's provision. All of it. I conferred with the bishop and I'm confident of the clear meaning of this holy command. In the Book of Proverbs, the fifth chapter and the 18th verse. It commands us, 'Let thy Fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe. Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravished always with her love.' " At that word, the men of the festival let out a roar of delight, Frederick and Charlotte turned to each other and smiled. Prince Frederick yelled over the excited crowd, "Bishop Johan, have I spoken accurately? Red-faced, the cleric simply gave a slow affirmative nod. The roar continued again, and the women now also joined in the applause. Prince Frederick stepped away and signaled for his Buxom princess Charlotte to acknowledge the acceptance from his kingdom. Ever the impish and useful girl, Charlotte made the impulsive decision not to curtsy, but bow instead, as a man would.The entire Festival cheered even louder, as the buxom princess gave a 'birds-eye' peek as her busty assets. The crowd began to chant; "We Love Char! We Love Char!" Prince Frederick motioned for a few frauline barmaids to roll a keg to Center Stage. They were all wearing similarly low-cut matching dirndls. The crowds now cheered at fever pitch. These girls were wearing exact replicas of the skimpy dress Charlotte had worn last year, for the special night of the original Munich Festival. The beirmeister tapped the keg and poured the local ale into a Stein. The beirmeister handed the Stein to Prince Frederick. Prince Frederick swiftly drank the entire contents without a pause. Holding up the empty stein, Prince Frederick shouted "O' zapft is! The Keg is tapped! Let Oktoberfest begin!" That's what sealed the legacy of the German ethnic future. Charlotte became the mascot without ever intending to. For her, Oktoberfest was always a way to conveniently compensate for a marriage which completely lacked romance and sexuality. This was all for show. Frederick continued his lust for older MILF trysts and taking interest in tall slender women. Claudine was a frequent counselor and lived in the palace. Charlotte was able to surround herself with virile men who loved her busty figure. As a proud answer to the French Mardi Gras hedonism, the people of Bavaria and Württemberg kingdoms heartily took to the annual fall Harvest Festival we still know as Oktoberfest. It still includes house parties to end the days, and people entertain house guests til wee hours of the morning.It's set for celebrating the conclusion of the harvest, which means The agrarian communities have both time and money for celebrating with energy and enthusiasm. Each year after, new festivals popped up in other cities and the royal couple collaborated in both kingdoms to stagger the dates and coordinate promotions and resources.Württemberg's new king and queen Charlotte became Queen Caroline when Prince Frederick William became King William the first; but the marriage was sexless. After a few years Frederick learned of the death of his cousins Royal husband, in Russia. Princess Catherine Pavlovna met King William while both were visiting Vienna. Frederick was love-struck by the tall Russian granddaughter of Catherine the Great.They were both in their Prime of life and burning with lust for each other. Soon Frederick asked Charlotte for an annulment agreement. For Charlotte, it was liberation. She immediately became the most sought woman in Europe's royal society.Very quickly, Emperor Francis the first of Austria secured her commitment to marriage and become Empress consort of his Austrian Empire with another 46 titles of nobility. Francis was 24 years older than Charlotte and the two did not have children together. But with Charlotte's help, Francis eventually defeated the Napoleon Empire. That meant Württemberg's King Frederick, her first husband, was now subject to her, through her new husband, Francis. Thus begun the great Austrian Empire of Europe for about 100 years to come. by  Mumfreds for Literotica 

How a Young Prince Frederick celebrated his wedding to Princess Charlotte, and started a great Bavarian tradition.Based on the work of Mumfreds. Listen to the podcast at steamy stories.In 1808 people of Württemberg lived in the convergence of three cultures. The masculine lead industry and agriculture of the Germans, the Swiss provided enlightenment of the sciences, and the French liberality and arts added a healthy dose of libertine free thinking and even a tolerance for kinkiness.But Württemberg was moving forward with the final demise of the Holy Roman Empire just a few years earlier. Napoleon had just defeated the Austrian military and established a new Confederation of the Rhine.  The ethnic German people were split apart  and some were under the Austrian protectorate, while the Rhine was under French protectorate on both sides of the Rhine river, including the German homeland.Prince Frederick had watched as his older sister was given to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as a wife for Napoleon's brother, in exchange for his family's continued role of the Württemberg Kingdom, under the occupation of Napoleon's empire. Now Prince Frederick was being pressured by his parents and the court advisors, to strategically marry a well-bred heiress from the kingdom of Bavaria, princess Charlotte.Princess Charlotte was just 18 in the spring of 1810. A debutante, already being aggressively sought by Napoleon, she was terrified. When faced with the two unwanted options, she and her mother agreed that Frederick William was the better option and more respecting of their shared German heritage. Charlotte wept for weeks. She was still a girl of just 18 years. Her parents apologized repeatedly. It was especially difficult because Charlotte had always been a free-spirit and defiant of the stupid rules of etiquette that she violated almost daily.As an enthusiast of all things equestrian, Charlotte refused to ride ‘side-saddle'. She also found the practice to be a convenient excuse when the Royal Physician of Württemberg Court conducted a prenuptial gynecological exam a requirement in the nuptial contract between the kingdoms. As for Prince Frederick William, the marriage was even less anticipated. Charlotte was not the ideal sex object of his fantasies. Where he liked slender, tall older women, Charlotte was busty with a big round ass.Frederick liked the arts and sciences. He enjoyed the opera and studied astronomy.Charlotte loved animals and preferred German folk songs. Charlotte found little appeal in Frederick's lanky physique. She preferred the bulky, athletic, and masculine virility of farm-hands and tradesmen. A fall wedding Festival Back in 1810 Crown Prince Frederick William, sought the hand of the lovely princess Charlotte of Munich. She was the most desired woman in all of the ethnic German kingdoms. He courted her for many months, seeking to prevail over the efforts of Emperor Napoleon of France.Frederick's family negotiated aggressively with her father King Maximilian; whereby Frederick eventually asked Charlotte to marry him.Both kingdoms shared a strong disgust for all things French culture.It was the one topic where the two actually enjoyed conversation and felt compatibility. they were political allies and even business partners; but not at all romantically drawn to desire. She felt the same way he did, and accepted his offer. They were scheduled to marry on October 12th. As the date came close, she was starting to feel some trepidation. He was concerned and asked what was the problem. She shyly told him that she was expected to be with him; only with him, for the rest of her life. He said of course she would be only with him, and he would be only with her, as was customary.She thought carefully, and said; “Forever is a long time.”He did not want her to be so sad and thought for a while. He proposed an idea as a secret plan that they should not tell anyone about.At the wedding there would be a huge and joyous festival; a very German cultural Festival. At the festival she could go among the crowd and choose three men with which to make love.Upon hearing the idea, she was overjoyed at the thought and thanked him for his generosity and gladly accepted.The wedding was indeed a huge and joyous festival where everyone in Munich turned out. The first night of the festival was the night of their wedding. The celebration was scheduled to go on for 5 days.On the second day of the festival the prince approached the princess and told her today would be the day she made her three selections. She would go out and pick three men with which to ‘sow her oats.' She went to her dressing chamber to pick out her sexiest outfit. She chose the shortest dirndl she had. It stopped just below her ass.  The front of the dirndl plunged to show her beautiful Buxom cleavage. On her smooth legs she wore white by high stockings that ended below her dirndl. On her feet she wore elevated wedges. She was a vision. Her body was very visible and very sexy.The prince and princess began to make the rounds, where villagers were celebrating and congregating. As they walked, the men noticed princess Charlotte and paid her a great deal of attention. Offerings were made of pretzels, beer, and all sorts of treats, as she walked through the fair.She was pleasant of all and smiled as she always did. These were her people and she hoped they would come to accept her foreign Prince.Helmut the blacksmithAs they walked through the grounds they came upon a blacksmith, who had a stall set up to shoe horses. Charlotte stopped, and seemed to take a special interest. As one would expect, the blacksmith was quite strong, and also handsome. When she got close, a smile fell across his face and he gave greetings.“ I am Helmut, my princess;” he said in the most cultured enunciation he could contrive. She secretly knew Helmut from her frequent trips to the Stables. But that is their secret. The prince asked the princess if this might be one of the men. She smiled and said; “Indeed this would be one of the men if he so desired.” As the princess continued strolling, the prince stayed back briefly and invited Helmut to a special dinner with the princess that evening at 7:00. He graciously accepted. While he didn't understand what was fully ahead for him, he was happy to be able to spend an evening with the busty and charming princess. Robert the actorThey continued to walk through the fairgrounds with the prince often letting the princess drift ahead so he could see the reactions of the commoners as they look at her beauty. He watch her interact with the men of the Kingdom. As they continued, they came across a play that was just finishing up on the stage. The lead actor was quite athletically fit and very handsome. He flashed a smile at princess Charlotte and catching her off guard, she shyly looked away. The production poster listed the lead actor as ‘Robert.' What Prince Frederick didn't suspect was that Robert was also a part of the local Polo team. The two had secretly met in the Stables. The secret remains to this day. She composed herself and began to smile. He congratulated her and the prince on their wedding. She whispered to the prince that it might be fun to invite him to dinner. Shortly thereafter the prince did just that.Steffan the folk dancerAfter not much longer, the princess stopped in front of the stage where there was folk dancing.One of the dancers was agile, strong, and very skilled. As he lifted his twirling partner into the air, then safely caught her in his arms. She caught the vicarious thrill of experiencing being airborne and caught in his gentle arms. Steffan stepped back for his female dance partner to perform her feature solo. As he caught his breath, he looked out to the applauding crowds. He spotted the royal couple and was pleased. He had caught the princess's eye. She stood and watched him perform. in his lederhosen, not taking her eyes off of him. This was not missed by the dancer, and when the dance was over he came over and introduced himself to the princess. “I am Steffan”, he humbly bowed.This was but a rouse, as the dancer was part of a Mayday festival at the Munich Palace. Charlotte had graciously helped him find the dressing rooms when he'd gotten lost in the palace back halls. Charlotte felt a wetness as she recalled his tryst in her private Chambers just months ago; As Steffan talked with the prince, his eyes glanced up and down Charlotte's body. Memories led to arousal, and after several minutes, Steffan quickly dismissed himself to ‘prepare for the next number.His tight shorts left little to the imagination and it was clear that he was very well built down there. It also became obvious when he was talking to the princess, that she pleased him greatly and that is why he had to make a quick exit.Princess Charlotte smiled at The Prince and he understood that the dancer would be the third. The prince then extended an invite to him.The special guests come to dinner The dinner was scheduled for that evening at 7:00. A fire was made in the large fireplace and the finest Linens, China, and glassware were laid out.The cooks were busy making Gourmet Foods and the prince picked the wines himself. The princess was bathing and getting dressed for the evening. She had taken her time to clean and shave meticulously. She had chosen a metallic gold dress that plunged in the front bodice, and a skirt that stopped right at her bottom, in the back. She also wore matching metallic gold strappy shoes with towering heels. She also wore her gold earrings, necklace, and bracelets. On her right ankle was a gold anklet that the prince had bought her that day for the dinner. She looked irresistible. As the princess dressed upstairs, the men arrived early for the dinner. They too, had bathed and put on their finest clothes. The prince greeted them personally, and the young studs introduced themselves to each other.  The prince poured them each a drink and they toasted to each other and their good fortune. Prince Frederick explained to their astonishment and delight; the agreement the prince and princess had made ,and that they were the lucky men chosen.When the princess arrived downstairs, the prince met her before she walked into the dining room. To her surprise, the prince said that he would not be joining them. He wanted the men to have her to themselves and for her to have the men to herself. After thinking about it a bit, she realized that this might be more fun.The prince told her however, that he couldn't possibly resist watching her sexual conquests and would be watching from special consealments that were created near the dining room.They then walked into the dining room as the men stood up and were formally introduced by name to the princess.As she walked in looking lovely as can be. There were Smiles all around. The prince said his good-byes,and said he would stop in the evening, The princess and her suitors were seated for dinner and were poured wine from the servants. As the conversation began, the men paid great attention to the princess. The men stared deep into the eyes of the princess while she spoke and attended to her every need.Dancing In The ParlorAfter dessert was served Steffan asked the princess if she'd like to dance. She loved to dance and quickly accepted the offer from the handsome man. Charlotte led the man into the Parlor and went over to a cabinet on casters she opened the lid of the music box and cranked up the Armature. The Parlor was filled with the rich sounds of an Austrian Waltz. They began a formal Waltz, with the dancer expertly taking the lead and the princess easily keeping up. They glided around the room while Helmut and Robert looked on, seated on nicely-upholstered wing-back chairs.Not wanting to be left out, Robert cut in and continued the dance;  His intense blue eyes staring into the princesses. Helmut, not wanting to miss his turn, cut in. This allowed the princess to put her hands on his muscular arms as he easily spun her around the Dance Floor. During dinner, Prince Frederick had been sitting in a hall outside the dining room. He took great pleasure in watching the princess charm and be Charmed by the men. He found himself increasingly excited as the dancing started. His new wife was a youthful and sexy dancer, and watching her interact with the men turned him on immensely. When the quartet moved to the parlor, Prince Frederick went upstairs to a balcony overlooking the Parlor. A member of his Württemberg Entourage, Claudine was making her regular checks on his welfare. She was his tutor since he was 10 years old and she was 21.The woman taught Frederick on many subjects, and over time had become an adviser on many matters. She was tall, slender, and elegant. Her lessons often continued in his bed Chambers whenever they could safely conceal the ongoing sex education lessons. Now, 17 years later, Claudine now carries herself as a charming  and confident 39 year old vixen.From the balcony, the prince and his ‘tutor' (and secret lover) sat on the floor, behind the velvet drapes, and silently peered between the balusters, Charlotte's deportment with the young men.The quartet move to a slower song and the blacksmith pulled the princess close for a slow dance. The princess's head had been spinning from her wonderful evening and her third Goblet of wine, and now she was very close to and touching this muscular man. He too could feel her busty body with his strong hands around her firm waist he pulled her in closer to him she didn't pull away as she felt him stiffen.She began to feel a tingle inside herself. Before she knew it Robert the actor had stepped up and taken Helmut's place. As Robert stared into her eyes he leaned forward and gently put his lips to hers and she readily received them as she first did in that pile of straw in the horse stables.He pulled her close to him and continued to kiss her. She then felt a second set of hands on her hips from behind it was Steffan. Her dress was so short that his hands were right above the bottom of the dress. She briefly stopped kissing Robert as Steffen pulled her hips into him and began kissing her neck. Pressing into her rear end was that very large and now very hard cock that had attracted her earlier that day. He raised Goosebumps on her as he kissed her neck.From the balcony, Prince Frederick and Claudine had seen everything. He didn't miss a second of the meal or the dance.  Much like the viral men in the parlor, he too was very hard. To watch the woman he married be so pleased. To be able to watch her talk and flirt and touch and be touched was truly a pleasure. To see the way the young suiters desire her.Claudine began rubbing his crotch while sliding her other hand up under her own skirt.As Steffan continued to kiss the princess on her neck and ears, he slowly ground his cock against her white ass. With his hands around her waist the skimpy dress began fully raising from the grinding as it lifted. The actor in front of her looked down and realized she wasn't wearing any panties. He could see her perfect beautiful shaved cunt. He went wild, grabbing her head and kissing her deeply with his tongue. Steffan also noticing the dress had climbed up her body, began using his large hands to rub her large crack.The princess felt so good she was barely standing at this point, mostly being held up in the sandwich of the men. The blacksmith was standing on the sidelines with his cock out, stroking while looking at the scene he had in front of him.The actor was now kissing down the body of The Princess and Steffan turned the princess's head and began kissing her deeply as he reached in front and grabbed her heating tits and fondling her tall erect nipples. Robert had made his way down to her belly and was closing in on her cunt. The princess shook as Robert's lips came in contact with her cunt lips. He licked her cunt as she held his head against her. After the princess Broke Free from Steffan's kiss, she gave a look towards the waiting blacksmith. The look let Helmut know it was time for him to join the fun. Helmut, unable to contain himself, walked towards the melee. He ignored Steffan and the actor and picked up the princess and carried her to a large couch on the side of the room. He laid her down on the couch and began for lack of a better word, to ravage her body.He grabbed and sucked her nipples and then quickly moved down to her cunt, licking her clit. The other two men were quickly at the couch. The actor began sucking her nipples making the princess squirm. She wrapped her legs around Helmut's head. As Robert & Steffan worked their magic, she began to quiver.This stirred both of the men and their tongues sped up lapping her nipples and clit. Her back arched as the orgasm flowed through her body. As she recovered from her orgasm, the men stood her up and removed her mini dress so that only her gold platform heals and jewelry remained. At this point; Helmut was so turned on, he couldn't wait. He laid the princess back down, and guided his rigid cock inside her. As much as she enjoyed his mouth it felt really good to have his hard warm cock in her.The princess looked next to see that Robert had removed his clothes and had his hard shaft in front of her. The princess reached out and grabbed his cock. Robert's heart was pounding. The hand of this beautiful woman felt so good on him.Steffan stripped off his clothes and joined the group.The princess had her eyes closed as Helmut picked up his pace. She put her right hand on his muscular chest and rubbed down his chiseled abdomen, wrapping her hand around his thick cock as it slid in and out of her. She returned her hand to his chest and continued to jerk off the wood of Robert on her left.One of the thrust of Helmut's threw the princess's head back and as she look to the right she saw the naked body of Stefan.His cock was large and beautiful. It was exactly what she hoped for when she picked him for the evening. She slowed her hand down on the actor as she eagerly grabbed the thick rod of the handsome dancer. She slowly explored the entire length of his cock with her soft hand. He leaned over and touched and kissed her slowly, exploring her mouth; reaching over to gently caress her nipple. She firmly but gently grabbed the base of his cock, and pulled him close to her.  It was perfect, and she began licking and sucking it. She continued to suck as much of the cock as she could fit in her mouth,  to the rhythm of Helmut sliding in and out of her wet cunt. Helmut would not last much longer, and began to pick up speed. The princess began to tremble and slow down the actor and Dancer.As Helmut's hands wrapped around her tiny waist, she put her hands on his waist, to push him in further,He began grunted and began powerfully jack-hammering her. Her entire body was moving as Helmut slammed into her. He began to cum.  She felt his first shot squirt into her body, which pushed her into a full orgasm as her body clinched around him.  He kept pounding, shooting a large load  as she moaned. Charlotte was trembling from the orgasm Helmut had just given her. He held her in his strong arms, as she took a moment to recover. After some time, he withdrew his cock from her.Steffan grabbed the Princess's face with both hands, and kissed her passionately on the lips.He backed up and stared into her eyes. He could wait no longer. As he backed up, the Princess could see his turgid cock, standing at attention. He was extremely hard. With both hands on her waist, he pulled her towards him. He grabbed the base of his rod, and began to run it up and down the length of her cunt lips. He would have to move slowly, to get his large shaft into her tight cunt. Robert and Helmut saw that she might have some troubles, so they went up to the princess. They each took one of her shapely legs. She still had her golden heels on. They each held an ankle in one hand, and with the other they reached up to her inner thigh.They spread her legs wide apart, to give Steffan better access. As his cock pressed into the small opening between her cunt lips, she was both nervous and excited.Cum In The BalconyStill viewing from the Position to see his new wife, as naked and as hard as the other men; he had his cock in his hand. It was ecstasy to see his wife enjoying herself so much to allow her to have a variety he could not provide himself .He also liked being able to just watch the way she flirted, desired, and moved.He could just focus on watching her be sexual. It was such a turn on for him. Claudine sucked his cock while he lay on the balcony floor; her cunt spread wide above his adoring eyes. His cock deep in his concert's throat while the passionate sounds of a foursome filled the Parlor below their lofty perch. As Claudine's juices ran down the tongue of the prince, her inner thighs pressing tight against his ears while she shakes from the oral menstruation he has perfected.Frederick took it all in and paused his urges to thrust while Claudine indulged in the joy of her orgasm. She sucked his tip and flicked his head gently while her Bliss lingered. As Claudine's body came back to the moment, she fixed her desire to the cock in her mouth. Soon her head pressed down on his crotch and his cock rapidly entered and exited her throat. Her tongue synchronized in a swallowing sequence. In less than a minute later, his hips rocketed upward as his balls constricted into the base of his cock. His prostate began a series of jets sending cream deep into Claudine's receptive throat. She knew his body and his signs of eminent release. She's taking a deep breath before plunging down on his explosion with her expert tongue.She used a swallowing sequence to take every last drop into her throat. Claudine had become so proficient that it had been a couple years since she could remember the taste of Frederick's spunk. Downstairs The princess took a deep breath as Stefan's cock slowly entered her cunt.  She felt it spreading her and filling her up. She was very wet but Stephen still took his time. She was so tight he needed to move slowly. He paused after he was completely inside her, to give her a moment to once again get used to his massive cock.With her eyes closed she let out a breath feeling so full in her cunt. Slowly he moved back out and then gently pushed back into her. He increased the speed as she grew used to his size. He slid in and out of her, hitting spots on her that had never been felt before. Helmut and Robert released her legs. Starting at her shoulders, they each kiss down her body, gently touching and tasting her as they worked.From her legs up, they kissed around her breasts, settling on her erect and sensitive nipples. Kissing them, licking and sucking them.In appreciation, she reached out and grabbed each of their firm cocks. With a cock inside her, with two handsome men sucking her nipples and a cock in each hand, her head was spinning. his face and her breathing she began to lose control with that fat cock filling her up and both nipples getting sucked. She began to moan louder and louder and she moaned the man began sucking her nipples faster and faster.Finally she couldn't hold out any longer and began to come.She let out what was almost a scream and seemed to have cum for a full minute. She felt so good after she came completely inside her while he waited and she recovered he couldn't wait any longer and slowly started pumping her she moved her body in time with his and it felt good.Recovering the princess started to feel a tingle as Stefan again picked up the pace. It was at this time the princess saw something to her left. It was the prince. He was so turned on by the event that he had to get closer. He was naked and jacking off his hard cock at the sight of his beautiful bride. She felt so good with the comfort of knowing her husband gave his approval and was so turned on,She looked up and Stefan was staring straight into her eyes. She could feel the pre-cum dribbling inside her, from his massive cock and knew it wouldn't be much longer. It was now just him and her, as he wrapped his large hands around her tiny waist and began to Bear down on her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and started to moan. They locked eyes as he drove into her faster and faster. She could feel his balls slamming into her with each stroke she began to scream  as the orgasm took over and his cock began to twitch.She began wave after wave of orgasm as his cock began to come inside her. She could feel the hot spurts of his semen. He kept pumping till his big cock was drained. She laid back sweaty and completely spent as his cock went limp inside her. Charlotte's good nightWith her eyes closed she felt lips softly touch hers. It was Prince Frederick. He looked deeply into her eyes and thanked her for what she had done. It was such a pleasure to watch her. Stefan prepared warm water and began gently cleaning her up with washcloths. They then helped the princess nymph, to dress into a beautiful tight golden gown. The night had gone on for hours ,with all of the meeting, drinking, and dancing; Charlotte saw each man out separately, and some private words were spoken but not overheard. Frederick told Charlotte he'd be up a bit and she should get her rest. The two never shared a bedroom again.A tradition of need Frederick William and his wife Charlotte remained in two royal families from two Allied kingdoms of the German peoples. It would be years before their fathers' Reigns would be passed on, so the two developed humanitarian causes and charities, to benefit the people of the two kingdoms. Württemberg & Bavaria. This often meant a lot of travel in the two adjoining kingdoms. Together they kept up appearances and showed no public affection to each other.It's not that they lacked a libido; they just had no physical or emotional attraction to anything about each other. In the weeks after Frederick and Charlotte disclosed to each other that they both had romantic interests in other lovers. they both provided discreet accommodations to each other and still kept a mutual respect.Second Year, and the Dirndl Craze Princess Charlotte is widely recognized as the inspiration for Oktoberfest. Her Bountiful bosom is synonymous with the joy of a Bountiful Harvest. The beer garden waitresses all wore the 'Charlotte dirndls' at the Munich Oktoberfest of 1811, 2nd Annual Festival. Charlotte and Frederick traveled the second night to Württemberg to inaugurate a sister Festival there. Some of the Württemberg church ladies initially objected to this Bavarian hussie princess whom their Crown Prince had married. Prince Frederick caught word of the grumbling prudes and decided to tell the organizers that he would personally appear with Princess Charlotte to make the official pronunciation of the beginning of the festival, At the noon hour, all the crowds gathered in the festival Square. Troubadours and dancers, Artisans and Partiers, all stood with a hush as the prince and princess climbed the steps to the platform. "Men and women, People of Württemberg, and guests. It is good to Delight in the Bountiful provisions of the Almighty, and we are truly thankful. We Delight ourselves in the fruit of both our hard work and Providence." Prince Frederick paused then added; "You are all part of that bounty. Delight in each other. I have taken a wife and we celebrate our anniversary with you today."Charlotte was standing just behind, and to the side of Frederick. He stepped back and took her hand to have her step up next to him. She was wearing a new dirndl in the colors of Frederick's Kingdom coat of arms. It was low cut, daring, and revealed a lot of leg. Frederick watched as a few older ladies whispered and expressed some displeasure. Frederick resumed his words; "In our holy scriptures we are commanded to Delight in God's provision. All of it. I conferred with the bishop and I'm confident of the clear meaning of this holy command. In the Book of Proverbs, the fifth chapter and the 18th verse. It commands us, 'Let thy Fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe. Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times, and be thou ravished always with her love.' " At that word, the men of the festival let out a roar of delight, Frederick and Charlotte turned to each other and smiled. Prince Frederick yelled over the excited crowd, "Bishop Johan, have I spoken accurately? Red-faced, the cleric simply gave a slow affirmative nod. The roar continued again, and the women now also joined in the applause. Prince Frederick stepped away and signaled for his Buxom princess Charlotte to acknowledge the acceptance from his kingdom. Ever the impish and useful girl, Charlotte made the impulsive decision not to curtsy, but bow instead, as a man would.The entire Festival cheered even louder, as the buxom princess gave a 'birds-eye' peek as her busty assets. The crowd began to chant; "We Love Char! We Love Char!" Prince Frederick motioned for a few frauline barmaids to roll a keg to Center Stage. They were all wearing similarly low-cut matching dirndls. The crowds now cheered at fever pitch. These girls were wearing exact replicas of the skimpy dress Charlotte had worn last year, for the special night of the original Munich Festival. The beirmeister tapped the keg and poured the local ale into a Stein. The beirmeister handed the Stein to Prince Frederick. Prince Frederick swiftly drank the entire contents without a pause. Holding up the empty stein, Prince Frederick shouted "O' zapft is! The Keg is tapped! Let Oktoberfest begin!" That's what sealed the legacy of the German ethnic future. Charlotte became the mascot without ever intending to. For her, Oktoberfest was always a way to conveniently compensate for a marriage which completely lacked romance and sexuality. This was all for show. Frederick continued his lust for older MILF trysts and taking interest in tall slender women. Claudine was a frequent counselor and lived in the palace. Charlotte was able to surround herself with virile men who loved her busty figure. As a proud answer to the French Mardi Gras hedonism, the people of Bavaria and Württemberg kingdoms heartily took to the annual fall Harvest Festival we still know as Oktoberfest. It still includes house parties to end the days, and people entertain house guests til wee hours of the morning.It's set for celebrating the conclusion of the harvest, which means The agrarian communities have both time and money for celebrating with energy and enthusiasm. Each year after, new festivals popped up in other cities and the royal couple collaborated in both kingdoms to stagger the dates and coordinate promotions and resources.Württemberg's new king and queen Charlotte became Queen Caroline when Prince Frederick William became King William the first; but the marriage was sexless. After a few years Frederick learned of the death of his cousins Royal husband, in Russia. Princess Catherine Pavlovna met King William while both were visiting Vienna. Frederick was love-struck by the tall Russian granddaughter of Catherine the Great.They were both in their Prime of life and burning with lust for each other. Soon Frederick asked Charlotte for an annulment agreement. For Charlotte, it was liberation. She immediately became the most sought woman in Europe's royal society.Very quickly, Emperor Francis the first of Austria secured her commitment to marriage and become Empress consort of his Austrian Empire with another 46 titles of nobility. Francis was 24 years older than Charlotte and the two did not have children together. But with Charlotte's help, Francis eventually defeated the Napoleon Empire. That meant Württemberg's King Frederick, her first husband, was now subject to her, through her new husband, Francis. Thus begun the great Austrian Empire of Europe for about 100 years to come. by  Mumfreds for Literotica 

The Inquisitorial band have discovered a way to speak to Trin Rakai! Attikus (Tyler Hewitt, @Tyler_Hewitt) punched a demon into the warp, Valentyne (Ryan LaPlante, @theryanlaplante) executed King Frederick for his crimes against the Emperor, Gideon (Josh Halbot, @baesier_crane) realized his companions might be the death of him, and Morgan (Del Borovic, @deltastic) found Lizzo Lizardman. Can these heroes trap the soul of Trin Rakai in a servitor or will the aeldari escape again? Featuring our Game Master, Tom McGee (@mcgeetd). Enjoying The Valentyne Heresy? - Consider becoming a Patron of Dumb-Dumbs & Dice for as little as $1 a month and gain access to a ton of extra BTS fun (https://www.patreon.com/dumbdumbdice) - Buy merch on our website (https://dumbdumbdice.com/) - Watch us on YouTube (https://youtube.com/@dumbdumbdice) - Follow us on Instagram (https://instagram.com/dumbdumbdice) - Follow us on Facebook (https://facebook.com/dumbdumbdice) Can't remember a discount code you wanted to use from one of our ads? Find it at https://fableandfolly.com/partners/ Artwork by the brilliant Del Borovic - Website & Portfolio (https://delborovic.com/) - Twitter (https://twitter.com/deltastic) Want to play the 40K adaptation of Genesys yourself? You can find the rules at: https://genesys40k.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allen, Joel, Phil and Rosemary discuss the renewable energy landscape in Australia, maintenance challenges at the Hywind floating wind farm, and whether U.S. universities can provide value researching offshore wind designs versus leaving it to industry. Plus--Rosemary will be at Everything Electric Australia! Use code EEROSIE for 20% off your ticket! Sign up now for Uptime Tech News, our weekly email update on all things wind technology. This episode is sponsored by Weather Guard Lightning Tech. Learn more about Weather Guard's StrikeTape Wind Turbine LPS retrofit. Follow the show on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn and visit Weather Guard on the web. And subscribe to Rosemary Barnes' YouTube channel here. Have a question we can answer on the show? Email us! Pardalote Consulting - https://www.pardaloteconsulting.comWeather Guard Lightning Tech - www.weatherguardwind.comIntelstor - https://www.intelstor.com Allen Hall: All right, Rosemary, you got some important news for the world to hear. You're going to be at...  Rosemary Barnes: Everything Electric Australia, which is in Sydney from February 9th to 11th. And I'm presenting four sessions on the Friday, and then I'll be hanging out there on the Saturday as well to go around. They've got every single electric car that is available or will be soon available in Australia. Plus everything, associated with electrification of the home and everything like that. So yeah, it was a really big, cool event last year, and it's set to be much bigger and much cooler this year. And listeners can get a 20 percent discount off tickets if they use my code, which is EEROSIE, so that's E for elephant. For those of you that have trouble understanding my Australian vowels, but I guess it will be Australians who want to use the code, so not that big a deal. That's EEROSIE. Allen Hall: And how many people are going to attend this event, Rosemary, roughly?  Rosemary Barnes: I'm pretty sure it was like 10 last year, and I'm told that it's much bigger this year.  Allen Hall: Wow. So you better get your tickets now. If you want to attend that event, you better get on it right away. And use Rosemary's code, EEROSIE we get a 20 percent discount. That's fantastic. Denmark has a new king as queen. Margrethe II has abdicated after 52 years on the throne. King Frederick the 10th, formally took over recently in a ceremony at the palace, which Joel and I were at not long ago. Margrethe is the first Danish monarch to voluntarily give up the throne in nearly 900 years. And Joel and I were standing next to Frederick recently at the Copenhagen Wind Europe event a couple of months ago. So we were close to royalty.  Joel Saxum: We didn't even know it either. These guys were pushing us away a little bit. What's going on with these guys? Looked like a bunch of dudes from a Mission Impossible movie. And then we looked behind him and there he was. Now King Frederick the 10th. At the time he was the royal, what is it, Crown Prince? Was it Crown Prince Frederick?  Allen Hall: So Frederick is married to, now Queen, Mary, who is from Australia. And Rosemary, I think she's actually from sort of Tasmania, slash Australia. And I was just wondering if there's a connection here. Is she like a second cousin to you, or is there some sort of in, insight we could have into the monarchy in Denmark? Are we gonna have A new wind turbine facility in Australia.  Rosemary Barnes: You've really gone for the soft spot for any Tasmanian because that is the joke that in Tasmania, everyone is related to each other in possibly not the nicest way and people don't mean it as a compliment when they say that. Yeah, so it is highly possible to be honest. It's highly possible that we're you're related somehow. But not that I know of. And in fact, when I lived in Denmark, I never was introduced to princess, then princess Mary, which I thought was ridiculous.

On January 14th, 2024 Queen Margrethe of Denmark, the second longest reigning monarch in Danish history and the last remaining female monarch in the world abdicated. She handed the throne to her son who is now King Frederik X. Let's take a look at the history of this small but happy Scandinavian country. And met the most significant rulers of Europe's oldest monarchy. Along the way, we'll see when their crown jewels were crafted, and how their how their coronation rituals changed. Finally we'll cover how the succession of King Frederik X and Queen Mary was just celebrated. Despite many news outlets calling this a coronation, it was actually a succession and proclamation. Because crowns were not ritualistically placed on anyone's head. Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History! Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholiday Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091781568503 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyteatimelindsayholiday/ Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating episodes! Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug Maxwell Music: Bellissimo by Doug Maxwell #HistoryTeaTime #LindsayHoliday Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘For some reason, we humans flourish under the influence of love and we gradually die without it.‘The Frederick's Experiment. King Frederick took babies from their mothers at birth and placed them in the care of nurses who were forbidden to speak in their hearing. But a second rule was imposed, as well: the nurses were not allowed to touch the infants. To his great dismay, Frederick's experiment was cut short, but not before something tragically significant regarding human nature was revealed. As you may have guessed, the babies grew up to speak no language at all because they died.There's a reason why some people need more touch than others. There's a reason why more people unalived themselves during 2020-2021.That little few seconds of hugging and touching makes a world of difference.FOLLOW ME ON THE SOCIALS!

‘For some reason, we humans flourish under the influence of love and we gradually die without it.‘The Frederick's Experiment. King Frederick took babies from their mothers at birth and placed them in the care of nurses who were forbidden to speak in their hearing. But a second rule was imposed, as well: the nurses were not allowed to touch the infants. To his great dismay, Frederick's experiment was cut short, but not before something tragically significant regarding human nature was revealed. As you may have guessed, the babies grew up to speak no language at all because they died.There's a reason why some people need more touch than others. There's a reason why more people unalived themselves during 2020-2021.That little few seconds of hugging and touching makes a world of difference.FOLLOW ME ON THE SOCIALS!

I have seen more dogs in the past few weeks than I have in my entire lifetime, I mean clothed dogs

"The babies literally died for want of touch."   Imagine this...You take 50 babies and place them in a living condition where they were only provided their basic needs to survive.    The intent is to determine if babies could learn to speak on their own without ever hearing language.    No love, attention or touching...   The bare minimum care was provided to these babies.    This real-life experiment happened and was a flop. Not because the language that the children did or didn't speak...   But because all 50 babies DIED. The lack of physical human connection caused what current doctors would now diagnose as failure to thrive.    In today's episode, Coach Ashlie Walton and Detective Walton discuss the importance of physical connection...   And how now having it is bigger issue than you may think.    ⩥ PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL ⩤ https://bi3xbvVont.ly/   CLICK HERE for our best-selling products: https://amzn.to/3xaG3xw and https://rdbl.co/3DIQVUC   CLICK HERE to join our free Police, Fire, Military and Families Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/38w2e7r   Check out our website and learn more about how you can work with LEO Warriors by going to: https://www.leowarriors.com/   Like what you hear? We are honored. Drop a review and subscribe to our show.    The Tactical Living Podcast is owned by LEO Warriors, LLC. None of the content presented may be copied, repurposed or used without the owner's prior consent.   For PR, speaking requests and other networking opportunities, contact LEO Warriors:   EMAIL: ashliewalton555@gmail.com. ADDRESS: P.O. Box 400115 Hesperia, Ca. 92340 ASHLIE'S FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/police.fire.lawenforcement ➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤ This episode is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something by clicking on one of our links, we'll receive a small commission.

The following is a link to the Nelson-Atkins Museum's Discriminating Thieves Exhibition.4:15 How Discriminating Thieves exhibition came about6:20 Title of Discriminating Thieves exhibition came from correspondence by Nelson-Atkins' first director Paul Gardner7:30 One of the four works in the exhibition: painting by German Expressionist Emil Nolde titled Masks 8:50 Karl Buchholz held Masks for a decade until 1948 when he sent it to dealer Curt Valentin 11:30 Nolde was a member of Nazi party but still targeted by Nazis15:00 Pitfalls of researching women18:00 Marguerite Stern's ownership of Jean – Francois Ducis' 1779 Bust of Augustin Pajou 19:50 Pierre Bonnard's Still life with Guelder Roses21:30 Nicolas de Largillière's Augustus the Strong – erroneously listed on property card as portrait of King Frederick of Denmark 25:00 2019 Collecting and Provenance: A Multidisciplinary Approach by Jane Milosch, Nick Pearce25:50 German-American Provenance Research Exchange with the Smithsonian Provenance Research Initiative and Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation was a “game changer”35:35 Guest speaker for Discriminating Thieves Exhibition was Corine Wegener, Director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative42:00 The process of provenance research is never finished as new resources become available 44:30 Importance of research in museum setting by individuals with specialized knowledge46:30 Cincinnati Art Museum's exhibition Paintings, Politics and the Monuments Men: The Berlin Masterpieces in America47:30 Nelson-Atkins' first curator of European Art Patrick Kelleher was one of the signatories of the Weisbaden ManifestoTo view rewards for supporting the podcast, please visit Warfare's Patreon page.To leave questions or comments about this or other episodes of the podcast, please call 1.929.260.4942 or email Stephanie@warfareofartandlaw.com. © Stephanie Drawdy [2021]

Today we celebrate the German botanist who used gardens as classrooms. We'll also learn about the botanist who was a passionate advocate of forests. We’ll recognize the efforts of a key founder of the Linnean Society. We’ll hear a quote about December from the creator of Peter Pan. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a book that helps you maximize your smallest spaces. And then we’ll wrap things up with the story of a witty English-American writer and illustrator who wrote about cats and the natural world.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart To listen to the show while you're at home, just ask Alexa or Google to “Play the latest episode of The Daily Gardener Podcast.” And she will. It's just that easy.   The Daily Gardener Friday Newsletter Sign up for the FREE Friday Newsletter featuring: A personal update from me Garden-related items for your calendar The Grow That Garden Library™ featured books for the week Gardener gift ideas Garden-inspired recipes Exclusive updates regarding the show and more. Plus, each week, one lucky subscriber wins a book from the Grow That Garden Library™ bookshelf.   Gardener Greetings Send your garden pics, stories, birthday wishes, and so forth to Jennifer@theDailyGardener.org.   Curated News Rain Garden Design and Benefits | Garden Design | Adam Regn Arvidson   Facebook Group If you'd like to check out my curated news articles and blog posts for yourself, you're in luck because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. So, there’s no need to take notes or search for links. The next time you're on Facebook, search for Daily Gardener Community, where you’d search for a friend… and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.   Important Events December 2, 1707   Today is the birthday of the German theologian and educator, Johann Julius Hecker. Johann recognized that a classical education didn't work for everyone, so he founded secondary schools in Germany that prepared students for practical jobs and callings. Johann referred to his schools as "the seed-beds of the state, from which the young, like trees from a nursery, could be transplanted in their proper places." Johann's work attracted the attention of the king of Prussia, Frederick the Great. King Frederick encouraged Johann to expand his efforts. So, Johann installed gardens near his schools to teach hands-on botany. Johann’s gardens included vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees. After realizing that the production of silk and the care of silkworms would probably impress the King, Johann strategically added the mulberry tree to his list of crops. Like the Monarch butterfly and milkweed, silkworms biologically evolved with their only food source: the Mulberry tree. Thanks to Johann’s vision to grow the school garden, both the teachers and his students tended to a large mulberry plantation and mastered the culture of silk and mulberries.   December 2, 1758 On this day, the Scottish botanist Nicholas Alexander Dalzell was preparing to leave Karachi, the capital of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Before he left, Nicholas sent a box containing nearly 80 plant specimens collected in Sindh to William Joseph Hooker. He also described a drug from India that he had received for the Karachi museum known as 'Kala mooslee' or 'black root.' Nicholas drew a sketch of black root for Hooker, and his drawing looked a bit like a jellyfish. Nicholas explained that black root was highly valued as an aphrodisiac and had puzzled several botanists in the past. After studying the sample, Nicholas concluded the specimen was actually the root of Calla aromatica. Today, we know this aromatic rhizomatic plant is a perennial herb native to India’s sub-Himalayan regions. The rhizomes contain a fragrant essential oil that is used in perfumes and cosmetics. And in India, the plant is used to treat joint pain and skin infections. Finally, Nicholas ends his letter with a little critique of William Hooker’s son. Nicholas had received a copy of Joseph Dalton Hooker's Flora Indica. He wrote: “I am rather angry. Tell Dr. Hooker, with my best compliments, at his saying there were no large forests in Sindh.”   From his own time in Sindh, Nicholas knew firsthand that there were nearly a hundred forests in the province, with most of them averaging three miles in length and one to two miles in breadth. Today we know that forests meant a great deal to Nicholas. In fact, Nicholas Dalzell is remembered for his efforts to conserve forests. Nicholas was one of the first botanists to recognize the link between forests and rainfall. As forests were eliminated, Nicholas realized that the evaporation cycle was disrupted, which resulted in less rainfall and drier conditions over the surrounding areas, sometimes leading to drought.   December 2, 1759  Today is the birthday of the English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society, James Edward Smith. In 1784, with encouragement from Joseph Banks, James shrewdly purchased Carl Linnaeus’s entire private collection and works. Like me, if you have ever wondered why Linnaeus’ private materials didn’t stay in Sweden and ended up in England, the answer is because of James Edward Smith. After Carl’s death, James acted quickly and made an offer too good to refuse to Linnaeus’ widow. By the time the King of Sweden learned of the purchase, he was too late. And although the King sent his agents to intercept the ship carrying Carl’s personal repository before it reached London, he was too late. Once the collection was securely in his possession, James founded the Linnean Society, and he also served as the first President. The Linnean Society is the oldest biological society in the world. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Society was an essential hub for scientific progress. And here’s a little-remembered fact about James Edward Smith: he was the private botany tutor to England’s Queen Charlotte and her four daughters.   Unearthed Words God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. ― James Matthew Barrie, Scottish novelist, playwright, and the creator of Peter Pan   Grow That Garden Library Small Space Garden Ideas by Philippa Pearson This book came out in 2014, and the subtitle is Create Your Dream Garden on a Windowsill, Wall, Step, Staircase, Balcony, Porch, or Patio. In this book, Phillippa writes for gardeners with small gardens, tiny gardens, or no garden at all. If you have little to no room for gardening, get inspired to makeover your minimal indoor or outdoor space with more than 40 inventive projects to grow plants where space is tight. Philippa’s ideas are a repository of the very best indoor and outdoor garden inspiration and ideas for the severely space-challenged gardener. With Philippa’s help and some imagination, there is no reason why anyone should not garden. Best of all, Philippa’s solutions won’t break the bank - which means you’ll have more money to spend on plants. This book is 256 pages of smart and innovative ways to make the little spaces feel bountiful and gratifying in addition to colorful and thrifty. You can get a copy of Small Space Garden Ideas by Philippa Pearson and support the show using the Amazon Link in today's Show Notes for around $3   Today’s Botanic Spark Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart December 2, 1860   Today is the birthday of the English-American writer, artist, and illustrator, Oliver Herford. Oliver’s wit was sharp and came through in his writing. He wrote: A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's: She changes it more often. — Oliver Herford, English-American writer, artist, and illustrator   And he also wrote, A rolling stone gathers no moss, but it gains a certain polish. — Oliver Herford, English-American writer, artist, and illustrator   A cat lover, Oliver wrote a few charming books about cats and kittens. Here’s a little cat-inspired verse Oliver wrote about pussy willows and bulrush: I sometimes think the Pussy-Willows grey Are Angel Kittens who have lost their way, And every Bulrush on the riverbank A Cat-Tail from some lovely Cat astray.” — Oliver Herford, English-American writer, artist, and illustrator, The Rubáiyát of a Persian Kitten   And finally, here’s a charming verse from Oliver about the dark month of December... I heard a bird sing In the dark of December. A magical thing And sweet to remember. We are nearer to Spring Then we were in September, I heard a bird sing In the dark of December. — Oliver Herford, English-American writer, artist, and illustrator     Thanks for listening to The Daily Gardener. And remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

From the internationally best-selling author of You Should Have Left, Measuring the World, and F, a transfixing retelling of the German myth of Tyll Ulenspiegel: a story about the devastation of war and a beguiling artist’s decision never to die Daniel Kehlmann masterfully weaves the fates of many historical figures into this enchanting work of magical realism and adventure. This account of the seventeenth-century vagabond performer and trickster Tyll Ulenspiegel begins when he’s a scrawny boy growing up in a quiet village. When his father, a miller with a secret interest in alchemy and magic, is found out by the church, Tyll is forced to flee with the baker’s daughter, Nele. They find safety and companionship with a traveling performer, who teaches Tyll his trade. And so begins a journey of discovery and performance for Tyll, as he travels through a continent devastated by the Thirty Years’ War and encounters along the way a hangman, a fraudulent Jesuit scholar, and the exiled King Frederick and Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia. Tyll displays Kehlmann’s remarkable narrative gifts and confirms the power of art in the face of the senseless brutality of history.

Frederick II (German: Friedrich II.; 24 January 1712 – 17 August 1786) ruled the Kingdom of Prussia from 1740 until 1786, the longest reign of any Hohenzollern king, at 46 years. His most significant accomplishments during his reign included his military victories, his reorganization of Prussian armies, his patronage of the arts and the Enlightenment and his final success against great odds in the Seven Years' War. Frederick was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled King in Prussia and declared himself King of Prussia after achieving sovereignty over most historically Prussian lands in 1772. Prussia had greatly increased its territories and became a leading military power in Europe under his rule. He became known as Frederick the Great (Friedrich der Große) and was nicknamed Der Alte Fritz ("The Old Fritz") by the Prussian people and eventually the rest of Germany. In his youth, Frederick was more interested in music and philosophy than the art of war. Nonetheless, upon ascending to the Prussian throne he attacked Austria and claimed Silesia during the Silesian Wars, winning military acclaim for himself and Prussia. Toward the end of his reign, Frederick physically connected most of his realm by acquiring Polish territories in the First Partition of Poland. He was an influential military theorist whose analysis emerged from his extensive personal battlefield experience and covered issues of strategy, tactics, mobility and logistics. Considering himself "the first servant of the state", Frederick was a proponent of enlightened absolutism. He modernized the Prussian bureaucracy and civil service and pursued religious policies throughout his realm that ranged from tolerance to segregation. He reformed the judicial system and made it possible for men not of noble status to become judges and senior bureaucrats. Frederick also encouraged immigrants of various nationalities and faiths to come to Prussia, although he enacted oppressive measures against Polish Catholic subjects in West Prussia. Frederick supported arts and philosophers he favored as well as allowing complete freedom of the press and literature. Most modern biographers agree that Frederick was primarily homosexual, and that his sexual orientation was central to his life. Frederick is buried at his favorite residence, Sanssouci in Potsdam. Because he died childless, Frederick was succeeded by his nephew, Frederick William II, son of his brother, Augustus William. Nearly all 19th-century German historians made Frederick into a romantic model of a glorified warrior, praising his leadership, administrative efficiency, devotion to duty and success in building up Prussia to a great power in Europe. Historian Leopold von Ranke was unstinting in his praise of Frederick's "heroic life, inspired by great ideas, filled with feats of arms ... immortalized by the raising of the Prussian state to the rank of a power". Johann Gustav Droysen was even more extolling. Frederick remained an admired historical figure through Germany's defeat in World War I. The Nazis glorified him as a great German leader pre-figuring Adolf Hitler, who personally idolized him. Associations with him became far less favorable after the fall of the Nazis, largely due to his status as one of their symbols. However, by the 21st century a re-evaluation of his legacy as a great general and enlightened monarch returned opinion of him to favour. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thehistoryexpress/support

Today we celebrate the German reformer who added the cultivation of Mulberries and silkworms as part of his schools and the man who started the Linnean Society. We'll learn about the Salem Botanist, who was a friend of Thoreau and Emerson and the man known as the Father of Texas Botany. We'll hear the poem that takes us through the months of the year - ending with "And the night is long, And cold is strong, In bleak December." We Grow That Garden Library with one of the best books of the year, and it takes us on a tour of the world's best gardens. I start my new segment for Holiday Gardener Gift Recommendations, and then we wrap things up with the birth flower for December.   But first, let's catch up on a few recent events.   Most young scientists will not study plant science. So why did I? | @talkplant Great post from Dr. Rupesh Paudyal @talkplant: "The best conversation killer that I know bar none: Plant science is important because… zzzzzzz (the person switches off)" We must flip the script. Plant science needs new scholars! Recruit, Recruit, Recruit!     Chicago Residence by Dirk Denison Architects | HomeAdore @HomeAdore shared this incredible home where there is a whole lot of green going on - garden terraces, outdoor landscaping, an adjacent park, terrariums, and integrated aquariums with aquatic plants galore. Me want!    Cheesy Acorn Squash Recipe - Allrecipes.com Heres a Cheesy Acorn Squash Recipe from @allrecipes. It's a nice change from traditional sweet acorn squash. This variation is supposed to be so great that people who dislike squash like this recipe. Reviewers say to add some garlic to the sauté. Substitution ideas include using sautéed apples and onions, topping with panko breadcrumbs or bacon.   Now, if you'd like to check out these curated articles for yourself, you're in luck - because I share all of it with the Listener Community in the Free Facebook Group - The Daily Gardener Community. There’s no need to take notes or track down articles - the next time you're on Facebook, just search for Daily Gardener Community and request to join. I'd love to meet you in the group.     Brevities #OTD  Today is the birthday of the German theologian and educator, Johann Julius Hecker, who was born on this day in 1707. Hecker recognized that a classical education didn't work for everyone, and so he founded secondary schools that prepared students for practical jobs and callings.  Hecker referred to his schools as, "the seed-beds of the state, from which the young, like trees from a nursery, could be transplanted in their proper places." Hecker's work attracted the attention of the king of Prussia, Frederick the Great). King Frederick encouraged Hecker to expand his efforts.   Hecker installed gardens near his schools to teach hands-on botany. The gardens included vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees.   And, Hecker also taught the cultivation of the mulberry tree. This was a strategic decision by Hecker, who recognized that the production of silk and the care of silkworms would find favor with the King. Thanks to Hecker, both teachers and students tended a large mulberry plantation and learned the culture of silk and mulberries.         #OTD   Today is the birthday of James Edward Smith, who was born on this day in 1759. In 1784, on the recommendation of Joseph Banks, Smith purchased the entire collection of Carl Linnaeus. When the King of Sweden learned of the purchase, he attempted to intercept the ship before it reached London. But he was too late. With the collection securely in his possession, Smith founded the Linnean Society, and he also served as the first President. The Linnean Society is the oldest biological society in the world. During the 18th and 19th century, the society was an important hub for scientific progress.     #OTD  Today is the birthday of the Salem Massachusetts Unitarian minister and American botanist, John Lewis Russell, who was born on this day in 1808. Russell attended Harvard along with his classmate of Charles Chauncy Emerson, whose big brother was Ralph Waldo Emerson. He graduated from the Harvard Divinity School in 1831 and served as a minister until 1854. While he served his various congregations, Russell pursued his passion for botany.  In 1874, the Reverend Edmund B. Willson wrote a “Memoir of John Lewis Russell,” and he observed: "Wherever this man went to fill a pulpit, the lovers of nature gravitated toward him, and he made them his allies. They attended him to the fields and ranged with him the steep hills and the miry swamps. His animated talk and moist, kindling eyes as he described the graces of the ferns and the glories of the grasses and the lichens quickened the love of beauty in them. He imparted stimulating knowledge of the secrets of the meadows and woods, and ... had an ear for the mysteries of the sea, [and] the forests, [and] the moss-coated rocks." In late September of 1838, Russell visited Ralph Waldo Emerson, and they spent some time botanizing together. Emerson wrote about the visit in his journal: "A good woodland day or two with John Lewis Russell who came here, & showed me mushrooms, lichens, & mosses. A man in whose mind things stand in the order of cause & effect & not in the order of a shop or even of a cabinet." Almost twenty years later, Russell went to Concord and spent three days with Henry David Thoreau. It would not be the last time they spent together. Thoreau showed him around town and asked Russell all of his botanical questions. He specifically sought help with plant identifications. For Russell, the trip was made special by finding the climbing fern during one of their walks. Russell had a particular life-long interest in cryptograms like ferns (plants that reproduce using spores). As Russell's life was ending, he sent many charming letters to his younger family members. In a letter to his nephew, he wrote: "When this reaches you spring will have commenced, and March winds... will have awakened some of the sleeping flowers of the western prairies, while we shall be still among the snow-drifts of [the] tardy departing winter.   As I have not learned to fly yet I shall not be able to ramble with you after the pasque flower, or anemone, nor find the Erythronium albidum, nor the tiny spring beauty, nor detect the minute green mosses which will so soon be rising out of the ground.   But I can sit by the Stewart’s Coal Burner in our sitting room and... recall the days when ... when we gathered Andromeda buds from the frozen bushes and traversed the ice-covered bay securely in the bright sunshine of the winter’s day.   I often long.. for a return of those Arcadian days... As I grow older — now threescore and nearly ten — every year... interests me all the more in his [God’s] works and ways.   Every little flower I meet with, ... that I never saw before, every little insect ... is a novelty... the ever-increasing discoveries of science and art, awaken my admiration, heighten my awe, and lead me to adoring trust...   I will not trouble you to write to me, but I should like a spring flower which you gather; any one will be precious from you to your feeble and sick Old uncle and friend, J.L.R."       #OTD Today is the anniversary of the death of the Father of Texas Botany and legend, Ferdinand Jakob Lindheimer, who died on this day in 1879. Lindheimer immigrated from Frankfurt, Germany, and spent more than a decade searching the wilds of Central and Southeast Texas for new species of plants. The botanist George Engelmann was a friend and fellow immigrant from Frankfurt. Engelmann introduced him to other botanists from around the world, and he helped Lindheimer process and identify his numerous specimens. In January of 1842, Lindheimer wrote Engelmann: “Herewith I am sending you 180 species of plants, most of which I collected in the spring of 1840... Send me the names soon - so that I don’t have to keep creating nicknames such as I have been using as an aid... especially for the grasses; for instance, narrow ear, panicle ear, long ear, twin ear…” While botanizing in Texas, Lindheimer discovered several hundred new plant species, and many now bear his name. Over his lifetime, Lindheimer collected close to 100,000 plant specimens in Texas. There are many incredible stories of Lindheimer's botanizing. Once he came across an Indian war party and ended up in a staring competition with the chief. Lindheimer won. Another time, Lindheimer had become friends with the Comanche chief Santana who wanted to trade Lindheimer two mules and a Mexican girl for his blue-eyed, blonde-haired grandson. Lindheimer politely declined the offer.       Unearthed Words "January cold and desolate; February dripping wet; March wind ranges; April changes; Birds sing in tune To flowers of May, And sunny June Brings longest day; In scorched July The storm-clouds fly, Lightning-torn; August bears corn, September fruit; In rough October Earth must disrobe her; Stars fall and shoot In keen November; And night is long And cold is strong In bleak December." - Christina Giorgina Rossetti, The Months     Today's book recommendation: Gardenlust by Christopher Woods The subtitle to this book is A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best New Gardens, and it is a fascinating and glorious armchair read to the most incredible gardens of our lifetime. The cover of this 416-page book shows a garden that's at the Golden Rock Inn in Nevis. Miami-based designer Raymond Jungles designed the gardens under the stewardship of New York artists Helen and Brice Marden, the owners of Golden Rock.  After a long career in public horticulture, Chris Woods spent three years traveling the world seeking out contemporary gardens, and he found fifty of the best.  His book is a botanical tour of the world's best new gardens - public, private, and corporate. Chris focuses on the gardens around the world that had been created or significantly altered -this century, the 21st century.  Chris views the gardens through a variety of themes, including beauty, conservation, architecture - plant and landscape, as well as urban spaces. Chris's book was published in late September, and it's such a great reminder for us to get out of our own gardens and see and learn from other gardens - especially public gardens. Gardens Illustrated called this book, "An extraordinary collection of 21st-century gardens that will arouse wanderlust… Whether you are a garden globetrotter or an armchair explorer, this book is definitely one to add to your collection. With wit and humor, Chris describes the most arresting features in public parks in exotic locations like New Delhi and Dubai, mission-redefining botanic gardens in Chile and Australia, and the most enviable details of lavish private estates and gemlike city yards. Throughout, he reveals the fascinating people, plants, and stories that make these gardens so lust-worthy."       Today's Recommended Holiday Gift for Gardeners Crabtree & Evelyn's GARDENERS HAND CREAM - 25ML - $10 Buttery texture. Rich moisture. Botanical goodness. For hands that are always on the go, press pause and treat them to our Gardeners Hand Cream. • The nature-inspired formula, rich in herbal extracts. • Super-hydrators macadamia seed oil and shea butter help replenish lost moisture. • Created with lovers of the great outdoors in mind. • The signature Gardeners fragrance inspired by summer memories of freshly-cut grass on a sunny day.       Something Sweet  Reviving the little botanic spark in your heart As we begin December, you may be wondering what December’s birth flower is?   Well, it's no surprise that the December birth flower is the Poinsettia.   Poinsettia is botanically known as the Euphorbia pulcherrima. Pulcherrima means “very beautiful.”   Like all Euphorbias, the Poinsettia has milky sap. The Aztecs used the sap as a medicine to control fevers, and the red bracts were to make a reddish dye.   In the 1820s, President John Quincy Adams appointed the botanist Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett to serve as a US ambassador in Mexico. Poinsett soon observed a shrub on the side of the road that caught his eye. He sent specimens to his friends, and the Poinsettia became a sensation.  In 1836, English newspapers reported: "Poinsettia Pulcherrima, the bracts which surround the numerous flowers, are of the most brilliant rosy-crimson color, the splendor of which is quite dazzling. Few, if any of the most highly valued beauties of our gardens, can vie with this. Indeed, when we take into consideration the profuse manner in which it flowers, the luxuriance of its foliage, and the long duration of the bracts, we are not aware that there is any plant more deserving of a place in all select collections than this lovely and highly prized stranger."       Thanks for listening to the daily gardener, and remember: "For a happy, healthy life, garden every day."

Join us this week as we pull back the loincloth on this classic tale of swindling and subservience. Learn why our big human brains make us susceptible to delusion, why children always say the darndest things, and how to make sustainable clothes! In the studio this week: psychology researcher Holly Blunden and fabrics enthusiast Stephanie Terwindt.Recorded by Sarah-Jayne Robinson and Tim Newport at CPAS Podcast Studio.Edited and transcribed by Tim Newport.Intro music sampled from "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--TranscriptSJ: Many years ago, there was an Emperor so exceedingly fond of new clothes that he spent all his money on being well dressed.[Intro Music]S: Hi , everyone . My name's SJT: And my name is Tee.SJ: And we're Crumbs of science. And this week, if you couldn't tell, we're talking about the Hans Christian Andersen tale the Emperor's New Clothes. This is one that you've probably heard about before in school and it's really quite a simple tale, very easy to tell the morals in this one.T: There's no Disney version of the Emperor's New Clothes, although there is the Emperor's New Groove, which has similar morals?S: You've got an emperor who is not that nice .T: Yeah , quite vain . And he learns to -- I don't know if this one learns anything.S: He does! He's learned something at the end. The tale goes that the Emperor didn't care anything about caring for the kingdom or making sure that he was being a good ruler. The only thing he cared about was making sure that he had a good looking outfit on. They had a lovely saying, which was "The king's in council, the Emperor's in his dressing room.” He lived in a place where everything was good, so it's all right that he was a bit of a sucky ruler because life was going okay for them. One day there came to town two swindlers who said that they were weavers, and that they could weave the most magnificent fabrics imaginable. And there was something very special about these clothes: Not only were their colours and patterns uncommonly fine, but clothes made of this cloth had a wonderful way of becoming invisible to anyone who was unfit for his office or who was unusually stupid.T: “Those will be just the clothes for me,” thought the Emperor. “If I wore them, will be able to discover which men in my empire are unfit for their posts! And I could tell the wise man from the fools! Yes, I must certainly get some of the stuff woven for me right away.” So he forks over a large sum of money to start work immediately.S: And the swindlers, they've got him, hooked him in. They set up their looms, which is what they used to use in olden times to weave and they put nothing on there. They demanded all the exciting materials to make this cloth, so fine silk and gems, gold. But they put all that into their bags and still just set up on this empty loom. Clickity clack going ahead, weaving nothing, which really is a great deception, it seems.T: And so the emperor thought I'd like to know how those weavers are getting on with their cloth, but felt slightly uncomfortable because he remembered that those who were unfit for their position, would not be able to see the fabric. Now it couldn't be that he doubted himself. Yet he thought he'd rather send someone else to see how things were going. The whole town knew about the cloth's particular power now, and they're all impatient to find out how stupid their neighbours were.S: So the first person that the emperor decides to send is his minister because he thinks he's very smart, fit for his job. Minister turns up, can't see anything. But the swindlers, because seems like they were pretty good actors, described the cloth to him, saying it about the excellent pattern and the beautiful colours. However, this poor old minister still couldn't see anything, but he didn't want anyone to know that he was a fool, so he just pretended that he could see it. So he said, it's beautiful, it's enchanting, such a pattern, what colours! I'll be sure to tell the emperor how delighted I am with it.” The minister went back to the emperor and pretended that he saw the fabric, and described to him how amazing and wonderful it truly was.T: The swindlers, of course, merely asked for more money, more silk, more gold threads so they could make more of the clothes. But all of it went straight into their pockets--never a thread went onto the looms, though they worked their “weaving” (in scare quotes) as hard as ever. The emperor then thought I'll send another trustworthy official to see how it's going. That official? The same thing happened as to the minister: He looked and he looked, but as was nothing on the looms, he couldn't see anything. The swindlers went “Isn't it a beautiful piece of goods?” and they displayed and described their imaginary pattern, and this other official thought, “I'm not stupid, so it must be that I’m unworthy. Hmm, I mustn't let anyone know.” So he praised the material he didn't see, he said he was delighted, and to the emperor, he said: “It held me spellbound.”S: So finally the emperor decides that he's got to go see this cloth. So he goes along with a band of people--two of them the ministers who had already gone to see the fabric--and he couldn't see anything. He didn't want anyone to realise that he was unintelligent and unfit to be emperor, so he pretended that he could see it as well and said “Oh, it's very pretty. It has my highest approval.” The whole team he brought with him stared. But not wanting the emperor to think that they were foolish, they continued to compliment the clothes and say how wonderful they were. The emperor even gave the swindlers a cross to wear in their buttonhole and the title of “Sir Weaver.”T: All the Emperor's advisers advised him “You need to wear these amazing clothes in your procession that you were going to do tomorrow.” And so before the procession, the swindlers stayed up all night and burned more than six candles to show just how busy they were finishing the Emperor's New Clothes. They pretended to take the cloth off the loom. There had cuts in the air with huge scissors. And at last, they said, “Now the Emperor's New Clothes are ready for him.” Then the emperor himself came with his noblest nobleman and the swindlers raised up their arms is if they were holding something, saying “here are the trousers, here is the coat, here's the mantle. All of them are as light as a spider web, and one might always think that he had nothing on, but that's what makes them so fine.” “Exactly,” all the noblemen agreed, though they could see nothing, because there was nothing to see.S: So everyone complimented him. He assumed that he was ready, assumed that he looked fantastic, went outside and everyone who was to carry his long train behind him-- Because, of course, that was the height of fashion at the time--they reached down to the floor and pretended to pick it up. And so the emperor went off in his procession under his splendid canopy, and all of his subjects were in the streets and saying to each other, “Oh, how fine are the Emperor's New Clothes? “Don't they fit him to perfection? And see his long train?” Although no one could see anything, no one would admit this because they didn't want to be seen as unfit for their positions or a fool.T: But then the tiny voice of a child was heard through the clamour in the crowd, saying “But he hasn't got anything on.” “He hasn't got anything on?” “A child, says he hasn't got anything on!” “But he hasn't got anything on!” the whole town cried out at last, and the emperor shivered because he suspected they were right. But he thought “this procession has got to go on. So walked more proudly than ever, as all his nobleman held the train that wasn't there at all.S: A very simple tale of morals. I think of honesty, vanity, don't trust swindlers. So this is a Hans Christian Andersen tale, as we said it was first published on the seventh of April in 1837 was part of his third and final instalment of his Andersen's Fairy Tales Told for Children. The original version of this story was published in 1335 in the book “Libro de los ejemplos”, which is book of the examples by Count Lucanor or Juan Manuel, who was the Prince of Villena and this version of the story was “the king and the three impostors”, and it's very similar in terms of the king is presented with a cloth, but the people who can't see the cloth in that version are actually people who are off illegitimate birth so everyone says that they can see it, especially the king, because he doesn't want to think that he's a bastard and therefore would not be fit for his position. And at the time being of illegitimate birth was considered quite a controversy, So everyone pretends that they can see it until finally, it's not actually a child who steps forward, but it is a black person who at the time was considered to not have anything to lose by admitting that they couldn't see anything. And then suddenly the whole the same thing happens: The whole crowd swells, and everyone realises that the king is actually wearing no clothes. And Anderson didn't see this the original Spanish version, but he did see a German translation of it, which I had to Google. Translate this, because I do not speak any German, but the translation was “That's the Way of the World. When Andersen wrote it, he originally gave it a different ending: He originally had that the emperor's subjects just admired the clothes, and everyone in the town pretended to lie and continued on with it, and the manuscript was actually already at the printers when Andersen went up and said that he wanted to change the ending Historians think that there's a couple of reasons why he might have wanted to change it such as when Andersen himself met the King when he was a young child and he met King Frederick the sixth, and Andersen supposedly said afterwards “Oh he's nothing more than a human being.” There's also the idea that Andersen presented himself to the Danish bourgeoisie as a naive and precocious child, and the Emperor's New Clothes was his expose of the hypocrisy and snobbery that he found within the Danish bourgeoisie. There was also a lovely anecdote that said that after he had written this tale, the king then presented him with some gifts of rubies and diamonds. Because in the Emperor's New Clothes and another of Andersen's tales, the Swineherd, he actually voices a satirical disrespect for the court. So the king was trying to pay him off so that he stopped writing tales of political satire and instead wrote lovely storeys like The Ugly Duckling, which is actually one that he made up entirely by himself and didn't come from previous stories.T: What happens in the Emperor's New Clothes is basically an almost textbook case of mass hysteria. In this case, it's mainly motivated by trying to please the royals. Everyone's trying, to, you know, not get fired, which happens in workplaces a lot. But historically, there have been many cases off large groups of people, all behaving in a strange manner all at the same time. We've actually spoken about this on the podcast before we spoke about the dancing plagues of 1518 in StrasbourgS: in relation to , the pied piper of Hamlin .T: The main mechanism through which they work is still largely unknown. What happens is basically people transmit illusions of threats or rumours, and that influences the behaviour and especially in the small, tight-knit communities. This can happen quite fast. There's an example of this recording 1844 medical textbook, speaking about something that happened in sometime in the 1400s, where a nun in a French convent began meowing and all the other nuns also began meowing, eventually, all the other nuns began meowing together at the same time every day, and that this meowing and didn't stop until the police threatened to whip the nuns for disturbing the community. Other examples include one of most famous ones, The Salem Witch trials, which often gets carted out as the dangers of false accusation, dangers of isolationism and the dangers of mass hysteria. This resulted in the execution of 20 citizens accused of practising witchcraft. Going further forward in 1938 we had the Halifax slasher in the town of Halifax in England, two women who claim to be attacked by a mysterious man with a mallet and bright buckles on his shoes. And then further reports of a man wielding a knife and a razor came in, and the situation became so serious that Scotland Yard was called in to assist the Halifax police to catch this Halifax Slasher. But then one of the victims admitted that he'd actually inflicted the damage upon himself just for attention. Soon after that admission, other people came through, and eventually, they determined that none of the attacks has been real. But everyone in the town had been whipped into a furore because of this fear of this attacker.S: So we've been talking about the psychology of mass delusions, which are pretty relevant to the Emporer's New Clothes, and we decided to get on an expert. So we asked our friend Holly, who has an Honours in psychology and then has spent the last five years working in population health research. So thank you so much for coming on our show, Holly.Holly: Thank you for having me, it's lovely to be here.S: So we have a couple of questions for you in relation to the Emperor's New Clothes. Holly, how does mass delusion work?H: Such a cop-out way to start an answer, but that is a really good question. And I think that’s the-- sort of like group psychology and anything to do with this, sort of, thinking of lots of different individual people is something that's really interesting. I think these stories , like the Emperor's New Clothes, remind us of some of the really dark aspects of humanity and what it means to be ah, part of a species that's this intelligent but also this, sort of, social and so dependent on the impacts and the outcomes of these sort of social hierarchies and the way that we interact with one another. It's hard not to see parallels with those real-life examples when you talk about things like you know, the Heaven's Gate cult and things like that, where there are these otherwise sort of educated, functional members of society committed a mass suicide, in order to like ‘graduate’ --quote unquote-- from their human form and transcend their consciousness as an alien spaceship was passing by the Earth .S: So I haven't heard of the Heaven's Gate cult before. How many people was that they were part of that mass suicide?H: Well, it was actually 39 people who all at this one moment in time, it's very much that kind of Jonestown punch sort of approach, where there was this ‘Hale-Bop’ comet, I think it was called, that was like meant to be passing overhead at this specific time. And the members of this cult believed that they needed to sort of transcend their physical forms at the time that this comet was passing over the Earth in order to transcend, I suppose, and become one with this, like, greater existence. And like it's really interesting as well because as we talk about delusions, I think it's important to kind of differentiate between like like mass delusions and mass hysteria. And like, there's something else, that they called like mass psychogenic illness. So there have been these cases where otherwise healthy people have come down with these sort of like physical ailments of different kinds, so whether it's like twitching or fainting or weird physical behaviours, or like different types of pain and things like that, that could just spread through a community with no attributable physical cause. But a delusion is a bit different, it's more an idiosyncratic belief or impression that you maintain, despite contradicting evidence. This is a delusion because --and this is what made me think that we needed to sort of differentiate-- some of the members of this court were actually returning their telescopes, and things like that, because they bought telescopes to see this comet coming and its trajectory, couldn't find it, and so they've then returned their telescopes because they've rationalised this as the telescopes need to be faulty, because the comet is there. So it's the maintenance of that belief despite contradiction, sort of, evidence or reality.T: Are there any factors that lead to the sort of mass delusion? Like any common factors?H: I think this is one of the reasons that these sort of things are so interesting to people because there's a lot of debate about, like, what the possible reasons for this actually are, because obviously whether it's the psychogenic illness or the mass delusion, like, just the logistics of how this actually happens is really complex. Because you can sort of you can understand how one person's thinking can become, like, disordered or deluded, based on their experiences, or like mental illness… Brains are complicated, and if different things go wrong, like, we can see how that can manifest in lots of different ways. What's really hard to explain about these sort of mass delusions is how does how does a whole group of people go down this same idiosyncratic path of thinking? And how do they all sort of not respond to the evidence and things like that? So there's --I don't know if you've heard of it-- something called Folie à deux, which is like ‘dual madness,’ and so it's this idea, and it's often between people who are in, like, romantic partnerships, or like these very close, sort of like one on one relationships, where they will have these sort of shared dual kind of delusions. And there's this really quite an active debate as to whether this is a real concept, whether it's actually possible for two people to be deluded in the same way, or whether there's like one person who's like fully in the delusion and another person who either, like, sort of you wants to believe, or is kind of enabling those beliefs--T: --acquiescing to those beliefs.H: Acquiescing is a very interesting word choice, and I think I think there is a really core question there, which is is a mass delusion something that can exist? Or does it have to be something that's got a bit more to do with that acquiescence and that natural tendency for people to sort of want to fit into a group and have that sort of sense of place and social cohesion?S: We wanted to ask you about the psychology of acquiescence because from the sound of it, a bit more into acquiescing rather than [delusions].H: It's hard to really tease it apart because obviously like, you know, 39 people isn’t everyone in the world sort of thing. So there are limitations to how kind of compelling this sort of acquiescence or delusion can be. So I think, like, you could put forward a solid argument. Humans are really social species, and our societies often tend to gravitate towards hierarchies. In evolutionary psychology, there's an argument that we actually feel social rejection in a similar way that we would feel physical pain. So because of that, we go to great lengths to avoid feeling rejected by social groups. It is important to acknowledge that evolutionary psychology, while it gives us some really compelling kind of ideas, doesn't lend itself to the kind of falsifiable hypotheses that we do really love in a lot of science. So that's difficult one. But we do have a lot of-- there is a lot of research on acquiescence and how humans will respond in these kinds of social situations. And one really famous example is the “Ash Line” studies from the 1950s-- really straightforward, really powerful kind of social psychology experiments. So they put people in this kind of like classroom environment and, you you'd be like one participant in this class full of other people. The experiment was that, other than the one participant in the room, everyone else in the classroom was in on the experiment. And so they'd hold up two lines that were like, really, really obviously very different lengths. And every single other person in the classroom would be like, oh, they're the same. And so what they found --and I'm sure you know where I'm going with this-- is that most people would actually acquiesce and would be like yep, no, they're the same length, even like knowing that it's wrong. Like there's nothing ambiguous about this situation's very much, I think, comparable to that sort of Emperor's New Clothes situation. It's just being directly confronted with, like, just wrongness. And one of the things as well is that people often tend to have a bit of that, kind of, like self-doubt. So we often look to other people in our social group for answers when we're not sure of the situation. So in something like this you might start off pretty sure. But when everyone else is like convinced that these lines of the same length (or so you think) there's a natural kind of tendency to assume that maybe we've got something wrong and to sort of check yourself. And like often people will go with the group answer, especially if there's someone else that they perceive as like an authority or an expert in that group, because they'll second guess themselves. But they'll trust the group, and it sort of again, like, leads back to that whole, sort of, humans are pretty much useless on our own. But we have very good once we're in a society and we're all sort of working together. But that does come with some pretty interesting drawbacks, which I think you know. What's really highlighted by this Emperor's New Clothes story is that sometimes it's so damaging, and the consequences are so high, of violating these norms or disrupting these hierarchies that exist in the societies that we exist in, that it's easier to either just like acquiesce and agree with what's being said, or potentially to convince yourself that you are wrong and they're seeing something that you know you're just missing, because clearly you're an idiot, and everyone else can see that the lines are the same, that the Emperor is wearing fantastic clothes, and you must be the one who's like screwed something up. Unless you want to end up off on your own.S: so there is one person who in our story doesn't really fall into this power of acquiescing. And that is the child, who instead, even though everyone around him is saying that the Emperor's wearing his delightful suit, says no, he doesn't actually have anything on. So we thought that we would ask you about children and how they don't particularly fit into that power of acquiescing...H: Well, right off the bat, I think there's a definite truthiness to that, isn't it? I'm sure we've all been asked a question or heard a child ask a question every now and then, where we'll be like, hoo, you did not think about the effect it would have on that person to ask that question, did you? Well, first of all, it is pretty demonstrable that it takes a little while to become an adult. There's a lot of processes and brain development and things we need to learn, and neural pathways that need to be consolidated as a function of that learning.S: It takes until you're 25 before your brain is fully developed.H: Absolutely right. And so the last part of your brain to develop, because it sort of happens in stages, are your cortical areas, which are the outside bits that do all the human stuff. These are the sort of structures that have evolved later in development, but they also develop later in your life, so it tends to start from the back and move forward. So things like motor function and things like that will be refined a lot more quickly than some of these more complex social processes. So you see, you know, like a 12 year old or something, and physically in a lot of ways, like they could do most of the stuff that adults could do, especially if they practise a specific skill set and things like that. But emotionally, cognitively, there's still a lot more development to happen. So a lot of things obviously happen during puberty, a lot of emotional kind of attachment and regulation and reward systems and things like that. But this processing of, like, the sort of longer term, higher-order, more abstract connections and consequences of your actions is one of the last things to develop. So that's one of the ones that actually comes in right around that 25 mark, so kids don't have that same kind of like a reason to take pause and sort of consider, like, what are all the things that could happen. And, like biologically and experientially, I don't know about you, but I feel like a lot of people have a real crash course in social politics and hierarchies, and the potential unintended consequences of small things that people say when they go through high school. And by the time you come out of that, you sort of, you know, you're not prepared for a lot of situations that you’ll have at work, but you kind of get this mental map of like, these are the potential consequences that these actions can have.S: If someone turns up naked, you can't tell them that they're naked!H: It's not what people do! It's just it's not the done thing.S: Thank you so much for coming on and having a chat to us, Holly, We really appreciate it.H: Thank you for letting me!S: So the tale of the Emperor's New Clothes, It is about mass delusions, but I also think it's a lot about and I suppose the inventiveness of creativity of these tailors. And at the time, making a fabric that was invisible to some people but visible to others wasn't particularly possible, but nowadays we're almost on the verge of making it be able to make something like that happen. So we decided to speak to Stephanie Terwindt about her passion project, which is making clothes.[phone rings]S: Hi, how's it going?Stephanie: Yeah, not bad.S: Steph, I've known you for a number of years now, and you're a bit of talent at making your own costumes.ST: I am , although don't just do costume, so I also do daywear, and arts and crafts--bit of everything, really.S: And as someone who uses a lot of different fabrics, we thought we might talk to you about some of the current innovations in fabrics and how people make fabric. So I’ve just been doing a bit of research and there have been some amazing innovations. We've come very far from the original using flax fibres to dye clothes. Do you have a favourite fabric that you like working with?ST: Well, see this is a hard one. Because I have fabrics that I like to wear and that I like in clothing, but they're actually probably some of the most horrible fabrics to work with as a seamstress. So, for example, I really, really love chiffon as a fabric. It drapes beautifully. It looks glorious when you're making skirts or dresses and it just has a really nice wow factor. But it is so slippery and so hard. to pin together and to keep in place while you're sewing it, that it’s actually the worst and probably my most hated fabric to use in sewing, even though I love it as a garment.S: So usually worth it in the end, but while you're making it, sort of hating the whole thing.ST: Absolute agony.S: At the moment, personally, I'm trying when I'm looking for clothes, looking to buy clothes, I try and go for ones that are made sustainably, because the actual process of making fabrics can be really harmful to the environment. Do you have any knowledge of current sustainable methods of making clothes, and how that might differ from traditional methods?ST: Definitely. So I guess there's a couple of elements here, and if we think to really more traditional clothes in the modern sense, you're thinking of natural fibres like cotton or linen or silk. They aren't always produced in the most sustainable way, particularly a fibre like cotton. It's a highly water-intense crop to grow, and traditional cotton farming actually uses a lot of chemicals and pesticides in its production, so there's that whole element of producing the cotton. But there's also the aspect of how the fabrics are produced, once you have your thread elements, I guess you could say. So that's the more traditional side of things, and then you get into the synthetic world. Then we're into the area of, you know, single-use plastics almost, and your clothing can almost be regarded that way because as much as you use clothing over, you know, the period of a couple months or a couple of years, depending on your taste and your preferences, once a garment is used, it's very hard to recover those plastic fibres that have gone into making the polyester or lycra that is making up your garment. So there's a big issue around re-using the plastic fibres as well, what we are starting to see. There is a lot of businesses that are looking to alternative natural fibres, though. There's a fibre called TENCEL which was actually developed in Australia, which is made from eucalyptus tree pulp, I believe. And they used that to make the threads which they will then weave into the fabric. And it's a much more sustainable crop then something like cotton, while still being a natural fibre.S: What you're also saying is companies trying to reduce waste the way they make the garments.ST: Traditionally, when you are making garments, you have a large piece of fabric. You cut pattern pieces out of it, and you connect all the pattern pieces together to make your shirt or your dress or your pants. What some companies are doing is weaving fabric or knitting fabric specifically to the pattern pieces so that they don't have to cut the pattern out, and they also won't have any excess fabric as waste. So they're really able to cut to make all of their garments and also reduced the waste in the manufacturing process.S: So I know that people are also making fabrics from a lot of really, really you'd almost say bizarre things nowadays. So one of my favourite brands, Allbirds, which makes shoes from merino wool first. But then they've also started making shoes from tree fibres, and most recently, I think, from sugar plants, they started making flip flops, I think. There's also some companies that will make clothes out of plastic bottles.ST: Funnily enough, a friend of mine has started her own swimwear label, and all of the bikinis in her swimwear range are made of Lycra that is produced from recycled plastic like plastic bottles or fishing line stuff like that. And it's actually becoming increasingly common in particularly swimwear, I think is that connection to the ocean, and people are talking a lot about, you know, cleaning the oceans and removing the plastic from our oceans, and so they’re moved to take that plastic, repurpose it into fabric and then make swimwear out of it, which is fantastic.S: I realise that we can't predict what's gonna happen in the future. But if you were to try and predict what will happen in terms of fabrics, where could you see it going?ST: Ooh, this is a hard one! Because I think there's a lot of work that already underway or that people are already starting to test that I think in the very near future we’ll see and it will be a reality. So I think we're going to continue saying this push towards recycling fabrics I know that H&M has actually been testing recycling garment fabric, pulling apart old garments, re-using the threads from that and creating new fabric from scratch. So I think we're going to see more of that. We're going to see more reusing other natural fibre sources or plastic or whatever to create your fabrics. I think we're also going to start testing or playing with other ways of making fabrics there, not just weaving in a traditional sense, but 3D-printing or a mix of 3D-printing and weaving, and we are also starting to see that happen.S: Thanks so much for chatting to us about that, So the history of clothing is a very, very long one, and people have said that people have been wearing clothes for between 500,000 to 100,000 years ago, and of course, it's evolved a fair bit since then. About 30,000 years ago, people made needles, when people used to make fabrics, and this is how they would have done at the time of the Emperor's New Clothes. You would harvest and clean your fibre and wool, then you'd cart it and spin it into threads, weave the threads into the cloth and then finally fashion and sew the cloth into different clothes. And this sort of technology, people have said that you can find it from about 30,000 years ago, but it's pretty hard to find a lot of history about fabrics because , of course they rot. People have mainly guessed this based on the tools that they found and imprints that they found about things. Nowadays, there's actually-- I went down such a rabbit hole when I was looking at this, and Tee has seen the amount of pages of notes that I have. I found a whole bunch of odd things that I'd never would have suspected that you could use to make fabrics such as orange fibre, which is this company in Italy who's trying to find a way to use the 700,000 tonnes of orange peel discarded yearly in order to create juice. And they make a material similar to viscose blended with silk and cotton and, if you know anything about brand name Salvatore Ferragamo, who makes beautiful, amazing high-end clothes, actually used this fabric to create a capsule collection. There are also companies making bioplastics from potato waste, which is this company Chip[s] Board, which makes a fabric Parblex, and they are working with the potato company McCain's in order to use their potato waste from their wedges and, so on, all their other potato products. And the company has a zero-waste production system because even the offcuts of their material production is incorporated back into the system. There are legitimately so many weird ones out there. I found ones using grape marc to make leathers to make vegan leathers. There are lots and lots of different types of ones, you can make them from pineapple skin. There are hemp fibres --now have turned out to be a very fantastic material because they're antibacterial, durable, resilient. However, there are a few problems with using hemp fibres because the growth is often limited, as people are a little bit worried about that whole connection to cannabis. There are clothes made out of coffee ground fibres, so just think the next time you have your coffee that the grounds could also actually be used by a Taiwanese company to turn into a different type of yarn. And that company, Singtex, is working with Starbucks to take the coffee grounds and use them to make fabrics. Banana fibres, lotus fibres is a super high tech one, and also supposedly makes really high-end ones. And then there's even just new companies that are making different types of fabric, like Stone Island, which is working with reflective glass microbeads and temperature-sensitive outerwear.S: So we've come a pretty long way since the Emperor's time, and though we might not have invisible fabric just yet, there are some really cool options,S: Alright, so hopefully you've learned a little bit about the Emperor's New Clothes. How to avoid being caught up in a mass delusion. And also if anyone tells you that the fabric you're wearing looks fantastic, but you can't see it, do not trust them because it is most likely that they are lying.T: This is actually the final episode of Crumbs of Science. We hope you've much fun listening to this is we have had recording it, and we just like to thank the ANU Centre for the Public awareness of Science for the use of the recording facilities, we’d like to thank Will Grant for getting us set up in the space.S: To all our guests that came along and gave interviews and answered such bizarre questions.T: We hope we didn't get anyone fired. Yeah, that's it from Crumbs of science.S: If you have any questions in the future, please feel free to email us at crumbsofscience@gmail.com.T: Until next time we hope you have--T&S: a happily ever after.[Outro music]

Millions of Americans and millions of dollars are used to support faith-based missions each year. Groups of people large and small head outside the borders of the US to save the world and be the Gospel by providing all kinds of support. Could we have our typical models of operation structured to do more damage than good? We welcome Lucretia Hall to the table to talk about her experiences in this world. Her husband John came to the table in our first season and we are delighted to call them both listeners, guests and friends of the show You can find the organization, Praying Pelicans Mission, that was mentioned here. Your can find the documentary mentioned Poverty, Inc here. You can learn more about the story about King Frederick mentioned by Lucretia here. It talks about how not just love but the innate NEED for love through physical affection and touch are necessary for life. Love in action is listening to understand, not to react. You can find us on different mediums to listen and subscribe such as iTunes, Spotify, Google Play Music, TuneIn,  iHeart Radio, PodBean, Cast Box and more by clicking here. We are very anxious to hear YOUR feedback at our first jump into this and want to hear the good and bad so we can keep doing the right things correctly and correct the things we are not. Please contact us at sean@thecometothetablepodcast.com for any and all feedback, comments, show suggestions and the like.  You can also like our Facebook Page  as well as follow us on Instagram & Twitter  A special thanks to the musical talent of our friend and guest of the show David HaLevy for writing and performing the sound to our intro and outgoing music.  Check out the Ruach Guitar Facebook Page he makes by hand and plays as well as on Instagram.   We are very humbled and grateful for this personal touch to the show and cherish it greatly.   תודה David!

In Ep. 27, The Lives of Some Other Bachs, pt. 4 “Carl Philipp Emanuel and the Prussian Blues” we see Emanuel Bach suffer many more years in service to King Frederick the Great of Prussia, unable to find employment elsewhere. His perpetual good cheer served him well during these troubled years and he continued to compose and make a success of himself as before. Following the Third Silesian War from 1756-1763, Emanuel had enough of royal service and was determined to leave Berlin. He set his sights on Hamburg, where his godfather Georg Philipp Telemann was music director. Luckily, Emanuel would be Telemann's successor, and took over his new post in 1768. He spent the rest of his life there and passed away in 1788 knowing that his life had been a success from beginning to end. Our App!  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-great-composers-the-gcp/id1465809545?fbclid=IwAR0tQTElluT8I3jn6SYFcQst70IY0Ym52LjEz1Z3DR11oq5ZGDLV_URNyHk&ls=1 Music heard in this episode: 1. B minor sonata, H. 245 beginning of mvt. 3 (played by me) 2. Solfegio in C minor, organ version - Dick Koomans https://musopen.org/music/43229-solfeggio-in-c-minor-h-220/ 3. D major symphony H. 663 mvts. 1,2,3 4. Fantasia in F-sharp minor H. 300 - Joan Benson https://musopen.org/music/9240-fantasia-in-f-sharp-minor-h-300/ ---------------- For all things GCP Please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes! The App!  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-great-composers-the-gcp/id1465809545?fbclid=IwAR0tQTElluT8I3jn6SYFcQst70IY0Ym52LjEz1Z3DR11oq5ZGDLV_URNyHk&ls=1 Like our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/thegreatcomposerspodcast/ A complete bibliography for all episodes can be found on my website: www.kevinnordstrom.com

What's better than average sized soldiers? Giant soldiers, of course! This week, Hailey teaches Alexis that no one likes their dad in Prussia, but some have better reasons for it than others. Join us for family squabbles that sounds right out of Game of Thrones! Also check out the Screamies here: https://screamieshorrorawards.simplecast.fm/ Special thanks to Swing Whale for our music! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Legally Insane – Episode 31 Matt and Tony start off the show with a friendly argument regarding who knows more about the law. After all, these days a quick Google search can reveal quite a lot. In other news the guys have a live show coming up May 3rd at The Hollywood Improv. There will be a live podcast recording and a ton of great stand up comics. Stay tuned for this week’s episode on the legalities of laying claim to outer space. Highlights: [07:20] – In 2015 The SPACE Act was passed to allow US citizens to explore the moon and exploit planets. [09:00] – Space is free for exploration but nobody can claim sovereignty over it. [11:17] – In 1936 Dean Lindsay went to the Pittsburgh Notary office and tried to lay claim to everything in space, naming it Lindsay’s Archipelago. [11:47] – James Thomas Mangan founded the nation of Celestial Space, he tried to lay claim to the planets and stars. [20:20] – Alexander The Great and King Frederick and their space wishes. [23:02] – Jergens soap or lotion? Hollywood Improv Ticket Link: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/legally-insane-with-nick-thune-hollywood-improv-the-lab-tickets/8216265?pl=hollyimprov&REFID=hollywoodimprov&_ga=2.136525936.1919426937.1522706538-541958136.1519503963 Twitter: @mattritter1 @toekneesam Website: www.cascademedia.com

"“Princess Lily's Wedding” by Robert J. Santa (Originally published in Blood, Blade & Thruster.) "I love him, Daddy!" King Frederick breathed deeply. It had been a very long conversation with his youngest child, punctuated by much pouting and exasperated sighing and stomping of pretty feet. Frederick stood over her while she held her face in her hands and cried. He wanted to do nothing more than pout and sigh and stomp his feet. Of course, he couldn't, even in his daughter's bedroom with no one else to see. Kings had to uphold higher standards, especially with sixteen year-old daughters. Robert J. Santa has been writing speculative fiction for more than thirty years. His works have appeared in numerous online and print markets. Robert lives in Rhode Island, USA, with his beautiful wife and two, equally beautiful daughters, one of whom is named Lily. And while she is nothing like the Lily of this tale, she could be without stretching the imagination too much. “Shoe Man” by Tonya Liburd (Originally published in Expanded Horizons, July 2016.) Somewhere in downtown Toronto, a homeless black man had shoes whose soles were flapping. He refused to give them up, no matter what people said, no matter what people offered. They were the first things he ever bought in Canada, the shoes he wore to his wedding, so long ago. The wedding that was supposed to mark the beginning of a new life, a good life in Canada. A good life… they were pretty young, he had a wife, he had a daughter, he had a job… then the illness reared its head and took over. And everything spiraled out of control. No medications would make his mind whole again; the fear and confusion from his wife, the fights. The guilt over his daughter witnessing it all. When his wife died instantly from the car accident while he got barely a scratch – fortunately their daughter wasn’t with them – it was the last thing he could take, and he remembered just everything conspiring to force him out the door and leave everything behind. Well, almost. He still had his shoes. That was years ago. Tonya Liburd shares a birthday with Simeon Daniel and Ray Bradbury, which may tell you a little something about her; and while she has an enviable collection of vintage dust bunnies to her credit, her passions are music (someday!) and of course, words. Her poetry has been nominated for the Rhysling award, and her fiction has been long-listed in the 2015 Carter V. Cooper (Vanderbilt)/Exile Short Fiction Competition. Her story “The Ace of Knives” is in the anthology Postscripts to Darkness 6, and is used in Nisi Shawl’s workshops as an example of "code switching". She is the associate editor of Abyss & Apex magazine. You can find her blogging at spiderlilly.com or on Twitter as @somesillywowzer, and support her over at Patreon.com/TonyaLiburd. About the Narrators: Matt Dovey is very tall and very English and most likely drinking a cup of tea right now. He has a scar on his arm that he can't remember getting, but a terrible darkness floods his mind when he considers it. He now lives in a quiet market town in rural England with his wife and three children, and despite being a writer, he still hasn't found the right words to properly express the delight and joy he finds in this wonderful arrangement. His surname rhymes with "Dopey", but any other similarities to the dwarf are purely coincidental. He is the Golden Pen winner for Writers of the Future Volume 32 (2016), was shortlisted for the James White Award in 2016, and has fiction out and forthcoming all over the place; you can keep up with it at mattdovey.com, or follow along on Facebook and Twitter. Cris Maycock is a Bajan Yankee who has lived in Brooklyn most of her life, a beach lover, a food lover, and a sci-fi fan who likes to think that she is both scientific and creative. Cris loves storytelling and the performance medium of audio books." See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Piers Adams continues to celebrate CPE Bach's 300th anniversary year with a visit to Berlin's Charlottenburg Palace, where Emanuel Bach arrived as an optimistic 26 year old to join the court of Prussia's flute-playing King Frederick the Great. In a guided tour though the palace we hear how Emanuel Bach's adventurous musical style was not to the King's conservative tastes, and so he spent much of the next 28 years trying to leave the court - but not before he had established himself as Europe's most famous keyboard player and teacher. Emanuel also found a valuable friend in Frederick's sister Anna Amalia, herself an accomplished musician and also something of a court outcast, having secretly married and become pregnant against the King's wishes. We hear movements from CPE Bach's String Symphonies and from his Prussian Sonatas, from new recordings issued to celebrate the anniversary.

The date is May 7, 1747. The place is Potsdam, in the Kingdom of Prussia….about 15 miles from the capital city of Berlin. In the newly built summer palace of King Frederick the Great, the day was drawing to a close as it usually did – with an evening concert in the palace’s large music room. This would indeed be a memorable evening of music making. As it turned out the musicians readying their instruments to play that night wouldn’t actually get to perform. But what did transpire led to the creation of one of the most interesting and impressive pieces of music written during the entire era later named “the Baroque.”

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 67 Number 1c, Adagio from Sonata VI, Op.5, performed by David Summer. This third movement from Sonata VI, Op.5, by Johann Quantz changes to the key of G major (the relative major to e minor). It's slow enough so that performers are advised to count eight notes as getting one beat, as I do for this performance. Quantz was not only a prolific composer of music for the flute, as well as the author of the afore mentioned book "On Playing the Flute", he also made flutes of his own design. Probably the most famous recipient of these instruments was King Frederick the Great. Quantz built many flutes for Frederick while serving the King. To modern western musicians, Quantz's most interesting addition to his flute is a key for D# even though the enharmonic Eb key was already present on the flute, as it is today. This was to satisfy the desire to play using a system called "just intonation", which was prevalent until about the middle of the 19th century, before the widespread adoption of the "equal temperament" system most widely used in western music today. The metronome setting for this performance is eigth note = 88.

Selected Duets for Flute, Page 66 Number 1a, Adagio from Sonata VI, Op.5, performed by David Summer. Johann Joachim Quantz is a name that is well known by professional flutists as well as advanced flute students. Quantz wrote over 300 concertos and many flute sonatas. This duet is from one of his early efforts, Sonata VI, Op.5. He also wrote many collections of flute duets, probably the most popular today being his "Six Duets For Two Flutes Op.2". Although he traveled widely, studying music in the first half of his life, Quantz spent his last 30 years, from 1741 to his death in 1773, in Dresden under the service of King Frederick the Great of Prussia. This recording is the first of 5 movements of the Sonata. The other 4 movements will be presented over the next 4 podcast episodes. The metronome setting for this performance is quarter note = 69.