Description: Historical 3.5X5.5 Vintage picture postcard from 1915 of Prussian German General Moritz von Bissing with a typed untranslated note on the verso. Signed by Moritz von Bissing in fountain pen ink. In very good condition. (1844-1917) Moritz Ferdinand Freiherr von Bissing was a German officer from Prussia. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, Bissing was recalled to active duty as deputy commander of the VII Army Corps, serving in that post from August until November 1914. After the fall of Belgium during the early months of the War, Bissing was promoted to Generaloberst and appointed as Governor-General of occupied Belgium, serving from December 1914 until a few days before his death in 1917. As governor-general, Bissing executed the German Flamenpolitik, during which he Netherlandish the Ghent University to make it the first solely Dutch-speaking university in Belgium. As the German Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg encouraged Flemish nationalist leaders to declare independence and to integrate into the German sphere, Bissing convened a commission to organize the division of Belgium, issuing a decree on 21 March 1917 which separated Belgium into two administrative areas, Flanders and Wallonia. This was the first attempt at dividing Belgium along linguistic lines. Taking into account the decision by Walloon nationalists in 1912 to recognize Namur as the central city of Wallonia, Bissing established the Walloon administration there. Wallonia then consisted of four southern Belgian provinces and the district of Nivelles, part of the province of Brabant, thus realizing another revendication of the Walloon movement, the creation of a Walloon Brabant. The Flemish region had Brussels as its capital and was made up of the four northern provinces of Belgium, as well as the districts of Brussels and Leuven. Among many others, Bissing signed the warrant for the execution of Edith Cavell. In April 1917 a chronic lung ailment forced Bissing to resign his post as Governor-General, and he succumbed to his illness a few days later, dying near Brussels on 18 April. He is buried at the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin. Comes with a full Letter of Authenticity from Todd Mueller Authentics if the item sells for $10 and over.
Price: 200 USD
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
End Time: 2024-08-20T21:38:04.000Z
Shipping Cost: 10 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Industry: Historical
Signed by: Moritz von Bissing
Signed: Yes
Autograph Authentication: Yes
Original/Reproduction: Original
Country/Region of Manufacture: Germany
Modified Item: No
