The documents also included a secret instruction that included the capture of the island of Wight and the capture of the applicant to the Portuguese throne, Dom António
A series of letters from King Philip II to the Duke of Medina Sidonia, commander of the Spanish Invincible Armada, including an order for the capture of Dom António, suitor to the Portuguese throne, were sold in auction by 250,600 euros.
According to the auctioneer, the documents, dating from 1588, include the Duke’s formal appointment, Dom Alonso Pérez de Guzmán, as head of the expedition after the death of the Santa Cruz Marquis, as well as detailed military instructions on the trip, the coordination with the army of the Duke of Parma in Flanders and possible alternative actions in case of hire.
The Spanish Armada was a fleet sent by Philip II during the Anglo-Spanish war (1585-1604) to invade England, to overthrow Isabel I, restore Catholicism, contain English support to the Independence of the Netherlands, then under Spanish rule, and contain the pirate attacks on Spanish routes and colonies.
The documents also included a secret instruction that included the capture of the island of Wight and the capture of the applicant to the Portuguese throne, Dom António.
Dom António, prior of Crato, who lived between 1531 and 1595, was the grandson of King D. Manuel I, and presented himself as a candidate for the throne of Portugal in 1580, after the disappearance of King D. Sebastião, in the battle of Alcácer Quibir, in 1578.
They also included an order signed by Medina Sidonia himself aboard Galeão San Martín, with guidance on naval combat, safety and discipline on board.
The letters, hitherto private hands, offer valuable information about preparations for one of the largest naval operations of the 16th century, which culminated in a significant defeat to Spain due to a combination of military, strategic, meteorological and logistics factors.
