Newberry Library - Petition for nobility status initiated by Miguel de Morales and Andrés de Morales of Mexico City

Description In a 17th-century secretarial hand in brown ink; testimony of witnesses and other section headings within red painted borders; large capitals in orange, blue, ocher, purple, rose, and gilt on contrasting square panels of gray, buff, ocher, red, blue, pink, and lavender, and entwined with ornamental knots in different colors; on stamped paper for 1683-1684.
Contains a full-page illuminated portrait of Fernando III, El Santo, King of Castile and León (1199?-1252) holding an orb and sword; principally in orange, red, and purple, with touches of gray, blue, green and gilt; signature of artist below caption: "Thoma à Deo & Miranda fecit. Hispali [Seville, Spain], 1671"; green silk guard leaf.
Full-page colored painting of the coat of arms of the Morales de Maldonado family on vellum leaf.
Verso of last leaf contains paper and wax seal of the city council of Mexico City dated Dec. 14, 1685.
Contemporary sprinkled tan leather over boards, bound with leather thongs and stiff cords; remnants of two pair of leather ties on fore-edges of boards; front and back pastedowns each consist of two hand-colored printed woodcut illustrations of medieval castle and town landscapes, containing coats of arms and mottoes of the families of Morales, Maldonado, Guzmán, and Niño. Woodcuts have been removed from another text, and affixed to inside upper and lower boards with strips of paper.
Acquired from Edward E. Ayer by special arrangement with the Newberry Library Board of Trustees, December 1920.

Summary Petition for nobility status filed by brothers Miguel and Andrés de Morales on their own behalf, and that of their siblings: Josepha de San Miguel, and Nicolás, y Francisco de Morales, all residents of Mexico City. Includes certification of the marriage in 1675 of Miguel de Morales Maldonado (currently alcalde mayor of Tlazasalca), and Josefa de Tovar y Vargas; certified baptismal records of their three children: María Teresa (b. ca. 1677); Juan Antonio (b. 1679), and Francisco (b. 1681); and testimony of six witnesses presented Aug. 21-23, 1685. Description of the Morales lineage reveals that Miguel's father, Nicolás, was the son of one of the early conquistadores, Luis de Morales, who settled in Mexico in 1566 with his wife, Juana de Avila Niño de Guzmán Nine questions to be put to the witnesses are laid out, and testimonies begin Oct. 1685 in Mexico City. Copies of documents granted earlier are transcribed--some from 1538, 1566, 1613, some issued in Spain--as is a history of the exploits of important members of the Morales family, originally from Soria, Spain. There are also testimonies to the services rendered to the king by Miguel de Morales. Final documents dated Dec. 13-14, 1685 in Mexico City.

Extent [5], 8, [1], 68 leaves, bound : col. coat of arms, port. ; 31 cm (fol.)

Format Illuminated manuscripts, Seals, Woodcuts

Link to Catalog View record

Call Number Case MS 5267

BibID 180165

Projects Tag Spanish Nobility Patents

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

Size 5256px × 7485px 112.58 MB

File Created 02/09/2023

Filename 991801658805867_ord_case_ms_5267_inside_bc.tif

Unique Identifier NL11HGN3