Description:

de Medicis Catherine

Autograph letter signed “loise de bretaigne,” 3p, 8.5” x 12”, front and verso. In French with full English translation. Addressed on fourth page “To the Queen / my Sovereign dame.” Inlaid. Toledo [Spain], February 20 “second day of Lent,” 1561. Paper loss in blank margin of second sheet and cuts in margins ostensibly from a ribbon which had tied the two sheets together. Fine condition. In a custom made black presentation folder titled in gilt: “Louise de Bretagne / Letter to / Catherine de Medicis / relative to / the Queens of Spain and of Scotland, 1561.”

This letter is published in “Collection de Documents Inedits sur l’Histoire de France” (Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1838).

The death of King Henry II of France in 1559 thrust Catherine into the political arena as mother of the frail 15-year-old King Francis II. When he died in 1560, she became Regent on behalf of her ten-year-old son King Charles IX and was granted sweeping powers. After Charles died in 1574, Catherine played a key role in the reign of her third son, Henry III. This letter was written to Catherine de Medicis (1519-1589) two months after the succession of Charles IX to the throne.

Louise de Bretagne, Baroness of Castelbau and of Clermont Lodeve (died 1602), was the governess and first lady to Elisabeth de Valois (1545-1568), eldest daughter of Henry II and Catherine de Medicis, who had married King Philip II of Spain in 1559. She was the 15-year-old Queen of Spain when this letter was written to her mother.

In part, “The health of the Queen your daughter grows better and better since I wrote to you … The King has not come to sleep with her yet, for which I am very glad for she is not quite well enough. The journey to Monzon is becoming less practicable and they say it will not be made this summer, which we will again spend here; therefore I assure you that the Queen is much grieving because of the hope she had of seeing you there. The Prince has his fever again rather badly, the cause being I think the great army which they say the Turks are preparing to bring this summer to Goletta [port of Tunis] and to the forts which they lost there this year, in order to take something else. From the last couriers who came from Don Juan Manrique there is much comment here about the story that the funeral of the late King [her son, 16-year-old Francis II, died December 5, 1560] was conducted with one little candle, which is thought very strange. It is also said for about a fortnight, that Monsieur the Cardinal of Lorraine is going to Metz after Easter, and Queen Mary either to Joinville or to Scotland…” Mary, Queen of Scots, was the 18-year-old widow of King Francis II.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

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

Shipping

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. ***PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR SHIPMENT TO BE SENT TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN THE ONE YOU HAVE ON FILE WITH INVALUABLE, YOU WILL NEED TO INFORM US OF THIS AS SOON AS PAYMENT IS SUBMITTED FOR YOUR WINNINGS*** Shipping and handling costs are competitive as we maintain discounted contracts with FedEx. If you have any questions, contact University Archives prior to bidding. After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 5 business days following receipt of full payment for item. We currently ship via FedEx but if your purchase is shipping to a P.O. Box, we ship via USPS. All items are insured. We ship from our offices in Westport, CT. We may opt to use a third party shipper for very fragile, bulky or oversized items. Items requiring third party shipping will be denoted in the item description. Packages shipped internationally will have full value declared on shipping form. International buyers will be responsible for any customs fees incurred.

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

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% 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