Military Appointment of Marcello Pucci written by Mario Chigi, the General of the Church, brother to Pope Alexander VII by Chigi, Mario - 1663

Rome, Italy, 1663. Very Good. Military Appointment of Marcello Pucci written by Mario Chigi, the General of the Church, brother to Pope Alexander VII; Mario Chigi, Rome, Italy, January 27, 1663, 12.25 x 8.75 inches, 1 pp.

Vatican military appointment handwritten and signed by Mario Chigi, the General of the Church under his brother Pope Alexander VII; as General, Chigi was the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Papal States. Single sheet of white paper, folded in half; the two halves are stuck together by a piece of orange adhesive paper stuck between them; directly over this adhesive paper, on the side of the sheet with writing on it, is stamped the original paper seal of Mario Chigi, the family crest of his brother Pope Alexander VII. The text of the letter is in Italian, written in an elegant, steady hand in dark brown ink. All edges lightly worn with some small chips; paper was previously folded into thirds both vertically and horizontally, and has separated at the creases near the edges; ¼" hole near bottom right corner along crease; document as a whole is moderately foxed and toned, but easily legible, and remarkably intact for its age; very good condition.

The document regards the official appointment of Marcello Pucci as the military's Alfiere (standard-bearer); it says, in part, "...we elect, constitute and appoint him as Standard Bearer" and commands everyone to respect Pucci as Alfiere. It is signed, "faithfully Mario Chigi" and is dated 27 January 1663. Mario Chigi was the brother of Pope Alexander VII, who held the papacy from 1655 until his death in 1667. Pope Alexander VII (1599-1667), born Fabio Chigi, held various positions in the Holy See, successively appointed priest, bishop, secretary of state, and cardinal before being elected as pope. Early in his papacy he was believed to be strongly opposed to the nepotism favored by previous popes; however, in 1656 he appointed several of his relatives to positions within the administration, including Mario Chigi, essentially turning over control of the Holy See to the Chigi family. This manuscript was one of the last official appointments in 1663 before the extradition of Mario Chigi, ordered by King Louis XIV.