Description:

Henri III French War of the Three Henrys-Dated Doc Re: Deceased Seigneur's Estate

A 1p manuscript document in French signed at its conclusion by French King Henri III (1551-1589) as "Henry" at center left. Henri's signature is a little light, but it is large, measuring approximately 1.5" x 2" alone. April 25, 1587. Paris, France. Countersigned by an unidentified official near the bottom. Inscribed in a beautiful secretarial script on parchment. Docketed and annotated verso. Part of a rawhide string is threaded through the parchment in the upper left corner. The seal has been excised from the lower right corner, presenting an area of loss measuring approximately 6" x 2.5." Expected wear including folds, wrinkles, minor stains, and other weathering, else good. 18.25" x 11.375." The document remains untranslated, but we have a catalog description in German from a former collector. Contained in a wrapper measuring 9.75" x 14.25." Previously offered at Crescent City Auction Gallery (New Orleans, Louisiana) in September 2019.

"Henry par la grace de dieu Roy de france et de Polougne Conte de Provence Forcalquier et terres adjacentes…"

The document begins with Henri III's impressive array of titles: "King of France and of Poland, Count of Provence, Forcalquier, and adjacent lands." The third youngest royal brother and a spare, Henri III had been elected as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in May 1573. Henri III temporarily renounced his rights to Poland to inherit the French throne after the death of his brother Charles IX; he would never return, thereby forfeiting his rights to the Polish throne by May 1575. It is interesting, however, that whether through personal or diplomatic vanity, Henri III maintained "King of Poland" as one of his titles. It was equally imperative, in a time of religious civil war, to assert his territorial claims to Provence and southeastern France ("Provence, Forcalquier and adjacent lands.")

The docket verso reads in part: "Lettres de Quittance / au proffit Du feu Sr de Mane bordeux Du Loz [--]lination de la plan de Mane. 25 Avril 1587." The legal term "Lettres de quittance" translates to "discharge papers." The use of the adjective "feu" appearing before the name Seigneur de Mane indicates that he was deceased, thus, we can conclude that the document relates to the dead man's estate. We could not find any references to Seigneur de Mane, but he may have been from Bordeaux ["bordeux"]?

It was quite an accomplishment that Henri III was able to complete any administrative tasks during this period, considering that the so-called War of the Three Henrys had been raging since the sudden death of Henri III's younger brother and heir presumptive, Francis, Duc d'Anjou, in 1584. The War of the Three Henrys was the last of the Wars of Religion in France, pitting the sitting monarch, Henri III, against Henri, Duc de Guise (Catholic), and Henri of Navarre, the future Henri IV (Huguenot).

At issue was religion, of course, but international politics also became involved; the Swiss, Germans, and English supported the Huguenots, and the Spanish allied themselves with the French Catholic forces. A map of France during this period shows enormous swaths in the west, southwest, and southeast which were either openly Huguenot territory, or contested between Huguenots and Catholics. Thus if Seigneur de Mane's estate was in Bordeaux, his holdings were right in the middle of a region bitterly divided between factions. In 1587 alone, three important battles were fought between the religious partisans: the August 19, 1587 Battle of Jarrie, in southeastern France, a Catholic victory; the October 20, 1587 Battle of Coutras, located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine just 65 km northeast of Bordeaux, a Huguenot victory; and the October 26, 1587 Battle of Vimory, in northern central France, a Catholic victory.

The War of the Three Henrys had significant consequences. Henri III orchestrated the assassination of one of his two rivals, Henri, Duc de Guise in December 1588. Henri III himself would be assassinated by an avenging Catholic monk in August 1589.

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.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

November 29, 2023 10:30 AM EST
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000