Adam Storring’s research unites military history (especially the history of military operations) with cultural, intellectual and gender history, taking the example of King Frederick II of Prussia (‘Frederick the Great’, reigned 1740 – 1786).

Dr Storring has published commentary on present-day international relations and military affairs, writing op-eds for Engelsberg Ideas and War on the Rocks, and discussing his research on the RUSI Talking Strategy podcast series.

Dr Storring’s doctoral dissertation, supervised by Professor Sir Christopher Clark at the University of Cambridge, was awarded the André Corvisier Prize 2019 for the best dissertation on military history defended at any university anywhere in the world. Between 2019 and 2021 he was Early Career Fellow at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg, University of Göttingen. His MPhil and doctorate were funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. He has also held fellowships from the Bühler-Bolstorff Foundation Berlin, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Leibniz Institute for European History, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation. He is currently Visiting Research Fellow at KCL’s Department of War Studies and teaches at the University of Buckingham.

Dr Storring is Deputy Reviews Editor of the International Journal of Military History and Historiography. He served from 2021 to 2026 on the Bibliographical Committee of the International Commission of Military History, and from 2014 to 2019 on the Council of the Society for Army Historical Research.

Dr Storring has been a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Military History and Historiography, the Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, War in History, War on the Rocks and the National Science Centre, Poland.

Before starting his PhD, Dr Storring worked in the British Civil Service and for a leprosy charity in India.

Qualifications

PhD in History, St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, 2018

MPhil in Historical Studies, St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, 2007

BA (Hons.) in History, St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, 2004

Research interests

• History of the Long 18^th Century
• History of War and International Relations
• French and German History
• Russia in the Seven Years War
• Gender History
• History of Science
• History of Knowledge
• History of Time
• Classical Reception and History of Classical Scholarship

By examining the intellectual influences on King Frederick II’s military thinking, Dr Storring’s research fundamentally re-evaluates the much-studied Prussian king. Whereas Frederick has been depicted as a classic example of ‘German militarism’, Dr Storring’s research shows that his military ideas were primarily drawn from France, reflecting the towering influence of King Louis XIV of France (reigned 1643-1715). The Prussian king was also influenced by the French court and its culture of magnificent display.

Examining military history from the perspective of the history of science, Dr Storring’s research stresses the subjective nature of eighteenth-century military thought, challenging long-held claims that it sought to reduce warfare to mathematical calculation.

Dr Storring’s PhD also examined how military ideas are created, showing that Prussian strategy and tactics during Frederick’s campaigns were produced collectively by several individuals within the Prussian military hierarchy.

Dr Storring’s research considers understandings of temporality during the long eighteenth century and particularly the reception of the classical past.

Dr Storring has researched Russia’s intervention in the Seven Years War (1756-63) and particularly the campaign of 1758 that culminated in the battle of Zorndorf.

Publications

• The French Origins of Prussian War-Making: Frederick the Great and the Legacy of Louis XIV (Book manuscript in production with Cambridge University Press. Scheduled for publication in May 2027).
• ‘The Duke of Marlborough in the Writings of Frederick the Great’, British Journal for Military History, 12 Nr. 1 (2026), pp. 3-15.
• ‘The 18^th Century Way of War’, Engelsberg Ideas (24 February 2025).
• ‘Hohenzollern Strategy under Frederick II’, in I. Duyvesteyn and B. Heuser (eds.), The Cambridge History of Strategy (Cambridge University Press, 2025), vol. I, pp. 488-507.
• ‘The Third Silesian War’, in T. Burnard, E. Hart and M. Houllemare (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of the Seven Years’ War (Oxford University Press, 2024), pp. 197-214.
• ‘La batalla de Zorndorf’, Desperta Ferro Historia Moderna (2024).
• ‘A Prussian Strategy for Wars of Attrition’, War on the Rocks (24 April 2024).
• ‘Frederick II of Prussia, The Philosopher King’, Royal United Services Institute Talking Strategy podcast series (29 August 2023).
• ‘Subjective Practices of War: The Prussian Army and the Zorndorf Campaign, 1758’, History of Science, 60 (2022), pp. 458-80.
• ‘“Our Age”: Frederick the Great, Classical Warfare, and the Uses and Abuses of Military History', International Journal of Military History and Historiography, 42 (2022), pp. 323-55.
• ‘Pastor Täge’s Account of the Siege of Cüstrin and the Battle of Zorndorf, 1758’, in A. S. Burns (ed.), The Changing Face of Old Regime Warfare: Essays in Honour of Christopher Duffy (Warwick, 2022), pp. 203-27.
• ‘“The Age of Louis XIV”: Frederick the Great and French Ways of War’, German History, 38 (2020), pp. 24-46.

Teaching

BA courses:

• 4SSW1005 History of Modern War
• 4SSW1007 History of the International System
• 5SSW2064 The Long View: Understanding International Relations Through History