podcast

Armchair Historians: 19th-Century Germany & the Schleswig-Holstein Question

Kristyn J. Miller

Hey all!

In this podcast, I got to talk with Anne at Armchair Historians about something I haven’t really discussed on my blog before: the Schleswig-Holstein wars and the rise of a cohesive German identity throughout the 19th century. It’s a really fascinating part of history that isn’t discussed often in the English-speaking world.

Super excited to share this with you guys. Below you’ll find links to the podcast as well as social media:

You can find Armchair Historians on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram:

https://twitter.com/ArmchairHistor1
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Website: https://www.armchairhistorians.com/

Subscribe to the Armchair Historians podcast:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1020073
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/armchair-historians/id1510128761
https://open.spotify.com/show/5gFQYF0hqQpymD1gs2E8GJ
https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS8xMDIwMDczLnJzcw==

Published by Kristyn J. Miller

I write romantic comedies with a women's fiction slant as well as the occasional horror or thriller. I grew up in Southern California but these days I'm restoring an old center-chimney colonial in Maine with my husband. I earned my B.A. in literature from University of Redlands and I'm currently in a master's program in history and museum studies at University of New Hampshire. Big fan of antique books, peat bogs, birds, and fuzzy sweaters.

4 thoughts on “Armchair Historians: 19th-Century Germany & the Schleswig-Holstein Question”

  1. Another interesting post which connected with me in a number of ways. Regarding the TV series 1864, I watched it in the U.K. a few years ago (subtitled). I was already aware of the Schleswig-Holstein question but from the British perspective I always felt that it was viewed as a case of Bismark bullying the poor Danes. I don’t know if it was just poetic licence but the series played heavily on the arrogance of the Danish establishment, feeling militarily secure and expecting help from Britain in the event of war. One scene I found particularly amusing was after the Dane’s defeat their applying to the German Confederation for membership and being refused by Bismark on the grounds that they were so arrogant they would soon persuade themselves that they had defeated Germany and try to take charge (again probably just poetic licence).

    I found the discussion about identity particularly interesting as I have also taken a DNA test mainly because of my having a somewhat confused background (my recent ex refers to me as 52 varieties after the Heinz ads) and I have also studied the nature/nurture discussion and cultural identity through language in my psychology/sociology interests. In fact, if ever I get the time/inclination I will write a book about cultural capital and language (I’ve designed the cover).

    Historical accuracy in my fiction is something else I have recently considered blogging following a somewhat uncomplimentary review (I agree about the comments about Outlander by the way, I’ve lost interest. I think it was because it has gone from something original to a standard historical romantic soap opera).

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    1. Ah, that is interesting, I assume the whole issue is better known in Britain? Here in the U.S., our history classes and media tend to ignore international events that had no direct impact on us, I feel. European history classes are considered elective in high school, and even then, I don’t recall whether those classes touched on Schleswig-Holstein at all (I did elect to study European history but I don’t remember much about the course at the time).

      DNA tests open an interesting door to when it comes to identity, I feel. My understanding is that the technology isn’t necessarily perfected yet, but even then, it raises a lot of questions, I think (can someone claim an identity on DNA alone, or is a cultural connection needed? Is speaking a language required to identify with that ethnic group?). That sounds like a great subject for a book, I’d be really interested in reading, if it’s something you end up writing.

      I’m always a little surprised when people balk at certain liberties in historical fiction. It’s like they skipped over the “fiction” part entirely.

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      1. Could get into a really long discussion over these issues but I won’t . I’ve found things get very contentious when you challenge (or people assume you’re challenging) long held beliefs. Just out of interest I remember reading once about a German descent community in Brazil who still speak German Pomeranian as a distinct language/dialect.

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