Lot 37
CHARLES II Warrant signed ("Carolus R") at foot, with engraved initial letter portrait of Charles II, Whitehall, 27 February 1679/80
11 March 2020, 13:00 GMT
London, KnightsbridgeSold for £765 inc. premium
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CHARLES II
Warrant signed ("Carolus R") at foot, with engraved initial letter portrait of Charles II, historiated first line and foliate decoration incorporating the royal arms, ruled in red, in Latin, addressed to Frederick William Marquis of Brandenburg, Archduke of the Holy Roman Empire and First Elector ("our most dear friend"), appointing Robert Southwell ambassador designate to the Elector of Brandenburg "for the purpose of promoting our friendship and diplomatic relations in accordance with our mutual wishes", offering him protection and total freedom as the King's agent and ordering he "shall not be dealt with in any way violently or unkindly", on one sheet of vellum, some surface abrasions and slight waterstaining, 472 x 800mm., Whitehall, 27 February 1679/80
Footnotes
'OUR FAITHFUL AND DILIGENT SERVANT ROBERT SOUTHWELL': At the time of this appointment as ambassador to the Elector of Brandenburg Southwell had already enjoyed a distinguished and lucrative career and had been described by Arlington as 'an ingenious young gentleman and very well qualified' (Toby Barnard, ODNB). An accomplished and respected diplomat, he held significant posts in both Lisbon and Brussels and in 1679 had managed to survive a controversy when he was reputed to have suppressed information about the conspiracy behind the Popish Plot. Despite this 'his choice in the spring of 1680 for an embassy to the elector of Brandenburg showed that he was still highly regarded. The mission was connected with a scheme to construct an alliance against France, and it took Southwell to the prince of Orange and the court of Brunswick–Lüneburg. But such diplomacy was not to the taste of Charles II, moving in the orbit of France' (ODNB). Southwell's attempt at negotiating a political and commercial alliance was made particularly difficult by Elector Frederick who was renowned for his shifting allegiances, and he was recalled the following November. For a detailed account of the role of Southwell in the intricate negotiations see 'The Relations Between England and Germany 1660-1688', C. Brinkmann, English History Review, Vol. 24, No. 95, July 1909, pp.448-469. Southwell was returned as MP for Lostwithiel in 1685 and served as President of the Royal Society from 1690 to 1695.