Rare ALS in French, signed "Louis," three pages on two adjoining sheets, 6.5 x 8.75, May 17, 1678. Letter to King Charles II of Great Britain concerning their relationship, the welfare of their countries, and the repercussions of the war with Holland, in part (translated): "Never before have I ever felt how strong and true my friendship is with you…I learn with pleasure that you are taking pains to dissipate the clouds which our enemies would have labored to raise between us…I wish…for the well-being of Europe, that you may complete the great work you have commenced, and I shall have even more joy from the easy terms I have negotiated as they will have contributed to the glory which must come back to us." In fine condition, with light staining and soiling, and a tiny bit of paper loss beneath the signature area.
When King Charles II signed his name to the secret Treaty of Dover on June 1, 1670, he affirmed an alliance with King Louis XIV to support the latter in his conquest over the Dutch Republic, a pact which subsequently ignited the Franco-Dutch War of 1672. Written a few months before the Treaties of Nijmegen, a series of accords that established peace between France and the Dutch Republic, this is a warm and insightful letter between two powerful rulers.
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