[Battle of Lepanto, 1571] - photo 1
[Battle of Lepanto, 1571] - photo 2
[Battle of Lepanto, 1571] - photo 3

[Battle of Lepanto, 1571]

Lot 55
10.12.2025 12:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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CHRISTIE'S
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Lieu de l'événementRoyaume-Uni, London
Commissionsee on Website%
ID 1514399
Lot 55 | [Battle of Lepanto, 1571]
Valeur estimée
£ 25 000 – 30 000
[Battle of Lepanto, 1571]
Two scribal manuscripts recording the mobilisation of the Spanish navy, n.p. [Spain, probably the royal chancellery in Madrid], 8 April n.y. and n.d. [both 1570]
In Spanish. 22 and 14 written pages, c.310 x 220mm, on bifolia and one singleton, the first manuscript stitched, in two different scribal hands, both annotated at head in another hand (waterstaining and rodent damage duplicated across the upper and lower margins of both manuscripts very infrequently touching the text, split at bifolia hinges, edges frayed and bumped). Provenance: from a noble Spanish collection.

Naval preparations made by the Kingdom of Spain before the Battle of Lepanto against the Ottomans: Philip II mobilises Giovanni Andrea Doria and finalises troops and supplies to be committed to the Holy League.

The first manuscript, partially dated 8 April at the head, is titled ‘El sueldo que se paga a la gente de guerra en Italia es en esta manera y en flandre y alemania y Spana y el de las galeras de Spana y Italia y naves’ and comprises a statement of salaries for the armies in the employ of the Kingdom of Spain. Costs appear within the itemised line or tallied in the right-hand margin; for some items both peacetime and wartime rates are given. The list is divided into land and sea forces: first (pp.1-14) are presented the salaries paid to the men stationed in Italy, Flanders, Germany and Spain, divided into units of infantry, cavalry and artillery and according to their country of origin, listed in descending order of rank, from captains-general, lieutenants and sergeants, via specialised soldiers such as the arquebusiers, to surgeons, pipers, drummers and scribes. Relics of the Reconquista army are still in evidence in the second half of the 16th century, namely the jinetes (‘ginetee’) and coronelías (‘coronelee’). Then follow (p.15-22) the men on the galleys in Spain, Naples and Sicily, along with those under Giovanni Andrea Doria, in much the same format, with the latter section including the personal salary that ‘Da su Mag[esta]d a Juan Andrea’.

The second manuscript can be dated and localised to the Holy League preparations for Lepanto from the opening line: ‘Su Mag. ha visto la relación que se le embio de la gente, navíos y otras cosas q[ue] serian menester para hazer la Armada del año venidero contra el Turco…’ (‘His Majesty has seen the statement sent to him of the people, ships and other things that will be necessary to prepare the navy against the Turks for the coming year…’). It comprises Philip II’s proposed contributions from the Kingdom of Spain, and from other members of the League, to the military personnel, provisions and costs of the Armada, alongside organisational directives. The detailed proposals for the fleet include: the number of people and horses to be carried by the 200 ships allocated to the Armada; 100 ‘urcas’ (cargo ships) to be brought from Flanders and further ships to be requisitioned; provisions to be supplied by Andalucia and the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily; a reduction in the quantity of hardtack (‘bizcocho naval’) in favour of bringing more flour and ovens on board; specification of provisions to be supplied, from wine, cured meat and sardines to chickpeas, chestnuts and barley; and four months’ worth of salaries to be raised. It is recorded that there is not sufficient time to assemble the additional ships [previously proposed]; that infantry salaries are to be split between the King and the League; and that aid to the Holy Roman Emperor, the ‘Bayvoda’ [rulers of the Romanian-inhabited states], Greece and Albania will have to come from elsewhere. It is stated that cannon are most effective for marine combat and specifics of the weaponry to be supplied by Spain are given, including pikes, arquebuses, and spears; gunpowder is to be provided by both Spain and the League; wicks for the arquebuses will need to come from Malaga, Flanders and Naples; and materials to repair the galleys are detailed. The final singleton is titled ‘premio de la milicia armada de galeras’.

The defeat of the Turkish fleet at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 marked the first significant victory for a Christian naval force over an Ottoman fleet and stands as the great naval victory of Philip II of Spain at the climax of the age of galley warfare in the Mediterranean. Negotiations brokered by Pope Pius V in 1570 towards a military alliance to defend the Venetian colonies on Cyprus from the Turks were initially hindered by mutual distrust between Venice and Spain and the inability of every member of the pan-Mediterranean coalition to agree on their respective contributions. The Turks captured Nicosia in September 1570 but it was not until May 1571 that the pope persuaded Spain and Venice to agree to the terms of the Holy League. The shared fleet to be raised by the League numbered approximately 300 vessels, 50,000 soldiers and 4,500 horses. Spain assumed half of the cost and the rest was to be divided between Venice and Rome. Philip chose as his admiral Giovanni Andrea Doria, great-nephew of the Genoese statesmen and condottiero Andrea Doria, and gave him command of the right wing of the League’s fleet. At Lepanto, Doria allowed a gap to form in the line, inviting disaster and, latterly, accusations of cowardice and treachery, but the battle was ultimately saved for the Holy League, marking the first significant defeat of the Ottoman Turks at sea.
Lieu d'origine:Europe, Espagne
Catégorie maison de vente aux enchères:Lettres, documents et manuscrits, Livres et manuscrits
Adresse de l'enchère CHRISTIE'S
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SW1Y 6QT London
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Aperçu
10.12.2025 – 10.12.2025
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