For your consideration is a rare and historically significant original royal military appointment document hand-signed by Wilhelm II of Wrttemberg (18481921), the last reigning King of Wrttemberg, issued at Stuttgart on 21 April 1911. Entirely contemporary in character and preserving its original military context, the document records a formal appointment within the officer corps of the Imperial German Army and bears the bold and unmistakable autograph of the Wrttemberg sovereign. Unlike commonplace autograph examples detached from their historical setting, the present piece is directly tied to a documented military appointment involving a named officer of the Imperial German Army, providing an exceptional degree of historical specificity and provenance.
The recipient is identified as Oberleutnant Hermann von Engelmann, at the time serving with Infanterie-Regiment Kaiser Wilhelm, Knig von Preuen (2. Wrttembergisches) Nr. 120, one of the principal infantry formations of the Royal Wrttemberg Army within the XIII (Royal Wrttemberg) Army Corps. The document records Engelmann\'s promotion and appointment to the prestigious Fsilier-Regiment von Steinmetz (Westpreuisches) Nr. 37, a regiment bearing the honorary title of Generalfeldmarschall Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz, one of Prussia\'s most celebrated military commanders of the nineteenth century. The exact date of issue corresponds with the historically documented commencement of Engelmann\'s new assignment, allowing the appointment to be tied directly to regimental history.
The historical significance of this document is considerable. Military appointments issued under the authority of the sovereign kings of the constituent states of the German Empire are substantially rarer than routine commissions or detached royal autographs. Here, the signature of King Wilhelm II is preserved in connection with a verifiable officer appointment within the Imperial German military establishment only three years before the outbreak of the First World War. Such documents illuminate the functioning of the Empire\'s unique federal military system, in which Wrttemberg retained its own royal military traditions and administrative structures while participating fully within the larger Imperial Army.
Particularly noteworthy is the prominence of the regiments involved. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 120 traced its lineage to the Kingdom of Wrttemberg and occupied a distinguished position within the XIII Army Corps, while Fsilier-Regiment Nr. 37 possessed a long and respected Prussian military tradition. Documents connecting these elite formations through the career advancement of a named officer are seldom encountered on the market. The present example therefore stands at the intersection of royal history, Imperial German military history, and officer-corps collecting, combining a fully identifiable recipient, a historically documented appointment, a precise date, and the bold autograph of the final King of Wrttemberg.
Issued during the twilight years of Imperial Germany and little more than three years before Europe descended into the First World War, this exceptional document represents far more than a mere royal signature. It is a surviving witness to the administrative machinery, patronage, and professional advancement that shaped the Imperial German officer corps during the final phase of monarchical rule. The document remains in original condition, displaying expected folds from historical handling and preservation, and presents attractively with a strong and prominent royal signature. Document measuring approximately 8.25 x 10.5 inches.
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