Rare second Dutch edition of the first biography of the Emperor Charles V (1500-1558), originally published in Italian in Venice, 1560. The first Dutch edition was published at Antwerp in 1570. The present second Dutch edition of 1610 appeared in three issues: the present Amsterdam issue, another in Delft and a third in Dordrecht (this last by the printer Canin, supposedly differing slightly). Besides being an authoritative biography of an immensely important figure in European history that was first published shortly after his death, this publication includes a focus on the colonial endeavours in his time. Especially the Spanish conquests in South America are discussed in length, including Mexico and Peru. Alfonso de Ulloa (1529-1570) was a prolific translator of Spanish works into Italian who worked in Venice. His biography of Emperor Charles V can be placed in the context of Spanish Catholic propaganda against the rising Protestant and Muslim influences, which explains the extraordinary attention to the glorious Spanish exploration and colonial conquests.The plates were first used in this second Dutch edition and include portraits of: Philip I of Castile, King Ferdinand V of Castile and León, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, Turkish Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent and many more. The plates were used again for a later publication by Nicolaes de Clerck: Tooneel der keyseren, Delft 1615.
In very good condition. STCN (4 copies); Cat. NHSM I, p.565; Sabin 97678; for the author: Bellomi, Paola, "Alfonso de Ulloa", in: David Thomas, ed., Christian-Muslim relations 1500 - 1900.