[MALTA - PRIVATEERING] DELLA GHERARDESCA, Francesco (18th ce...

Hammer

€2,600

[MALTA - PRIVATEERING] DELLA GHERARDESCA, Francesco (18th century). Seven autograph letters exchanged with Francesco Antonio Mansi concerning the naval activities of the Order of Malta. Florence, 1764.
An interesting correspondence relating to the Order of Malta, comprising six letters sent in 1764 to Francesco Antonio Mansi, a Knight of Malta from a prominent Lucchese family who had already taken part, in 1728-1729, in a caravan aboard the Order's galleys. The correspondent, Francesco Giuseppe della Gherardesca, a member of the Tuscan comital family and Receiver of the Order in Florence, discusses commissions and affairs of the Religion, payments and matters to be handled with the Maltese government. Of particular interest are the political and military reports received directly from the island. Della Gherardesca relays information from the lettere pubbliche di Malta and reports on the movements of the galere della Sagra Religione , their operations and encounters with Turkish vessels. In a letter dated Florence, 18 September 1764, he records the return of the galleys and their operations against Barbary and Turkish shipping, providing a contemporary account of the Order's naval activities and corsair warfare during the second half of the eighteenth century. The correspondence thus documents the administrative and information network linking Malta and Tuscany, combining the business of the Florentine Receiver's office with reports on the operations of the Hospitaller fleet.

7 autograph manuscript letters signed, addressed to Francesco Antonio Mansi in Lucca, written in brown ink on paper (folds, foxing and signs of use; show-through of ink from the verso on some leaves). (7)