PHILIP II: (1527-1598) King of Spain 1556-98. During his marriage to Queen Mary I of England, he was King of ...

PHILIP II: (1527-1598) King of Spain 1556-98. During his marriage to Queen Mary I of England, he was King of England and Ireland 1554-58. Rare L.S., `Yo El Rey´, as King, two pages, folio, Madrid, 17th February 1567, to the Kingdom Lietenant and Mayor of the city of Granada, in old Castilian-Spanish. The King refers to the subsidy granted by His Holiness Pope Pius V, stating in part `..the grace bestowed by his Holiness, with four hundred and twenty nine thousand ducats patronage, for a period of five years..´, further referring to the purpose of such subsidy `..to help with the manufacture and maintenance of the vessels and galleys which have to protect and defend the coasts and seas of Christianity against the infidels..´ The King further refers to the agreement had with Pope Pius IV `..the Pope´s predecessor, of happy memory..´, and confirms a further five years extension of the contract. The King gives lengthy instructions about the procedures to follow and the supervisions requested. With few countersignatures at the base of the document. With blank address leaf, bearing remnants of a former red wax seal. One very small hole to the centre, only affecting one word and not the signature. Overall minor age wear, with very slightly trimmed right edge. G Pius V (1504-1572) Pope of the Catholic church and ruler of the Papal States 1566-72. Venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. Pius V arranged the formation of the Holy League, which included the major Catholic maritime states in the Mediterranean, with the intention of breaking the Ottoman Empire´s control on the eastern Mediterranean sea. For this reason the Pope approves loans-subsidies to build vessels as the present letter reveals. A few years later, in October 1571, the League won a decisive victory over the Ottoman fleet at the Battle of Lepanto. Pius IV (1499-1565) Giovanni Angelo Medici. Pope of the Catholic Church (1559-65)