Kaspar Hauser: The Prince without a Past

Step into a 200-year-old mystery as we unravel the enigmatic life of Kaspar Hauser. A boy with no past, a tale shrouded in conspiracy, and a journey through intrigue and deception.
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[@denizdix]

147.5 litres of beer were consumed during the making of this episode

[@jrmckim]

Thank you for working hard for us. I love your work.

[@CoughitsKath]

that little?

[@Piggelgesicht]

And the consumption of

[@jessicalypsojessicakyliemc9879]

This is amazing! I'll be listening to this at work for DAYS! Thank you!!!

[@K8E666]

So looking forward to this ! 3 hour episode of DTU - brilliant work Denis, thanks

[@justinmacdonald2102]

Dennis you freaking legend for writing a 3 hour episode.

[@natahliazaring5291]

I do think everyone jumps quickly to the "if his story wasn't true, he was a con artist" without an appropriate amount of room for the later conning being learned behavior. Like, he was surrounded by folks who *wanted* to believe something crazy and if he either had traumatic memories he didn't want to think about, or had a lack of memories, it's not impossible that the idea of maybe being a lost prince got planted in his mind. The events we know about also show a pattern that when he reinforces these off the wall things, life improves for him. So him trying to do other tall tales or orchestrate additional situations to make things better is very classic behavior that see from kids in these kinds of situations (and yes, even 17 is a kid for the sake of talking about development). Idk, it just feels like jumping to the idea that it was him trying to do a con from the get-go, or having some big plan or scheme to it hardly seems like the simplest solution. He could have been an abused kid without being locked in a room, and he could have been mostly nonverbal from abuse while still knowing how to speak. It's not impossible to think that the letters he was left with were penned by some caregiver abandoning him, but wanting to give him some chance of being looked after by someone (they are vague and mostly seem to be suggesting that he be given a job rather than implying some big and important past). Mostly I'm just saying that there's still plenty of grey area between "full big con job" and "he's completely innocent." He does seem to at least have some quickness and intelligence to him, so picking up on what he thinks people want to hear and trying to win good graces by telling it to them isn't too hard to buy for any smartish kid.

[@zenzej]

so much agree, the first letters did not have a hint of connection to any royalty, as far as I remember. It does seam to me that he was at first supprised by it and just went along. Who would not go along if someone suddenly said "You are probably related to royalty and have some huge wealth"? I think most ppl would at least give it a go, for the sake of just checking it out, and not consider themselfs as a cons.

[@--enyo--]

Yeah, I was thinking along these lines myself for a lot of it.

[@mollyrox16]

This!!!

[@Palemagpie]

Reminds me of a story. I'll probably get some of the details wrong, but in the like 1910's I believe. There was a tragedy where an affluent family lost a very small child at a lake. No body was ever recovered. And the mother went a lil insane...or alot insane, depending on how you'd categorize such things. She became convinced the child had been kidnapped due to the family's wealth. And a guy in a nearby town who was passing through with his nephew got pinned with "stealing" the boy. They basically stole the kid from the guy and claimed he was there son. Even when the mother came forward and stuff to testify that it was her son. I don't remember how young the kid was, but it all came down to having the kid say who his mother was. But he'd spent nearly a year being pampered by the rich family. And I think it was around the age where he was becoming verbal. (I might be wrong about that) But clearly the kid thought his mother was the woman who'd been coddling him for nigh on a year telling him he was her mother. It was only years later. I think with his grandchild that the other side of the family descended from the mother managed to force a DNA test to show that they hadn't kidnapped the rich family's kid. And infact, everyone had sort of shafted them because they were poor. I don't know what happened to the uncle. Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

[@davescott7680]

This is the likely answer. He was abandoned, abused. Others put on to him their theories. As interest drops off, he starts staging stuff to get more attention. He's going to have some weird quirks and social issues.

[@JustNormalGamers]

If you also really love the long episodes give this a like and let Simon know. When i see any whistlerverse vid over an hour i get very excited.

[@jmik6229]

Love them! They get me through the end of at least one night at work if not two - and then I pick them to nap too as well, afterwards. Think of all that watch time fact boy!

[@chrisbentleywalkingandrambling]

​@jmik6229 yep, I'm an Insomniac so like to drift off to a DTU marathon.

[@Amanda_Bulldog_Mom]

SAME!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@mariz2361]

I'm replying just to try get this comment to the top!!!

[@mariz2361]

@@jmik6229 You may have even paid for his 'Earl Grey Tea Room' in his new house...!!!

[@opulence_reviled]

the writer needs so much props for this one. big ups on him, this dude really threaded existential poetry into the dynamic between literary discourse and cultural hide and seek backed by mind-numbing academic research

[@denizdix]

[@duddledeedo]

Idk about poetry... A lot of it sounds like the usual vague wordy AI-generated writing (with common phrases it regurgitates a lot). I still enjoyed the narrative though.

[@opulence_reviled]

@@duddledeedo if this is from october, i agree that the AI "proofreading" hasnt aged very well. when the authors personality shines through, it clearly shows, and carries weight.

[@nct948]

What a dream job he has, but how well he does it. The romanticized story of an orphan raised in a cellar and later on murdered when he was starting to get clues as to his origins resonated strongly in the French psyche, with poems and songs being written about this terrible fate. I am reassured that it was a clever con by a talented youngster, as I much prefer it to the alternative of his story being all true.

[@--enyo--]

@@duddledeedoI guess just remember Deniz isn’t a native English speaker (although his English is better than a lot of native speakers I know).

[@frocat5163]

Simon, a lifelong European citizen, confused why Nuremburg would possibly be filled with replica buildings and landmarks. Meanwhile, me, a lifelong US citizen, looking at my monitor wondering how he forgot about WWII... Let's go, Factboi.

[@pioneercynthia1]

Less than ten minutes in and this is already a hundred times better than a Dan Brown novel.

[@leighpowell1062]

Stephen Fry said it best about Dan Brown novels "It's complete stool water. Arse gravy of the worst possible kind."

[@--enyo--]

💯

[@oksuree]

I think he was actually abused and left alone in a room for months or years. That had put him in shock and once he started to remember he realized his best option was to play into people's assumptions. He was a victim who learned how to be what he needed to be in order to get what he wanted and survive.

[@WallStreet06]

I totally vote for Simon to read actual audio books and comment on them. “ what are the Hobbits up to, I don’t get it”

[@bo7341]

"Like, obviously, everything would've been fine if Harry just stayed out of it"

[@Amanda_Bulldog_Mom]

YASSSSSS!!!!!!

[@drewlovely2668]

He used to do audiobooks

[@Balrog-tf3bg]

Biggest thing right off the bat, if he truly lived in a room where he couldn’t sit up let alone stand, there’s no way he’d be able to walk at all

[@antoniovillanueva308]

My half brother spent the first 9 years of his life in a room that was only 27 inches tall. Man, that guy could Limbo.

[@Aryasvitkona]

It is mentioned him struggling to walk to be fair, which does make sense

[@klaatunecktie7906]

A story can be true even though every detail isn’t true

[@relaxedguy0606]

Love these long ones!! Julian calling out Whistle Boys flawless pronunciation of 'Effortlessly' actually had me laughing out loud. Well done Deniz, Julian, and Simon!! Keep 'em coming!

[@lemonlily4022]

I genuinely laughed out loud - Simon finally nailed it!!! And promptly changed it to “easily” for some reason! 😂

[@jhonmcauliffe8873]

I've been watching for 2 hours before I realized I still had another hour plus to go. Didn't realize I was sitting here for 2 hours watching, so well done gentlemen and ladies.

[@RosemarieJaeger-vt3ql]

Me too! Suddenly an hour and a half had passed and I thought there was no way since I hadn’t realized it or even felt like I had been sitting on the edge of my bed leaning in watching the episode on my phone with my elbows on my knees and my hands clasped tightly together while my chin rested on them. Essentially the position I took when I first sat down to watch was how I sat the entire episode! The only changes I made were to tense up and tighten my muscles as if I were able to jump into the past via the episode (the excellent episode I should say ❤) and smack that obvious con man before he could con another sweet old person who would take him in while he was scheming hard core. I still have a problem with why he was the way he was…it’s too much effort for nothing as far as I’m concerned but he’s mental and it’s difficult to understand someone like that Fantastic episode guys! As usual of course! Also, my man! Three hours?! Thank you so much for that!

[@Maxtyur]

Me too I missed my mother's funeral .

[@DeathByBlonde1]

This has been the best way to pass the first three hours of my work morning. It was super hard to hold off watching/listening to this over the weekend, but after having the last 5 days off for the holiday, I knew I needed something to help pass my time while working….and boy was this the BEST way!!!!!!

[@karenshadle365]

Simon, ever hear about the child Jeannie who was isolated in a totally dark room since she was less than 2 years old? With no family members allowed to talk with her? Rescued at age 13. Her language was severely impaired as were her abilities to interact with other humans. She was never able to focus her eyes past 10 feet as she'd never had to before because her dark room just 10'× 10. A very interesting story and ultimately a very sad one.

[@avoinwonderland]

I remember we learnt about her in my intro to Psychology class back in high school. I'll never forget her story.

[@darthlobster]

Well, some of the details are wrong here and her pseudonym is spelled Genie, as it was taken after the idea of her being a "genie in a bottle." But yeah. This is basically the same as her story, but 100 years earlier. I'm a linguist. The story of Genie is... not one of our finer moments.

[@karenshadle365]

​@@darthlobster Thanks for the info and I totally agree with you.

[@denispenchev3201]

I've found myself often wondering if Deniz quit writing for Simon after the Arno Funke's script. Really happy to see him back! Looking forward to spending the next 3 hours

[@denizdix]

I haven't quit and I won't. You see, there was another 4-hour episode between Scrooge and this one that was never released. It was about an abduction case, but just before the script was finalised, family members of the victim asked us not to publish it, as they wanted to move on. Simon and I decided to comply with their wish, which led to me essentially wasting 4 months of writing. The next script will take roughly as long, but worry not. My scripts are not the quickest to write (and I am also working on a novel), but I am not going away.

[@MisterPlanePilot]

​@@denizdixLoved the Scrooge episode! Wad wondering why I hadn't seen your name since. Best of luck on your novel and be sure to tell us when published!

[@denispenchev3201]

@@denizdix I see. Can't say i wouldn't love to wat h another 4h entry, especially with your writing, but good call on respecting the family's wishes. Be sure to push the fact boy plug the novel, once it is out. Don't want to miss on that. Cheers!

[@ineriswetrust]

The quality of writing is out of this world. How can you afford to have half a book written for a video? Great work, author!

[@David_K_Booth]

I saw Herzog's movie about Kaspar Hauser forty years ago, and, while I have a lot of respect for his work, it turns out there is much more to the story. I'm really impressed by how thoroughly Deniz has researched this. Thank you.

[@DneilB007]

David, if that movie is actually 40 years old, then we’re both… old.

[@David_K_Booth]

@@DneilB007 True. Werner Herzog is even older than me, and he's still making unusual movies. It's encouraging.

[@hummy19]

YAY! thank you for the hard work! ♥️ I know longer episodes are hard to make and they are less profitable, cause not everyone will watch, but I'm very grateful for them

[@Piggelgesicht]

Me too!!

[@LaurieAnnCurry]

Same

[@MeeraReads]

Sometimes the profit shakes out, some advertisers will pay more for a longer video (and idk how many mid rolls Simon put on this one). Also YT Premium revenue is disbursed monthly based on percentage of watch time. So if you have premium and only watch Simon, he gets the whole cut. Not sure what Simon’s metrics are specifically, just that it’s possible to make the same on a longer video with fewer views

[@lucyst8]

Your knack for uploading just as I'm going to bed is absolutely top tier and I thank you for your service.

[@Stroheim333]

Also, you should remember that the Kaspar Hauser case happened during the height of the Romantic era. People were fascinated by the exotic, mysterious and unknown. You had Romantic art, Romantic philosophy, Romantic science... Romantic scientists dabbled in electricity, magnetism and hypnosis and tried to combine it with occult and supernatural ideas. This is a very important background.

[@jobymahon2871]

this might sound weird but im a night gaurd and i quite like whenever Simon goes on tangents. Other than my wife and our 6 month old son hes my only human interaction most of the time please dont stop tangenting

[@enlightendbel]

If that tour guide really knew Simons repertoire, he'd have known Simons retention of a lot of information is surprisingly and sometimes even disturbingly low.

[@trite4654]

Right? I was immediately skeptical when Simon said that. I've watched several of his channels for years and his most defined character trait is that he doesn't seem to know anything, ever

[@shannonottarson9247]

😂

[@violet7773]

If they'd only seen his more formal channels - everything except this, brain blaze, and cas crim, basically - they'd have no reason to believe he doesn't know what he's talking about (or at least, doesn't retain the info for very long). He is a very good presenter on those channels

[@Rachelpinter]

Wow. 3 hours? Is this the longest decoding the unknown? Well, keep them coming. I love the long ones.

[@Lius525]

That's what she said 😂

[@Rachelpinter]

@@Lius525 ha ha

[@Piggelgesicht]

Aaaaaaahhhh!!!!! 3 hours??!! On Kaspar Hauser?! I think I've never looked forward to something on KZbin so much since 2018. Fact boy delivering 🤩🤩

[@brendanmcclellan9611]

What was in 2018? 👀

[@Piggelgesicht]

​@@brendanmcclellan9611I discovered a four and a half hour video on the history of the kings and queens of England :)

[@Yltimate_]

Holy shit the editing in this one is S Tier great job

[@VulianJu]

Why, thank you. We editors live on props…they’re much more nourishing than what The Boi slides down the food chute.

[@Yltimate_]

@VulianJu seriously I was LAUGHING hard, atleast 10 times throughout the episode, great work. (I heard holding onto the chicken bones fact boy feeds you, sharpening them for 'defence', is a good tactic)

[@simonmoore8776]

Only an hour in and I'm totally hooked. I love the longer episodes and this is one of the best so far!

[@progunil]

i’m 2min into this 3hr video posted 40min ago but i’m issuing a spoiler alert: it wasn’t ghosts

[@o.o-vt1rc]

What about aliens?

[@akarimastarte1968]

You sure no criptids involved?

[@hookybrickshooky9529]

Okay, I haven't watched this episode yet, but I cannot believe that somebody made a three hour video about this topic and I also cannot believe that I will wach it even though that I already know how tragic this story will end. Here we go I guess... ;)

[@MissMentats]

My grandma still urgently needs to know how to make crystal meth

[@Jason-fm4my]

Lol, like the E-Forms advert.

[@zaneandre6387]

Grandmas bucket list includes the final item "learn how to synthesize and engage in 'riding the lightning '"

[@EuTrabalhoParaSagres510]

"don't take cough syrup and mix it with iodine lye"

[@bogbupog]

omg mine too😮‍💨😮‍💨

[@eetadakimasu]

Not everyone screams when they're in danger

[@audreymuzingo933]

I am totally HERE for the scripts that come whenever Simon dropped Vyvanse capsules down the laundry shoot to the basement. It costs more than feeding the poor beasts, but then their appetites get suppressed anyway and I LOVE the flowery prose, multi-hour marathon product.

[@michaelmayhem350]

It's so funny that the opening chapter is "the boy who lived" & Simon has never read that before so he just charges on clueless lol

[@calebbean1384]

He's mentioned liking Harry Potter before. Might not have read the books though

[@Amanda_Bulldog_Mom]

Yah I was expecting a reference lol

[@michaelmayhem350]

@@calebbean1384 he's mentioned not liking HP he doesn't like fantasy he mocks LoTR all the time

[@EuTrabalhoParaSagres510]

​@@michaelmayhem350 The man can be forgiven... For not having a soul 😐

[@christinebenson518]

​@@EuTrabalhoParaSagres510Good thing Simon doesn't believe in souls.

[@hbailie9115]

This was wunderbar!! I knew Kaspar's basic story, but this deep dive was great! Danke, merci, thanks!

[@jonyemm]

The editing makes this so much better. Simon has some of the best, if not the best, editors.

[@elizabethparker2017]

Poor Kasper. I feel the con man label is too harsh. He was just 16 at the start. There's a whole world of childhood trauma short of locked in a dungeon that could explain his actions. And he would have had a lot fewer options. He didn't steal and run when he got in with wealth, either. He learned a trade and worked. Poor man.

[@Balrog-tf3bg]

If he was never able to stand, there is no way he would have been able to walk

[@patrickaycock3655]

At 17 in the early 19th century, "kaspar" would very much be an adult. So con man is appropriate. If you were swayed by the cons story then i recommend learning how to recognize a scam/con for your own safety.

[@EcoDawn]

I am inclined to agree with you Elizabeth. I feel the con-man angle was jumped on a little too heavily given his age. While it is a possibility I find it less than convincing,( particularly the last bit where he stabs himself.) It seems much of his early story was created by others and simply adopted by him later. I think it is a reasonable explanation that he really did believe it. He could have been traumatized by something and then, when vulnerable fed this story until he believed it himself. There is a good amount of president for this in other more modern cases such as that trend not so long ago in therapy where a lot of people genuinely thought they "reclaimed lost or repressed memories" of abuse. It turned out the memories were essentially planted by the therapy. The actual truth of the story doesn't necessarily correlate to people believing or even remembering it, it just has to be plausible enough (it was) and reinforced enough (it certainly was) particularly by authority figures. While I very much enjoyed the video I felt this angle was overlooked while it seemed to jump out at me from the narrative almost immediately.

[@MeeraReads]

@@Balrog-tf3bghe said the only thing he could remember was the room and he also said he was being drugged regularly. A lot of people extensively repress memories from periods of abuse. It’s possible that they locked him in the cell to sleep and took him out in a drugged state, since he’d also been cleaned and his hair cut and stuff. I think parts of the story are true and he was just a bit insane after growing up under such conditions and then first experiencing the world through a nutty professor type, who encouraged him to believe that his dreams were real. And I don’t believe any sane person would commit to a con to the point of staying in a jail for months and being gawked at like an animal. I don’t believe that his entire story was a con, and if he lied later in life I think that can be easily chalked up to him being insane

[@calebbean1384]

​@@patrickaycock3655human biology hasn't changed that much in the past few hundred years. Society expecting a seventeen year old to be fully developed doesn't mean they are in fact fully developed

[@TestAcct46]

3 hours? Holy moley. All right, let's do this.

[@scooby45247]

meh, lets see how much is and isnt relevant within 30 minutes and then decide..

[@homosapiens-pymoEn6SOmxcqtdXJX]

Wait so DTU has a 4 month backlog? Recorded in March released in July Simon is never going to run out of content is he

[@anna9072]

I think one thing Deniz is missing in his synopsis is the question of Hausers pre-con education. He wasn’t just a random peasant, he knew how to read and write in a reasonably fine hand or he would not have been able to craft the letters. He knew enough about the politics to concoct the story of the lost heir. This wasn’t a time of public education, schooling was the prerogative of the moneyed class. There were tradespeople and merchants who could have had the wherewithal to educate their children, but he still would have had to have come from a relatively privileged situation. So where did he come from?

[@anna9072]

Great episode, BTW, if Deniz does expand it into a book I’ll be interested.

[@kpturn42]

As soon as I saw the runtime on this episode I saved it to listen to at work and boy howdy this was incredibly entertaining. Kept my mind off the fact that I was working outdoors in 100F today.

[@MrJjones543]

I listen to these while I am doing my patrols at work and when I see a 3-hour episode I get really excited.

[@LaurieAnnCurry]

Love these longer episodes! Well done Deniz & Simon!

[@sylvanrotscheid7498]

I'm going to need more of these epic episides. I only got through 12.5% of my Lego set while listening to this one.

[@Kageoni187]

There is a prime time to acquire a spoken language. That is by the age of 3. It becomes significantly harder the longer you wait. Our brains are set up to learn languages in that sweet spot of time. You need a base language to learn others effectively. I have autism and 3 children who have autism and had language delays. My oldest of the 3 is 15 and talks so much now but you can tell that it isn’t quite the same as other children his age. Just imagine how when you are learning a second language you use it as a reference point for the words you learn and how you use your understanding of the parts of speech to help you understand the new language. Now imagine what it would be like to attempt to pick up a language now without any base concepts to help you. This is why it is so important to start speech therapy asap. Our brains change so much and in a permanent way by the age of 5 I think. It has been a bit since I have been focused on the topic. Human language is just absolutely fascinating in how it develops and how we learn it, oh and how it evolves. Linguistics is one of my favorite topics.

[@BloodyBill-1788]

You know it’s going to be good when it’s hit 22.5k views in only 9 hrs

[@torischroeder4211]

The production quality and writing on this one is 😘. The performance was also lovely. Thank you for making me a documentary better than history channel has produced in 10 years 😂

[@danpavelko8414]

This has been my favorite episode in quite some time. I love the long format and excellent writing. Thank you Simon, Deniz and Julian!

[@everettjordan93]

The door knocking and the reaper walking through the background scared the crap out of me 😂😂😂.

[@MrKutamoz]

shout out to the editor causing me to pause an 1hr and 55 minutes in to go watch end of ze world. one of those things i forgot about and had to see

[@VulianJu]

T H E E N D ! ! ! !

[@MrKutamoz]

@@VulianJu sadly I was play old school runescape while watching this so it was a bit of a trip back in time

[@MrKutamoz]

@@VulianJu also great work

[@VulianJu]

@@MrKutamoz oh man…this comment just brought fond memories back

[@VulianJu]

@@MrKutamoz danke danke

[@gabbyn978]

Regarding the destruction of old Nuremberg: My father told me that he once fled into one of the castle wall towers when an air raid came along. Maybe it was the one you talked about. After the war, the magistrate decided to rebuild the city, and this plan took decades to complete. Thus the odd Disneyland like character of the downtown.

[@bartfoster1311]

Wow, over 3 hours! Looks like I'm gonna be here a while..

[@jobymahon2871]

Don't forget to stretch your legs mine is sleeping

[@mac24seven]

I get the Wistle-fication, I watch.

[@joshuabruner9676]

2:24:01 Theory: Kaspar didn't respond well to the box, and was viewed as a burden. This fostered the "send him to serve or hang him" sentiment. Kaspar's former captor thought Kaspar would not be able to reclaim his ability to speak. When Kaspar proved more than capable enough to reveal what he'd endured, and possibly who he was, he was targeted. This ties into the "you have to die before reaching... " statement.

[@faile66]

OMG I love that 'nooo' bee so much 🫠

[@ignitionfrn2223]

4:20 - Chapter 1 - The boy who lived 19:30 - Chapter 2 - A mayor mistake 34:05 - Chapter 3 - Mysterious masteries 49:00 - Chapter 4 - Coup d'état 59:15 - Chapter 5 - The boy who lived...again 1:11:55 - Chapter 6 - The sacred path of bull shido 1:21:35 - Chapter 7 - The fresh prince of nuremberg 1:37:55 - Chapter 8 - Lost in translation 1:53:30 - Chapter 9 - 3 strokes & you're out 2:08:35 - Theory A 2:09:00 - Theory B 2:09:30 - Theory C 2:10:00 - Chapter 10 - The boy who livn't 2:13:30 - The curious case of the purple purse 2:23:05 - Chapter 11 - Random game of thrones pun or something 2:34:25 - Chapter 12 - 50 shades of grey areas 2:47:35 - Chapter 13 - The hauser always wins , until he does not 2:59:20 - Chapter 14 - The wonders of stained underwear 3:04:10 - Cryptic allusions

[@maeltac]

I didn't even notice the length of the episode until I was over an hour and half in, I was enjoying it so much.

[@ruthstevens8805]

Absolutely loved this longer one: epic job everyone.

[@snowmanzach2311]

The editing and research was exceptionally on point this episode, well done!

[@robertrodeck8103]

Kaspar Hauser, conceptual artist 200 years before his time

[@notyouorme]

Yeah, on the kids will explore everywhere. Your story about your school reminds me of one from a school in the town where I grew up. The building was an old school stone and marble building with the massive crawl spaces between floors. For a while people kept commenting that on certain floors it smelled of weed, but when checking out all over the floor there wasn't anyone smoking. It wasn't until basic maintenance on the older boiler system was needed that the worker opened the access hatch and was hit by a strong scent of weed. Apparently since the crawl space was pretty much abandoned, the stoners had discovered it and were using it as a hidden hot box area. The teachers ended up calling the group the mole people since the access was under the floor.

[@aceundead4750]

Other than the fact i cant remember the first 2 hours i love long form content like this. It allows me to throw a video on and be able to focus on doing other things like chores and gaming, and not need to look at my phone to find a new video every 10 seconds

[@richardsmith3917]

You should release the script as a book. Simon can do a forward; new merch

[@avoinwonderland]

I would so buy!

[@TheLostCorner]

Kevin does release his scripts on his Patreon if I remember right. I've been meaning to sign up and get hold of them. I'd love it if more of the scripts -- I'm thinking Casual Criminalist and Decoding the Unknown in particular -- were released for purchase. Hell with it, I've got experience building ebooks. Simon, if you want someone to do a ham-fistedish job of putting together the scripts along with your various asinine asides and mispronunciations, and can sort out a deal with the writers for the publication rights, give me a bell. I have very limited free time and I'm a bit out of practice, but I promise to be extremely rude about all the mispronunciations and I can deliver ePub, PDF and if for some Godforsaken reason someone demands it, Word.

[@prophecyempresslerena358]

I absolutely love the longer episodes. When I saw this video and noticed it was 3 hours long, I was even more excited to watch it.

[@gabriellearterburn4428]

Fantastic writing, fantastic editing and production, fantastic narration as usual. I love the long form, especially when its as poetic and intriguing as this. Thank you, Simon and gang!

[@EverettvonNordeck-gf2cw]

Right out of the gate I am surprised Simon didn't jump on the notion of multiple health issues streaming from a lifelong diet of bread and water. One of many issues years of supposed solitary confinement with little to no sunlight. That being said, an excellent episode ! Worth the wait.

[@SaintDorado]

The term "age of consent" gets taken so literally by a lot of people. Yes the age of consent in germany is 14. This does not mean that e.g. a 30yo person can have intercourse with a 14 year old. That's giga illegal. I would like this to be pointed out, as I've heard and read this misconception all over the internet. The are very specific guidelines when it comes to the age of consent and you can easily read about this. For example persons from the age of 14 to 16 may not have intercourse with anybody more than 3 years older then themselves.

[@elfdream2007]

The age of consent is 18 in the US for eleven states, it's not nationwide. That's another bit of misinformation that's constantly repeated.

[@joshh535]

Deniz did a fantastic job with this one, that “Victorian crime drama” segment was outstanding and I love that Simon played into it. Thanks for you and your crew’s hard work!

[@ZOB4]

More Deniz please. His words are beautiful.

[@AllThatAmar]

This was a word rollercoaster. Thank you. I almost crashed my car a few times, and I'm not even in my car. I'm sitting down at home.

[@asabovesobelow4180]

Absolutely loved this. The writing was absolutely phenomenal. Great job to everyone involved in creating this.

[@scythebergon418]

Dude this is written so well I feel like Im watching the events play out amazing job!!!!

[@rebekahdane5382]

I loved this video so much! Absolutely flawless! It really felt like I was listening to an audiobook. Well done!

[@amyherringshaw1151]

Loving the long episodes lately! Thank you! And Deniz your writing is fabulous ❤

[@jenniferhof9448]

The subtle grim reaper slinking behind Simon was beautifully done! Kudos to Julian!

[@iloveapiano6542]

I agree. He should write the book. This was captivating writing and excellent story telling. And yes Simon should narrate the audio book.

[@bex5214]

This is by far one of my favorite episodes. Well done Denis!

[@user-zd3ow9kw4z]

So good, always look at the length of new episodes and love it when it is 2 or more hours!

[@stuartronald9785]

3 hours. Outstanding!

[@bcgerritsma8473]

Discovering Kasper Hauser really was the 'lost prince' wouldn't change anything about the succession. The whole idea of the conspiracy was that the infant was the last surviving heir (ie. his predeceased siblings had left no living heirs), thus with his death the morganatic branch was able to inherit. Either that last heir died as an infant, or, Kasper Hauser was that infant and died without issue, so the morganatic branch currently holding the title would still have ended up inheriting.

[@empoleonmaster6709]

Thank you for this super long video, I loved it!

[@keeganbell8508]

Love the long videos! Keep em coming!

[@orchidism5063]

I friggin love long episodes. Any whistlerverse episode thats over an hour gets me so excited

[@alienassassin1119]

a great job would watch for another 3 hours glad to be here 🥰

[@plovergrrl]

There was so much in this episode I don't even know what to comment on, so I'll just say brilliant episode! Really enjoyed this one!

[@madmick3794]

Listened to every bit, even went back to clarify details. Loved it. Great work by all.

[@BattIeBear]

2:13:25 Dennis had no reason to go this hard, and yet I love him for it. Thank you, Simon, for doing it justice!

[@ljenk5]

Simon, Deniz ♥️ this episode, thaaaaanks!!! ♥️

[@kairakuwaeldreor3868]

So, so good Dennis. Recommending this to my German friend who got his PHD in anthropology in English

[@kestrelhensley9410]

Amazing episode, thank you!

[@godhasgas]

Wow. I wasn't sure I was in the mindset for a 3hr long video but the way you wrote this Dennis, amazing! Exceptionally well done 👍

[@scitor]

+4k views of a 3h "movie" already after 2h 🤣👍 time dilation is strong in this one

[@Elizacoco]

If all he’d ever had was bread would he have scurvy?

[@juneyshu6197]

right

[@thepartysjustbegun5557]

I totally wondered that exact thing.

[@mattm1276]

One word Mr Whistler and Team (Dennis you legend) .... Brilliant !

[@Amanda_Bulldog_Mom]

Decoding the casual criminalist?? I’d subscribe in a heartbeat!!

[@AliDK-e8j]

This was excellent. Thank you.❤

[@JesseJoyce-cj2xg]

I came across this case a few years ago while tracing my genealogy, some of my ancestors came from Ansbach near Nurnberg, and I wondered if they had heard of him. Glad to see it being covered here.

[@Marykate465]

I’ve vaguely heard this story. Deniz and Simon made it much more interesting to hear. Great job all!

[@rabidwire]

The writing on this is fantastic. I agree Deniz should expand this to a book.

[@joshh535]

Lol that tour guide may have known who you are, but he didn’t *know you.* Most of this info goes in your eyes and out your mouth, and your actual fans love you for it.

[@makaimaukahasopinions848]

I'm excited for this, Kaspar Hauser fascinates me.

[@susannebrown1860]

I grew up in Germany (northern, not Bavaria) and have a history degree and had never heard about this, great episode

[@flegmon618]

I love watching/listening to Simon learn about stories I already have background info about! Greetings from Germany :)