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Dorothea Lieven Letters to Klemens Metternich
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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Dorothea von Lieven (1785-1857) was a Baltic German noblewoman and wife of Prince Christoph Heinrich von Lieven (1774-1839), the Russian ambassador to London from 1812 to 1834. Lieven was an influential political figure among many of the diplomatic, political, and social circles of 19th-century Europe, particularly in the diplomatic councils of Great Britain, France, and Russia, exercising an authority uncommon for women at that time. One of her many associates included Austrian Chancellor Prince Klemens von Metternich (1773-1859) with whom she had a close personal relationship.
This collection consists of annotated copies of Dorothea Lieven's (1785-1857) letters from London, dating from 1820 to 1826, to Klemens Metternich (1773-1859), which she documented in a series of 36 notebooks. Among other topics, Lieven's letters reflect her ambitions and political involvement; she freely expresses her opinions about various events and persons with whom she interacted during her time in London.
These letters were partially reproduced and translated into English by Peter Quennel, in The Private letters of Princess Lieven to Metternich, 1820-1826 (London, 1937).
These notebooks remained in the family and were kept a secret until the 1930s.
Purchased from Les Amazones Paris in 2019. AM 2019-79.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Faith Charlton in February 2019. Finding aid written by Faith Charlton in February 2019. Folder inventory added by Julia English '19.
No materials were removed from the collection during 2019 processing beyond routine appraisal practices.
People
Subject
- Ambassadors' spouses—Russia--Sources
- Diplomats--Russia--19th century--Correspondence
- Women--Political activity--Europe--History--19th century--Sources
Place
- Publisher
- Manuscripts Division
- Finding Aid Author
- Faith Charlton
- Finding Aid Date
- 2019
- Access Restrictions
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Open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to RBSC Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.
Collection Inventory
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