Item 19: Envelope from General William Frederick George Louis [Future King William II of the Netherlands] to Dr. Franz Tideman, Burgermeister of Bremen [English, Dutch, German, and French Languages], 1814 October 22.
Item — Box: 2, Folder: 19
Dates
- Created: 1814 October 22.
Creator
Disclaimer for Name and Subject Authorities
Some of the name and subject authority tags have been assigned by educated guessing and estimation of persons and subjects by region, age, profession, and familial relationships. They have been thoroughly researched by using primary and secondary sources available digitally, and named in each description, or in some cases linked directly to the person tag.
Access:
All series and subseries within this collection are open for research, with the exception of a few files within the Academia series that are restricted. The Academia series contains financial and sensitive institutional records from Wilkes College, and financial report records from Princeton University that will remain restricted for 80 years upon creation.
Extent
1 items
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Type of Material:
Envelope
Condition Note:
Fair. Strong vinegar smell.
Measurements:
7 ⅞ in. x 6 ½ in.
Description:
The following item is an envelope written in English, Dutch, German, and French sent from General William Frederick George Louis, future King William II of the Netherlands in Hague, Netherlands to Dr Franz Tideman, Burgermeister of Bremen, 1752-1836, on October 22, 1814. This letter shows signs of being processed in other archives due to the written notes in English and German that identify the letter. The letter may have passed through the mail system in Hague (Netherlands), as seen by the stamp mark “LA HAYE”, in French. The seal of Willem II (AKA Wilhelm, William of Orange) is also attached to this letter. Willem II was the son of William I, King of the Netherlands and fled to England with his family when the Dutch Republican Army was defeated in the Batavian Revolution. Willem studied military in the Prussian Court, served in the Prussian army, and studied civil law at Christ Church, Oxford. At age 19, he entered the British Army and was placed under Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington before becoming a colonel. He then served under Prince Regent George IV and became a major-general before returning to the Netherlands, where his father became the ruler of the Sovereign Principality of the United Netherlands. In 1814, he was promoted to lieutenant-general and subsequently general, and he fought in many battles, including the Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon, in which he was injured. This letter is dated to 1814, after Willem was promoted to general and before Napoleon escaped the Island of Elba. Dr Tideman, 1752-1836, was one of three mayors of Bremen and earned his doctorate in law from Georg-August-Universität Göttingen. In 1794 he became a councillor of Bremen and from 1808 to 1824 he was a mayor. At the time this letter was sent, Bremen was under French occupation after the Napoleonic Wars and in 1813, Russian troops invaded Bremen to oust the French troops, eventually expelling them. In 1814, Bremen was recognized as a Free Hanseatic City and in 1815, the Congress of Vienna declared it a sovereign city-state within the German Confederation. During the French occupation, the mayors lost their power, but it was restored after the French were expelled. Willem II may have been contacting the mayor to establish amicable relations after his father had seized power again.
Location:
Bremen.; Hague (Netherlands)
Transcription:
Haag, 22 Oct. 1814. [written in pen, sideways]
Wilhelm fengt(?) neu(?)
Oranian
F.g 3 Nov
LA HAYE [stamped on] An [written in pen, different handwriting] den Herrn Burgermeister Dr Tidemann Franco Derente zu Bremen
Niederl.[ande] Wilh[elm] II v[on] Oranien [written in pencil, sideways]
Autograph & Seal of William II [written in pen, third different handwriting] King of Holland from 1840 to 1849 (written when Crown Prince in 1814)
Translation: Hague 22 Oct. 1814. [in Dutch language] [written in pen, sideways] Wilhelm fengt(?) neu(?) Orange F.g 3 Nov
HAGUE [in French language] [stamped on] To [written in pen, different handwriting] The Mayor of Bremen, Dr Tidemann Franro Derente
Netherlands, Wilhelm II von Orange [in German language] [written in pencil, sideways]
Autograph & Seal of William II [written in pen, third different handwriting] King of Holland from 1840 to 1849 (written when Crown Prince in 1814)
LA HAYE [stamped on] An [written in pen, different handwriting] den Herrn Burgermeister Dr Tidemann Franco Derente zu Bremen
Niederl.[ande] Wilh[elm] II v[on] Oranien [written in pencil, sideways]
Autograph & Seal of William II [written in pen, third different handwriting] King of Holland from 1840 to 1849 (written when Crown Prince in 1814)
Translation: Hague 22 Oct. 1814. [in Dutch language] [written in pen, sideways] Wilhelm fengt(?) neu(?) Orange F.g 3 Nov
HAGUE [in French language] [stamped on] To [written in pen, different handwriting] The Mayor of Bremen, Dr Tidemann Franro Derente
Netherlands, Wilhelm II von Orange [in German language] [written in pencil, sideways]
Autograph & Seal of William II [written in pen, third different handwriting] King of Holland from 1840 to 1849 (written when Crown Prince in 1814)
Creator
Repository Details
Part of the Wilkes University Archives Repository
Contact:
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu
84 W South St.
Wilkes-Barre PA 18701 US
570-408-2000
570-408-7823 (Fax)
ask.archives@wilkes.edu