"KING LOUIS XV AUTOGRAPH ON PATENT FOR SUB-BRIGADIER OF THE MARINE GUARDS SIR DE MONTAULT" 
Countersigned by Etienne-Francois, Duc de Choiseul & Jean Marie de Bourbon Duc de Penthievre on January 15, 1762    
Size: 13.4" x 10" (34 cm x 25.5 cm) 
Étienne-François, Duc de Choiseul (1719-1785), a prominent French statesman who played a significant role in the political landscape of France during the reign of King Louis XV. Choiseul held
several key positions in the French government, including Foreign Minister, Minister of War, and Minister of the Navy, effectively controlling France's foreign policy and military strategy during a critical period of the 18th
century.
Choiseul is best known for his efforts to reform the French military and navy in the aftermath of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), a conflict that ended disastrously for France  
with significant territorial losses. He was instrumental in negotiating the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which concluded the war. Despite these territorial losses,
Choiseul worked to strengthen France's overseas empire by focusing on the expansion in areas not affected by the treaty, like the Pacific and the Caribbean. 
Choiseul was also a patron of the arts and an advocate for the Enlightenment, supporting figures such as Voltaire and Diderot. His tenure as a minister was marked by ambitious
reforms and modernization efforts, although his influence waned towards the end of his career, leading to his exile from court in 1770. Nonetheless, his period
in office significantly impacted France's diplomatic, military, and cultural development during the late 18th century.
Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duc de Penthièvre (1725–1793), one of the wealthiest and most influential noblemen of his time. The Duc de Penthièvre
was a grandson of Louis XIV and the legitimatized son of Louis XIV's son, the Count of Toulouse, who had a distinguished naval career. The Duc de Penthièvre
himself held various titles and positions, including that of Admiral of France, and was known for his philanthropy and relatively modest lifestyle compared to
other members of the royal family. 
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved was a monarch of the House of Bourbon who ruled as King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defined as his 13th birthday) on 15 February 1723, the kingdom was ruled by Philippe II, Duke of Orleans, as Regent of France. Cardinal Fleury was his chief minister from 1726 until the Cardinal's death in 1743, at which time the young king took sole control of the kingdom.
His reign of almost 59 years (from 1715 to 1774) was the second longest in the history of France, exceeded only by his predecessor and great-grandfather, Louis XIV, who had ruled for 72 years (from 1643 to 1715). In 1748, Louis returned the Austrian Netherlands, won at the Battle of Fontenoy of 1745. He ceded New France in North America to Spain and Great Britain at the conclusion of the disastrous Seven Years' War in 1763. He incorporated the territories of the Duchy of Lorraine and the Corsican Republic into the Kingdom of France. He was succeeded in 1774 by his grandson Louis XVI, who was executed by guillotine during the French Revolution. 
Two of his other grandsons, Louis XVIII and Charles X, occupied the throne of France after the fall of Napoleon I.