Welcome to House of History. Last week we looked at Prussia’s Soldier King, Frederick
Wilhelm I, and what he meant for Prussian history. As he ascended to the throne, within
days it became evident he was the polar opposite of his art- and pleasure-loving and much liked
father. He immediately cut all ‘unnecessary’ costs, expanded its military to a near ridiculous
degree and as a result a strong and efficient civil service developed.
Now, I briefly touched upon his court life in the previous video. Due to his preference
for sober, robust manners and deprecating humour, his close circle of confidants consisted
of military men, crude, blunt and masculine. In this Tabakscollegium or Tobacco Ministry,
the men maintained a form of raw humour that didn’t just border on bullying but consisted
of absolutely tormenting any poor victim they decided to set their eyes on. In this video,
we’ll have a closer look at Prussia’s Tabakscollegium and the anecdotes of their
royal bullying… something that made a surprising impact on me, as the sheer venomous conduct
of these men honestly astounded me and put the Soldier King in a different light.
-intro-
The Tabakskollegium
Upon ascension in 1713, the Soldier King cut spending and fired the majority of staff that
had been working at Prussian court for decades. A particularly telling example is that of
Johann von Besser. He had served at Prussian court under the Soldier King’s father since
1690 and was the central person shaping the culture of Prussian royal court. Aside from
the detailed description of the first king’s coronation, he had methodically described
all rituals observed at court, for years. It was his life’s work if you will. Now,
without any warning, he was stripped of his rank and fired. When he wrote a letter to
the Soldier King asking him to reconsider, the letter is said to have been thrown into
the fireplace, unread. Johann’s life’s work collapsed around him, and his case is
telling for many others that suffered a similar fate in those early weeks of the Soldier King’s
reign. A British observer described the contrast
between father and son in 1716: “As the late King of Prussia was scrupulous in the
ceremonies of the greatest nicety, his present Majesty, on the contrary, has scarce left
the least footsteps of it’. Replacing court life was the lean and masculine Tabakskollegium.
Generally, this “ministry” consisted of around 8 to 12 military men and senior officials,
often supplemented with adventurers and travellers that happened to pass by and were invited
by the King. The conversations were held while enjoying strong alcohol and tobacco pipes.
Primary sources from those meetings show that the setting was informal, raw, with one of
its rules being that rising for the king was not necessary when he entered the room. Something
that was more or less common practice everywhere else, throughout Europe. The men talked about
religion, the news, political developments and about their hunting adventures. It was
expected that all those participating, including the occasional traveller that joined, did
not hold back with debates and discussion. Considering the alcohol-fuelled atmosphere,
this led to considerable debates and even fights. Sources reveal that occasionally the
Soldier King encouraged and roused these fights. Alright, so one of the anecdotes I briefly
touched upon in the video about the Soldier King was the visiting professor from the University
of Helmstedt: August Hackemann together with then-famous writer David Fassmann. These men,
attending the Tabakskollegium upon invitation one night, got into a fight which “degenerated
into a mud-slinging match, to the great amusement of the other guests”, according to Clark.
Eventually, the debate deteriorated to Fassman hitting Hackemann with such force that the
latter nearly fell onto the king. Asking the King whether “it was not a most punishable
thing to behave in such a way in the presence of him”, the King is said to have replied
“a scoundrel deserves the blows he receives”, obviously enjoying the whole scene unfolding
in front of him.
Jacob Paul von Gundling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA8VyCXdZpI
Now the absolute worst anecdote of the viciousness of the Tabakskollegium is the story of Jacob
Paul von Gundling. Educated at multiple universities in both Swiss and the German territories,
Gundling eventually settled in Berlin during the intellectual blossoming at the courts
of the Soldier King’s father. Himself an intellectual heavyweight, Gundling managed
to obtain a teaching post at a school for sons of the Prussian nobility and he became
the historiographer for the Chief Herald’s Office. Basically, he occupied himself with
checking the genealogy of noble applicants for public office. I think it’s safe to
say that for a historian with an insatiable curiosity and incredible intellectual prowess,
Gundling truly managed to find a great place for himself in 18th century Prussia.
And then, in 1713, the first King in Prussia passed away and his son, the Soldier King,
succeeded him. Suffering the same fate as Fassmann, both Gundling’s positions were
near-instantly abolished. Nevertheless, Gundling was resilient and managed to stay at Prussian
court as an advisor on economic policy, moulding himself after the new King’s wishes and
attitude. In reward, Gundling was rewarded titles such as ‘Commercial Councillor’
and even the presidency of the Academy of Sciences.
Another “reward”, and I use quotation marks for that word, was the fact that Gundling
was invited to meetings of the Tabakskollegium. Up until his death in 1731, Gundling was a
high-ranking member of Prussian court. Though after 1713, the way he was treated at court
changed dramatically. Within several months of the Soldier King’s radical changes at
court, Gundling’s position degenerated into a figure of ridicule and torment for the enjoyment
of other members. This learned man became, quite literally, the laughing stock.
In February 1714 already, the Soldier King ordered Gundling to deliver a lecture for
guests on ghosts, whilst forcing him to take strong drink whilst lecturing. At one point
Gundling got drunk to the degree that he had to be escorted back to his room by Prussian
grenadiers, where he was met by a “ghost” - a person draped in a white sheet startling
him. Gundling shrieked with terror, and this was one of the milder pranks played on him.
Other sources reveal that he was once locked up in a pit with bear cubs, whilst men shot
fireworks at them from above; he was forced to wear clownesque court attire, loosely modelled
on French court clothing but obviously to make a mockery of him; laxatives were put
in his food and after he finished dinner, not realizing what he had just eaten, he was
thrown in prison for a night; and once he was goaded in a pistol duel with one of his
tormentors, with everyone except Gundling aware the guns did not contain bullets. Gundling
refused to fire his pistol at his tormentor. In turn, he was shot at with burning powder,
setting fire to his wig, much to the amusement of everyone present.
“Reader say, can you divine, whether he was man or swine?”
Due to his increasing debts, Gundling was unable to leave Berlin and the Prussian court.
Over time, he turned into the court jester, tormented by the King and his confidants.
The psychological effect of this hopelessness seems evident: Gundling starts drinking excessively.
The fact that he did so, ironically, only made him an even more suitable target. A full-fledged
alcoholic in record tempo, his situation at court can only be described as horrible. To
his credit, during this time, Gundling did manage to write and publish a multitude of
learned publications on a broad variety of subjects. That’s what makes him so interesting:
he continued his academic work with resilience and determination. It gained him the name
‘Der Gelehrte Narr’ or the ‘learned court jester’.
Gundling published works on the history of Tuscany, on Imperial German law and the topography
of the Electorate of Brandenburg. Though a mind to respect, the pranks played on him
at court got crueller as time progressed. As a play to his alcoholism, the King decided
it would be fun to build a life-size wine barrel for Gundling. He was told it would
be his coffin and placed in the corner of his bedroom so that he was confronted with
it every day. On it, the verse was inscribed:
“Here there lies within his skin Half-pig, half-man a wondrous thing
Clever in his youth, in old age not so bright Full of wit at morning, full of drink at night
Let the voice of Bacchus sing: This, my child, is Gundeling
Reader, say, can you divine, Whether he was man, or swine?”
And when Gundling finally passed away in 1731, after nearly 2 decades of extreme bullying,
in a morbid display of complete lack of empathy the King decided to display his corpse to
the public. It was propped up in the barrel, and a long wig and extravagant costume was
put on him. It was a hint at the court of the Soldier King’s father, and towards everything
the King himself resented. Many people saw this morbid display, travellers and citizens
alike, some describing what they had seen in letters.
Now, Gundling was buried, together with the barrel, next to a church outside the city.
Ironically, the funeral address was given by the writer David Fassmann, whom we know
from the fight with another professor. Fassmann was known as being one of the tormentors of
Gundling. A very sad end for the man indeed. Personally I think that these stories about
the Soldier King’s court say a lot about the path Prussia now developed towards. It
was much more raw, masculine and perhaps even sadistic. Whereas in the main video about
the Soldier King we discussed the incredible expansion of the army and civil service, basically
providing Frederick the Great with the stepping stones to create a Great Power out of Prussia,
there was a flip-side to this obsession with the military and sober court lifestyle.
Next week we will look at the horrible relationship between the Soldier King and his son, who
would eventually become Frederick the Great. Thank you for watching this video. Make sure
you check out the playlist with the Complete History of Prussia on the screen. I would
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time! I would also like to thank all my Patrons
for their generous support. If you enjoy House of History and want to support my work consider
checking me on Patreon. For just 1$ a month you will gain access to the exclusive Patreon
series. Don’t forget to subscribe. See you next time!