1494: From the discovery of Christopher Columbus to the Treaty of Tordesillas

Facsimiles | Manuscrits · Documents | Novedades

The figure, shrouded in mystery, of Christopher Columbus, a seasoned navigator whose tenacity and fortune elevated him to universal glory, emerges in history with extraordinary strength during the Age of Discovery.

The discovery of the New World aroused, on the one hand, the amazement of the rest of the European powers and, on the other, led to a struggle to conquer the story, publicise this feat and see if there was any loophole to take advantage of the riches that were predicted to be found beyond the ocean.

Millennium Liber, committed to rescuing the best of our rich historical heritage for the enjoyment of today's men and women, has turned its attention to unique manuscripts of extraordinary historical value relating to Columbus's maiden voyage and the discovery of new lands in the West Indies.

These are two unpublished Portuguese letters, kept in the “Historical Archive of the Nobility (Toledo, Spain)”, which report on the return of Columbus from the Indies and the Portuguese initiative to negotiate the distribution of the world to be discovered. Along with these rare firsts we enclose facsimiles of three other epistles, on this occasion printed, one in Spanish and the other in Latin, which triumphantly announced the Admiral's arrival in America, reporting the wonders he found and which are distributed by libraries and foundations in Europe and North America.

To these important documents are added the Castilian and Portuguese versions of the “Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)”, treasured in the Iberian archives, of the Spanish-Luso political agreement that endorses the distribution of the lands to be explored and conquered by both maritime powers, in contention for control of the spice route. Some prestigious institutions that have collaborated with us, together with the “Casa Ducal de Medinaceli Foundation”, which gives us a splendid painting of João II of Portugal to illustrate our study book.

The result is a fascinating window into the Renaissance and the period in which the greatest feat the world had ever seen was forged.

The facsimile consists of:

Two incunabula from Christopher Columbus: the missive in Spanish that is preserved in “The New York Public Library, New York” and the letter in Latin preserved in the “Library of Catalonia”, Barcelona.
“Christopher Columbus Epistle” Preserved at “John Carter Brown Library, Providence”.
Unpubished Portuguese letters from João II of Portugal to Ferdinand II of Aragon and V of Castile, preserved in the “Historical Archive of the Nobility, Toledo”.
The two “Treaties of Tordesillas”: the copy in Spanish that is preserved in the “Torre do Tombo”, Lisbon and the copy in Portuguese that is in the “General Archive of the Indies” in Seville.

The historiographical study has been carried out by Mr. Miguel Fernando Gómez Vozmediano, Head of References of the Historical Archive of the Nobility (Toledo) and professor of the Carlos III University of Madrid, where he has taught the subject of History of America. Numerary Member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Historical Sciences of Toledo.

Presented in an elegant case containing the facsimiles and the study.

Unique print run of 499 copies, numbered and authenticated by a notarial act.

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