Morgan Golf-French

Morgan Golf-French is a postdoctoral researcher at the Herzog August Library (HAB) in Wolfenbüttel, Germany, conducting a State of Lower Saxony-funded project from July 1–31, 2025, focused on prisoners of war within the European Enlightenment context.

Research examines the evolution of prisoners' rights during the 18th century and their relationship to contemporary concepts of progress, enlightenment, and rule of law. Key investigation areas include:

• Intellectual frameworks governing prisoner treatment
• Impact of specific historical events (e.g., French National Convention's 1794 'no pardon' declaration)
• Development of prisoner-of-war camps during Napoleonic Wars
• Analysis of Charles de Villers' unpublished 1790s treatise on captivity
• Origins of military terminology like 'cabinet warfare'
• Connections between Enlightenment philosophy and wartime legal norms

The project centers on an original manuscript discovered in 2017 that provides foundational insights into historical-war theoretical principles. Current research is supported exclusively through the Herzog August Library's scholarship program funded by the State of Lower Saxony, with no additional grants or institutional partnerships indicated.