Samuel Bangs Printed Broadside Decree by Comandante General Joaquin de Arredondo. ...

Description

Bangs Broadside Reestablishing Spanish Royal Decrees and Regulations in Mexico

Samuel Bangs Printed Broadside Decree by Comandante General Joaquin de Arredondo. One page, 8.25" x 12.25", Monterrey; October 17, 1820.

A royal decree first issued by King Ferdinand VII of Spain on April 15, 1820 and ordered by Arredondo, commanding general for Spanish royalist forces in Mexico, six months later. The decree reestablishes royal law in Mexico amidst the Mexican War of Independence. Translated into English, it reads, in part, "the decrees of the general, special, and regular Cortes [legislative sessions of elected officials, to which representatives from Spain's American territories were only recently invited] directed all Ministries for the good governance and progress of the Overseas Provinces, are fully reestablished so that the region's inhabitants may enjoy the advantages and benefits that have resulted from such regulations; all of which conform to the efficient desires that allow me to establish such measures with the goal of promoting the complete happiness of the region's inhabitants." Arredondo signs with his rubric at the conclusion and it is countersigned by Rafael Gonzáles, future colonial governor of Texas. Housed in a custom brown quarter morocco slipcase to the overall size of 9.25" x 13.5".

This particular decree reflects a critical moment in the Mexican War for Independence. By 1820, revolutionaries had fought royalist forces for over nine years with little success. However, that same year, liberals in Spain revolted against King Ferdinand VII, demanding an end to the monarchy's autocratic rule and the reestablishment of the democratic Constitution of 1812. Though Ferdinand VII quickly regained control, the damage had been done. Conservative elites in Mexico feared that similar movements would soon arrive in Mexico. Rather than lose their affluent positions, these former royalists chose to embrace independence and formed a unified military force. The order issued here reflects one of Ferdinand's many attempts to regain control of the region after quashing the peninsular revolt. Less than a year later, aristocrats installed Agustín de Iturbide as the first (though brief) Mexican Emperor.

Condition: Creased along the center fold. Irregular margins that are toned. Signatures have minor ink blooming.

More Information: Nicknamed the "Butcher of Béxar," Joaquin de Arrendondo served the Spanish Crown in numerous roles throughout Mexico's decade-long fight for independence. After receiving command of an infantry regiment in 1810, Arredondo was instrumental in suppressing Hidalgo's Revolt, widely considered the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence, and received an appointment as commandant of the eastern division of the Provincias Internas, including Texas, in 1813 as a reward for his ruthlessness. From there, Arrendondo continued on to San Antonio where he defeated rebels at the Battle of Medina and ordered "bloody purges of suspected collaborators among the civilian population and the imprisonment and forced labor of hundreds of women" in the city. Following the massacre, Arredondo returned to his command at Monterrey, where he ordered this decree. Only six months later, Arredondo later renounced the Spanish Crown, publicly endorsed Agustín de Iturbide's Plan of Iguala and formally swore his allegiance to the Mexican nation.

Samuel Bangs, the first printer in Texas, originally arrived in the area to participate in the ill-fated Mina expedition to liberate Mexico from Spain in 1817. Arredondo captured the young man and only allowed him to live because of his useful printing skills. After serving three years in a chain gang, Bangs became Arredondo's primary printer despite knowing almost no Spanish. This deficiency led Bangs to create some highly unusual imprints. Bangs did not have a full complement of Roman type and was often forced to substitute some letters with italic type. This mixture of Roman and italic types is one of the distinguishing characteristics of Bangs' early imprints.