[PORTINARI, Pier Francesco]. A collection of 109 letters and documents addressed to Portinari as Florentine ambassador in England 25 October 1527 - 14 September 1528, including 56 from the Dieci di Balìa of Florence, 7 from Niccolò Capponi, Gonfalonier of Florence, 15 from Giuliano Soderini, Bishop of Saintes, and 13 from Bartolomeo Gualterotti in Venice; bound together with 45 copies of diplomatic reports, letters or treaties sent to Portinari while he was in England, including one of a letter from Cardinal Wolsey to Portinari; 4 letters to Portinari as Florentine envoy to Pope Clement VII at Bologna October and November 1529 comprising 3 from the Consoli di Lana of the Republic of Florence and one from Marietta his wife; together with 2 later documents, including a notarial petition (17 October 1617) on behalf of Odoardo and Dionigi Portinari as descendants of the founder of the Hospital of Santa Maria Nuovo in Florence, and with 16 earlier letters and accounts of the Portinari family, especially from their time in London (ca. 1482-1502); altogether 176 letters and documents (174 in Italian and 2 in Latin), approximately 320 leaves including integral blanks, mostly between 290 x 215mm - 350 x 235mm, the largest leaves folded, approximately 367 written pages, many of the letters partly in cipher, most with contemporary interlinear deciphering, several with papered seals, most with contemporary endorsements (occasional slight wear and rodent damage, mostly in blank outer margins, documents numbered 116-118 disbound, no. 167 torn through). Old half-vellum. Phillipps MS 26276. The bulk of the letters and documents that comprise this volume were generated by Pier Francesco Portinari's embassy to the court of Henry VIII on behalf of the last Florentine Republic. From the election of Giulio de' Medici as Clement VII (1523) up until the Sack of Rome in 1527, Florence's funds financed the Pope's policies and her diplomacy was controlled in Rome and directed towards papal interests. The Sack of Rome and Clement's imprisonment paved the way for the people of Florence to expel the Medici and on 17 May 1527 a republic was declared under the Gonfalonier Niccolò Capponi (letters 3, 8, 47, 50, 51, 56 and 66). As part of its effort to maintain an independent existence, to expel the imperial forces from Italy and to avoid the domination of the Florentine state by the Medici, the Republic attempted to win the support -- and a donation of 60,000 ducats -- from the English king. Pier Francesco Portinari, a merchant and diplomat from one of Florence's leading families, was part of the Florentine community in France and he was chosen by the Florentine ambassador Giuliano Soderini, bishop of Saintes, (letters 13, 32, 36, 37, 41, 48, 62, 70, 72, 75, 85, 91, 101 and 106) to go from there directly to the English court. The earliest text (ff.2-5v) is the Instructione sent to Pier Francesco from the Dieci di Libertà et Pace of 25 October 1527. In it they express themselves desirous of the liberty not only of 'patria nostra', but also of the militant roman church and the whole of Italy - 'tanto celebre et d'ogni specie di gloria ornata' - they therefore turn to those 'protectori et defensori', the King of France and the King of England, Portinari having travelled from one to the other. He is given precise instructions on how to conduct himself - not to say much at the first audience, to use Latin or French rather than Italian - and provided with a full account of individual alliances throughout Italy. The republic's general intention to take part in war against the imperial forces; Portinari was to elicit support and funds. Without sufficient support the Dieci foresaw that the Florentine Republic 'resterebbe come pecora tra lupi' - would remain like a sheep among wolves. The instructions conclude by pointing out that 'sappiendo noi non mancha a quel principe danari et spenderebbe ordinamente senza sperenza di recuperarli' and Henry is to be asked for 60,000 ducats. Pier Francesco is advised to proceed in private meetings, not all at once but providing information a piece at a time - 'offerendo et raccomdando la Citta, aprendo ben li casi di Italia: la oportunita del vincere: el dubio della fidelita delli Accordi: et el modo del conservare la victoria havendo il numero delle genti imperiali di Roma et di Milano: el numero delle genti della lega; come vivino li imperiali et con quale arte; come stia la Italia di carestia: come stia di peste'. The document ends with a statement of faith in Pier Francesco's abilities to fulfill his task, and the Republic's thanks. The subsequent letters, several of them duplicated or even triplicated, keep Portinari informed of the changing circumstances in Florence and in Italy. On occasion they include responses to information that he has provided -- including Henry's moves towards divorcing Catherine of Aragon and securing a male heir -- and continue to press for funds from the English King. The most sensitive matters are dealt with in cipher. Copies of contemporary diplomatic reports, treaties, accounts of the progress of the French army before Naples etc provided Portinari with further background (documents 111-155). The embassy was unsucessful and the final letter from Florence accedes to Portinari's request to leave London. Document 133 is a copy of a letter of farewell from Cardianl Wolsey. In 1529 Clement VII changed his strategy for securing the position of both the papacy and the Medici family; he now accepted the necessity of alliance with Charles V and the terms of the Peace of Barcelona signed on 29 June 1529 included a clause committing the Emperor to the restoration of the Medici to their previous position in Florence. By September with the imperial forces inside Florentine territory the Republic accepted, finally, that only direct negotiations with the Pope could avert the siege of the city: Pier Francesco Portinari was the first of the emissaries to be despatched to Bologna to protest the city's loyalty to the Holy See and to excuse its conduct. He was not, however, authorised to make any concession and Clement remained implacable in his demands. On 12 October the siege of Florence began; letters 156, 157 and 159 were sent by the Consoli di Lana of the Republic to their envoys in Bologna during the early months of the siege. Letter 158 is a letter to Pier Francesco from his wife. When Florence surrendered in August of the following year; Pier Francesco was one of the 'orators' sent to the imperial camp to treat for peace. Alessandro de Medici, Clement's nephew, entered the city in 1531 already confirmed as head of state by the Emperor. In April 1532 the parliament of the Republic met, for the last time, and enacted a new constitution recognising Alessandro as hereditary Duke. Bound in with the Pier Francesco Portinari papers are various earlier, mostly late 15th-century, letters and documents written by or to members of the family.