Correspondence and papers of Thomas Villiers with Frederick the Great of Prussia

Title

Correspondence and papers of Thomas Villiers with Frederick the Great of Prussia

Shelfmark

MS. 16644/26

Summary

Comprises:

Thomas Villiers correspondence and instructions as Minister Plenipotentiary at the court of Frederick II of Prussia during the War of the Austrian Succession, including instructions signed by George II (with articles relating to the Jacobites and to France), letters and orders from London by the first Earl of Harrington, Edward Weston, and others, letters from British ministers and agents at various courts throughout Europe including Robert Hampden-Trevor at the Hague, the third Earl of Hyndford in St Petersburg, Thomas Robinson in Vienna, and James Gray in Venice, providing considerable detail on political and military events (including the Battle of Piacenza), intelligence on the attitudes and intentions of various European governments to Britain and to Prussia, many letters including portions in cipher, together with many copies of related letters and documents (in total about 465 pages in a disbound volume with vellum bands, Jan to Aug 1746)

Concession of Frederick the Great to the 1st Earl of Clarendon to add to his Coat of Arms the Black Eagle of Prussia, 1782, with associated original and copy correspondence from Frederick from 1741, 1748, 1758-1759, 1772, 1782 with related and covering letters from 1935, 1962-1963

Date

1741-1963

Language

English

Physical extent

1 box