LS signed "Elizabeth I," one page, 12.5 x 8.5, September 1, 1568. Letter to the Count of Winchester, Tresor of England, about payment of 1000 livres to her cousin, the Count of Sussex. Beautifully mounted, double-matted, and framed beside a detailed engraving of the queen to an overall size of 18 x 29. In very good condition, with intersecting folds and overall creasing, scattered soiling, dampstaining to the left side, and slight paper loss to edges; Elizabeth's large, bold signature is largely unaffected. Oversized.
This comes from a time of great significance in Queen Elizabeth's life and legacy, as 1568 was the year she famously imprisoned her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary was taken into custody in May and a commission of inquiry began in October, just a month after Elizabeth signed this document. During these proceedings, the Earl of Moray produced the 'casket letters' as evidence that implied her complicity in the murder of her husband, Lord Darnley. She was detained for the next nineteen years before being beheaded after accusations of concocting a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth. A rare and truly remarkable document from a crucial moment in European history.
Provenance: Charavay sale, lot 64, May 14, 1873.
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