First editions of all volumes published in this massive project. The Corpo diplomatico deals with the relations between Portugal and the Roman curia, presenting a chronologically arranged sequence of documents of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Portuguese empire was the first global empire in history, and the sources edited and published here - frequently citing the significant Portuguese royal title "King of Portugal and the Algarves, on this side of the sea, and on the other side in Africa, Lord of Guinea and of the naval and commercial conquest of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia and India" - provide substantial information on the principal world issues and conflicts during that vast Empire's first era. Much of the diplomatic correspondence concerns conflicts between the worlds of Christianity and Islam.
Furthermore, there are reports on the Portuguese in Suez, Africa (including Angola, Mozambique, Guiné, Sofala, Morocco, Arguin, Cabo Verde, Congo, São Thomé, Ethiopia), Brazil (Bahia, Maranhão, Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco), the Azores, India (in nearly every volume, including Goa, Cochin, Damão, Malabar), and the Far East (Malacca and the Moluccas, with a few sections on Macau, China, and Japan scattered in vols. X-XIV). The work also provides a wealth of detail about the Inquisition and "Cristãos novos" (both discussed in almost every volume), the Jesuits (vols. V-XV), the Council of Trent (vols. VI-X), Protestant activity (particularly in England), the Restauração, the Dutch in Brazil, the wars with the Turks on land and sea, and the activities of D. Sebastião and St. Charles Borromeu, the Order of Malta, and Cardinal Mazarin. Among the most notable texts are Ambassador Martinho's 1533 letter describing the forces defending Christianity in India and Africa, Bishop Lourenço Pires de Tavora's account of monasteries in India in 1561, and 25 letters written by P. Antonio Vieira from 1671 to 1675 (vol. XIV).
Marginal spotting in vol. XV, part 1; last 5 leaves remargined. Very discreet library markings on rear paste-down of each volume. Overall a very good set. Innocêncio IX, 95; Worldcat 55783574.