John C. G. Röhl (born 31 May 1938) is a British historian notable for his work on Imperial Germany and European history.
Early life
John Charles Gerald Röhl was born in the
German Hospital in
Dalston
Dalston () is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Hackney. It is northeast of Charing Cross. Dalston began as a hamlet on either side of Dalston Lane, and as the area urbanised the term also came to apply to surrounding areas includ ...
, east London, on 31 May 1938 to a German father, Dr. Hans-Gerhard Röhl, and an English mother, Freda Kingsford Woulfe-Brenan. She was the daughter of Captain Frederick Woulfe-Brenan, the Labour candidate standing against
Lady Astor
Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess Astor, (19 May 1879 – 2 May 1964) was an American-born British politician who was the first woman seated as a Member of Parliament (MP), serving from 1919 to 1945.
Astor's first husband was America ...
in the
Plymouth Sutton
Plymouth, Sutton was, from 1918 until 2010, a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
History
Pl ...
constituency in the
general elections
A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
of 1922, 1923 and 1924, and of Saffie Beechey Kingsford, great granddaughter of the Georgian portrait painter Sir
William Beechey
Sir William Beechey (12 December 175328 January 1839) was an English portraitist during the golden age of British painting.
Early life
Beechey was born at Burford, Oxfordshire, on 12 December 1753, the son of William Beechey, a solicitor, an ...
.
At the outbreak of war in 1939, John Röhl was taken by his parents first to
Forst
Forst may refer to:
Communities
In Germany
*, in the district of Aachen
*Forst (Baden), in Baden-Württemberg
*Forst (Lausitz), in Brandenburg
* Forst (Unterfranken), part of Schonungen, Bavaria
* Forst, Altenkirchen, in the district of Altenk ...
on the
River Neisse
The Lusatian Neisse (german: Lausitzer Neiße; pl, Nysa Łużycka; cs, Lužická Nisa; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.[Pécs
Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...]
in southern Hungary. His first languages were Hungarian and German. After the arrest of his father by the
SS in late July 1944 the family moved to the relative safety of the remote Hungarian countryside, but in January 1945 with the imminent approach of the
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
, Freda Röhl and her by then three children joined the stream of refugees heading westwards back to Germany. They were eventually reunited with Gerhard Röhl, who had been conscripted into a punishment battalion on the
Russian front, in
Ziegenrück in Thuringia, where they were liberated by the US Army led by General
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in France ...
.
After the
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference (german: Potsdamer Konferenz) was held at Potsdam in the Soviet occupation zone from July 17 to August 2, 1945, to allow the three leading Allies to plan the postwar peace, while avoiding the mistakes of the Paris Pe ...
the Americans offered the family safe passage from the
Soviet Zone of Occupation
The Soviet Occupation Zone ( or german: Ostzone, label=none, "East Zone"; , ''Sovetskaya okkupatsionnaya zona Germanii'', "Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany") was an area of Germany in Central Europe that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a c ...
to their headquarters in
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
-am-Main, where Gerhard Röhl became an interpreter and later the headmaster of the Helmholtz-
Gymnasium, a large grammar school for boys. Freda Röhl returned to England with her two daughters in December 1945; John Röhl was sent under the auspices of the
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
to an international children's home in
Adelboden, Switzerland. He was reunited with his mother and sisters in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
in December 1946.
Education
Röhl attended Seymour Park Primary School and
Stretford Grammar School
Stretford Grammar School is a grammar school located in Stretford, in the Trafford borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is located on a 15-acre plot in the heart of Stretford, Trafford.
Admissions
The school has a sixth form in addition to ...
, from where he won a state scholarship and a place to read History at
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus"), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th century through to the early 19th century ...
. Before going up to
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
in 1958 he completed his national service as an airframe mechanic in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
stationed at
RAF Geilenkirchen
Royal Air Force Geilenkirchen, more commonly known as RAF Geilenkirchen, was a Royal Air Force station in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, built by the British who used the facility mainly as an airfield for RAF fighter squadrons ...
on the German-Dutch border near
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
. At Cambridge Röhl achieved a First on both Parts of the Historical
Tripos
At the University of Cambridge, a Tripos (, plural 'Triposes') is any of the examinations that qualify an undergraduate for a bachelor's degree or the courses taken by a student to prepare for these. For example, an undergraduate studying mathe ...
and in 1961 went on to work for a PhD under the supervision of Professor Sir
Harry Hinsley. He spent the academic year 1962–63 in the archives of West and East Germany researching the history of
Imperial Germany
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
in the aftermath of
Bismarck's fall from power in 1890. The dissertation was published under the title ''Germany without Bismarck: The Crisis of Government in the Second German Reich, 1890–1900'' in 1967 and in German translation in 1969.
Life and career
Röhl was appointed to a Lectureship in History in the School of
European Studies at the then new
University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
at Brighton in 1964. He was promoted to Reader and in 1979 Professor of European History. Between 1982 and 1985 he served as Dean of the School of European Studies. He also taught Modern European History at the
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...
and at the
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisg ...
. He was elected to a Fellowship of the
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 1970, at the ' in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
in 1986–87, the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washi ...
at
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
in 1989–90, the
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...
at Princeton in 1994, and the
National Humanities Center The National Humanities Center (NHC) is an independent institute for advanced study in the humanities. The NHC operates as a privately incorporated nonprofit and is not part of any university or federal agency. The center was planned under the auspi ...
in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
in 1997–98. He was given
emeritus status by the
University of Sussex
, mottoeng = Be Still and Know
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £14.4 million (2020)
, budget = £319.6 million (2019–20)
, chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar
, vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil
, ...
in 1999.
Works
After ''Germany Without Bismarck'' (1967), Röhl edited the political correspondence of
Philipp, Prince of Eulenburg
Philipp, Prince of Eulenburg and Hertefeld, Count of Sandels (german: Philipp Friedrich Karl Alexander Botho Fürst zu Eulenburg und Hertefeld Graf von Sandels; 12 February 1847 – 17 September 1921) was a diplomat and composer of Imperial Germ ...
(1847–1921), the closest friend of Kaiser
Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...
until his fall from grace in a series of
scandals
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
in 1907–09, in three volumes under the auspices of the Historical Commission of the
Bavarian Academy of Sciences. This edition, published in the series ''Deutsche Geschichtsquellen des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts'' between 1976 and 1983, broke new ground, demonstrating the personal power wielded by the Kaiser, his court and his favourites as distinct from the state institutions in the monarchical-military system that had been bequeathed by Bismarck. A conference organised by Röhl, together with the cultural
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
Nicolaus Sombart in the Kaiser's palace on the island of
Corfu
Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
in September 1979, marked the beginning of a shift in
German historiography The historiography of Germany deals with the manner in which historians have depicted, analyzed and debated the history of Germany. It also covers the popular memory of critical historical events, ideas and leaders, as well as the depiction of thos ...
away from
structuralism
In sociology, anthropology, archaeology, history, philosophy, and linguistics, structuralism is a general theory of culture and methodology that implies that elements of human culture must be understood by way of their relationship to a broader ...
towards a greater interest in personalities, relationships, cultural assumptions, human emotions and the archival sources that reflected them. The conference papers, edited by Röhl and Sombart, were published by
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press
A university press is an academic publishing hou ...
in 1982 under the title ''Kaiser Wilhelm II – New Interpretations: The Corfu Papers''. A collection of essays on Wilhelm II and aspects of governance in Imperial Germany then followed entitled ''Kaiser, Hof und Staat'' (1987) and ''The Kaiser and his Court'' (1994) respectively.
In 1981, Röhl began further archival research for what was to become a three-volume biography of
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...
, published in German by the
C. H. Beck Verlag in Munich between 1993 and 2008, and in English translation by Cambridge University Press between 1998 and 2014. The biography, which was awarded the
Einhard Prize for European Biography in 2013, is considered an important contribution to the ongoing controversy on the origins of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. A much briefer study of the Kaiser,
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
's eldest grandchild, has appeared under the title ''Kaiser Wilhelm II 1859–1941: A Concise Life'' (Cambridge University Press 2014).
In 1996, in collaboration with the
geneticists Martin J. Warren and David Hunt, John Röhl exhumed the remains of the Kaiser's sister
Charlotte Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen (1860–1919) in Thuringia and her daughter
Princess Feodora of Reuss (1879–1945) in Poland. The analysis of their
DNA showed that both women, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria respectively, had suffered from a form of the dominant genetic disorder
porphyria variegata, so demonstrating the validity of the theory advanced earlier by Professor Ida Macalpine and her son Dr. Richard Hunter that this illness had been the probable cause of
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...
's "madness". These findings were published in the book ''Purple Secret: Genes, 'Madness' and the Royal Houses of Europe'' (1998).
Publications
*''Germany Without Bismarck: The Crisis of Government in the Second Reich 1890–1900'', 1967.
:*''Deutschland ohne Bismarck. Die Regierungskrise im Zweiten Kaiserreich 1890–1900'', 1969.
*''From Bismarck to Hitler: The Problem of Continuity in German History'', January 1970.
*''1914: Delusion or Design? The Testimony of Two German Diplomats'', 1973.
*''Philipp Eulenburgs Politische Korrespondenz'', 3 vols., 1976–1983.
*''Kaiser Wilhelm II – New Interpretations: The Corfu Papers'', 1982.
*''Kaiser, Hof und Staat: Wilhelm II. und die deutsche Politik'', 1987.
*''The Kaiser and His Court: Wilhelm II and the Government of Germany'', 1994.
*''Der Ort Kaiser Wilhelms II. in der deutschen Geschichte'', 1991.
*''Purple Secret: Genes, 'Madness' and the Royal Houses of Europe'', 1998.
*''Wilhelm II. Die Jugend des Kaisers 1859–1888'', 1993.
:*''Young Wilhelm: The Kaiser's Early Life, 1859–1888'', 1998.
*''Wilhelm II. Der Aufbau der Persönlichen Monarchie 1888–1900'', 2001.
:*''Wilhelm II: The Kaiser's Personal Monarchy, 1888–1900'', August 2004.
*''Wilhelm II. Der Weg in den Abgrund 1900–1941'', 2008.
:*''Wilhelm II: Into the Abyss of War and Exile, 1900–1941'', April 2014.
*''Kaiser Wilhelm II 1859–1941: A Concise Life'', 2014.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rohl, John C. G.
1938 births
Living people
English historians
Writers from London
English people of German descent
English male non-fiction writers
People from Dalston
People from the London Borough of Hackney