[MORELLI, Jo√£o Baptista; LEITAO, Fulgençio].

£2,350 · Offered by Sokol Books

A good copy of the scarce first edition of this important apology of the Portuguese monarchs, dedicated to Jo√£o IV. Fulgençio Leit√£o (or Leitam, fl. early C17) was an Augustinian Hermit in Lisbon, professor of theology and ‚Äòin utroque iure‚Äô; he later moved to Rome, under the name of Fr. Jo√£o Antonio Ruvarolla. All his works were published under fictitious imprints and authorship; ironically, he incurred the wrath of Cardinal J.B. Pallota, protector of the Augustinian Hermits, for a work he did not write. The Italian imprint ‚ÄòTurin‚Äô is fictitious; ‚ÄòReduccion‚Äô was published probably in Paris, during his subsequent exile. It celebrated the ‚Äòreturn‚Äô to Portugal of the House of Braganza, after 60 years of Iberian Union, begun in 1580 when Philip II of Spain acceded as Philip I of Portugal following the Portuguese Succession War. The rebellion against his descendant Philip III of Portugal (IV of Spain) was led by Duke Jo√£o II, later crowned King Jo√£o IV, in 1640. In the preface, Leit√£o clarifies that the work was intended not so much for a Portuguese, but for a foreign audience. Although some had advised him to write in Italian, as this might interest an Italian rather than a Spanish audience, he chose Spanish so that his Spanish critics would not have the pretext of linguistic misunderstanding. Imbued with Leit√£o‚Äôs theological and legal knowledge, the first of the four parts discusses the historical ties between the Dukes of Braganza and Portugal, and thei

• Binding: Hardcover

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