Antique Royalty King Philip IV Spain Signed Royal Manuscript Document Autograph

For your consideration is an exceedingly rare and complete royal manuscript document hand-signed by King Philip IV of Spain / King Philip III of Portugal, with dozens of co-signers, undoubtedly prominent figures in society at the time. Bearing royal paper and wax seal for Kingdom of Spain. An exceedingly rare and historic piece of Spanish / Portuguese history. Original royal red velvet presentation folder with original document ribbons for protection and safekeeping. Philip IV (Spanish: Felipe, Portuguese: Filipe; 8 April 1605- 17 September 1665) was King of Spain and (as Philip III) Portugal. Heascended the thrones in 1621 and reigned in Portugal until 1640. Philip IV isremembered for his patronage of the arts, including such artists as DiegoVelázquez, and his rule over Spain during the Thirty Years’ War. By the time of his death in 1665, the Spanish Empire hadreached approximately 12.2 million square kilometers (4.7 million square miles)in area but in other respects was in decline, a process to which Philipcontributed with his inability to achieve successful domestic and militaryreform. Philip IV was born in Royal Palace of Valladolid, and wasthe eldest son of Philip III and his wife, Margaret of Austria. In 1615, at theage of 10, Philip was married to 13-year-old Elisabeth of France, although therelationship does not appear to have been close; some have even suggested thatOlivares, his key minister, later deliberately tried to keep the two apart tomaintain his influence, encouraging Philip to take mistresses instead. Philiphad seven children by Elisabeth, with only one being a son, Balthasar Charles, who died at the age of sixteen in 1646. The death of his son deeply shocked theking, who appears to have been a good father by the standards of the day. Elisabeth was able to conspire with other Spanish nobles to remove Olivaresfrom the court in 1643, and for a brief period she held considerable influenceover Philip; by the time of her death, however, she was out of favor, followingmaneuvering by Olivares’ successor, Luis de Haro. Philip remarried in 1649, following the deaths of bothElisabeth and his only legitimate heir. His choice of his second wife, MariaAnna, also known as Mariana, Philip’s niece and the daughter of the EmperorFerdinand, was guided by politics and Philip’s desire to strengthen therelationship with Habsburg Austria. They were married on 7 October 1649. MariaAnna bore him five children, but only two survived to adulthood, a daughterMargarita Teresa, born in 1651, and the future Charles II of Spain in 1661 -but the latter was sickly and considered in frequent danger of dying, makingthe line of inheritance potentially uncertain. Perceptions of Philip’s personality have alteredconsiderably over time. Victorian authors were inclined to portray him as aweak individual, delegating excessively to his ministers, and ruling over adebauched Baroque court. Victorian historians even attributed the early deathof Baltasar to debauchery, encouraged by the gentlemen entrusted by the kingwith his education. The doctors who treated the Prince at that time in factdiagnosed smallpox, although modern scholars attribute his death toappendicitis. [citation needed] Historians’ estimation of Philip graduallyimproved in the 20th century, with comparisons between Philip and his fatherbeing increasingly positive – some noting that he possessed much more energy, both mental and physical, than his diffident father. Philip was idealized by his contemporaries as the model ofBaroque kingship. Outwardly he maintained a bearing of rigid solemnity; foreignvisitors described him as being so impassive in public he resembled astatue, [6] and he was said to have been seen to laugh only three times in thecourse of his entire public life. Philip certainly had a strong sense of his’royal dignity’, but was also extensively coached by Olivares in how toresemble the Baroque model of a sovereign, which would form a key political toolfor Philip throughout his reign. Philip was a fine horseman, a keen hunter anda devotee of bull-fighting, all central parts of royal public life at courtduring the period. Philip pictured with his older sister, Anne in 1612 byBartolomé González y Serrano Privately, Philip appears to have had a lighter persona. When he was younger, he was said to have a keen sense of humor and a’greatsense of fun’. He privately attended’academies’ in Madrid throughout his reign- these were lighthearted literary salons, aiming to analyze contemporaryliterature and poetry with a humorous touch. A keen theatre-goer, he wassometimes criticized by contemporaries for his love of these’frivolous’entertainments. Others have captured his private personality as’naturallykind, gentle and affable’. Those close to him claimed he was academicallycompetent, with a good grasp of Latin and geography, and could speak French, Portuguese and Italian well. Like many of his contemporaries, includingOlivares, he had a keen interest in astrology. His handwritten translation ofFrancesco Guicciardini’s texts on political history still exists. Although interpretations of Philip’s role in government haveimproved in recent years, Diego Velázquez’s contemporary description ofPhilip’s key weakness – that’he mistrusts himself, and defers to others toomuch’ – remains relevant. Although Philip’s Catholic beliefs no longer attractcriticism from English language writers, Philip is still felt to have been’unduly pious’ in his personal life. Notably, from the 1640s onwards he soughtthe advice of a noted cloistered abbess, Sor María de Ágreda, exchanging manyletters with her. This did not stop Philip’s becoming known for his numerousaffairs, particularly with actresses; the most famous of these was hisactress-mistress María Inés Calderón (La Calderona), with whom he had a son in1629, Juan José, who was brought up as a royal prince. By the end of the reign, and with the health of Carlos José in doubt, there was a real possibility ofJuan José’s making a claim on the throne, which added to the instability of theregency years. During the reign of Philip’s father, Philip III, the royalcourt had been dominated by the Sandoval noble family, most strikingly by theDuke of Lerma, Philip III’s principal favorite and chief minister for almostall of his reign. Philip IV came to power as the influence of the Sandovals wasbeing undermined by a new noble coalition, led by Don Baltasar de Zúñiga. DeZúñiga regarded it as essential that the Sandovals be unable to gain aninfluence over the future king; de Zúñiga first began to develop his owninfluence over Prince Philip, [16] and then introduced his nephew, Olivares, tothe prince, ten years old at the time. At first, Philip did not particularlytake to Olivares. Over the course of at least a year, however, the relationshipbecame very close, [19] with Philip’s tendency towards under confidence anddiffidence counteracted by Olivares’ drive and determination. Olivares rapidlybecame Philip’s most trusted advisor, and when Philip ascended the throne in1621, at the age of sixteen, he showed his confidence in Olivares by orderingthat all papers requiring the royal signature should first be sent to the count-duke. Philip retained Olivares as his confidant and chief minister for the nexttwenty years. Early in his reign, Philip would be woken by Olivares in themorning to discuss the day’s affairs and would meet with him twice more duringthe day, although later this routine declined until the king would hold onlyone short meeting on policy with Olivares each day. Philip intervened far morein policies during 1641-42, however, and it has been suggested that Philip paidmore attention to policymaking than has traditionally been depicted; somerecent histories go so far as to describe him as’conscientious’ inpolicymaking, although he is still criticized for his failure to make timelydecisions. [20] Philip himself argued that it was hardly appropriate for theking himself to go house to house amongst his ministers to see if hisinstructions were being carried out. The close relationship between Philip andOlivares was demonstrated by their portraits’ being placed side by side at theBuen Retiro palace – an act unheard-of in Europe at the time. Philip’srelationship with Olivares, however, was not a simplistic one. The pair hadmany rows and arguments over the course of their relationship, both as a resultof their different personalities and differences of opinion over policies. Initially, Philip chose to confirm the reappointment of hisfather’s household to assuage grandee opinion. Under the influence of de Zúñigaand Olivares, however, Philip was then quick to place de Lerma’s estates -expanded considerably during his long period as favorite – underadministration, and to remove from office Cristóbal de Sandoval, Duke of Uceda, de Lerma’s son, who had initially helped de Zúñiga remove his own father fromoffice to advance his own position. Philip’s initial announcements reflected anintent to reform the monarchy to the sober, moral position it had been underhis grandfather, including selecting ministers whose grandfathers had servedunder Philip II. Philip IV’s most prominent favorite and minister, theCount-Duke Olivares, by Diego Velázquez Philip has in the past been considered to be’unimaginative’in his politics, [5] but recent histories have stressed the more radicalelements of his first two decades in power. There was a febrile atmosphere inSpain in the early 17th century, with numerous arbitrista offering variousadvice on how to solve Spain’s various ills; this advice could, and would, begiven in person by those of the lower classes to the king on suitableoccasions, provided it was presented with the aim of strengthening the crown. Those debates extended to the nature of the monarchy. It has been suggestedthat the writers of the period who best capture Philip’s view of royalauthority were Justus Lipsius and Giovanni Botero, who promoted religiouslyinspired, stoic self-sacrifice and a view of Habsburg family-led hegemonyrespectively. Whilst at one level conservative – harking back in foreign policyto the period of Phillip II, invoking traditional values at home – Philip’spolicies were also radical, rejecting the policy towards the rebellious Dutchthat had held since 1609, entering into the Thirty Years’ War, and introducinga system of junta, or small committee, government across Spain in competitionto the traditional system of royal councils. The junta system of government began to bedismantled in favor of the older council system. In due course, however, thispersonal rule reverted to rule through a royal favorite, initially Luis deHaro, a nephew of Olivares and a childhood playmate of Philip’s, and thecounter-reform of the committee system halted. De Haro has not been highlyregarded by historians; the comment of one, that de Haro was the’embodiment ofmediocrity’, is not atypical. [30] After de Haro’s death in 1661, Olivares’son-in-law, the Duke of Medina de las Torres, became royal favorite in hisplace. Philip was to reign through the majority of the ThirtyYears’ War in Europe, a turbulent period of military history. In Philip III’sfinal years, Baltasar de Zúñiga had convinced him to intervene militarily inBohemia and the Electorate of the Palatinate on the side of Emperor FerdinandII. Once Philip himself came to power, he was convinced by de Zúñiga, appointedhis principal foreign minister, and Olivares that he should commit Spain to amore aggressive foreign policy in alliance with the Holy Roman Empire. Thiswould lead Philip to renew hostilities with the Dutch in 1621 in an attempt tobring the provinces to the negotiating table with the aim of achieving a peacetreaty favorable to Spanish global interests. Philip’s government would pursuea’Netherlands first’ strategy throughout the war until 1643. Despite thisshift in policy, Philip does not seem to have been particularly bellicose;early on he noted that having inherited such a large empire, war somewhereacross his domains was an inevitable condition, and he appeared genuinely upsetwhen he came to power and contemplated how much the people of Castile had paid’in blood’ to support the wars of his royal predecessors. The 1620s were good years for Spanish foreign policy: thewar with the Dutch went well, albeit at great expense, culminating in theretaking of the key city of Breda in 1624. Philip’s advisors recommended prioritizing thewar in Flanders, taking action to safeguard the Spanish Road to the Netherlandsbut at the cost of antagonizing Louis XIII. Strategically this was to prove adisaster. Despite fresh Spanish successes in the mid-1630s – inparticular, the triumph of Philip’s government in raising a fresh Spanish army, marching it into Germany to defeat the Swedish-led Protestant forces at theBattle of Nördlingen in 1634 – the increased tensions with France made warbetween the two Catholic states increasingly inevitable. Olivares advisedPhilip that the coming war with France would be all or nothing; Spain would winor fall by the result. The Spanish-French war that ensued from 1635 onwards was nota foregone conclusion. Early Spanish successes threatened Paris, and even afterthe Spanish defeat at Rocroi, Spain remained a strong opponent. But from 1640onwards, a period which saw large-scale revolts across Spanish territories inprotest against the rising costs of the conflict, Spain was finding itdifficult to sustain the war. Philip reacted to the increased French threat byfinally abandoning his’Netherlands first’ strategy; resources for the Army ofFlanders were savagely cut, and the fight against the French-supported rebelsCatalonia took the first priority. Shortly after Rocroi, Philip – now havinghad to dismiss his favorite, Olivares – issued instructions to his ambassadorsto seek a peace treaty. The Peace of Westphalia, delivered by Olivares’replacement Luis de Haro, resolved the long running Eighty Years’ War in theNetherlands and the wars in Germany, but the conflict with France dragged on. Philip responded to the perceived weakness of France during the Fronderebellions of 1648 by continuing the fight; he took personal responsibility forthe decision to start a fresh, and ultimately successful, offensive against theFrench in Catalonia in 1651. True victory over France never emerged, however, and by 1658, after the loss of Dunkirk to an Anglo-French force, Philip waspersonally desperate for peace. The Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, and themarriage of Philip’s daughter Maria Theresa to the young King Louis XIV finallybrought the war with France to a conclusion. The war against Portugal continuedhowever, as Philip fruitlessly attempted to regain control over his lostkingdom. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Historical Memorabilia\Royalty Collectibles”. The seller is “galleryoff5th” and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Modification Description: Hand-signed
• Signed: Yes
• Modified Item: Yes
• Vintage: Yes
• Royal: King Philip IV of Spain / Portugal
• To Commemorate: Order / Decree / Edict
• Type: Royal Document
• Royalty: Spanish Royalty
• Year: 1635
• Theme: Royalty
• Country: Spain
• Features: Antique, Illustrated, Official Release
• Country/Region of Manufacture: Spain