Monday, October 22, 2007

A Formal Announcement From Zolms

An older portly gentleman dressed in the style of an hussar of the Imperial Army and wearing a golden ambassador's chain, bows deeply to those assembled, clears his throat and says in a measured tone:

I have the honor to be Wilhelm Christian Otto, Burggraf von Zolms-Braunwald and Brigadier Commanding the Leib Brigade of the Grafschaft of Zolms. It is my privilege to be the Ambassador-at-Large to the Graf von Zolms-Braunwald-Braunberg, Karl August Wilhelm and on his behalf and in his words, I beg leave to address those here and present his message -

"To Her Imperial Majesty Maria Theresia, Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Bohemia and Hungary, Archduchess of Austria;
Members of the Council of Electors, Archbishops, Pfalzgraf, Herzogen, and Margrave;
Members of the Council of Princes of the Ecclesiastical Bench, Archbishops, Grand Master, Bishops, Provosts, Priors and Abbots;
of the Secular Bench, Herzogen, Pflazgraffen, Margraven, Landgraven, Fursten;
of the Colleges of Graffen;
Members of the Council of Freie Reichsstadten -

Konigen, Fursten and Prinz of foreign states -

Greetings from Karl August Wilhelm, Graf von Zolms-Braunwald, Graf im Zolms-Braunberg, Herr von Münzenberg, Wildenfels & Sonnenwalde

On the occasion of my wedding to Sophie Auguste Wilhelmine, Grafein von Zolms-Braunberg, on the 14th instant, having fulfilled the final condition of my late honored father's will, I take up my titles, ranks, responsiblities and duties as Graf von Zolms-Braunwald-Braunberg, prinz-presumptive of Zolms. We wish to express our loyalty to Her Imperial Majesty, our leigelord. Also we express our thanks and gratitude to those who have shown us courtesy in our wedding and my assumption of inheritance. It is our purpose to restore the Furstschaft of Zolms to its traditional and rightful stature within the Empire and to reunite the several severed portions of that principality under our rule and that of our heirs forever. We ask the blessing of the Lord and of Her Imperial Majesty upon our work and the practical assistance of our neighboring rulers.

Given under my hand and seal, on this 20th day of Oktober, year of grace 1757, at the Schloss Braunwald, Grafschaft of Zolms,
Karl August, Graf und Prinz.

2 comments:

Frankfurter said...

Congratulations!
And where is this principality?
:)
A

Ike said...

Why, my lord, it is in the area near the various Hessian states, up in the mountains a bit for their scenic beauty (and silver), with a bit of flatter ground for farmland and on which to maneuver our battalions and squadrons.