Duke of Florence from 1537 until his death in 1574, reigning as the first Grand Duke of Tuscany beginning in 1569. LS in Italian, signed as ruler of Florence, “Il Duca di Fiorenza,” one page, 8.5 x 11.25, March 5, 1564. Letter to L. Machiavello (a relative of Machiavelli) giving instructions on how information should be released on the movements of his fleet as some vessels may not have been taken prisoner by the enemy and ten others may also be in Corsica. In very good condition, with intersecting horizontal and vertical folds with a vertical fold crossing his signature, wrinkling, an area of soiling at the lower right corner approaching his name, and mild to moderate toning and staining.
History remembers the Duke of Florence for having enlarged the mercantile and military vessels on the high seas, with fleet movement being the topic of this particular correspondence. The heart of his navy was the military order of Saint Stephen, set up in 1562—two years before this letter was sent—with the official task of defending Christianity against the ‘infidels’ in the Mediterranean. Moreover, he is credited with strengthening the ports of Livorno and Portoferraio to compensate for the landlocked port of Pisa. RRAuction COA.
