Description
This is a promotion patent for Ferdinand Muskewitz, elevating him to the status of Second Lieutenant serving in Landwehr-Regiment Nr 25. The document measures 8 ¾” x 15″ unopened, and 15″ x 17 ¾” when fully opened. It reveals four panels of paper when opened, although just two of the four panels are actually used.
What makes the document so interesting is that it was prepared for Prinz Wilhelm I, who was acting as Prinz Regent for his older brother, König Friedrich Wilhelm IV. Friedrich Wilhelm IV had suffered a stroke and was incapacitated until his death in 1861 when Wilhelm I assumed the throne. The document was not signed by Wilhelm I due to the officer’s lower rank. Promotion patents were generally not signed until a man achieved the rank of Hauptmann.
The document was prepared on 20 September 1859 in Baden-Baden. The ink of the document is clear and easily readable. Some foxing shows to the edges on the top and bottom of the document.
