CLEMENT VII, born Giulio de Medici (1478-1534). Pope 1523...

      Brief in his name, addressed to Count Guido Rangoni, saying he is sending "our dear son Francisco de Medici, chamberlain and member of our household . . . to refer several things to you in our name" and asking him to "have unhesitating faith in the said Francisco."1 long oblong page in Latin on vellum with address on the verso, c. 4 1/2 x 17 1/2 ins, the text in an accomplished italic hand, signed at the foot by the poet Blosius Palladius, Clement VII's secretary. St. Peter's. Rome, 11 June 1529.Francisco de Medici, an official in the Papal household, was evidently a member of the Medici family but not apparently a historically well-known figure. Guido Rangoni on the other hand was a celebrated commander of papal troops and in 1527 had attempted to rescue Clement VII when he was held by the Imperial forces after the sack of Rome.Clement, the nephew of Lorenzo de Medici, was a vacillating figure in the struggle for the domination of Europe between Francois I of France and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Not daring to offend Charles, who was the nephew of Catherine of Aragon, Clement refused to grant Henry VIII an annulment of his marriage to Catherine, thus precipitating Henry's break with Rome.Slightly defective at the top left corner, and with two small old stains not affecting text.