Verlening van een octrooi aan J.J.E. Barruel Possibly 1847

This document, granting a patent to J.J.E. Barruel, was written by Willem II, King of the Netherlands, around 1847. But this isn't just about technological innovation; it's a glimpse into the socio-political landscape of the Netherlands at the time. Monarchies, like the Dutch kingdom, were in a delicate dance with the rising tide of industrialization. Patents were not simply legal documents, they were tools for economic development, controlled by the Crown. Willem II, wary of liberal reforms, likely saw patents as a way to steer industrial growth and maintain royal authority. We can research Dutch economic policies, Willem II's political leanings, and contemporary debates about technology to fully understand this document. Looking at it this way, we begin to see how seemingly simple documents are loaded with historical meaning.