In the first comprehensive life of Frederick III, Müller reconstructs how the beloved persona of “Our Fritz” was created and used for various political purposes before and after the emperor’s tragic death from throat cancer. Frederick III served as a canvas onto which different political forces projected their hopes and fears for Germany's future.
Frank Lorenz Müller is Senior Lecturer in Modern History, University of St. Andrews.
Table of Contents
Contents The Hohenzollern Monarchs Introduction 1. Shaping a Prince’s Life 2. Liberalism and Empire 3. A National Treasure 4. The Politics of Succession 5. Illness and Reign 6. Contested Memory Conclusion Abbreviations Notes Sources and Works Cited Acknowledgments Index
What People are Saying About This
James Retallack
I found this one of the most readable, enjoyable, and wise studies on Imperial Germany to have appeared in the past decade. The title Our Fritz illustrates how Müller is able to avoid writing a hagiography of a tragic king. Instead, he weaves the threads of affection -- given and received, not given and not received -- into a fabric that envelops a nuclear family, a dynasty, and a nation. A mature scholarly assessment and first-rate writing make the story of Frederick come alive and offer something genuinely new. I highly recommend it. James Retallack, University of Toronto
Christopher Clark
A gripping biographical study of a fascinating and important figure. Müller presents a number of bracingly revisionist arguments in a thorough, rigorous, and compelling way, anchored in a witty and humane portrayal of the central actors. My enthusiasm for this book is not only for its historical acuity, breadth of compass, and evidentiary depth, but for the memorable portrait it paints of a gifted, privileged, melancholy, and doomed individual. Christopher Clark, author of Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947