Further information:

• Letter details (including transcript)

Background

Over the course of the twenty years during which Constantijn Huygens (1596–1687) served Stadtholder Frederik Henrik, the two men developed a confidential relationship. This was not the case with Frederik Henrik’s son and successor Willem II, however. Willem reigned for just two years and following the stadtholder’s sudden death in 1650, Constantijn no longer enjoyed the protection of a stadholder from the house of Orange and found himself struggling to maintain his position. He managed to stay within the close circle of Amalia of Solms, the widow of Frederik Henrik and the grandmother of Willem III, the future stadtholder and king of England.

Statistics taken from surviving letters show Constantijn corresponded with Amalia more than with any other individual. A total of 835 letters written by him to Amalia together with an additional 185 received from her have been preserved. Constantijn’s original letters to her have survived, and we learn that he asked one of Amalia’s ladies-in-waiting to take good care of his letters and to return them to him after Amalia’s death. Thankfully for posterity, this request was duly observed.

The letter on view here provides a fascinating example of the smallest (in terms of size) type of letter Constantijn wrote to Amalia. It was written and dispatched against the backdrop of a military campaign, during which Constantijn reported frequently to Amalia regarding developments on the battlefield and concerning the health and wellbeing of her husband Frederik Hendrik. In this particular letter, Huygens announces that the stadtholder has given order to break camp. 

This video is a reconstruction of how the letter has been written, folded and opened. 

Letterlocking: A Tiny Spy Letter: Constantijn Huygens to Amalia von Solms, 1635 on Vimeo.

Video produced by MIT Academic Media Production Services Directed by Dr. Nadine Akkerman, Leiden University and Jana Dambrogio, Thomas F. Peterson, MIT Libraries