Title: Letter of Veterancy by Louis XV in favor of Jacques Le Noir, assistant for the office of the fourrière within the Bouche du roi. Manuscript on Parchment, with secretarial signature of Louis XV and signature of Secretary of State, December 28 1718
Condition: Good
An early 18th century letter of veterancy written by King Louis XV in favor of one Jacques Le Noir, one of the assistants for the office of the fourrière within the Bouche du roi, which oversaw the meals of the king. The letter attests to the good services of Le Noir, who, since 1693 and until the written date, has served with zeal, being granted to keep the enjoyment of all the privileges due for this office.
This letter bears the secretarial signature of Louis XV and is countersigned by the Secretary of State of the Maison du Roi, Jean-Frédéric Phélypeaux, Count of Maurepas who was only appointed to the position earlier in March of that same year.
Also known as “the Beloved”, Louis XV was king of France and Navarre, and reigned over the kingdom from 1715 until his death in 1774, being the second longest in France’s history, only to be exceeded by his father Louis XIV. He was the only king of France to have been born and died within the Palace of Versailles. Although he was nicknamed “Beloved” early into his reign, the public opinion soured over the years of corruption reports, and ill-fated wars, all of which cumulated towards a weakened France and Louis XVI inheriting a kingdom that desperately needed reform, all of which ended with the French Revolution.
One manuscript on parchment, 48.5 x 29 cm
This manuscript is in good shape, with some rubbing and wear to the parchment, with a portion of parchment lacking at the bottom right, not affecting text. There is some staining to the parchment.