Oath of Loyalty Sworn to Pope Paul IV by Philip II on his Investiture as King of Sicily

Oath of Loyalty Sworn to Pope Paul IV by Philip II on his Investiture as King of Sicily

An important royal document, furnished with a precious golden seal: the official document, in which the Spanish King Philip II undersigned the oath of loyalty that he swore to the Pope in 1556. This was a common practice for the investiture of a new king of Sicily, which Philip inherited from his father, the Emperor Charles V. Pope Paul IV was the recipient of this document complete with the seal as a splendid gift. This outstanding historical document is stored today in the Vatican Secret Archives.

The New King of Sicily

Philip II (1527–1598) was the King of Spain from 1556 until his death. As the son of Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal he inherited the American colonies, the Netherlands, Burgundy, Sicily, Naples, Sardinia, and the Duchy of Milan in addition to the Kingdom of Spain. Sicily came to Charles V in the year 1516, through the connection of the houses of Hapsburg and Aragon. Emperor Charles V abdicated in 1556 and transferred the imperial dignity to his brother Ferdinand I. He had already transferred the Netherlands to his son Philip in the year before, 1555. Sicily, which the Spanish king co-governed, finally followed on January 16th of the following year.

The Spanish King v. the Pope

The Oath of Loyalty to Pope Paul IV (1555–1559) was a traditional formality. Each new king of Sicily had to render an oath of loyalty unto the Pope at their investiture. They recognized thereby that this sovereignty over Sicily was only afforded by the grace and largess of the Holy See. Philip’s investiture as King of Sicily in the year 1556 occurred at a time of strained relations between the Vatican and the Spanish Kingdom. The presentation of the document with the golden seal can therefore be also seen as a precious gift, as a veiled hint, or even as a threat. At that time, Spain was the most powerful monarchy in Europe.

The Valuable Seal

The 70 x 48 cm historic document of Philip II’s loyalty oath to the Pope is sealed with a golden medallion as a signet. It shows King Philip II on the front side, sitting on a magnificent throne, his left hand resting on the armrest, the sword in his right as a symbol of his rule. The background resembles a marvelous, nearly illusionistic backdrop of Renaissance architecture. This treasure of 800 grams of gold is considered to be the most beautiful seal in the Vatican Secret Archives. The historically significant document of Spanish history is stored to this day in the Archivum Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum, the Vatican Secret Archives. The diplomatic correspondence of the Vatican, including the Popes’, is guarded there. The Vatican Secret Archives possesses a total of 81 specimens spanning the 12th to the 19th centuries as well as the most valuable and important collection of golden seals.