Antonio Perez, former private secretary to Philip II, defects to France. He had escaped two years earlier from five years of imprisonment, accused of the murder of Juan de Escobedo, secretary to Philip's ambitious half-brother Don John of Austria. Perez had indeed arranged this assassination (in March 1578), but on the orders of Philip himself, so by imprisoning Perez, Philip was merely making him a scapegoat for the act.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Antonio Perez, former private secretary to Philip II, defects to France". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 February 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=15426, accessed 26 April 2024.]