GRAZIANI (Antonio Maria). - Lot 50

GRAZIANI (Antonio Maria). Histoire de la guerre de Chypre. Paris: André Pralard, 1685. - In-4, 249x173: frontispiece, (6 ff.), 414 pp., (1 f.). Brown calf, spine ribbed and decorated, speckled edges (period binding). First French edition of one of the best accounts of the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, by the historian and bishop of Amelia Antonio Maria Graziani (1537-1611), translated from Latin by Louis Le Peletier (1663-1733). The book traces an apparently local conflict - the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus (1570-1571) - but one that became a geopolitical and religious turning point for 16th-century Europe. He first describes the devastating Ottoman victories (capture of Nicosia, heroic siege of Famagusta) and the Christian response, culminating in the naval victory of Lepanto (1571), the first major setback for the Turkish fleet. But beyond the battles, the author reveals the alliances and betrayals that undermined the Christian coalition: cornered Venice was "saved" by a fragile league, where Philip II of Spain, under the guise of piety, maneuvered to weaken the Serenissima and dominate Italy, while Pope Pius V tried desperately to unite a divided Europe. The story unravels the intrigues of the European courts, exposing how internal Christian rivalries played into the hands of the Ottomans. The edition is illustrated with a frontispiece engraved by Simonneau, a title vignette, 4 fine bands and four initials. Copy in contemporary binding, with a few old handwritten corrections. Headbands worn, spine golds tarnished, some wear rubbing, corners dulled. Minor foxing. Provenance: Abbé de la Chambre, with signature crossed out on the title. - L. de Fréneville (?), with signature on title.