Louis XIII King of France Passport 1636 - Peace Congress Cologne

Louis XIII King of France Passport 1636 – Peace Congress Cologne

Philippe de Champaigne - Louis XIII of France in Coronation Robes (between 1622 and 1639). Royal Collection RCIN 404108 — Philippe de Champaigne – Louis XIII of France in Coronation Robes (between 1622 and 1639). Royal Collection RCIN 404108

LOUIS XIII (1601-1643) King of France 1610-43 and King of Navarre 1610-20. L.S., `Louis´, by his secretary, one page, folio, Camp de D?, 27th October 1636, in old French. The cleanly written document is a passport in favor of the Ambassador appointed by the Mainz Elector, who is on his way to the Peace Congress which Pope Urban VIII convoked in October 1636 in Cologne, trying to reconcile the three crowns and bring back peace to Europe. Countersigned by Claude Bouthillier, a bold and large attractive signature. Bearing beneath the signatures a good paper seal affixed. With blank integral leaf. Folded, with small overall age wear and creasing.

Claude Bouthillier, grand trésorier de l'Ordre du Saint-Esprit, à la réception d'Henri II d'Orléans, duc de Longueville, le 15 mai 1633. — Claude Bouthillier, grand trésorier de l’Ordre du Saint-Esprit, à la réception d’Henri II d’Orléans, duc de Longueville, le 15 mai 1633.

Claude Bouthillier (1581-1652) French Statesman and Diplomat, Secretary of State and Foreign Affairs Minister 1629-32. Sieur de Fouilletourte. Richelieu employed him on many diplomatic missions trusting Bouthillier’s ability who negotiate the alliances which brought France into the Thirty Year´s War. Richelieu made him executor of his will, and King Louis XIII named him a member of the council of regency which should govern the kingdom after his death.

A fantastic early 17th-century passport in great condition. Issued for an important event at that time. However, Congress failed and it took another twelve years to end the Thirty-years war with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

The Thirty Years’ War was a conflict fought largely within the Holy Roman Empire from 1618 to 1648. Considered one of the most destructive wars in European history, estimates of total deaths caused by the conflict range from 4.5 to 8 million, while some areas of Germany experienced population declines of over 50%. Related conflicts include the Eighty Years’ War, the War of the Mantuan Succession, the Franco-Spanish War, and the Portuguese Restoration War.

Louis XIII King of France Passport 1636 – Peace Congress Cologne

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