Important Letter Signed and Subscribed ("vostre tres affectionné pere Jacques R") to "Monsieur mon tres cher filz" [his son-in-law Frederick, Elector Palatine and deposed King of Bohemia], expressing... etc.
JAMES I and VI, (1566-1625). King of Scotland from 1567 and of England from 1603.
Important Letter Signed and Subscribed ("vostre tres affectionné pere Jacques R") to "Monsieur mon tres cher filz" [his son-in-law Frederick, Elector Palatine and deposed King of Bohemia], expressing satisfaction at the good state of Frederick's health an
In February 1613 James's daughter Elizabeth had married Frederick V, the Elector Palatine and head of the German Protestant union. [The Palatinate of the Rhine was one of the seven ancient German electorates whose rulers elected the Holy Roman Emperor; its capital was Heidelberg]. In 1619 the Bohemians revolted against the Catholic Habsburg Emperor Ferdinand II and offered the crown to Frederick; he was crowned in Prague in November 1619. However the reign of the 'Winter King and Queen' was short; just a year later, in November 1620, Frederick's Bohemian forces were defeated by the Catholic League at the Battle of the White Mountain outside Prague. Frederick and Elizabeth were forced to flee to Holland and Frederick lost not only Bohemia but also, ultimately, his electoral status and territories. In spite of James's natural wish for the restoration of his daughter and son-in-law to the throne of Bohemia, he was reluctant to commit British troops to a European war and placed his hopes on a diplomatic solution. In the event Frederick never regained the throne and until his death in 1632 lived in exile on subsidies provided by the Dutch and English. Elizabeth was able to return to England at the end of her life, on the Restoration of her nephew Charles II. She and Frederick were the parents of the Cavalry commander Prince Rupert and of Sophia, the mother of the future George I of England.
This letter is written from Theobalds, the beautiful Hertfordshire house which had originally belonged to Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury. James liked it so much that in 1607 he persuaded Cecil to exchange it for the old Royal Palace at Hatfield. Because of the lack of the letter cover, this letter was once thought to have been addressed to James's son the future Charles I; however the context makes it quite clear that Frederick must be the recipient.
Trans: "Monsieur my very dear son, We have received the letter which this gentleman the Sieur de Schomberg has given us from you, and have been very glad to hear from him of the good state of your health; We hope to let you know soon of [important] matters, and of the resolution we have taken to share in your concerns; for which we are working with the ardour and diligence required in their present necessity; We beg you meanwhile to be patient, and to comfort yourself with the assurance of the care which we will have for you, and for everything that can depend on us for the work of your re-establishment. Accordingly you should await progress where you are [the Hague]; which we consider the most suitable place where you should now remain. Upon which we beg God, Monsieur my very dear son, that he will always keep you in his holy protection. At our Palace of Theobalds this 9 October 1622. Your very affectionate father Jacques R."
One slight vertical fold crease, and some light browning at the head of the page. A tiny portion is missing from the lower right corner, far from the text. However this significant letter is in clear fresh condition.
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