Histoire veritable des dernieres guerres advenues en Barbarie: et du succez pitoyable du Roy de Portugal dernier, Don Sebastien (que Dieu absolve) qui mourut en bataille le quatriesme Aoust 1579

[Nieto, Fray Luis]

1579. Paris. Nicolas Chesneau. 8vo, (150 x 95 mm). 88 pp. Bound by Lortic in a fine dark green crushed morocco, boards with supralibros of the Count of Penha Longa, raised bands tos pine, compartments lettered in gilt, just a little worn, edges gilt. Scattered inconsequential foxing, lightly toned, overall excellent condition.

First edition of this work on the Portuguese struggle for control of North Africa, including an account of the battle of the three kings, also called Alcacer Quibir, fought between Sebastian I with Sultan Abu Abdallah Mohammed II against the mighty new Sultan of Morocco Abd Al-Malik I. 

 

The consequences of the Battle were considerable: it annihilated a large portion of the Portuguese nobility (who accompanied Sebastian I), 15,000 men of the coalition were captured and sold into slavery, and perhaps more permanently, the young King disappeared or perished in the Battle, leaving no descendants, and carrying the immediate effect of turmoil for his succession, and ultimately the unification of the Crowns of Spain and Portugal under the same ruler, this would dominate Portuguese politics for a half century. Another unusual aspect of the Battle was that all three Kings perished.

 

Although the title page states this is translated from the Spanish, the Spanish was only published 3 centuries later in the Colección de documentos inéditos para la historia de Espana, this is the first published edition in any language.

 

The Battle itself was a military disaster for the Portuguese, in several ways it marked the end to their attempts to reconquer former colonies in Morocco, and caused a major shift in Portuguese politics for a half century, namely in terms of succession; “the greatest military disaster the Portuguese ever suffered in the course of their overseas expansion” (Disney, A. R. (2009). A history of Portugal and the Portuguese empire : from beginnings to 1807. Volume 2, The Portuguese empire. Cambridge University Press. pp. 19–20).

 

Provenance: Sebastião Pinto Leite, Conde de Penha Longa, supralibris on boards “Superabo”; Anthero Carreiro de Freitas, his bookplace on front pastedown, 1955 with motto “per angusta ad augusta”.

 

Extremely rare, we locate copies at the Catholic Univ. of America Oliveira Library, Newberry, Harvard, Boston Athenaeum, BL, BNF, Leyden Univ., Edinburgh Univ., Bern, BM Lyon, Univ. Goettingen.

 

Maggs Bibliotheca Asiatica et africana, Part IV, Catalogue 519; Brunet, supplément I, pp. 639.

1579

$14,000.00