281:, so had to have been conceived shortly before his death. All of this should be placed in context, however: William was only fifteen, and Mary only nine, when they were married in 1641. In 1646 William was only twenty, and Mary still only fifteen. If father William II had been unmarried there would have been less of a problem, as there was ample precedent in the family of the Princes of Orange for illegitimate children to be part of the father's household. E.g.
212:
only concern intercepts that would have been provided by the
Brussels Post Office,"under the nose and without the consent of the British." As d'Alonne worked very closely with Heinsius (they even shared the same office) the decryption did not even need to leave the premises, so secrecy could be assured.
211:
that handled foreign affairs for the Dutch
Republic, had been indiscreet with material that had been handled by the Hanoverians, and the Hanoverians therefore lost trust. De Leeuw therefore surmises that d'Alonne was only used to decrypt intercepts when the Hanoverians could not be asked. This would
276:
As
William was married at the time of conception this would not have been legally possible, as the biological father could under Dutch law only legitimize an "adulterous child" after his marriage had been dissolved. But William died in 1650, still married to Princess Mary. As a matter of fact his
145:
he became even more involved in espionage, especially on the
Jacobite Court in France. Probably to enable him to intercept correspondence, he was nominated to become head of the general post office in London, though that position went to another. But in 1690 he was involved in the interception of
174:
in 1707. The correspondence was intercepted in
Brussels and apparently given to both Dutch and British cryptographers. These each decrypted the correspondence independently, but developed different decryptions, which proves that the Dutch version was not simply a copy of the British version.
169:
in
Amsterdam. The letter was intercepted, and though it was encrypted, successfully decrypted, possibly by d'Alonne. There is more certainty that he was the cryptographer who decrypted intercepted corresponce between the French envoys to Bavaria and Sweden, Rouillé and
191:. De Leeuw explains that for decryption purposes the Dutch government usually relied upon the British, or on the Hanoverian Cabinet noir, during the War of the Spanish Succession, at least until the relations with Great Britain became strained with the ascent of the
86:
at the time. He was never legitimized by
William. His mother later married a Walloon officer in the service of the Dutch Republic by the name of Charles Tassin d'Alonne, and Abel took his name. But as an illegitimate son of Prince William he was a half-brother of
186:
can only be inferred from the personal archives of
Heinsius, and from a number of cryptographic worksheets in the handwriting of d'Alonne, that were accidentally stored with the archives of the Dutch legation at the
306:
According to the editor of
Huygens, the stepfather, who died in a duel around 1656, never legitimized the child either, but after his death his brother, who was an attorney in Paris, adopted Abel, and gave him his
333:
as
Director-general of the postal service in the Southern Netherlands as successor of the Frenchman Pajot. He used this position to intercept correspondence of interest to the two allies on a grand scale.
196:
666:
441:
290:
83:
126:
of the Dutch Republic. As such he also became involved in the latter's secret diplomacy (as he had been in William's service) and he took over Heinsius'
200:
317:
712:
717:
115:
in 1677, d'Alonne became her private secretary. He remained at her side until her death in 1694. When king William's own private secretary
137:
But he long before embarked on a secret career as a spymaster. As secretary of Princess Mary he intercepted a letter of Mary's chaplain,
119:
died in 1697, d'Alonne was appointed in his stead. When William in his turn died in 1702, d'Alonne became the private secretary of the
286:
475:
208:
162:
75:
192:
426:
Hora Siccama, J.H. (1915). "Aanteekeningen en verbeteringen op het register op de journalen van Constantijn Huygens den zoon".
294:
154:, a confidant of William, who at the time was at The Hague, giving intimate details of events at court in the early 1690s.
131:
342:
In any case d'Alonne was not the only Dutch codebreaker working during this period. De Leeuw also mentions the scientist
79:
151:
146:
mail between France and the Jacobite army in Ireland. As secretary to Queen Mary he was privy to many secrets at the
150:
as witnessed by a bundle of correspondence between an anonymous writer at the court (very Probably d'Alonne) with
91:, who would become king of England in 1689. Abel would remain unmarried and childless. He would later be granted
597:"The Black Chamber in the Dutch Republic during the War of the Spanish Succession and it Aftermath, 1707-1715"
343:
147:
116:
638:
Leeuw, K. de (2000). "The use of codes and ciphers in the Dutch Republic, mainly during the 18th century".
88:
39:
112:
171:
707:
702:
67:
Abel was born as the son of Jeanne de Bommert Silvercroon, the daughter of a Swedish diplomat to the
330:
282:
142:
108:
660:
639:
619:
596:
435:
104:
35:
242:
471:
465:
123:
43:
611:
347:
278:
267:
correspondence. The Dutch word would therefore be more appropriate for Abel's true function.
165:
got himself involved in a scandal in 1684, when he wrote an indiscreet letter to pro-French
120:
92:
674:
Thompson, E.M. (1879). "Seventh report of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts".
203:
in 1710. The use of the Hanoverian crytographers was definitely ended in 1711, because the
141:, proving his intent to abduct the princess, and bring her back to her father. After the
252:
68:
248:
696:
623:
188:
51:
256:
161:. The first suspected instance was when the French ambassador to the Dutch Republic
316:
He also appears to have been aware at an early stage of William's connections with
158:
127:
47:
264:
675:
390:
329:
The Anglo-Dutch co-dominion in the Spanish Netherlands after 1706 had installed
72:
615:
351:
138:
23:
166:
31:
27:
232:, for instance in De Leeuw (1999) and (2000), Huygens, and Thompson
95:
and other lands by his half-brother William III on 18 May 1697.
178:
De Leeuw tells us that in the Dutch archives the existence of a
680:. Vol. 16. Academy Publishing Company. pp. 168–169
467:
War, Religion and Service: Huguenot Soldiering, 1685–1713
297:(an important general in the service of William III).
46:, and played a secret role as the chief of Heinsius'
26:, 1646 – The Hague, 24 October 1723) was a Dutch
430:(in Dutch). Vol. 35. Amsterdam. p. 13.
641:Cryptology and statecraft in the Dutch Republic
395:. Vol. 8. M. Nijhoff. p. 421, note 4
291:Louis of Nassau, Lord of De Lek and Beverweerd
412:
410:
255:, and is usually translated to the same word
8:
505:
503:
130:, the center of Dutch espionage during the
84:Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange
665:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
440:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
259:in English, but it has the connotation of
384:
382:
380:
228:The surname is also sometimes spelled as
428:Werken Historisch Genootschap, 3e serie
392:Oeuvres Complètes de Christiaan Huygens
367:
221:
16:Dutch courtier and diplomat (1646–1723)
658:
433:
7:
464:Glozier, M.; Onnekink, D. (2017).
277:legitimate child William III, was
14:
209:States General of the Netherlands
103:After Prince William III married
89:the later stadtholder William III
293:, who in turn was the father of
251:, which derives from the Latin
34:, who was private secretary of
346:and the British cryptographers
295:Henry de Nassau, Lord Overkirk
1:
545:De Leeuw (1999), pp. 135, 147
287:William of Nassau (1601–1627)
132:War of the Spanish Succession
713:17th-century Dutch diplomats
536:De Leeuw (1999), pp. 150-151
518:De Leeuw (1999), pp. 148-149
497:De Leeuw (1999), pp. 147-148
454:De Leeuw (1999) pp. 135, 147
718:18th-century cryptographers
152:Everhard van Weede Dijkvelt
734:
677:The Academy and Literature
647:. Amsterdam. pp. 6–51
581:De Leeuw (2000), pp. 23-24
470:. Routledge. p. 194.
320:, who became his mistress.
207:(Secret Committee) of the
157:He was also employed as a
616:10.1017/S0018246X98008292
71:, and presumably Dutch
563:De Leeuw (1999), P. 156
509:De Leeuw (1999), p. 148
374:De Leeuw (1999), p. 133
117:Constantijn Huygens Jr.
604:The Historical Journal
572:De Leeuw (2000), p. 23
554:De Leeuw (1999, p. 142
527:De Leeuw (2000), p. 22
111:, the brother of king
40:William III of England
595:Leeuw, K. de (1999).
113:Charles II of England
82:, who was married to
389:Huygens, C. (1899).
344:Willem 's Gravesande
318:Eizabeth de Villiers
148:Court of St. James's
20:Abel Tassin d'Alonne
283:Justinus van Nassau
263:secretary who also
143:Glorious Revolution
109:James, Duke of York
247:, is a synonym of
107:, the daughter of
36:Mary II of England
163:the Comte d'Avaux
124:Anthonie Heinsius
44:Anthonie Heinsius
725:
689:
687:
685:
670:
664:
656:
654:
652:
646:
634:
632:
630:
601:
582:
579:
573:
570:
564:
561:
555:
552:
546:
543:
537:
534:
528:
525:
519:
516:
510:
507:
498:
495:
489:
488:
486:
484:
461:
455:
452:
446:
445:
439:
431:
423:
417:
416:Thompson, p. 169
414:
405:
404:
402:
400:
386:
375:
372:
355:
348:William Blencowe
340:
334:
331:François Jaupain
327:
321:
314:
308:
304:
298:
274:
268:
239:
233:
230:Tasien d'Alonne
226:
205:Secreete Besogne
121:Grand pensionary
93:Pickering Castle
733:
732:
728:
727:
726:
724:
723:
722:
693:
692:
683:
681:
673:
657:
650:
648:
644:
637:
628:
626:
599:
594:
591:
586:
585:
580:
576:
571:
567:
562:
558:
553:
549:
544:
540:
535:
531:
526:
522:
517:
513:
508:
501:
496:
492:
482:
480:
478:
463:
462:
458:
453:
449:
432:
425:
424:
420:
415:
408:
398:
396:
388:
387:
378:
373:
369:
364:
359:
358:
341:
337:
328:
324:
315:
311:
305:
301:
275:
271:
244:geheimschrijver
241:The Dutch word
240:
236:
227:
223:
218:
101:
76:Frederick Henry
65:
60:
17:
12:
11:
5:
731:
729:
721:
720:
715:
710:
705:
695:
694:
691:
690:
671:
635:
610:(1): 133–156.
590:
587:
584:
583:
574:
565:
556:
547:
538:
529:
520:
511:
499:
490:
476:
456:
447:
418:
406:
376:
366:
365:
363:
360:
357:
356:
335:
322:
309:
299:
269:
234:
220:
219:
217:
214:
100:
97:
69:Dutch Republic
64:
61:
59:
56:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
730:
719:
716:
714:
711:
709:
706:
704:
701:
700:
698:
679:
678:
672:
668:
662:
643:
642:
636:
625:
621:
617:
613:
609:
605:
598:
593:
592:
588:
578:
575:
569:
566:
560:
557:
551:
548:
542:
539:
533:
530:
524:
521:
515:
512:
506:
504:
500:
494:
491:
479:
477:9781351873888
473:
469:
468:
460:
457:
451:
448:
443:
437:
429:
422:
419:
413:
411:
407:
394:
393:
385:
383:
381:
377:
371:
368:
361:
353:
349:
345:
339:
336:
332:
326:
323:
319:
313:
310:
303:
300:
296:
292:
288:
284:
280:
273:
270:
266:
262:
258:
254:
250:
246:
245:
238:
235:
231:
225:
222:
215:
213:
210:
206:
202:
198:
194:
190:
189:Sublime Porte
185:
181:
180:Black Chamber
176:
173:
168:
164:
160:
159:cryptographer
155:
153:
149:
144:
140:
135:
133:
129:
125:
122:
118:
114:
110:
106:
105:Princess Mary
98:
96:
94:
90:
85:
81:
77:
74:
70:
63:Personal life
62:
57:
55:
53:
52:cryptographer
49:
45:
41:
37:
33:
29:
25:
21:
682:. Retrieved
676:
649:. Retrieved
640:
627:. Retrieved
607:
603:
577:
568:
559:
550:
541:
532:
523:
514:
493:
481:. Retrieved
466:
459:
450:
427:
421:
397:. Retrieved
391:
370:
338:
325:
312:
302:
272:
261:confidential
260:
243:
237:
229:
224:
204:
193:Tory Cabinet
184:Cabinet noir
183:
179:
177:
156:
136:
128:Cabinet noir
102:
66:
48:Cabinet noir
19:
18:
708:1723 deaths
703:1646 births
253:secretarius
201:Bolingbroke
73:stadtholder
697:Categories
362:References
352:John Keill
279:posthumous
249:secretaris
139:John Covel
661:cite book
624:162387765
436:cite book
265:enciphers
257:secretary
54:of note.
50:and as a
24:The Hague
684:3 August
651:4 August
629:3 August
483:4 August
399:4 August
167:regenten
78:'s son,
32:diplomat
28:courtier
589:Sources
80:William
622:
474:
289:, and
197:Harley
195:under
172:Bonnac
99:Career
42:, and
645:(PDF)
620:S2CID
600:(PDF)
307:name.
216:Notes
686:2023
667:link
653:2023
631:2023
485:2023
472:ISBN
442:link
401:2023
350:and
199:and
58:Life
30:and
612:doi
182:or
699::
663:}}
659:{{
618:.
608:42
606:.
602:.
502:^
438:}}
434:{{
409:^
379:^
285:,
134:.
38:,
688:.
669:)
655:.
633:.
614::
487:.
444:)
403:.
354:.
22:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.