Germany, Imperial. Documents from the Estate of Generalleutnant Ludwig Karl von Schwerin

The estate includes:

a Hessian Knight’s Cross 1st Class of the Order of Philipp the Magnanimous award certificate; the statutes of the Order of Philipp the Magnanimous; a Prussian Crown Order 3rd Class award certificate; an Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) promotion certificate; a Squadron Leader in 1st Baden Life Dragoon Regiment appointment certificate; a Rittmeister (captain) promotion certificate; a 25 years of service cross certificate; a Portepee-Fähnrich (officer cadet with portepee) promotion certificate; a First War letter on the death in action of his son; 20 telegrams, many of which sent by Grand Duke of Baden; a number of invitations and menus for royal visit of King Wilhelm II at Winter Palace in St. Petersburg; a number of documents belonging to Siegfried Rühle von Lilienstern, 1940s to 1975.

The Hessian Knight’s Cross 1st Class of the Order of Philipp the Magnanimous certificate is named to Ludwig von Schwerin, royal Prussian Major at the General Command 11th Army Corps, and dated to Darmstadt on 1 April 1 1899.

Measuring 210 mm (w) x 330 mm (h), presenting a folding crease and light creasing of the edges, remains near extremely fine.

The Statutes of the Order of Philipp the Magnanimous are dated to 1907.

15 pages, measuring 160 mm (w) x 215 mm (h), presenting light overall creasing and the upper right corner of the front cover missing, remains near extremely fine.

The Prussian Crown Order 3rd Class certificate is named to Major Ludwig von Schwerin of the General Staff of the 11th Army Corps. It is dated to Berlin on 18 January 1900 and signed in black ink by Emperor Wilhelm II.

Measuring 209 mm (w) x 330 mm (h), presenting two folding creases, and light creasing and fraying of the edges, remains better than very fine.

The Oberstleutnant promotion certificate is named to the leader or Kürassier Regiment “Emperor Nikolaus I of Russia” (Brandenburg) No. 6, Major Ludwig von Schwerin. It is dated to Weissensee (near Berlin) on 12 September 1902 and signed in black ink by Wilhelm II.

Measuring 215 mm (w) x 358 mm (h), presenting two folding creases, with several minor tears and two small holes, remains near very fine.

The Squadron Leader appointment certificate is named to Rittmeister (captain) of Ulan Regiment “Prince August of Württemberg” No. 10, Ludwig von Schwerin, appointing him Squadron Leader of the 1st Bade Life Dragoon Regiment No. 20. It is dated to Danzig on 17 May 1892 and signed in black ink by Wilhelm II.

Measuring 215 mm (h) x 361 mm (h), presenting multiple folding creases, and one minor hole at the bottom of the stamped seal, remains near very fine.

The Rittmeister promotion certificate is named to Premier-Lieutenant (first lieutenant) Ludwig von Schwerin of Ulan Regiment “Prince August of Württemberg” No. 10. It is dated to Mühlhausen in Thüringen (central Germany) on 19 September 1891 and is signed in black ink by Wilhelm II.

Measuring 215 mm (w) x 360 mm (h), presenting two folding creases, and light scuffing of the edges, remains better than very fine.

The 25 years of service cross certificate is named to Major von Schwerin of the General Staff of the 11th Army Corps. It is dated to Kassel (central Germany) on 26 June 1900.

Measuring 210 mm (w) x 330 mm (h), presenting a folding crease, and light scuffing and soiling of the edges, remains very fine.

The Portepee-Fähnrich promotion certificate is named to Unteroffizier (NCO) Ludwig von Schwerin of the Posen Ulan Regiment No. 10. It is dated to Berlin on 14 December 1875.

Measuring 221 mm (w) x 361 mm (h), presenting two folding creases, along which the document has started to come apart, remains better than fine.

A letter from the Imperial German Commandant’s Office to Generalleutnant von Schwerin, commander of the 21st Reserve Infantry Division on the Western Front, dated to October 27, 1914. Schwerin is informed that his son, Joachim, was killed in action on the Eastern Front.

Measuring 219 mm (w) x 176 mm (h), presenting three folding creases, and light creasing and scuffing of the edges, remains better than fine.

20 telegrams to Schwerin, dated to between 1900 and 1903, one dated to 1906. 13 were sent by Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden, and are mostly hunting invitations. Five were sent by Oberst (colonel) von Pritzelwitz to coordinate a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, on which Schwerin accompanied the Prussian Crown Prince, Wilhelm of Prussia.

Measuring 250 mm (w) x 205 mm (h), presenting multiple folding creases and scuffing and fraying of the edges, remains better than fine.

Various invitations, programs, and menus from the visit of the Prussian Crown Prince in St. Petersburg in early January of 1903, on which Schwerin accompanied him.

Two private letters dated to January of 1903 to Schwerin’s wife.

A number of letters, postcards, and documents to family Rühle von Lilienstern, including four letters to Siegfried from his “uncle B.”, dated to between 1943 and 1946, and the obituary of Siegfried’s mother Irmgard, dated to 1975.

Footnote: Ludwig Karl von Schwerin was born on 28 June 1854 in Posen (present-day Poznań, western Poland). He joined the Prussian army in 1875 and served in the Ulan Regiment “Prince August of Württemberg” (Posen) No. 10. In 1892, Schwerin relocated to Baden to serve as squadron leader in the 1st Baden Life Dragoon Regiment in Karlsruhe. He became friends with Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden, and would go hunting with him on a regular basis. In 1902, Schwerin relocated again, now serving as regiment leader in the Kürassier Regiment “Emperor Nikolaus I of Russia” (Brandenburg) No. 6. He went on to lead the 17th Cavalry Brigade of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg in 1907, and in 1912 he became inspector of the 1st Cavalry Inspection in his hometown of Posen. Schwerin retired in March of 1913, but was reactivated after the outbreak of the First War, serving as division commander of the 21st Reserve Division until June of 1916, and then at the Etappen-Inspektion 3 in Sedan. He died on 8 February 1922.