Philip II (1527-1598, joint Sovereign with Mary I, 1554-1558, from 1555 King of Spain) Letters Patent Signed ‘El Rey’, as Duke of Milan, in a beautifully clear italic hand, in Latin with translation, with short titles in Spanish and Italian, saying that “following the settlement” on Philip of the “Duchy of Milan, Principality of Pavia, and County of Angleria, by the most Invincible and Puissant Prince and Lord CHARLES V ... August Emperor of the Romans ... my most respected Father and Lord ... we appointed our ... sincerely beloved Cousin Don FERNANDO ÁLVAREZ DE TOLEDO”, (1507-1582, from 1532 3rd DUKE OF ALBA), Philip’s father’s and his “Lieutenant-General and Captain- General in Italy, to be our Governor in the said Dominion of Milan”, accordingly he now empowers Alba or his deputies “to receive the ... accustomed homage and oath of fidelity on the succession of a new Prince to the said Dominion from the Feudatories in the said Duchy”, knowing that Alba “is endowed with the highest loyalty, ... prudence, knowledge of affairs and experience”, swearing that they will do “while they shall live, all ... that they are bound to do ... in obedience and loyalty to us and our successors ... by reason of their feudal possessions of whatever quality and nature ... according to the forms both old and new and the custom of the said State of Milan”, the Duke can take any appropriate steps “even if such things should ... require a more particular mandate than is expressed in these presents”, those not taking the oath to be “under the full weight of our anger and indignation, and pain of Ten Thousand marks of pure gold”, with Philip II’s armorial seal as Duke of Milan approximately 2 1/2 inches diameter, and elaborate note of registration, vellum, 14” x 25 1/2” folding to 10 1/4” x 6 1/2”, Brussels “in the Duchy of Brabant, in the 2nd Year of Our Reign”, 8th December 1555, lacking the obverse of the seal, here expertly replaced at some time with a plain wax backing, preserving without loss the coat of arms (rubbed, but its main features are all present), the surrounding legend defective but retaining lettering PHILIPPVS, VTRIVS (Siciliae) and (Dux) MEDIOLANI, the document in excellent crisp condition [55678]
Philip II was born and brought up in Spain, as heir to his father Charles V (1500-1558) and grandmother Joanna, Queen of Spain, ‘la loca’, who had died only on 11th April 1555.
Philip was now (joint) sovereign of England - the title put first in this document - having married Queen Mary at Winchester Cathedral on 25th July 1554. In September 1555, thinking ahead to his abdication, Charles summoned Philip from England to Brussels, and on 15th October 1555, at an emotional ceremony, conveyed the Netherlands, inherited from Charles’s father Philip of Burgundy, to his son, detaching them from the Empire. They were to give Philip II endless trouble.
Charles had also detached the Duchy of Milan, key to holding Italy against the French, which had reverted to the Empire after the last Sforza died in 1535. He had proclaimed Philip as Duke on 11th October 1540, but Philip is now sovereign. Charles was to complete his abdication on 16th January 1556, when the more compact but often unruly Empire went to his brother Ferdinand I, while the scattered western dominions - Spain, including Aragon with its dependent kingdoms in the Mediterranean, and vast portions of the New World - were confirmed as Philip’s.
The Great Duke of Alba (Alva) had campaigned with Charles V, and had accompanied Philip to England. Charles knew that Alba was ambitious, and warned his son against trusting any one noble completely. However, as Spain’s best general, he was indispensable. He was Governor of Milan, 1555, Viceroy of Naples 1556, and captured Rome in 1557. He is most famous for his fierce reduction of the Netherlands as Governor, 1567-1573, and for securing Portugal to the crown of Spain in 1580.
Philip’s seal here displays, in chief, the Spanish dominions - 1st grand quarter, Castile & León, 2nd Aragón, including Aragon proper, the two Sicilies (largely hidden by the escutcheon), Hungary and Jerusalem, and, in base, the Burgundian - 3rd grand quarter Austria and Burgundy ancient, 4th Burgundy modern and Brabant, with a small escutcheon for Flanders and Tirol. In the centre is a large escutcheon, quarterly, for Milan.
(Translation)
[1] PHILIP, by the Grace of God, King of England, France, Hither Sicily, Jerusalem, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith: Prince of Spain, Archduke of Austria: Duke of burgundy, Milan and Brabant: Count of Habsburg, [2] Flanders, Tirol etc:
We acknowledge and make known by the tenor of these presents to all men,
That, following the free division and settlement of the said State and Duchy of Milan, Principality of Pavia, and County of Angleria, made to us [3] by the most Invincible and Puissant Prince and Lord Charles the Fifth by Divine Clemency August Emperor of the Romans, King of Germany, the Spanish Dominions, the Two Sicilies etc., my [4] most respected Father and Lord, which he of his own liberality and munificence, with their rights and all things pertaining, had for a substantial period previously granted and given me, and with which he had invested me,
We have appointed and deputed our Illustrious and trusty, sincerely beloved [5] Cousin Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo [1507-1582, from 1532 3rd Duke of Alba] Prefect of Our Bodyguard ['praetorio nostro prefectum'], His the said Imperial Majesty’s and Our Lieutenant-General and Captain-General in Italy, as our Governor in the said Dominion of Milan [6]
and to receive the usual and accustomed homage and oath of fidelity on the succession of a new Prince to the said Dominion from the Feudatories in the said Duchy, Principality and County.
Accordingly we have conveyed full ability to the said Duke of Alba, whom we know to be endowed with the highest loyalty towards us, prudence, [7] knowledge of affairs and experience, of our own motion, certain knowledge and deliberate intention, in the fullness of our royal and ducal power and after receiving sound counsel, and have [8] given, granted and imparted power and by the tenor of these presents do convey, give, grant and impart, making, deputing and constituting him our Mandatory and our special Procurator,
to be able validly to receive, seek [9] and accept in our place and name, by himself on our behalf, or by his substitute or substitutes to be delegated by him for that purpose by virtue of this our commission and mandate to be substituted and designated,
the due [10] and accustomed homage and oath of fidelity from any whatever our feudatories in the said Duchy and Dominion of Milan, Principality of Pavia, and County of Angleria, both titled and untitled, whether of age or minors [11] of whatever pre-eminence, dignity, status, rank, order and condition by whatever name they may be known,
that they perform, do and carry out, while they shall live, all and singular those things that they are bound to do and observe [12] in obedience and loyalty to us and our successors lawfully entering into possession of the said Duchy and Dominion of Milan, Principality of Pavia and County of Angleria, by reason of their feudal possessions of whatever quality and nature
[13] and that in them they will be ever loyal and obedient to us: and will do and observe all other things that good and loyal feudatories in the said Duchy, Principality and County are bound to do: doing away with all [14] fraud and deceit. And finally [they shall do so] according to the forms both old and new and the custom of the said State of Milan.
And generally, that he is empowered to say, ask, do, manage, pursue and exercise, [15] all things that he shall deem necessary in this regard, and appropriate in any way whatsoever, and which we would do, or be empowered to do, if we were doing so in person, even if such things should be such as to require a more particular mandate than is expressed [16] in these presents;
Commanding by the tenor of the same that all the abovesaid persons, all and singular our subjects in the said Duchy, Principality and County, under the full weight of our anger and indignation, and pain of Ten Thousand [17] marks of pure gold to be exacted without remission from any person acting to the contrary, to be brought to our treasuries at the first opportunity by the said Duke, or those deputed by him,
shall be given notice or required to perform the said homage [18] and to swear the oath of loyalty, putting aside all deliberation, doubt, difficulty and contradiction.
In testimony of which these letters [are] subscribed by our hand and confirmed by the attaching of our seal. Given at Brussels in the Duchy of [19] Brabant, the 8th December in the Year of Our Lord 1555, in the 2nd Year of Our Reign.
[Signed in Spanish] The King
[In Spanish] Your Majesty gives power to the Duke of Alba to receive their homage from the Feudatories of the State of Milan.
[In Italian] 1555 8th December. Dispatch of the Most Serene King Philip II whereby he deputes his Excellency the Duke of Alba, Governor of the State of Milan, to receive in his name the oath of the Feudatories of that State.
[In Latin, note of Registration] Court, leaf 1, 70.
Full pdf available, https://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu/mu/islandora/object/mu%3A439224/datastre...
