Isabella of Portugal, Empress of Charles V

Letter signed ("yo la reyna"), 1 page (11 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.; 292 x 206 mm), Valladolid, 28 August 1537, to Juan [Arias] de Saavedra; formerly folded, a few small fold tears and pin pricks, but otherwise clean.

formerly folded, a few small fold tears and pin pricks, but otherwise clean.
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The Empress warns Cadiz of Turkish attacks.

The 1536 Franco-Turkish Treaty which gave French in the Ottoman Empire their own privileged legal status, joined the French King Francis I and the Pasha Barbarossa Hayreddin in a league to invade Italy. The French aim was to dislodge the Emperor Charles V from Savoy.  A Franco-Turkish fleet was stationed in Marseille by the end of 1536, threatening Genoa.

It was in these circumstances that the present letter was written by the Empress Isabella (1503-1539), on behalf of her husband who was at Monçon to attend the Cortes of Aragon. Isabella, mother of Philip II, often served as regent of Spain during her husband's absences. The letter was written to Juan Arias de Saavedra the [1539-elevated] Count of Castellar [de la Frontera] and El Viso [del Alcor] in the province of Cadiz. The Viceroy of Naples has sent news of the approach of Turkish warships off the coast of Naples, and she warns him to be ready to join the Emperor in defense.