“The theatre resembled a madhouse”

World premiere of Schiller’s drama The Robbers

Celebrating the ideal of freedom, Frederick Schiller’s The Robbers was written as a criticism of aristocratic rule and explains why its author, the young military doctor Frederick Schiller, published his work anonymously. The play premiered in Mannheim on 13 January 1782. Schiller chose to release his play in the relatively liberal Electoral Palatinate and not his home state of Württemberg, as its Duke Karl Eugen was more conservative and likely to take a dim view of the storyline.

The story of a count’s son who becomes the leader of a band of robbers struck a chord with its audience, and its enthusiastic reception caused a scandal. After travelling to Mannheim twice without permission, Schiller was banned from contact with areas outside of Württemberg and was held under arrest for a fortnight. When his sovereign also prohibited him from writing literature, Schiller fled Württemberg altogether.