The following are excerpts from Silvio Guzman’s
dispatches, during the Lenten season, to his King describing his conversations
with Lady Margaret Douglas, regarding negotiations for her son, Henry Stuart, Lord
Darnley, to marry Mary, Queen of Scots, and his other observations. Margaret
was very active in her son’s behalf, speaking at length even with the ambassador
of Spain.
SILVIO GUZMAN, SPANISH AMBASSADOR TO ENGLAND, TO PHILIP,
KING OF SPAIN.
Lady Margaret sends to tell me of the kind treatment her son
has received at the hands of the queen of Scotland and that the French Ambassador
here sent to her in great secrecy to offer and promise all his support for the
marriage of her son and anything he might require. She says she knows the
French way of dealing and thinks this is for the purpose of discovering whether
there is anything afoot, and, perhaps even on the advice of this Queen. She
repeats that she and her children have no other refuge but your Majesty, to
whom she and they will always remain faithful, and begs me address your Majesty
in their favour so that in case the queen of Scotland should choose to
negotiate about her (Margaret’s) son, or in the event of the death of this
Queen, they may look to your Majesty. I sent her as kind an answer as I could,
telling her that I had heard the French were trying to arrange this marriage for
the duke of Orleans and asked her to find out through her friends what this
Queen is negotiating about and advise me of what she hears, and I will do the
same for her as a proof of the great affection your Majesty bears her for many
reasons and especially for her high Christian character.
London, 31 March 1565.
All of the parties realize that thrones are at stake. In
particular, Elizabeth’s.
Lady Margaret sent to tell me of the coming of the Secretary
and that her son was well again, and asked me, if I had an opportunity of
speaking to him on the subject, to tell Lethington that your Majesty desired to
favour her, as she believed it would help considerably in her son's business.
She thinks very possibly he may marry the Queen (of Scotland) who Lady Margaret
assures me rests her claim, to this country more on the support of your Majesty
than on anything else especially as the Queen-Mother of France is very much
against her. I will try to keep this matter in hand showing sympathy, as I have
done, and will take up a suitable position until I receive orders from your
Majesty in case the Archduke's affair should not be persevered in. As I have
said on many occasions, it should be borne in mind that in addition to the
Queen of Scotland's great claims to this kingdom she certainly has here a very
strong party, and it is highly desirable in many respects that she should be
reckoned with in the consideration of affairs here which deeply concern us.
London, 21st April 1565.
Tensions are high. A mistake could lose one’s head.
Lady Margaret sent word to me that she had gone to the
Queen's chamber and that her Majesty refused to speak to her, and afterwards sent
an order that she was not to leave her apartments, giving her to understand
that she was to consider herself a prisoner, as she had received letters from a
foreign Prince without her permission, and without conveying the contents to
her. Lady Margaret answered that it was true she had received a letter from the
queen of Scotland by her Secretary, and had gone to the Queen's chamber for the
purpose of showing it to her Majesty who had refused to speak to her, and
consequently it was not her (Margaret's) fault. An answer came from the Queen
to the effect that although she was detained in her apartments, there was no
intention of preventing her friends from visiting her, as is usually done here
in cases where persons are placed under arrest. Lady Margaret also advised me
that the negotiations for the marriage of her son with the queen of Scotland were
progressing favourably, and asked me in case Lethington said anything about it
to me to assure him that your Majesty was favourable to it as they were, and
always had been so faithful to your Majesty.
London, 26th April 1565.
A last ditch attempt is made to convince Mary to accept
Robert Dudley, Elizabeth’s choice to offer as husband. It is never clear that
either Elizabeth or Dudley would ever do more than use the offer as a political
tool.
I have heard from other persons that this marriage (i.e. of
Mary and Darnley) has actually taken place, and amongst others a man who had
been told by a servant of Lady Margaret that he had been to Scotland to sign a
deed on this subject as witness, but I think that it must only have been what
the Ambassador (Lethington) told me, which agrees with Lady Margaret's advice
to me. If there were any more than that done I do not think he would deny it,
but would be glad your Majesty should know it. As far as I can learn this Queen
is greatly incensed about the affair, as she thinks the queen of Scotland's
party in this country will be strengthened greatly by it, and there is a
suspicion that the match has been arranged with the concurrence of some of the
great people here. I do not know this for a fact but am told so. Altogether the
matter seems an important one, and if this Queen is displeased with it some
movement and dissension may arise. I am advised that this Queen is endeavouring
to get Darnley to return, and has even written to him herself, hinting that she
will marry him if he will come back. I do not think, however that he will loose
his hold as everyone knows, and they above all how easy it is to lie and cheat
in this country. I am told also that Throgmorton is to go to Scotland for the
purpose of trying to stop the marriage which will however somewhat console the
Catholics as they had quite lost hope of his Highness' marriage upon which they
had set their hearts. They thought that would remedy all evils, but as this gentleman
(Darnley) and his parents are held in esteem by them they see in the marriage
some glimmer of hope.
This Queen was again pressing the idea of the marriage of
Lord Robert with the Queen of Scotland, and it is possible that the secret negotiations
with France were that the Queen-Mother and the Guises should help this match
forward. This is the more probable as Throgmorton and this Frenchman (the
Ambassador) have been mixed up in it. I understand that Throgmorton has given
the Frenchman an English horse and a foreign one, as he was seeking them for
the Queen-Mother to present to our Queen and could not get any such as he
wanted. There is no doubt Throgmorton’s voyage to Scotland is also with the
object of forwarding this match as he is a great friend of Robert's, and
whatever may have happened will be brought to light.
London, 26th April 1565.
Source: Calendar of Spanish Letters and State Papers
Relating to English Affairs ..., Volume 1 [1558–1567].
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
No comments:
Post a Comment