In 1450, just fifty years before the discovery of Brazil, an advisor to the King of France receives his pension.

• Handwritten note from Bérard de La Motte to the treasurer of the French cities of Carcasonne et de Béziers.
• One page.
• In French.
• 23 cm x 15 cm.
• France, Roquetaillade Castle, July 31, 1450.
• Excellent condition of conservation.
• Unique piece.

Extract

I acknowledge having received from the treasurer of Carcassonne and Beziers the sum of 500 pounds which he is entitled to take annually for his pension.

Advisor and chamberlain to the King of France Charles VII (1403 - 1461), Bérard de La Motte was one of the Lords of Guyenne, who supported the King of France during his reign (1422 - 1461). He lived at an important time in the history of France, inseparable from Joan of Arc, when France gradually reconquered the territories occupied by the English, the last being Guyenne (the Bordeaux region), mentioned in this letter, in 1453.

This note was written in the castle of Roquetaillade, near Bordeaux, one of the first 1,000 buildings declared historical monuments and protected by France in 1840.

This document is obviously remarkable for the historical period it describes, both for France and for Brazil: we can imagine that only 50 years later, Brazil was discovered by Cabral. In addition to the incredible 15th century handwriting, this document is remarkable for its condition, exceptional for a document that is 568 years old. It belonged to a renowned French collector, Léon Muller, an expert in French history (especially Napoleon).