Bidspirit auction | [INSTRUÇÕES DE D. JOÃO IV

[INSTRUÇÕES DE D. JOÃO IV AO GOVERNADOR DAS ARMAS DO PRIORADO DO CRATO, BERNARDO DE ALMEIDA, E CERTIDÃO DE SERVIÇO DE CAVALARIA]. [Lisboa e Mourão, 1645, 1650]. 2 docs. - [INSTRUCTIONS FROM KING JOÃO IV TO THE GOVERNOR OF ARMS OF THE PRIORADO DO CRATO, BERNARDO DE ALMEIDA, AND CERTIFICATE OF CAVALRY SERVICE]. [Lisbon and Mourão, 1645, 1650]. Set of 2 manuscript documents on paper, folio (c. 31 × 21 cm); 6 ff. written in brown ink, forming two separate gatherings now kept together in a modern paper folder with manuscript title “Propria carta, Instruções de ElRey D. João 4º…”. Mid-seventeenth-century cursive hand, very legible; some dampstains, old folding creases and small marginal tears, without loss of text. “Propria carta, Instruccõens de ElRey D. João 4º, firmada de sua Real mão em Lisboa a 15 de Março de 1650, para Bernardo de Almeida, Governador das Armas do Priorado do Crato…” Long letter of military instructions, bearing the autograph signature of King João IV and containing detailed directions on the command of the infantry and cavalry forces of the Priorado do Crato, the discipline and billeting of the troops, the organisation of companies and bands, the supply of munitions and provisions, payment of wages and the prevention of abuses against the local population. The text underlines the need for rapid mobilisation and constant vigilance on the Castilian frontier in the midst of the War of Restoration. At the end appear the royal validating formula (“Rey”) and the signatures of high Crown officers. Certificate of cavalry service, dated 4 October 1645 and issued at Mourão, attesting to the zeal and diligence of a soldier by the name of Custódio de Barros in leading a reconnaissance force against enemy troops, with reference to the march of squadrons, contact with the enemy and the exemplary conduct of the men under his command. The certificate is issued by João Ferreira da Cunha, lieutenant to Captain Dom João de Azevedo in the garrison of Mourão, signed by the latter, with paper seal. Documentation of great interest for the study of Portuguese military organisation in the 1640s, particularly the defensive deployment of the Priorado do Crato and the Alentejo frontier during the War of Restoration. The royal instructions reveal the meticulous attention of the political centre to the realities of warfare on the periphery (logistics, discipline, provisioning), while the campaign certificate fixes a concrete episode in cavalry operations, allowing prosopographical information on officers and networks of regional command to be reconstructed and cross-checked.