Description:

Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg
Berlin, Brandenburg-Prussia, Holy Roman Empire, August 7, 1660
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg MDS Signed 3 Months After End of Second Northern War Against Sweden
MDS

A 1p manuscript document in German signed by Frederick William (1620-1688), Elector of Brandenburg and Duke of Prussia, at the bottom of the first page. August 7, 1660. Berlin, Brandenburg-Prussia, Holy Roman Empire. Secretarially inscribed on laid watermarked bifold folio-sized paper with an integral address leaf bearing a 2.5" diameter red wax and blind-embossed paper seal. Docketed at top and bottom. The inner pages are blank. Expected wear including toning, edge darkening, isolated edge chips, and scattered stains and former collector's pencil inscriptions. The blank inner pages show evidence of mounting traces and discoloration from the seal. Flattened transmittal folds, else very good to near fine. 7.875"x 12.75." Provenance: Ex-Conway Barker, 1984.

The document has not been fully translated, but concerns an estate in Halberstadt. The Principality of Halberstadt was ruled by Frederick William's Brandenburg-Prussia after 1648. Halberstadt had been given to Brandenburg-Prussia as compensation following the loss of Western Pomerania. The capital of the Principality of Halberstadt was the city of Halberstadt, located in modern day Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany.

Frederick William had been embroiled in a very messy international conflict, called the Second Northern War (1655-1660), up until a few months prior to signing this document relating to domestic management. In this conflict pitched between principal adversaries Sweden and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Brandenburg-Prussia had switched sides three times over the course of five years. Initially allied with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, they briefly supported Sweden before reverting back to their first alliance. Although the Elector had chosen the losing side - Sweden made significant territorial gains throughout Scandinavia - he benefited from the new sovereign status of the Duchy of Prussia.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7.875"x 12.75"
  • Medium: MDS

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