A rare sermon honouring Theodosius II, duke of Braganza (1568-1630), two years after his passing. Theodosius II, the father of King João IV, is mostly known for his courage. In 1578, when he was just 10 years old, King Sebastião (1554-1578) asked him to accompany him to Morocco for a campaign to reconquer lost territory and help former Sultan Abu Abdallah Mohammed II (?-1578) regain the throne. The battle, known as the battle of Alcacér Quibir, took place in northern Morocco. Theodosius stayed at the side of the king until it became too dangerous and he was sent away. However, he took a horse and went back to the front line as soon as he could. The Portuguese spectacularly lost in one of their greatest military disasters overseas, leaving the country nearly bankrupt and without a king. Theodosius himself was wounded and captured, but the new sultan, Ahmad al-Mansur (1549-1603), was impressed by his courage and let him go without ransom. This event, and others from the duke's life, are recounted in this sermon.
Bartolomeo Guerreiro (1560-1642) was a Jesuit from Lisbon and the author of Jornada dos vassalos da coroa de Portugal (1625), a work about the Dutch-Portuguese wars in Brazil and the recapture of Bahia by the Portuguese. He has also written two semons, which, according to Innocencio, are both well-written, but very rare.
With a label on the front wrapper ("823") and a manuscript annotation in the bottom outer corner of the title-page ("p120"). Front wrapper creased, a few worm holes to the spine and gutter of the front wrapper. With small marginal defects, a stain on the first 3 leaves, a waterstain on the top of the leaves in the second half of the work and a larger waterstain on leaf 26, all without affecting the text. Overall in good condition. Iberian books B70709/44865; Innocencio 1, 332; PorBase 1577538 (12 copies BnP); Sommervogel 3, 1912; WorldCat
80995846, 905219550; 1002783743, 15930086 (6 copies); Cunha, Mafalda Soares de, Estratégias de distinção e poder social: A casa de Bragança (1496-1640). In: Revista de história das ideas, vol. 19, 1998, pp. 309-337.