First edition of an important and scarce biography of John II, King of Portugal (1455-1495).    John II (Portuguese: João II), the Perfect Prince,  is credited for re-establishing the power of the Portuguese throne, reinvigorating its economy, and renewing its exploration of Africa and the Orient. He was the king that signed the famous Treaty of Tordesillas.  During his reign many aristocrats lost power.  His reign was also marked by conspiracies and treason, as a result King John II suppressed the power of the powerful House of Braganza.  King John’s only heir, Afonso of Portugal (1475-1491), died in a mysterious circumstances, in a fall from a horse, “The hypothesis of murder was never proven, but at the time the Catholic kings had everything to gain with this disappearance. Even more, the tutor of the young Castilian Alfonso Castile disappeared the same day, after being the only eyewitness to the incident.”.

The work contains a fantastic account of all the marking events of King John II reign including the intrigues and treasons, the explorations in Africa and India, the treaties celebrated, etc.  The work also describes the meeting between John II and Christopher Columbus. 

The chronicle is by Manuel Teles da Silva, 1^st Marquis of Alegre (1641-1709), an  influential figure of the Portuguese court of the time.  Marquis de Alegrete, was the negotiator of the Treaty of Methuen (1703), an important military and commercial treaty between England and Portugal as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1707  Marquis de Alegrete departed to Austria to negotiate the marriage between King John V of Portugal and Maria Anna of Austria (1683-1754), daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I of the Habsburg dynasty. 

Author: Alegrete, Manuel Telles da Silva, Marquis (1641-1709)

Title:  DE REBUS GESTIS JOANNIS II. Lusitanorum Regis, Optimi Principis nuncupati Ad Augustissimum Regem PETRUM II

Published: Ulyssipone [Lisbon],  Michael Manescal, MDCLXXXIX [1689].

Physical description: [102], 438 pp.; 19 cm

Language: Latin

Bound in posterior mottled calf, spine raised in bands red morocco, gilt lettering and decor.  Binding affected by worm work (but still in rather good condition). 

Condition: Complete and in very good overall condition, despite work a little soiled, a few leaves stained,  one leaf with small tear at the inner edge, one page with pertinent entries in pencil.   Please see photos.