The genuine letters of Baron Fabricius, envoy from his serene highness the Duke Administrator of Holstein to Charles XII of Sweden..

London: Printed for T. Becket and P.A. Dehondt, 1761. FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH. Modern quarter calf with cloth boards, spine label with title in gilt on red background; title page slightly loose. Two bookplates, one with the letter “W” and the other bearing a stylized “A.” Excellent condition. First edition in English. This fascinating collection of letters was written to Charles XII and others in his circle by Baron Fabrice during their exile from Sweden. After a disastrous campaign against Russia, a wounded Charles and a few of his men retreated to the Ottoman Empire where they sought refuge under Ahmed III. They spent the years 1710-1714 at Bender, in Moldavia near the Black Sea, where Charles attempted to enlist the aid of the Turks against the Russians. “Fabrice won the full confidence and sympathy of the otherwise sealed and restrained the king” (NDB). Thus, four years of “singular particulars, secret transactions, and curious anecdotes in relation to that Northern hero, during his residence in Turkey” are captured in these missives, documenting an important power shift taking place in Northern Europe as well as the extraordinary fate of Sweden’s Warrior King.

Fabrice (1683-1750) was born and educated in Germany before entering the service of King Charles XII of Sweden as a diplomat. He continued to represent Swedish interests abroad until Charles’ death in 1719 and later provided essential material for Voltaire’s two volume Histoire de Charles XII.