Lot 46
Ferdinand and Isabella, "The Catholic Monarchs". Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516) and Isabella of Castile and Leon (1451-1504) married in 1469. They were granted the title "the Catholic Monarchs" (Los Reyes Católicos) by Pope Alexander VI. Zealous Catholics, the year 1492 was a momentous one for them: They succeeded in expelling the Moors, who had ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula for over 700 years; they drove out all Jews who would not convert to Catholicism; and they sponsored Christopher Columbus on an expedition to reach the Indies, a trip which would discover a New World for Europeans and lay the base of the Spanish Empire.
Manuscript document signed by Ferdinand as King ("Yo el Rey") and by Isabella as Queen ("Yo la Reina"), 1 page, laid paper, with a watermark of the Queen's hand holding a scepter, 9 x 8¼, Segovia, July 12, 1503. A letter to Alonso Ramírez de Villaescusa, mayor of the city of Valladolid, instructing him to conduct the investigation he started on the municipal lands that the denizens of the town have invaded and seized and to bring swift justice where it is due so tht the town may receive reparation for what has been seized and settled. Furthermore, he is to see that nothing is done to them to cause them further reason to complain. Fine condition. Beautifully penned and boldly signed by both monarchs. Accomanied by an English translation. $3,000 - 5,000
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| Realized $4,320 |
