Prussia at Crossroads: State, Society and Monarchy in Crisis

Due to unforeseen scheduling issues, we have condensed our two-day programme into one full day on Wednesday, 15 October 2025. We are pleased to confirm that all speakers will still be joining us, and the full line-up of presentations and discussions will now take place across a single day in Utrecht.

There will be two distinct events:

1. Afternoon session – Book presentations on Wilhelm I
2. Evening session – Book launch by Sir Christopher Clark

Participants are welcome to attend either one or both parts of the day.

Prussia in Crisis – New Insights on a Transforming 19th-Century State
Prussia in the nineteenth century was a state and society perpetually on the verge of crisis. Victorious in the Napoleonic Wars, it remained unable to undo the long-term consequences of the preceding upheavals. What followed was a regime anxious to suppress revolutionary sentiments and defend the existing social order. At the same time, new social, economic, and cultural transformations inspired political movements that demanded inclusion and change.

How did Prussian authorities respond to the challenges posed by liberalism, nationalism, religion, and an evolving public sphere? What can these responses tell us about the political and cultural dynamics of modern state power?

These questions are central to our updated one-day event on 15 October 2025 in Utrecht, where four newly published books will be presented that each shed light on a different facet of Prussian political and social life.

We are honoured to host:

• Susanne Bauer (Berlin University of the Arts)
• Jan Markert (Trier University)
• Frederik Frank Sterkenburgh (Utrecht University)
• Sir Christopher Clark (University of Cambridge)

These scholars will present new research on topics ranging from imperial correspondence to monarchy, scandal, and authority in 19th-century Prussia.

The day will begin with presentations by Bauer, Markert, and Sterkenburgh, exploring how the Hohenzollern monarchy sought to assert itself in the decades after the 1848 revolutions, as new political ideologies and forms of communication challenged traditional authority.

In the evening, Sir Christopher Clark will launch his much-anticipated new book, A Scandal in Königsberg. Set in the 1830s, the book examines a sensational moral and religious scandal that rocked the seemingly quiet city of Königsberg (modern-day Kaliningrad), revealing deeper anxieties within Prussian society in the post-Napoleonic era.

Program – Wednesday, 15 October 2025

Afternoon Session — Book Presentations
13:00–16:00 CEST
Zalen van Zeven, Boothstraat 7, Kerkzaal
Speakers:

• Susanne Bauer, Die Briefkommunikation der Kaiserin Augusta (1811–1890)
• Jan Markert, Wilhelm I: von Kartätschenprinz zum Reichsgründer
• Frederik Frank Sterkenburgh, Wilhelm I as German Emperor: Staging the Kaiser

These presentations explore how the Hohenzollern monarchy sought to legitimise itself in the decades after 1848, responding to liberalism, nationalism, and the demands of a changing society.

16:00–17:00 — Light meal (soup & sandwiches)
Provided at the Zalen van Zeven for all attendees.

Evening Session — Book Launch with Sir Christopher Clark
19:00–21:00 CEST
Academiegebouw, Belle van Zuylenzaal, Domplein 29
Book: A Scandal in Königsberg (Penguin, 2025)
In conversation with:

• Beatrice de Graaf (Utrecht University, moderator)
• Frederik Frank Sterkenburgh (Utrecht University, respondent)

Christopher Clark presents his gripping new book on a religious and moral scandal in 1830s Königsberg, uncovering the social tensions and anxieties of post-Napoleonic Prussia.

Drinks reception – 21:00-22:30
To conclude the day, we invite all attendees for drinks at the Academiegebouw.

Registration Options
Participants are welcome to register for just one part of the programme (afternoon or evening), or for both. We ask everyone to register in advance using the updated form: