Born in the Prussian capital of Berlin, Katte was a nobleman by birth, coming from a long line of aristocratic military men. His ancestors were squires of Wust in the Altmark. His father, Hans Heinrich Graf von Katte, was one of Frederick William I's most regarded cuirassiers. Katte's mother, Dorothee Sophia von Wartensleben, was the daughter of a seasoned and revered field marshal, Graf Leopold Alexander von Wartensleben. Hans Hermann studied in Königsberg and Utrecht, focusing on French and law. After completing his studies he joined the Prussian Army. It is not known when Frederick II and Katte met for the first time. However, when they both attended private mathematics and mechanics lessons in 1729, they became acquainted rapidly. Frederick, eight years younger than Katte, admired Katte for his cosmopolitan attitude. Both were interested in poetry and playing the flute. Historians are still unsure about the sexuality of both men due to their intimate friendship. In the spring of 1730 Frederick revealed to Katte that he had a plan to flee to Great Britain as a way to leave his harsh and despotic father, who he affectionately called "My Dear Papa." At first, Katte tried to hold Frederick back, yet at the end supported Frederick's plan to escape. On 5 August 1730, while the royal retinue was near Mannheim in the Electorate of the Palatinate, Frederick tried to escape from his quarters. At that point Katte stayed in Potsdam. A compromising letter unmasked Katte as an accomplice and Frederick and Katte were subsequently arrested and imprisoned in Küstrin. However, because they were army officers who had tried to flee Prussia for England, Frederick William I leveled an accusation of treason against the pair. A court martial found Katte guilty of desertion and sentenced him to lifelong imprisonment that would last until the King himself died, but King Frederick Wilhelm I ordered the sentence changed to beheading, declaring that "it would be better that Katte came to death than the justice out of the world." As Katte was an officer of the King's Guard, Frederick William argued that if Katte were let off lightly, the King's Guard could never be trusted again. All petitions of mercy for Katte, including one from Frederick, were ignored. Katte was beheaded at the fortress of Küstrin where the king forced Frederick to watch the execution. However, when he was brought up to be executed, Frederick shouted in French to Katte, "Veuillez pardonner mon cher Katte, au nom de Dieu, pardonne-moi!" Katte called back in the same language, "There is nothing to forgive, I die for you with joy in my heart!" Frederick then fell to the floor in a dead faint. These were Katte's last words, yet not his last farewell. Soon it was discovered that Katte had written a farewell letter to his father before his execution which states: Upon witnessing his death, Frederick was plunged into deep despair for three days. After that, he never spoke of Katte again nor visited his grave. Katte's remains rest in the crypt of the church in Wust.
