Christian Andreas Käsebier (1710 – after 1757) was a legendary German thief and robber during the 18th century who became an intelligence operative for King Frederick the Great following a sentence of life imprisonment.

Early life

Käsebier was born in 1710 in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, the son of Johann von Christophe Käsebier and Margaretha Kuhn. Christian and his siblings were raised in the French Reformed religion. He came from a long line of successful tailors, in which his father educated him to continue in the family profession. His brother, Johann George, would become the personal tailor for Count Casimir, before emigrating to Pennsylvania, however, Christian rebelled and entered a life of crime."Käsebier, Christian Andreas", General German Biography, Historical Commission of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences, Volume 15 (1882), p. 434

Crime boss

It is said that Christian Andreas became an infamous crime boss, staging numerous robberies and heists. He was caught on many occasions, but never executed, eventually being released every time. He was not a violent criminal, rather he used his charm and intelligence to accomplish most of his work. He was considered cunning and extremely deceptive."Seven Years War Rises"
History of Friedrich II of Prussia, p. 168, Retrieved 3 October 2009.

Life imprisonment

Käsebier was staying in Brandenburg an der Havel under an assumed named when he was finally arrested in 1748 and sentenced to life in prison at

Stettin Szczecin (, , german: Stettin ; sv, Stettin ; Latin language, Latin: ''Sedinum'' or ''Stetinum'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Po ...

by the King.

Recruitment as intelligence operative

In 1757, King Frederick the Great was engaged in the Seven Years' War and was conducting the

Siege of Prague The siege of Prague was an unsuccessful attempt by a Prussian army led by Frederick the Great to capture the Bohemian city of Prague during the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War). It took place in May 1757 immediately after the Battle of Prag ...

. He was in need of intelligence operatives who could penetrate behind enemy lines. The King personally recruited Käsebier with the promise of a pardon in return for his intelligence services. Käsebier successfully smuggled himself into the besieged city three times, but on the fourth mission became hesitant over the fear of being known now. The King threatened to send him back to prison, so Käsebier agreed to the fourth mission. He vanished soon thereafter, never to be heard from again, although it is claimed he was executed by the Austrians.

Popular culture

*It is claimed that

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

's play '' The Robbers'', from 1781, is loosely based on Christian Andreas and his father, Johann. *In 1972, the events surrounding the siege at Prague were adapted for the film '' The Stolen Battle'' with Manfred Krug cast in the lead role as Christian Andreas. *Käsebier is compared numerous times to the romanticized criminals of Europe, including having been cited in 2001 along with

Diego Corrientes Mateos Diego Corrientes Mateos (August 20, 1757 – 1781) was a Spanish bandit famous for his generosity to the poor. He was born in Utrera, Seville on August 20, 1757, and died by hanging in Seville in 1781. In 1780, Charles III of Spain offered 1 ...

, Robin Hood,

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

, and

Louis Mandrin Louis Mandrin (pronounced lwi mɑ̃dʁɛ̃; 11 February 1725 – 26 May 1755) was a French smuggler (highwayman) from Dauphiné. Biography Mandrin has been called the Robin Hood of France. He became famous for his rebellion against the Ferm ...

as one of Europe's most fabled criminals. *In Benjamin Carter Hett's 2008 book ''Crossing Hitler'', Christian Andreas Käsebier was cited as having stayed in the notorious Spandau Prison at one point and considered legendary. *In Kevin Casebier's 2021 book, ''King of Thieves'', Christian Andreas Käsebier is described as the "Prussian Robin Hood", a master of disguise and cunning leader of a band of highwaymen.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasebier, Christian Andreas German spies 18th-century spies German robbers People from Halle (Saale) 1710 births 18th-century deaths Year of death unknown Place of death unknown Criminals from Saxony-Anhalt