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FERDINAND II OF TYROL. Letter signed "Ferdinand", in German,…
See original version (French)
12
-
FERDINAND II OF TYROL. Letter signed "Ferdinand", in German,…
See original version (French)
Estimate €4,000 - €6,000
Voluntary lot
Description
FERDINAND II OF TYROL. Letter signed "Ferdinand", in German, countersigned by Justinian Moser as Chancellor, addressed to a sovereign prince. Innsbruck, 12 June 1583. 3 pp. 1/2 folio.
REQUEST FOR PRIVILEGE IN FAVOUR OF BARON HANS ALBRECHT VON SPRINZENSTEIN auf Neuhaus, for "a newly discovered casting technique" ("ainer newerfunden Gießkunst").
This technique made it possible to produce "light artillery by casting" ("mit Gießung ringes Geschüz"): "EACH PIECE IS HALF LIGHTER AND MORE THAN MANY OF THOSE WHICH HAVE BEEN MELTED UP TO NOW, AND THEREFORE TAKES THE SAME WEIGHT OF POWDER AND LEAD AS ANOTHER AND EVEN MORE" ("ain Jedes Stuckh, umb halben thail und noch ain merers alls man jezund und bißdahere zu giessen pflegt, ringer sain, und dannacht das Khraut und Lot, wie ainannder Stuckh das mer alls noch so schwer schiessen").
Ferdinand of Tyrol also gives a copy of a certificate in which he claims to have seen for himself the effectiveness of a falcon produced using this new technique.
FERDINAND OF HABSBURG (1529-1595) was the son of Emperor Ferdinand I and Anne Jagellon (Queen of Bohemia and Hungary), the brother of Emperor Maximilian II, and therefore the nephew of Charles V. He was made governor of Bohemia, grand bailiff of Alsace and sovereign count of Tyrol, and took resolute action against the influence of Lutheranism in his states.
PRINCE OF A BRILLIANT COURT, despite severe financial difficulties, he turned his castle at Ambras near Innsbruck into a major centre of culture, amassing an extensive library, a renowned cabinet of curiosities and the largest collection of arms and armour of his time.
He married a commoner, then, widowed in 1582, married for the second time Anne-Catherine Gonzague, daughter of the Duke of Mantua.
ONE OF THE GREAT MILITARY ENGINEERS OF THE RENAISSANCE, BARON VON SPRINZENSTEIN (1543-1598) was the author of major technical inventions, mainly in the field of artillery, but also in engineering (fortifications, bridges, etc.). Educated at the court of Archduke Charles, Duke of Styria, he was mainly in the service of the House of Habsburg: he entered the service of Archduchess Joanna of Austria, Grand Duchess of Tuscany through her marriage to François de Medici, as an officer, and in 1578 entered the household of Archduke Ferdinand, Count of Tyrol, where he became State Councillor. In 1584, he divided his service between Ferdinand of Tyrol and William of Bavaria, also conducting missions on behalf of Archduke Maximilian, King of Poland, Duke Charles III of Lorraine and Archduke Mathias. In 1593, he was appointed military advisor to the emperor, i.e. a member of the ministerial council in charge of war administration. In 1595, he became general steward of the Austrian fortresses, and took part in campaigns against the Turks, notably in Hungary, where his explosives enabled the recapture of Raab (Györ).
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures modified on 06/01/2026 at 4:41 PM
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