Coroban

Costel Coroban, coroban_costel@yahoo.com 

CH-679


Bilthoven, 29 september 2019

Dear Costel Coroban,

Today I read your very interesting article “British Reactions to Charles XII’s Stay in the Ottoman Empire”. My name is Hugo von Meijenfeldt and I live in Bilthoven, the Netherlands.

Although I am not a historian I take the liberty to help you out with a question you raise in your article. What was the souce of the money Charles XII spent? Apart from Mazeppa’s inheritance, the Sultan’s daily allowance and/or French loans I would like to add a fourth source: de money that was shipped to him from Stockholm.

One certain shipment was carried out by my ancestor, lieutenant general Johan August Meijerfeldt. After Poltava Charles XII sent him to Peter the Great to negotiate peace, but was arrested because he came empty handed and instead helped his king escape. Lucky for him after a month he was allowed to bring the Russian peace conditions to Bender. The king ordered him to travel home to Stockholm with instructions, amoungst which to raise money. He returned 20 December 1710 with a lot of money. Charles XII was very pleased.

My ancestor received a new instruction, because the climate made him feel sick again. On 18 January 1711 he traveled to Constantinopel and was received by the Grand Vizier. For hours he spoke with Sir Robert Sutton about the plan of his king to join Krassow in Poland with a Swedish-Kozak-Tatar-Turkish army. Obviously he was one of the sources for Sutton to alarm London.

On my website www.meijenfeldt.nl you could read the full story of Johan August Meijerfeldt, with all the sources I used. There is one problem: I suppose your Dutch language skills are the same as my Romanian.

I learned a lot and changed the Ottoman chapter of count Meijerfeldt thanks to your article. I mention your article in two foot notes.

Best regards,
Hugo von Meijenfeldt


29 september 2019
Thank you very much for this information, Sir!
I will gladly read your website (thanks to automatic translation), this all very interesting.
Best regards,
Costel Coroban