Letter signed ("El Rey") as King of England ("Rey de Ingleterra") to Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alva in his capacity as Governor of Milan, in Spanish, concerning the disposition of lands in Milan, countersigned by his secretary ("G[onsalvus] Perezius"), complete papered seal with the combined arms of England, France and the Hapsburgs, integral address panel to verso, one page, creased at folds, some staining and fraying to left hand edge, small pin holes and tears at joints, 4to (283 x 215mm.), Hampton Court, 23 August 1555

Footnotes

'REY DE INGLETERRA': PHILIP II OF SPAIN CONDUCTS BUSINESS AS KING OF ENGLAND.

Philip of Spain, consort of Mary I between 1554-1558, spent only seventeen months of their marriage in England and therefore letters written from London are uncommon. The document is headed with Philip's titles 'King of England and Naples and Prince of Spain, Duke of Milan' and, although he styles himself here as King of England he was never crowned – his signature "El Rey" is the usual Spanish form with an elaborate calligraphic flourish which possibly incorporates an elaborate initial 'P'. In the summer of 1555 Philip and Mary had retired to the purer air of Hampton Court to await the birth of a child, which, by the date of our letter, had been revealed as a phantom pregnancy. In September he left England (where he was deeply unpopular) for his European campaigns, only returning for a few months in March 1557 in order to persuade Mary to commit English troops to his war against France – a campaign which resulted in the loss of Calais.

He writes here to his close advisor the Duke of Alba, Governor of Milan and Commander-in-Chief of the army in Italy from 1555-1559. Considered by many as the most effective general of his generation and immensely powerful, he had attended Philip's marriage to Mary Tudor in 1554 and held the post of governor of the Duchy of Milan for just one year from 1555-1556. He was to become notorious for his cruelty against Dutch Protestant rebels in the Spanish Netherlands.

The text of our document appears to be in the hand of Gonzalo Pérez (c.1506-1566), the countersignatory. Pérez was Philip II's secretary and chief minister who had also served under Emperor Charles V and accompanied him to England on his marriage. He was the first to translate the complete Odyssey of Homer into Spanish, and his son Antonio, who succeeded him in the post, was supposedly the model for Don Antonio De Armado in Love's Labour's Lost.

Saleroom notices

Date should read 13 August not 23 August.

Additional information

This auction is now finished. If you are interested in consigning in future auctions, please contact the specialist department. If you have queries about lots purchased in this auction, please contact customer services.
Buyers' Obligations
ALL BIDDERS MUST AGREE THAT THEY HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD BONHAMS' CONDITIONS OF SALE AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THEM, AND AGREE TO PAY THE BUYER'S PREMIUM AND ANY OTHER CHARGES MENTIONED IN THE NOTICE TO BIDDERS. THIS AFFECTS THE BIDDERS LEGAL RIGHTS.
If you have any questions about the Conditions of Sale, please contact your nearest client services team.
Buyers' Premium and Charges
For all Sales categories, buyer's premium excluding Cars, Motorbikes, Wine, Whisky and Coin & Medal sales, will be as follows:
Buyer's Premium Rates
28% on the first £40,000 of the hammer price;
27% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £40,000 up to and including £800,000;
21% of the hammer price of amounts in excess of £800,000 up to and including £4,500,000;
and 14.5% of the hammer price of any amounts in excess of £4,500,000.
A 3rd party bidding platform fee of 4% of the Hammer Price for Buyers using the following bidding platforms will be added to the invoices of successful Buyers for auctions starting on or after 6th July 2024 – Invaluable; Live Auctioneers; The Saleroom; Lot-tissimo.
VAT at the current rate of 20% will be added to the Buyer's Premium and charges excluding Artists Resale Right.
Payment Notices
For payment information please refer to the sale catalog.
Shipping Notices
For information and estimates on domestic and international shipping as well as export licenses please contact Bonhams Shipping Department.
- Books & Manuscripts

Bid now on these items

Lot offered by Bukowskis, part of the Bonhams network

Spanskt sköldebrev, för adliga ätten Sanchez del Bellmont, utfärdat 1742.

SEK3,000

Lot offered by Bukowskis, part of the Bonhams network

Lars Tunbjörk, bok "Landet utom sig", 1993.

SEK3,000

*	Import low rate
	VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.

PHILIP II OF SPAIN Letter signed ("El Rey") as King of England ("Rey de Ingleterra") Hampton Court, 23 August 1555

Own a similar item?

Looking for a similar item?

Ask about this lot

Books (UK)