Hans Hermann von Katte
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Hans Hermann von Katte (February 28, 1704 – November 6, 1730) was a close friend of Frederick II of Prussia who was executed by Frederick's father Frederick William I of Prussia when they plotted to escape from the Kingdom of Prussia to the Kingdom of Great Britain. Some believe that the two were lovers and were fleeing to Great Britain where they would defect to the service of George II of Great Britain and possibly return to Prussia to depose Frederick William.
Katte was a nobleman by birth, coming from a long line of aristocratic militarymen. His ancestors were squires of Wust, a village in the eldest part of Prussia, the so-called Altmark. His father, Hans Heinrich Graf von Katte, was one of Frederick William's most regarded cuirassiers (a traditional horseman who donned the cuirass). Hans Hermann's mother, Dorothee Sophia von Wartensleben, was the daughter of a seasoned and revered field marshall, Graf Leopold Alexander von Wartensleben. Hans Hermann studied in Koenigsberg and Utrecht — his foci were French and Law. After completing his studies, he joined the Prussian Royal Army, which is no doubt where he met Frederick II.
Katte and Frederick were captured after the botched escape attempt, and Katte was found guilty of desertion by a court martial. He was sentenced to a life-long imprisonment, but the king wanted him to be executed, declaring that "it would be better that Katte came to death than the justice out of the world." Katte was beheaded in Küstrin (today Kostrzyn). Frederick was forced to watch the brutal execution at the behest of his father Frederick William. Von Katte's mortal remains rest in the crypt of the church in Wust.
Period accounts of Katte are conflicting. Frederick's sister Wilhelmina described him as surly and anything but handsome, with thick eyebrows. Others described him as very handsome. He was a typical sarcastic Enlightenment intellectual, and his atheism was an open secret in Frederick William's court. It was said that he and Prince Frederick's outrageous banter could have wilted the ears of any faint-hearted traditionalist. Predictably, most of Frederick's biographers credit Katte with putting a stop to what was left of the Prince's protestant Christianity.
While most modern historians are almost certain Frederick the Great was gay (or at least bisexual), Katte's sexuality is much more in doubt. Katte did have a reputation as a womanizer, and it is unclear whether he and Frederick were lovers at all. If they were, Katte might have played along out of his extreme devotion to his prince and best friend.
Hans Hermann von Katte's last words on the chopping block were "Lord Jesus Christ..." These have been interpreted as the beginning of a prayer, but have also been interpreted as an expletive, a sarcastic mockery, and even a dark joke for Frederick. Upon witnessing his death, Frederick was plunged into deep despair. When he emerged from it three days later, he almost never spoke of Katte again.
