29. Frederick William I Collected Tall Men Like Nerds Collect Star Wars Figures
King Frederick William I was a short man, even by the significantly lower height standards of his era. He stood a mere 5 feet 3 inches, but despite that – or perhaps precisely because of that – he developed a passion for collecting tall soldiers. As he expanded his military, the king paid special attention to the recruitment of big and tall men, whom he placed in a special regiment, The Grand Grenadiers of Potsdam. The only requirement to join was that they have a minimum height of 6 feet 2 inches. They became commonly known as the Potsdam Giants, or as his subjects nicknamed them, the Lang Kerle, or “Long Fellows”.
Frederick William’s passion for tall soldiers knew no bounds. As he once told a diplomat: “The most beautiful girl or woman in the world would be a matter of indifference to me, but tall soldiers – they are my weakness“. They were clad in fine gold-laced blue jackets, scarlet breeches and vest, white gaiters, and an eighteen-inch grenadier cap atop their heads to make them look even taller. They were well-housed and fed the best food. Pay was determined by height: the taller the super-soldiers were, the more they were paid. They never saw combat, because the king loved them too much to risk their lives. He spared no expense and balked at nothing to get his hands on tall men. If they willingly enlisted, all well and good, but if not, as seen below, Frederick William simply had them kidnapped and forcibly added to his regiment.
