Duke of Florence from 1537 until his death in 1574, reigning as the first Grand Duke of Tuscany beginning in 1569. LS in Italian to Pietro Machiavelli, signed “Il Duca di Fiorenza,” one page, 8.5 x 11.5, Florence, March 15, 1556. On the subject of his secretary and man of confidence Bartolomeo Concino, having escaped from the hands of the soldiers of the Pope and on the need of a frigate for him to return. Signed at the conclusion by Medici as ruler of Florence. Reverse of second integral page bears a couple brief docketing notations and a couple red wax seal remnants. In good condition, with intersecting folds, one through a single letter of signature, scattered toning and dampstaining, some lightly affecting end of signature, some light edge wear and chipping, and a couple of pinholes of ink erosion.
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.
