German Royalty
Germany, ca. 1868-1897
Three Letters Signed by German Monarchs, Wilhelm I, Wilhelm II, and Ludwig II
Archive

A group of three letters signed by monarchs of the German Empire: Wilhelm I, Wilhelm II, and Ludwig II. All three letters are written in German (untranslated). All with mail folds and light to moderate toning. Very good with bold signatures.

Includes:
1. Wilhelm I LS: 1p of a bifolium, Berlin, dated November 24, 1887. Arranging a meeting with Princess Marie von Sachsen-Weiningen.
2. Wilhelm II LS: 1p. New-Palace, Potsdam, dated October 26, 1897. Granting the Prime-Lieut. Von Alvensleben of the Guard-Fuselier Regiment a lengthy vacation to recover his health. With a typed translation sheet.
3. Ludwig II LS: Berg Palace, dated December 29, 1868. Addressed to the King of W?rttemberg, concerning a royal wedding.

Wilhelm I (1797-1888) was King of Prussia and German Emperor, as well as the first head of state of a united Germany. As a second son, he was not expected to ascend to the throne, however in 1840, when his childless elder brother Frederick William IV became King of Prussia, Wilhelm became the heir presumptive. Frederick suffered a stroke in 1857, and Wilhelm was named Prince Regent one year later. Following the death of his brother in 1861, Wilhelm ascended to the Prussian throne. During the reign of his grandson Wilhelm II, Wilhelm I became known as Wilhelm the Great.

Wilhelm II (1859-1941) became second in the line of succession to the Prussian throne after his grandfather ascended to the throne. Through his mother, he was the eldest of the 42 grandchildren of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Wilhelm's tactless and erratic foreign policy greatly antagonized the international community and are considered by many to have substantially contributed the start to the First World War and to the fall of the German Empire. Wilhelm was a lax wartime leader, resulting in the loss of support of his country's military leaders and many of his subjects. He was forced to abdicate during the German Revolution of 1918?1919 and fled to exile in the Netherlands. Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, marking the end of the German Empire and the House of Hohenzollern's 300-year reign in Prussia and 500-year reign in Brandenburg.

Ludwig II (1845-1886) was King of Bavaria from 1864 until his death in 1886. He ascended to the throne at the age of 18 but increasingly withdrew from day-to-day duties to pursue extravagant artistic and architectural projects. He commissioned the construction of lavish palaces such as Neuschwanstein Castle, Linderhof Palace, and Herrenchiemsee, and was also a patron of composer Richard Wagner. His extravagant spending and personal pursuits was ultimately used against him to declare him insane, and he was effectively deposed on June 12, 1886. The following day, he and his doctor were found dead under mysterious circumstances. Outside Germany, Ludwig II is sometimes referred to as "the Mad King" or "Mad King Ludwig".

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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8" x 12.5" (largest)