Description:

King Ferdinand & Queen Isabella of Spain
Barcelona, Spain, January 22, 1493
Ferdinand & Isabella 1493 Decree 1 Week After Columbus Returns From New World Re: Valladolid, Where He Died!
MDS

A 1p manuscript in medieval Spanish signed by Ferdinand II of Aragon (1452-1516) as "Yo el Rey" ["I, the King"]; and cosigned by Isabella I of Castile (1451-1504) as "Yo la Reyna" ["I, the Queen"] at the document center. Barcelona, Spain. January 22, 1493. Inscribed on laid watermarked paper in a gorgeous secretarial script by royal scribe Juan de la Parra, who also signed below as "Juan de la Parra." Docketed verso. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds and a few wrinkles, with isolated light foxing and negligible ink bleed-through. Several tiny holes found along creases appear to be restored. Else near fine. 8.625" x 6.375." Accompanied by a Spanish-language auction catalog description.

This royal decree was addressed to Doctor Alonso Ramirez de Villaescusa (ca. 1450-1510), the Corregidor or Mayor of Valladolid, a prosperous town in the heart of Castile. The monarchs commanded De Villaescusa to facilitate preparations for the construction of an important future church, even though that would entail eminent domain seizure of a neighboring street. Ferdinand and Isabella permitted this restructuring because of the "great devotion that we have toward that house," that is, the Benedictine monastery proposing the church project. De Villaescusa was further instructed to communicate with the Bishop of Palencia to iron out the details.

Valladolid maintained a flourishing Benedictine monastery in the western outskirts of the city near the Pisuerga River. The site of the monastery had been royally gifted to the Benedictines in the late 14th C., and now, nearly a century later, the monks proposed plans to build a church adjoining the monastic complex. This would eventually become the Iglesia de San Benito el Real, which was constructed between 1499 and 1515. In the early 1490s, however, they were still in the earliest stages of planning. The Church of San Benito is sandwiched between the existing monastery and the present day street, Calle San Benito. We speculate that the street that may have been commandeered by Ferdinand and Isabella for the church project was the Calle San Ignacio, which would have run directly underneath the footprint of the new church.

Roughly translated in part:

"Doctor Alonso Ramírez de Villaescusa, our corregidor of the town of Valladolid, we write to you from that town, as you will see in our handwriting, concerning a street that is said to be necessary for the site of the church that is now to be built in the monastery of Sant Benito of that town, and because, due to the great devotion we have for that house, we would like the said church to be built, and, having a place, without prejudice to that said town, the said street to be taken for it; therefore, for our service, you should discuss the matter with the Bishop of Palencia, to whom we also write, and give him orders as to do what we have sent to that town, in whatever way pleases and serves us. From the city of Barcelona, ??on the 22nd day of the month of January, in the year 12.

[signed] I the King
[signed] I the Queen

By order of the king and queen, Juan de la Parra."

Doctor de Villaescusa was a well-known figure in the era of the "Most Catholic Kings," not only because of his lengthy and successful bureaucratic career, but also because he authored an influential political treatise called "Espejo de corregidores y jueces" ["Mirror for Mayors and Judges"] (1493). De Villaescusa was appointed a public prosecutor after studying at the University of Salamanca. Between 1484-1490, de Villaescusa served in the Inquisition's court system in Guadalupe and Toledo. On June 28, 1490, he accepted his commission as Mayor of Valladolid; he would serve in this role until 1503/4. De Villaescusa's work "Espejo de corregidores y jueces" was an instruction manual on how to perform government duties. De Villaescusa's impulse to codify and organize aligned well with Ferdinand & Isabella's attitudes towards administration.

Isabella's marriage to Ferdinand in 1469 had ensured the future unification of Spain. The two monarchs are most celebrated for their patronage of Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus and their subsequent empire-building in the New World. Interestingly, Christopher Columbus left the Caribbean on his first voyage return to Europe on January 15, 1493, just one week before this royal decree was issued. Upon his return to Spain in March 1493, Columbus aggressively asserted his partial claims of possessorship. Columbus died in this same city - Valladolid - in May 1506 after having followed the royal court there to plead his claims.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.625" x 6.375"
  • Medium: MDS

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