On the Logic of Autocracy and the Plasticity of History: The Case of Frederick William I, King of Prussia
Gerda Henkel Lecture by Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin / Institute of Advanced Study
Acclaimed German historian Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, an expert in the constitutional, political, and cultural history of early modern Europe, will explore the fascinating contradictions of Frederick William I, the "Soldier King" of Prussia.
What happens when a person who rejects all rules and conventions finds himself in the position of ruler? Frederick William I (1688–1740), father of Frederick "the Great," is a legendary figure in German history. He is remembered for his state reforms, the vast expansion of his army, and the shocking fact that he nearly had his own son sentenced to death. Defying nearly all political, legal, moral, and aesthetic norms of his time, he humiliated elites, distrusted officials, avoided the company of women, and deeply traumatized his son. While contemporaries like Montesquieu saw him as a ridiculous outsider and pathological despot, later historians reinterpreted him as the "educator of the German people to Prussianhood." The bizarre case of Frederick William I serves as an example of the social logic of autocracy and the power of retrospective rationalization.
This lecture is part of the Gerda Henkel Lecture Series, organized by the Pacific Office of the German Historical Institute Washington in cooperation with the Gerda Henkel Foundation. The program brings German historians to the West Coast to present their research and engage in dialogue with their colleagues in the US and Canada.
Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger was Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Münster from 1997 to 2021, where she led collaborative research groups on Symbolic Communication and Social Value Systems and Religion and Politics. Since 2018, she has served as Rector of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Institute of Advanced Study). She is a member of various academies and a Fellow of the British Academy. Her research focuses on the constitutional, political, and cultural history of Europe from the 16th to the 18th century, particularly the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, with a special emphasis on political rituals, procedures, metaphors, and symbols.
Tour Dates
March 5 | 4:30 – 6pm PT | McKenzie Hall 375
March 7 | 2 – 3:30pm PT | JCSU Theatre
March 11 | 5 – 6:30pm PT | 223 Philosophy Hall | Register