WHAT DID HIS CONTEMPORARIES HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HIM?
Other princes sometimes mocked him: Karl Friedrich was considered a frugal ruler. A Swede wrote the following about him in 1773: "He traveled in a plain two-horse carriage and only one running footman and two regular footmen accompanied him. This lord is too much a philosopher to enjoy such finery. He does not want the drum beat when he passes, only the guard stands at attention. He dresses coarsely and almost always wears boots and spurs..."