Episode 28: Wilhelm I with Jan Markert

In this episode, Katja and Chris are joined by historian Dr. Jan Markert to look past the myth of Wilhelm I as a passive "soldier on the throne" and uncover the shrewd, hands-on monarch who shaped Germany's path to unification. They trace his Napoleonic-era childhood, his doomed teenage romance, his brutal role in crushing the 1848 revolution, and the real story behind his appointment of Bismarck, one that overturns the popular image of Bismarck as the mastermind and Wilhelm as his pawn. Along the way, they explore his troubled marriage, his fraught relationships with his son and grandson, and why Wilhelm's legacy still deserves a serious reckoning.

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Host: Katja Hoyer & Dr Christopher Dillon
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Credits:
- Host: Katja Hoyer and Dr Christopher Dillon
- Production: Linus Klaßen
- Editing: Jessa Sargento

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