Every day Sophie Dupre presents two items from her large stock of signed photographs, autograph letters, autographs for sale, royal memoralbilia and antiquarian manuscripts.
The photographs are presented with the catalogue descriptions.

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May 13

ON THIS DAY

On this day in 1717 Maria Theresa, Empress of Austria (Wife of emperor Franz I) was born. She was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg.
In 1792 Pope Pius IX was born. He was the longest-reigning elected pope in the history of the Catholic Church – over 31 years

MARIA THERESIA (Archduchess of Austria, 1717-1780, Holy Roman Empress and Dowager Empress 1745-1780, Queen of Hungary)
Finely penned Document signed ‘Maria Theresia’, in Latin with translation, being a ‘rescript’ or imperial answer to a request, addressed to all the nobility and prelates of the County of Ugocsa in eastern Hungary, “our beloved and faithful subjects”, concerning the current legal proceedings against András Bencza, [?lately] Catholic Parish Priest of Böhénye, on a charge of alleged theft, which the local authorities wish to refer to the Empress, she therefore commands them to complete the proceedings as far as sentence, but before execution and judgment, and to send her all the papers in the case, and to do likewise with certain others involved, who are currently held in prison on an earlier charge, so that everything may be considered together, endorsed with a paper wafer seal, decorative heading with Maria Theresia in large capitals at head, signed also by József Bajráth, 1720-1804, Bishop of Veszprém, and by József Jablanczy, 1 side folio and address panel, Vienna, 11th July 1777 a little browned along folds, lower blank margin of address panel cut away without loss
52744

THE POPE IN EXILE
PIUS IX (Giovanni M. Mastai-Ferretti, 1792-1878, Pope from 1846 who proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception and whose Vatican Council formulated the Dogma of Papal Infallibility)
Fine Letter Signed to FERDINAND II, (1810-1859, from 1830 King of the Two Sicilies), in Latin with translation, saying “Your Royal Majesty well knows how joyful We were at the happy delivery of Our most dear daughter in Christ MARIA THERESIA, Your August Spouse”, (1816-1867, his second wife, 1837, elder daughter of Karl, Duke of Teschen), “who on the 2nd of this month gave birth to a baby Princess at Gaeta, for nothing pleased Us more than to baptize the Little Girl next day in the Cathedral Basilica of Gaeta”, thanking him for “Your most kind Letter of the 8th of the same month”, and begging “God, the insanely generous giver of all good things, that He may wish ever more propitiously to grant Your Majesty, the Little Girl and her Mother all prosperity and health”, ending with, “as an auspice of this divine assistance”, his Apostolic Benediction on all the family, 1 side folio, address on conjugate leaf, Gaeta, 12th August “in the 4th Year of Our Pontificate”, 1849
55681


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