Lot 286
Philip II (1527- 1598), King of Spain (1556-1598). Only son of Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal. Married four times, once to Mary I of England, becoming joint sovereign of England in 1554. Philip was given the government of Milan (1540), of Naples and Sicily (1554), of the Netherlands (1555), and of Spain (1556), where he waged a successful war against France. As the champion of the Counter-Reformation, he tried to destroy infidels and heretics alike. He sought to crush Protestantism, first in the Low Countries, then in England and France, and the result of this determination was the Inquisition which terrorized Europe, and at great cost, failed to put down the revolt in the Netherlands (1568-1609). Conquered Portugal (1580-81), but lost naval supremacy with the defeat of the Spanish Armada (1588) in war with England.
Manuscript Document Signed as King. One page, Folio, with integral address leaf, in Spanish, Madrid, January 26, 1575. This striking document is a royal directive to the magistrate of the cities of Rronda and Marvella, requesting a full accounting of all:
" …the goods and property and other things, which in the said city of Marvella and its jurisdiction, have been seized from the English from the time we ordered you to do so (and we also want to know) about the deposition of the aforementioned goods; who was in charge of them, and what may have been done with them; what their present condition is; what people are presently in charge of them, and how much each has in his possession. We charge and command you to send us, as soon as this information is available a brief accounting of it all, so that once we have seen it we may issue orders as to what should be done. From Madrid, the 26th of January, 1575. I, the King." Co-signed, "By command of His Majesty Juan Delgado." A fascinating document that reveals the meticulous authoritarian secular control of the Spanish crown.
The document was sealed with red wax and an overlaid embossed seal, which has been removed. Light age-toning, some ink bleedthrough from verso, a few stains below the text, and two areas of ink erosion, affecting two words in the text, which are nevertheless clearly legible. Still, the document is fine, and the imperial signatures are bold and forbidding. Matted and framed with a color print of Phillip II and a full translation, to an overall size of 25½ x 27."
Estimated Value $800 - 1,200.
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| Realized $978 |
