View source for Kaspar Hauser

{{Short description|German youth kept in total isolation}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox person
|name          = Kaspar Hauser
|image         = Hauser Kreul.jpg
|caption       = Hauser in 1830
|birth_date    = {{birth date|1812|04|30|df=y}}
|death_date    = {{death date and age|1833|12|17|1812|04|30|df=yes}}
|death_place   = [[Ansbach]], [[Kingdom of Bavaria|Bavaria]], [[German Confederation]]
|death_cause   = [[Stab wound]]
|known_for     = Claimed unusual upbringing and subsequent mysterious death
}}

'''Kaspar Hauser''' (30 April 1812 – 17 December 1833) was a German youth who claimed to have grown up in the total isolation of a darkened cell. His claims, and his subsequent death from a stab wound, sparked much debate and controversy both in [[Nuremberg]] and abroad. Theories propounded at the time identified Hauser as a member of the grand ducal [[House of Zähringen|House of Baden]], hidden away because of dynastic intrigue. However, there were also allegations that Hauser was an [[impostor]].<ref>Reinhard Heydenreuter: ''König Ludwig I. und der Fall Kaspar Hauser'', in: Staat und Verwaltung in Bayern. Festschrift für Wilhelm Volkert zum 75. Geburtstag. Ed. by Konrad Ackermann and Alois Schmid, Munich 2003, pp.&nbsp;465–476, here p.&nbsp;465.</ref> In 2024, a scientific study ruled out Hauser's princely descent by comparing [[mitochondrial DNA]] [[Haplotype|haplotypes]] with the House of Baden.

== Biography ==
=== First appearance in Nuremberg ===
On 26 May 1828, Hauser, then a teenage boy, was found wandering the streets of [[Nuremberg]], then part of the [[Kingdom of Bavaria]], carrying two letters. The first letter was addressed to a Captain von Wessenig, commander of the 4th [[Squadron (cavalry)|squadron]] of the 6th [[cavalry]] regiment in Nuremberg. Its heading read: 

{{center|''Von der Bäierischen Gränz'' 

''daß Orte ist unbenant ''

''1828''

"From the Bavarian border  

The place is unnamed  

1828"}}

The anonymous author of this letter said that he had assumed custody of Hauser as an infant on 7 October 1812. The author said he had taught him reading, writing and the Christian religion, but never let him "take a single step out of my house." The letter stated that Hauser would like to become a cavalryman "as his father was." The letter invited von Wessenig either to take in Hauser or [[hanging|hang]] him. 

The second letter was purportedly written by Hauser's mother to his former caretaker. It stated that the boy's name was Kaspar, that he was born on 30 April 1812 and that his deceased father had been a cavalryman of the 6th regiment. Writing analysts in later years concluded that the same person wrote both letters. The line from the letter "he writes my handwriting exactly as I do" led them to assume that Hauser wrote both of them.<ref>Ivo Striedinger: ''Neues Schrifttum über Kaspar Hauser'', in: Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte, 6. Vol., 1933, pp.&nbsp;415–484, here p.&nbsp;452</ref>

A shoemaker named Weickmann brought Hauser to von Wessenig's house. Once there, Hauser only repeated the words "I want to be a cavalryman, as my father was" and "Horse! Horse!" Any attempts at gaining more information caused Hauser to cry or simply repeat, "Don't know." Von Wessenig sent Hauser to a police station, where he wrote his name for the first time. While being examined by police, Hauser showed familiarity with money and the ability to say some prayers and a small measure of reading. However, he answered few of their questions and demonstrated a limited vocabulary.<ref>Ivo Striedinger: ''Hauser Kaspar, der "rätselhafte Findling"'', in: Lebensläufe aus Franken, III. Vol., 1929, pp.&nbsp;199–215; here pp.&nbsp;199–200</ref> Authorities ultimately decided that Hauser was a vagrant and sent him to prison.<ref>Jan Bondeson: ''The Great Pretenders: The True Stories Behind Famous Historical Mysteries'', W. W. Norton & Company 2004, p.&nbsp;77</ref>

Hauser spent the following two months in Luginsland Tower in [[Nuremberg Castle]], in the care of jailer Andreas Hiltel. Contrary to many later accounts, observers described Hauser as being in good physical condition and able to walk well; for example, he could climb over ninety steps by himself to his room. He had a "healthy facial complexion"<ref>police description, dated 7 July 1828; see e.g. Jochen Hörisch (ed.): ''Ich möchte ein solcher werden wie...: Materialien zur Sprachlosigkeit des Kaspar Hauser'', Suhrkamp 1979, pp.&nbsp;33–34 [http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/1448/17]</ref> and was judged to be approximately sixteen years old but appeared to be [[intellectual disability|intellectually impaired]]. Mayor Binder, however, claimed that Hauser had an excellent memory and was a quick learner. Various curious people visited Hauser to his apparent delight. He refused all food except bread and water. 

==== Hauser's account of life in a dungeon ====
[[File:Kaspar hauser denkmal.jpg|upright|left|thumb|Statue of Hauser, Ansbach, Germany]]
At first, most assumed that Hauser was a developmentally disabled person from the forests. During the course of many conversations with Binder, Hauser told a different version of his past life, which he later wrote down in more detail.<ref>Ivo Striedinger 1927, pp.&nbsp;200–201; for the primary sources, see e. g. Jochen Hörisch 1979 [http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/1448/12]</ref> 

According to Hauser's account, he had spent his youth living in [[solitary confinement]] in a dark cell. He claimed that he found rye bread and water next to his bed each morning. At times, the water would taste bitter and drinking it would cause him to sleep more deeply than usual. On such occasions, upon awakening, Hauser noticed that someone had changed his straw and cut his hair and nails. Hauser claimed that the person he met was a masked man who visited him shortly before his release. The visitor taught him to write his own name, stand and walk. The visitor then brought Hauser to Nuremberg, where he taught him to say the phrase, "I want to be a cavalryman, as my father was" (in [[Bavarian language|Old Bavarian dialect]]). Hauser claimed not to understand its meaning at the time. 

=== Further life in Nuremberg ===
[[File:Mill pencil drawing by Kaspar Hauser, 1829.jpg|thumb|right|Pencil drawing by Hauser, 1829]]
[[Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach]], president of the Bavarian [[court of appeals]], began to investigate the case. Hauser was formally adopted by the town of Nuremberg and its citizens donated money for his upkeep and education.<ref>Jan Bondeson 2004, p.&nbsp;80</ref> The town placed him into the care of [[Georg Friedrich Daumer|Friedrich Daumer]], a schoolmaster and speculative philosopher. Daumer taught Hauser various subjects and uncovered his talent for drawing. 

Hauser appeared to flourish with Daumer, who subjected him to [[homeopathy]] and [[Animal magnetism|magnetic experiments]]. As Feuerbach told the story, "When Professor Daumer held the north pole [of a magnet] towards him, Kaspar put his hand to the pit of his stomach, and, drawing his waistcoat in an outward direction, said that it drew him thus; and that a current of air seemed to proceed from him. The south pole affected him less powerfully; and he said that it blew upon him."<ref>Anselm von Feuerbach: ''Caspar Hauser'', translated by Gotfried Linberg, Allen and Ticknor 1832, p.&nbsp;132</ref>

==== Cut wound ====
On 17 October 1829, Hauser was found in the cellar of Daumer's house bleeding from a wound to his forehead. He claimed that while sitting in the [[outhouse]], a hooded man attacked him, saying: "You still have to die before you leave the city of Nuremberg." Hauser said he recognised the speaker as the man who had brought him to Nuremberg in 1828. As was obvious from his blood trail, Hauser at first fled into the house to the first floor, then went downstairs and climbed through a trap door into the cellar. 

Alarmed officials called for a police escort and transferred Hauser to the care of Johann Biberbach, a municipal authority. The alleged attack  fueled rumours about Hauser's possible ancestry from Hungary, England or the [[House of Baden]]. Skeptics believed that Hauser had deliberately cut himself with a razor, then left it in his room on the first floor before hiding in the cellar.<ref>Fritz Trautz: ''Zum Problem der Persönlichkeitsdeutung: Anläßlich das Kaspar-Hauser-Buches von Jean Mistler'', in: Francia 2, 1974, pp.&nbsp;715–731, here pp.&nbsp;717–718</ref> Hauser had recently quarrelled with Daumer, who had accused him of lying. Hauser might have staged the attack to gain sympathy and avoid further reprimand from Daumer.<ref>Ivo Striedinger 1927, p.&nbsp;201 and p.&nbsp;206</ref>

==== "Pistol accident" ====
On 3 April 1830, a [[pistol]] shot went off in Hauser's room at the Biberbachs' house. His escort hurriedly entered the room and found him unconscious, bleeding from a head wound. Quickly reviving, Hauser stated that he had climbed on a chair to get some books from a shelf. The chair had fallen and he reached to grab something to stop his fall. By mistake, he grabbed a pistol hanging on the wall, which then discharged and wounded him. 

Again, people were dubious of Hauser's story. His head wound seemed too superficial to have been caused by a gunshot. He had also been recently reproached by the Biberbach family for lying.<ref>Fritz Trautz 1974, pp. 718–719</ref> Mrs. Biberbach commented on Hauser's "horrendous mendacity" and "art of dissimulation" and called him "full of vanity and spite."<ref name=":0" /> Having outstayed his welcome in the Biberbach household, the town of Nuremberg transferred Hauser in May 1830 to the [[Tucher von Simmelsdorf|house of Baron von Tucher]].<ref>Jean Mistler: ''Gaspard Hauser, un drame de la personnalité'', Fayard 1971, pp. 170–171</ref> The baron later complained about Hauser's exorbitant vanity and lies.<ref name=":0">Walther Schreibmüller 1991, p.&nbsp;53</ref>

=== Lord Stanhope ===
A British nobleman, [[Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope|Lord Stanhope]], took an interest in Hauser and gained custody of him late in 1831. He spent a great deal of money attempting to clarify Hauser's origin. He promised Hauser that he would eventually take him to England.<ref name=":1" />

Stanhope took Hauser to Hungary on two trips hoping to jog the boy's memory. He claimed to remember some Hungarian words and had once declared that a Hungarian Countess Maytheny was his mother. However, Hauser failed to recognise any buildings or monuments in Hungary. A Hungarian nobleman who had met Hauser later told Stanhope that he and his son had a good laugh when they remembered Hauser and his histrionic behaviour.<ref name=":1">Jan Bondeson 2004, pp.&nbsp;88–9</ref> 

The failures of the two Hungarian trips led Stanhope to doubt Hauser's credibility. In December 1831 he transferred Hauser to a schoolmaster named Johann Georg Meyer in [[Ansbach]], under the patronage of Anselm von Feuerbach. The last time that Stanhope saw Hauser was in January 1832, although he continued to pay Hauser's living expenses.

=== Life and death in Ansbach ===
Meyer was a strict and pedantic man who disliked Hauser's excuses and apparent lies. By late 1832, Hauser was employed as a [[copyist]] in the local law office. Still hoping that Stanhope would take him to England, Hauser was dissatisfied with his life in Ansbach. When von Feuerbach died in May 1833, Hauser mourned his loss.<ref>Fritz Trautz 1974, p.&nbsp;721</ref> 

However, some authors point out that von Feuerbach had lost faith in Hauser by the end of his life. He wrote a note saying, "Caspar Hauser is a smart scheming codger, a rogue, a good-for-nothing that ought to be killed."<ref>Ivo Striedinger 1933, p.&nbsp;449</ref> However, there is no indication that von Feuerbach, already seriously ill, let Hauser know these feelings. 

==== Fatal stab wound ====
[[File:Spiegelschriftzettel von Kaspar Hauser.jpg|thumb|left|A photograph of the note, in mirror writing. The original has been missing since 1945.]]
On 9 December 1833, Hauser and Meyer had a serious argument. Stanhope was expected to visit Ansbach at [[Christmas]], and Meyer stated that he did not know how he would face him.

Five days later, on 14 December, Hauser came back to Meyer's house with a deep chest wound. He claimed to have been lured to the Ansbach Court Garden, where a stranger stabbed him while handing him a purse. He was eager for authorities to find the purse he had left behind, but did not ask about its contents. As he progressively deteriorated, Hauser muttered incoherently about "writing with pencil." Hauser died of his wound three days later on 17 December. 

When a policeman searched the Court Garden, he found a small violet purse containing a pencilled note in ''Spiegelschrift'' ([[mirror writing]]). The message read, in German:

"Hauser will be able to tell you quite precisely how I look and from where I am. To save Hauser the effort, I want to tell you myself from where I come _ _ . I come {{sic|from| from|hide=y}} _ _ _ the Bavarian border _ _ On the river _ _ _ _ _ I will even tell you the name: M.&nbsp;L.&nbsp;Ö."

Inconsistencies in Hauser's account led the Ansbach court of enquiry to suspect that he had stabbed himself and then invented a tale about being attacked. The note in the purse contained a spelling error and a grammatical error, both of which were typical for Hauser. The note itself was folded into a specific triangular form, in the way in which Hauser typically folded his letters, according to Mrs. Meyer.<ref name=":2" />

Forensic examiners agreed that Hauser's chest wound might have been self-inflicted. Many authors believe that he had wounded himself again to revive public interest in his story and to persuade Stanhope to take him to England. However, this time Hauser fatally injured himself by mistake.<ref name=":2">For a detailed discussion of the evidence, see: Walther Schreibmüller: ''Bilanz einer 150jährigen Kaspar Hauser-Forschung'', in: Genealogisches Jahrbuch 31, 1991, pp.&nbsp;43–84, here pp.&nbsp;63–80</ref><ref>A. Lang, Striedinger, Leonhard, Mistler, Trautz, Schreibmüller, and others</ref>

==== Burial ====
[[File:Kaspar hauser grab.jpg|upright|thumb|alt=A tall tombstone|Hauser's tombstone, reading: ''{{lang|la|Hic jacet <br />Casparus Hauser<br />Aenigma<br />sui temporis<br />ignota nativitas<br />occulta mors<br />MDCCCXXXIII}}'']]
Hauser was buried in the ''Stadtfriedhof'' (city cemetery) in Ansbach. His headstone reads, in [[Latin language|Latin]], "Here lies Kaspar Hauser, riddle of his time. His birth was unknown, his death mysterious. 1833."<ref>[[:File:Kaspar hauser grab.jpg|Photo of the headstone]]</ref> A monument to Hauser was later erected in the Court Garden which reads ''{{lang|la|Hic occultus occulto occisus est}}'', meaning, "Here lies a mysterious one who was killed in a mysterious manner."

After Hauser's death, Stanhope published a book in which he presented all known evidence against Hauser, taking it as his "duty openly to confess that I had been deceived."<ref>{{cite book |author=Philip Henry Earl Stanhope |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_tXokPSxMtd0C |title=Tracts Relating to Caspar Hauser |publisher=Hodson |year=1836 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_tXokPSxMtd0C/page/n56 45]}}</ref> Some of Hauser's followers believed that Stanhope had ulterior motives in befriending him and had connections to the House of Baden. However, academic [[historiography]] defends Stanhope as a philanthropist, a pious man and a seeker of truth.<ref>Ivo Striedinger: 1933, pp.&nbsp;424–429; Walther Schreibmüller 1991, pp.&nbsp;46–47</ref>

== Medical opinions ==
Dr. [[Friedrich Wilhelm Heidenreich]], a physician present at Hauser's [[autopsy]], claimed that his brain was notable for its small [[Human_brain#Gross_anatomy|cortical]] [[Brain_size#Humans|size]] and its few non-distinct cortical [[Gyrus|gyri]], indicative to some that he suffered from cortical atrophy or, as G. Hesse argued, from [[epilepsy]].<ref>Günter Hesse: ''Die Krankheit Kaspar Hausers'', in: Münchner Medizinische Wochenschrift, 109. Vol. 1967, pp.&nbsp;156–163</ref> Heidenreich may have been influenced by his [[phrenology|phrenological]] ideas when examining Hauser's brain.<ref>Peter Josef Keuler: ''Der Findling Kaspar Hauser als medizinisches Phänomen. Eine medizinhistorische Analyse der überlieferten Quellen'', Bochum, Univ.Diss., 1997, pp.&nbsp;17, 32 and 112</ref> Dr. Albert, who conducted the autopsy and wrote the official report, found no anomalies in Hauser's brain.

A 1928 medical study<ref>Erwin Bruglocher: ''Über Kaspar Hausers Todesart. Ärztliche Studie.'' Ansbach, Brügel 1928</ref> supported the view that Hauser had self-inflicted the wound and accidentally stabbed himself too deeply. A 2005 forensic analysis argued that it seems "unlikely that the stab to the chest was inflicted exclusively for the purpose of self-damage, but neither a suicidal stab or a homicidal act ([[assassination]]) can be definitely ruled out."<ref>{{cite journal
 |journal= Archiv für Kriminologie
 |date= Jul–Aug 2005
 |volume= 216
 |issue= 1–2
 |pages= 43–53
 |title= The death of Kaspar Hauser (17 Dec 1833)--assassination, suicide or self-inflicted injury?
 |language= de
 |vauthors=Risse M, Bartsch C, Dreyer T, Weiler G
 |issn= 0003-9225
 |publisher= Verlag Schmidt-Romhild
 |pmid= 16134400
}}</ref>

A 2023 study indicated that when he showed up in Nuremberg, Hauser had the markings of a [[cowpox]] vaccination, meant to prevent [[smallpox]]. These vaccinations had been mandatory in Bavaria since 1807. The young Hauser would have had to visit a vaccination site to get this shot, accompanied by an adult. This evidence further discredited Hauser's claim to have grown up without human contact.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Habicht |first=Michael E. |last2=Varotto |first2=Elena |last3=Vaccarezza |first3=Mauro |last4=Cossarizza |first4=Andrea |last5=Galassi |first5=Francesco M. |date=2023-05-01 |title=Kaspar Hauser, the Child of Europe: Are smallpox vaccination scars the clue to a 2-century-old mystery? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738081X23000500 |journal=Clinics in Dermatology |series=Annular lesions of the skin: Diagnosis and management part II |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=463–465 |doi=10.1016/j.clindermatol.2023.06.001 |issn=0738-081X|hdl=10447/644915 |hdl-access=free |pmc=10247303 }}</ref>

=== Psychological viewpoints ===
Hauser's various accounts of his incarceration include several contradictions.<ref>For an analysis of these, see Reinhard Heydenreuter: ''Hermann und der Fall Kaspar Hauser'', in: Manfred Pix (ed.): Friedrich Benedikt Wilhelm von Hermann (1795–1868). Ein Genie im Dienste der bayerischen Könige. Politik, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft im Aufbruch, Stuttgart 1999, pp.&nbsp;523–539, here pp.&nbsp;525–530</ref> In 1970, psychiatrist [[Karl Leonhard]] stated that:<blockquote>"If he had been living since childhood under the conditions he describes, he would not have developed beyond the condition of an idiot; indeed he would not have remained alive long. His tale is so full of absurdities that it is astonishing that it was ever believed and is even today still believed by many people."<ref name="Karl Leonhard 1970, p. 229">Karl Leonhard: ''Kaspar Hauser und die moderne Kenntnis des Hospitalismus'', in: Confinia Psychiatrica 13, 1970, pp.&nbsp;213–229, here p.&nbsp;229</ref></blockquote>

Leonhard rejected the views of both Heidenreich and Hesse, contending that:<blockquote>"Kaspar Hauser was, as other authors already opined, a pathological swindler. In addition to his [[Histrionic personality disorder|hysterical make-up]] he probably had the persistence of a [[Paranoid personality disorder|paranoid personality]] since he was able to play his role so imperturbably. From many reports on his behaviour one can recognise the hysterical as well as the paranoid trend of his personality."<ref name="Karl Leonhard 1970, p. 229" /></blockquote>

== "Hereditary prince" theory ==
===Rumours===
[[File:Luise-Karoline-von-Hochberg.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The Countess of Hochberg]]
[[File:StephanieB.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The Grand Duchess Stéphanie]]
According to contemporary rumours, circa 1829, Hauser was the hereditary prince of Baden, who allegedly had been switched at birth with a commoner. The infant prince of Baden was born on 29 September 1812. His parents were [[Charles, Grand Duke of Baden]] and [[Stéphanie de Beauharnais]], a cousin by marriage and the adopted daughter of [[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte]]. The infant prince died on 16 October 1812 after a few weeks. When his father Charles died in 1818, he had no sons to succeed him.  Charles' successor was his uncle, [[Louis I, Grand Duke of Baden|Louis I]], who was succeeded in 1830 by Louis' half-brother, [[Leopold I of Baden|Leopold I]]. 

The rumour was that [[Louise Caroline of Hochberg]], Leopold's mother, had been scheming to put her son on the throne in Baden. Disguising herself as a ghost, the so-called "White Lady", she sneaked into the nursery of the infant prince, kidnapped him and replaced him with a dying baby. The infant prince was then incarcerated for 16 years, until he emerged as Hauser in Nuremberg in 1828. The rumour also linked Hauser's stabbing death in 1833 with a conspiracy to prevent him from challenging the legitimacy of Leopold I.

=== Evidence uncovered in the 1870s ===
In 1876, Otto Mittelstädt presented evidence against the hereditary prince theory, with official documents concerning the infant prince's emergency baptism, autopsy and burial.<ref>Otto Mittelstädt, ''Kaspar Hauser und sein badisches Prinzenthum'', Heidelberg 1876.</ref> In his ''Historical Mysteries'', [[Andrew Lang]] summarises the results:<blockquote>"It is true that the Grand Duchess was too ill to be permitted to see her dead baby, in 1812, but the baby's father, grandmother, and aunt, with the ten Court physicians, the nurses and others, must have seen it, in death, and it is too absurd to suppose, on no authority, that they were all parties to the White Lady's plot."<ref>Andrew Lang, ''Historical Mysteries'', 1905</ref> </blockquote>

Historian Fritz Trautz went so far as to write that, "The silly fairytale, which to this day moves many pens and has found much belief, was fully disproved in Otto Mittelstädt's book."<ref>Fritz Trautz 1974, p.&nbsp;723</ref> Letters of the Grand Duke's mother, published in 1951, give detailed accounts of the infant prince's birth, illness and death, which would also disprove the hereditary prince theory.<ref>[[Prince Adalbert of Bavaria (1886–1970)|Adalbert Prinz von Bayern]]: ''Königin Caroline von Bayern und Kaspar Hauser'', in: Der Zwiebelturm 1951, pp.&nbsp;102–107 and 121–128.</ref>

=== DNA analyses ===
In November 1996, the German magazine ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' reported an attempt to genetically match a [[blood sample]] from underwear thought to have been Hauser's. This analysis was performed in laboratories at the [[Forensic Science Service]] in Birmingham, England, and the LMU Institute of Legal Medicine at the [[University of Munich]] in Germany. Comparisons with descendants of the princely family proved that the blood examined could not have come from the hereditary prince of Baden.<ref>''Der Spiegel 48'' (25 November 1996), pp.&nbsp;254–273.</ref><ref>{{cite journal
 |vauthors=Weichhold GM, Bark JE, Korte W, Eisenmenger W, Sullivan KM |title= DNA analysis in the case of Kaspar Hauser
 |journal= International Journal of Legal Medicine
 |year= 1998
 |volume= 111
 |issue= 6
 |pages= 287–91
 |publisher= Springer
 |issn= 0937-9827
 |pmid= 9826086
 |doi=10.1007/s004140050173
|s2cid= 22288883
 }}</ref>

In 2024, a new study corroborating previous analysis by [[massive parallel sequencing]] ruled out the prince theory by demonstrating that the [[mitochondrial DNA]] [[Haplotype|haplotypes]] in all samples attributed to Hauser including the previously examined blood sample were identical and different from the mitochondrial lineage of the House of Baden.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Parson |first1=Walther |last2=Amory |first2=Christina |last3=King |first3=Turi |last4=Preick |first4=Michaela |last5=Berger |first5=Cordula |last6=König |first6=Anna |last7=Huber |first7=Gabriela |last8=Anslinger |first8=Katja |last9=Bayer |first9=Birgit |last10=Weichhold |first10=Gottfried |last11=Sänger |first11=Timo |last12=Lutz-Bonengel |first12=Sabine |last13=Pfeiffer |first13=Heidi |last14=Hofreiter |first14=Michael |last15=Pfründer |first15=Dietmar |date=2024 |title=Kaspar Hauser's alleged noble origin – New molecular genetic analyses resolve the controversy |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2589004224017644 |journal=iScience |language=en |volume=27 |issue=9 |article-number=110539 |doi=10.1016/j.isci.2024.110539|doi-access=free |pmc=11379569 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cassella |first=Carly |date=2024-08-11 |title=DNA From 'Lost European Prince' Solves a 200-Year-Old Conspiracy |url=https://www.sciencealert.com/dna-from-lost-european-prince-solves-a-200-year-old-conspiracy |access-date=2024-08-14 |website=ScienceAlert |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/21/science/kaspar-hauser-new-dna-analysis/index.html|publisher=CNN|last=Weisberger|first=Mindy|title=New DNA analysis unravels the mystery of 'lost prince' Kaspar Hauser|date=September 21, 2024|access-date=September 21, 2024}}</ref>

== Cultural references ==

=== Literature ===
A passing reference to Hauser is made in [[Herman Melville]]'s novella ''[[Billy Budd]]''. He is presented as an example of a person with a primitive, yet virtuous, personality.<ref>{{cite wikisource|author-last=Melville|author-first=Herman|title=Billy Budd|chapter=Chapter 2|quote= To any stray inheritor of these primitive qualities found, like Caspar Hauser, wandering dazed in any Christian capital of our time, the good-natured poet's famous invocation, near two thousand years ago, of the good rustic out of his latitude in the Rome of the Cesars, still appropriately holds:-'Honest and poor, faithful in word and thought,/What has thee, Fabian, to the city brought?'}}</ref>

In 1913, [[Georg Trakl]] wrote the poem ''"Kaspar Hauser Lied"'' ("Kaspar Hauser Song").<ref>{{cite web|title=Kaspar Hauser Lied|url=https://sites.google.com/site/germanliterature/20th-century/trakl/kaspar-hauser-lied|website=German Literature|access-date=18 April 2018}}</ref> It alludes to the works by [[Paul Verlaine]] and [[Jakob Wassermann]], and has been called the "most striking" expression of a literary trope in which Kaspar Hauser "stood for the natural, poetic genius lost in a strange world, lacking a home, a sense of origin and attachment, and fearing a violent but uncertain future."<ref name="Horton2007">{{cite magazine|last1=Horton|first1=Scott|title=A Note on Trakl's 'Song of Kaspar Hauser'|magazine=Harper's|date=28 July 2007|access-date=18 April 2018 |url=https://harpers.org/blog/2007/07/a-note-on-trakls-song-of-kaspar-hauser/}}</ref> The philosopher [[Martin Heidegger]] cited this poem in his essay on poetry and language, ''Unterwegs zur Sprache''.<ref name="Heidegger1975">{{cite book|last=Heidegger|first=Martin|title=Unterwegs zur Sprache|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xCsTAQAAMAAJ&q=kaspar+hauser+lied|year=1975|series=Gesamtausgabe |volume = 12 |publisher=Vittorio Klosterman|isbn=978-3-465-02764-5}}</ref>

''[[Kaspar (play) | Kaspar]]'', a play written by Austrian playwright [[Peter Handke]] and published in 1967 depicts "the foundling Kaspar Hauser as a near-speechless innocent destroyed by society's attempts to impose on him its language and its own rational values."<ref>''Encyclopædia Britannica'', Biography of Peter Handke (Austrian Writer)</ref>

In 1994, the English poet [[David Constantine]] explored the story and its personae in ''Caspar Hauser: A Poem in Nine Cantos''.<ref>Reprinted in D. Constantine, ''Collected Poems'' (Tarset, Northumberland: Bloodaxe Books, 2004), pp. 143–216.</ref>

Canadian artist [[Diane Obomsawin]] tells the story of Kaspar Hauser in her 2007 [[graphic novel]] ''Kaspar''; in 2012 it was adapted into the animated short film ''[[Kaspar (film)|Kaspar]]''.<ref>Alex Tigchelaar, [https://xtramagazine.com/culture/jaime-diane-obomsawin-58774 "J'aime Diane Obomsawin"]. ''[[Xtra Magazine]]'', March 5, 2014.</ref>

=== Film and television ===
[[Michael Landon]] played Casper Hauser in the episode ''The Mystery of Caspar Hauser'' of the television series ''[[Telephone Time]]'' in 1956.<ref>{{cite book |title=Der Findling: Kaspar Hauser in der Literatur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ngaAAAAYAAJ&q=michael+landon |first=Ulrich |last=Struve |year=1992 |page=250 |publisher=Metzler Verlag|isbn = 978-3-476-00786-5}}</ref>

[[Werner Herzog]]'s 1974 film ''[[The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser]]'' dramatizes Hauser's story. [[Bruno S.]], who played the part of Hauser, was an untrained actor whose childhood was marked by physical abuse and stays in mental institutions; Herzog has remarked that he considers him similar to Hauser.<ref>{{cite web |title=Werner Herzog Walker dialogue with Roger Ebert |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQj3XuRkx-s |website=YouTube |publisher=[[Walker Art Center]] |language=en |format=video |date=April 28, 2020}}</ref> The film's German title is ''Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle'' (''Every Man for Himself and God Against All''), which Herzog also used as the title of his [[Every Man for Himself and God Against All: A Memoir|2022 memoir]]. 

Andre Eisermann played Kaspar Hauser, in the 1993 film Kaspar Hauser.

Galician filmmaker Alberto Gracia made an avant-garde version of Hauser's life in ''O quinto evanxeo de Gaspar Hauser'' (2013).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alberto Gracia |url=https://bafici.org/director/alberto-gracia/ |website=BAFICI 25}}</ref>

''[[The Legend of Kaspar Hauser]]'' (Italian: ''La leggenda di Kaspar Hauser'') is a 2012 Italian surreal drama film written and directed by [[Davide Manuli]]. In this modern western-like re-interpretation featuring [[Vincent Gallo]], a music-obsessive Kaspar washes up on a Mediterranean beach, where half a dozen protagonists try to make sense of who he is.

=== Music ===
Hauser's story has inspired numerous musical references. There have been at least two operas named after him, a 2007 work by American composer [[Elizabeth Swados]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Elizabeth Swados, Creator of Socially Conscious Musicals, Is Dead at 64 |first=William |last=Grimes |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2016-01-05 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/arts/elizabeth-swados-creator-of-socially-conscious-musicals-is-dead-at-64.html |access-date=2021-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106102720/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/06/arts/elizabeth-swados-creator-of-socially-conscious-musicals-is-dead-at-64.html |archive-date=2016-01-06}}</ref><ref>{{YouTube|Z6OMcf26LCY|KASPAR HAUSER: a foundling's opera}}</ref> and a 2010 work by British composer [[Rory Boyle (composer)|Rory Boyle]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.operascotland.org/opera/69/Kaspar+Hauser+-+Child+of+Europe |title=Listings & Performance History: Kaspar Hauser - Child of Europe |website=OperaScotland.org}}</ref>  

In 1987, [[Suzanne Vega]] wrote "[[Solitude Standing|Wooden Horse (Caspar Hauser's Song)]]", based on how she imagined Hauser's experiences when he emerged from the dungeon.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Vega Lied|url=https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/gdavis/325students/englisch/vega.htm|access-date=2021-10-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211015200915/https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/gdavis/325students/englisch/vega.htm |archive-date=15 October 2021 }}</ref> In 1994, Birgit Scherzer, then director and choreographer of the Saarbrücken Staatstheater Ballet in Germany, used the Hauser story as the basis for the ballet ''Kaspar Hauser'', which she presented at the Saarbrücken Staatstheater.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.balletmet.org/backstage/ballet-notes/163 |title=Birgit Scherzer, choreographer |website=[[BalletMet]] |date=September 1998 |access-date=25 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908101507/https://www.balletmet.org/backstage/ballet-notes/163 |archive-date=8 September 2014 }}</ref>

=== Non-fiction ===
In his later years, [[Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach]] took a deep interest in the fate of Kaspar Hauser. He was the first to publish a critical summary of the ascertained facts, under the title of ''Kaspar Hauser, ein Beispiel eines Verbrechens am Seelenleben'' (1832).<ref>[https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/0011/bsb00113211/images/index.html Complete book, digitalized] - [[Bavarian State Library]], Munich Digital Library. </ref>

[[Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson]] wrote ''Lost Prince: The Unsolved Mystery of Kaspar Hauser'' (1996).<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=paq.067.0333a |title=Lost Prince. The Unsolved Mystery of Kaspar Hauser. Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Translator and Introduction.: New York: The Free Press, 1996. 254 pp |journal=Psychoanalytic Quarterly |volume=67 |issue=2 |pages=333–335 |access-date=26 May 2009|year=1998 |last1=Landau |first1=B. J. }}</ref> It was also published as ''The Wild Child: The Unsolved Mystery of Kaspar Hauser'' (2010).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GtSaUdFw7tIC&q=the+wild+child+masson ''The Wild Child'']</ref>

{{anchor|Kaspar Hauser experiment}} In a "Kaspar Hauser experiment", a nonhuman animal is reared isolated from members of its own species, in an attempt at determining which behaviors are innate.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100030873 |title = Kaspar Hauser experiment - Oxford Reference}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of unsolved deaths]]
*[[Man in the Iron Mask]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin}}
* [[Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach|Anselm von Feuerbach]]: ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=sYkPAAAAYAAJ Caspar Hauser]''. Boston 1832.
* [[Philip Henry Stanhope, 4th Earl Stanhope|Philip Henry Earl Stanhope]]: ''[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_tXokPSxMtd0C Tracts Relating to Caspar Hauser]''. Hodson 1836.
* {{Cite PSM|volume=30|month-and-year=April 1887|wstitle=The History of a Delusion|author=M. G. Valbert ([[Victor Cherbuliez]])|pages=733–743}}
* [[Wilhelmina Powlett, Duchess of Cleveland|Catherine Lucy Wilhelmina (Stanhope) Powlett, Duchess of Cleveland]]: [https://archive.org/details/truestoryofkaspa00clevrich ''The True Story of Kaspar Hauser from Official Documents'']. Macmillan, London, 1893.
* [[Andrew Lang]]: [http://www.online-literature.com/andrew_lang/historical-mysteries/6/ ''The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser''] (in: Historical Mysteries, 1905).
* Ivo Striedinger: Hauser Kaspar, der "rätselhafte Findling", in: ''Lebensläufe aus Franken'', III. vol., 1927, pp.&nbsp;199–215. {{in lang|de}}
* Ivo Striedinger: [https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb00009387?q=%28Ivo+Striedinger%29&page=424,425 Neues Schrifttum über Kaspar Hauser.] In: ''Zeitschrift für bayerische Landesgeschichte'', 6. Vol. 1933, pp.&nbsp;415–484. {{in lang|de}}
* [[Jean Mistler]]: ''Gaspard Hauser, un drame de la personnalité''. Fayard 1971. {{ISBN|2-213-59361-2}} {{in lang|fr}}
* Fritz Trautz: [http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0001/bsb00016277/images/index.html?fip=193.174.98.30&id=00016277&seite=731 Zum Problem der Persönlichkeitsdeutung: Anläßlich das Kaspar-Hauser-Buches von Jean Mistler.] In: ''Francia'' 2, 1974, pp.&nbsp;715–731. {{in lang|de}}
* [[Martin Kitchen]]: ''Kaspar Hauser: Europe's Child''. Palgrave MacMillan 2001. {{ISBN|0-333-96214-1}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
*{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Hauser, Kaspar |short=x}}
*[[Image:Speaker Icon.svg|20px]] {{in lang|fr}} Livres audio mp3 gratuits [https://www.audiocite.net/livres-audio-gratuits-poesies/paul-verlaine-gaspard-hauser-chante.html 'Gaspard Hauser chante'] de Paul Verlaine - (''Association Audiocité'').

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:1810s births]]
[[Category:1833 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century German people]]
[[Category:Date of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Deaths by stabbing in Germany]]
[[Category:Kaspar Hauser| ]]
[[Category:People with intellectual disability]]
[[Category:Unidentified people]]
[[Category:Unsolved deaths in Germany]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Historical figures with disputed parentage]]