Reinhard Frötschner

Reinhard Frötschner is a Consultant Lecturer in East and Southeast European History at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Since 2000, he has been a scientific assistant at the Institute for East and Southeast European Studies in Munich (formerly Regensburg). He is currently responsible for the review section of the journal "Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas" and has taught regular courses on pre-Petrine Russian history since 2004.

• PhD in History (Munich) - Thesis: "Das Bild des Krieges im Moskauer Reich unter Zar Ivan IV. Groznyj"
• MA in East and Southeast European History, Slavic Philology (Russian literature focus)
• 5-month study visit to Moscow (1990-1991)

His research focuses on early modern Muscovite political mythology, diplomatic practices during the Livonian War, and cultural representations of historical events. He specializes in analyzing visual and textual sources like the "Licevoj letopisnyj svod" and the "Illuminated Compendium" of Ivan IV. His work connects Muscovite state-building with European historical contexts, particularly examining how war imagery evolved through official historiography and peripheral reception.

Frötschner's academic contributions include co-editing the 2021 open-access volume on Ivan IV's illuminated chronicle manuscript, which explores its role in Moscow's historical and artistic traditions. He has presented at international conferences in Bonn, Graz, Paris, and St. Petersburg, addressing topics like Muscovite eschatological expectations and the Time of Troubles. His teaching covers medieval East European history, focusing on Rus' territories and their European neighbors from early medieval to early modern periods.