Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jul 20;27(9):110539.
doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110539. eCollection 2024 Sep 20.

Kaspar Hauser's alleged noble origin - New molecular genetic analyses resolve the controversy

Walther Parson  1   2 , Christina Amory  1 , Turi King  3   4   5 , Michaela Preick  6 , Cordula Berger  1 , Anna König  1 , Gabriela Huber  1 , Katja Anslinger  7 , Birgit Bayer  7 , Gottfried Weichhold  8 , Timo Sänger  9 , Sabine Lutz-Bonengel  9 , Heidi Pfeiffer  10 , Michael Hofreiter  6 , Dietmar Pfründer  11 , Carsten Hohoff  10   12   13 , Bernd Brinkmann  10   13
Affiliations

Kaspar Hauser's alleged noble origin - New molecular genetic analyses resolve the controversy

Walther Parson et al. iScience. .

Abstract

Kaspar Hauser's parentage has been the subject of research and debate for nearly 200 years. As for his possible aristocratic descent through the House of Baden, there is suspicion that he was swapped as a baby, kidnapped, and kept in isolation to bring a collateral lineage to the throne. In the last 28 years, various genetic analyses have been carried out to investigate this possible aristocratic origin. Previous results using less sensitive Sanger and electrophoresis-based methods were contradictory, and moreover, the authenticity of some samples was disputed, thus leaving the question open. Our analyses using modern capture- and whole genome-based massively parallel sequencing techniques reveal that the mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in different samples attributed to Kaspar Hauser were identical, demonstrating authenticity for the first time, and clearly different from the mitochondrial lineage of the House of Baden, which rules out a maternal relationship and thus the widely believed "Prince theory".

Keywords: History; Molecular genetics; Techniques in genetics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Portrait of Kaspar Hauser by Johann Kreul (published by Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach, Dollfuß 1832)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Extract of the genealogical tree of the House of Baden showing the position of the prince who was allegedly transformed to Kaspar Hauser
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Von Feuerbach A. J. M. Dollfuß, Ansbach; 1832. Kaspar Hauser. Beispiel eines Verbrechens am Seelenleben des Menschen.
    1. Daumer G.F. Verlag von Alfred Coppenrath; 1873. Kaspar Hauser. Sein Wesen, seine Unschuld, seine Erduldungen und sein Ursprung in neuer, gründlicher Erörterung und Nachweisung.
    1. Pies H. Verlag C. Brügel & Sohn; 1966. Kaspar Hauser. Eine Dokumentation.
    1. Merker F.,C. L. W. Krause’sche Buchhandlung; 1831. Nachrichten über Caspar Hauser, aus authentischen Quellen und Betrachtungen über deren Beweiskraft für die Einkerkerungs-Geschichte des Jünglings.
    1. Stanhope P.H. Materialien zur Geschichte Kaspar Hausers. Akademische Buchhandlung von J. E. B. Mohr, Heidelberg; 1835.

LinkOut - more resources