"... Jederzeit geneigt, das Wohlseyn ... unserer allergehorsamsten Unterthanen allerwegen zu befördern": die Vergabe von Seebriefen und -flagge des Jade-Küsten"staates" Kniphausen im 18./19. Jahrhundert

Abstract

During the first half of the nineteenth century, particularly during the Napoleonic wars and in connection with Belgium's somewhat later separation from the Netherlands, there were numerous cases of dubious outflaggings and misleading ship's papers. Shipowners and captains of countries involved in the conflicts attempted by these means to pass their ships off as vessels of neutral origin and thus to protect themselves from the confiscation of both vessels and cargoes. The German (Bentinck) earldom of Kniphausen, a miniature state on the outer Jade Bay near present-day Wilhelmshaven, developed - and made quite active use of - a particularly clever system of charging fees for the issuance of sea passes and ship's flags. These activities repeatedly led to conflicts with the Great Powers England and France, later with neighbouring Oldenburg as well. After 1815 the German confederation was compelled to concern itself with the odd status of the earldom, which nevertheless continued to exist until 1854. This article takes a Iook at the prerequisites and conditions for the dubious Kniphausen practices, provides a Iist of several remarkable incidents which occurred in connection with those practices, and places the events into chronological order.