Hendrik Casimir van Nassau-Dietz to Sophia Hedwig von Braunschweig-Wolffenbüttel

Dublin Core

Title

Hendrik Casimir van Nassau-Dietz to Sophia Hedwig von Braunschweig-Wolffenbüttel

Description

Of the 151 letters currently in Sophia Hedwig's catalogue, twenty letters were written by her son Hendrik Casimir, who sent frequent reports to his mother about both his wellbeing and the military actions of what became known as the Eighty Years War in which he was heavily involved. On 4 July 1640, at the battle of Hulst, Hendrik Casimir was gravely injured. Although it seemed initially that he would recover, he died on 8 July. In his final days, he wrote two comforting and optimistic letters to his mother, the last one of which is displayed here. It is not clear precisely when Sophia Hedwig heard the news, but she received this letter only twenty-three days after his death. In her own hand she scribbled at the top of the page that it was the last letter she had received from her beloved son, and that he had written it three days before his death.

Source

Koninklijke Verzamelingen, Den Haag
A23a-030

Date

8 July 1640

Language

French
German

Letter Item Type Metadata

Origin

Hulst

Destination

Willingen

Letter Type

MS Letter

EMLO Catalogue

Transcription

[Noted on top of the letter in the original handwriting of Sophia Hedwig:] Dieses ist das letzte Schreiben das ich von meinem H. lieben Sohn Heinrich bekommen habe, welches er mit seiner todten Handt 3 Tage für seinem Todt geschrieben hatt.

Pf. Willingen 21/31 julii 1640
Madame,
Jusques icy ma foiblesse ne m’a pas permis de m’acquiter de mon devoir, mais à cest heure que je commence à conforter, je prands la plume à la main pour dire à Votre Excellence que c’est aujourd’huy le sincquiesme jour que je suis esté blessé et que ma playe s’amende de jour à autre plus que les médecins ont aussé espérer. Je ne feray plus long discours ai me contenteray de finir ça, me signant, Madame, de Votre Excellence, très humble et très obeisant serviteur,
H. C. de Nassau
Ce 8 de juliet 1640

Transcription and MS

[Noted on top of the letter in the original handwriting of Sophia Hedwig:] Dieses ist das letzte Schreiben das ich von meinem H. lieben Sohn Heinrich bekommen habe, welches er mit seiner todten Handt 3 Tage für seinem Todt geschrieben hatt.

Pf. Willingen 21/31 julii 1640
Madame,
Jusques icy ma foiblesse ne m’a pas permis de m’acquiter de mon devoir, mais à cest heure que je commence à conforter, je prands la plume à la main pour dire à Votre Excellence que c’est aujourd’huy le sincquiesme jour que je suis esté blessé et que ma playe s’amende de jour à autre plus que les médecins ont aussé espérer. Je ne feray plus long discours ai me contenteray de finir ça, me signant, Madame, de Votre Excellence, très humble et très obeisant serviteur,
H. C. de Nassau
Ce 8 de juliet 1640
sophiahedwig_letter_web.jpg

Part of Collection

Citation

“Hendrik Casimir van Nassau-Dietz to Sophia Hedwig von Braunschweig-Wolffenbüttel,” The Wives of the Stadtholders: an exhibition, accessed March 29, 2024, http://emlo-portal.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/exhibition/sw/items/show/8.

Geolocation