Dark5 | 5 Strangest Military Units in History @dark5tv | Uploaded 3 years ago | Updated 1 day ago
Every country wants to have the biggest and strongest army in the world, but for King Frederick William I of Prussia, it became a life-long obsession.
In 1675, the Prussian monarch became determined to assemble the tallest military unit in Europe. With a minimum requirement of 6 feet 2 inches, a taller than average height for any European man, he began traveling the world looking for soldiers, and he was willing to beg, borrow and steal to get them.
The Emperor of Austria, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and even Tsar Peter the Great of Russia sent him several of their tallest soldiers in exchange for diplomatic relations.
Still, the toll of being a Potsdam Giant was high for military standards at the time, and not all of the Giants were satisfied, as most of them had been recruited against their will. Consequently, many of them continually tried to escape.
King Frederick became obsessed with the tall men, and he was known to order them to march into his bedroom to brighten up his mood.
As his obsession with the tall men continued, the monarch even compelled his elite troops to marry and breed with the tallest women of his land. The feat was even referenced in Charles Darwin's ‘The Descent of Man,’ in which the scientist mentioned this as the only case of intentional human interbreeding.
Although Prussia intervened in the Great Northern War, a conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and the Swedish Empire, the Potsdam Giants never saw actual combat. Perhaps it was for the best, as many of these men most likely suffered from gigantism or tumors in their pituitary gland, which causes lethargy, double vision, and general clumsiness.
When King Frederick William I passed away of old age in 1740, the Potsdam Giants consisted of 3,200 men. However, his son and successor believed the regiment was too expensive to maintain.
After disbanding the unit not long after his funeral, the new king, Frederick the Great, used the money to finance four regiments of average-sized soldiers.
Every country wants to have the biggest and strongest army in the world, but for King Frederick William I of Prussia, it became a life-long obsession.
In 1675, the Prussian monarch became determined to assemble the tallest military unit in Europe. With a minimum requirement of 6 feet 2 inches, a taller than average height for any European man, he began traveling the world looking for soldiers, and he was willing to beg, borrow and steal to get them.
The Emperor of Austria, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and even Tsar Peter the Great of Russia sent him several of their tallest soldiers in exchange for diplomatic relations.
Still, the toll of being a Potsdam Giant was high for military standards at the time, and not all of the Giants were satisfied, as most of them had been recruited against their will. Consequently, many of them continually tried to escape.
King Frederick became obsessed with the tall men, and he was known to order them to march into his bedroom to brighten up his mood.
As his obsession with the tall men continued, the monarch even compelled his elite troops to marry and breed with the tallest women of his land. The feat was even referenced in Charles Darwin's ‘The Descent of Man,’ in which the scientist mentioned this as the only case of intentional human interbreeding.
Although Prussia intervened in the Great Northern War, a conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and the Swedish Empire, the Potsdam Giants never saw actual combat. Perhaps it was for the best, as many of these men most likely suffered from gigantism or tumors in their pituitary gland, which causes lethargy, double vision, and general clumsiness.
When King Frederick William I passed away of old age in 1740, the Potsdam Giants consisted of 3,200 men. However, his son and successor believed the regiment was too expensive to maintain.
After disbanding the unit not long after his funeral, the new king, Frederick the Great, used the money to finance four regiments of average-sized soldiers.
