Andrew Keith, Lord Dingwall
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Andrew Keith, Lord Dingwall (died 1606) was a Scottish landowner, soldier, and diplomat. Andrew Keith was a grandson of
William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal (died 7 October 1581) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. Family background and career William Keith was the son of Robert Keith, Master of Marischal and Lady Elizabeth Douglas, daughter of John Douglas, 2 ...
, a son of Robert Keith, the second Commendator of Deer. He spent his early career as a soldier in the service of Sweden, as a supporter and later an official of
John III of Sweden John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...
, and had been made Baron Forsholm.


Sweden

In October 1571
Regent Mar John Erskine, 1st Earl of Mar (died 28 October 1572) was a Scottish aristocrat and politician. He was the custodian of the infant James VI of Scotland and Regent of Scotland. Erskine was a son of John Erskine, 5th Lord Erskine and Lady Margar ...
provided Keith with a letter of recommendation to the King of Denmark, Frederick II, as a brave soldier. Andrew Keith married Elisabeth Birgersdotter of Grip, a first cousin once removed of John III, in 1574. She wrote to
George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal (c. 1553–1623) was a Scottish nobleman and Earl Marischal. He succeeded as earl on 7 October 1581, upon the death of his grandfather, William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. Early life George Keith was the s ...
in August 1584 thanking him for the help he had given them. They had a house in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, and ran a network of intelligence agents in Sweden. In 1583 he was sent as Swedish ambassador to
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
to resolve a dispute about relations with
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. In 1584, he was back in Scotland. He was knighted and then created
Lord Dingwall Lord Dingwall is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1584 for Andrew Keith, and in 1609 for Sir Richard Preston, with remainder to his heirs whatsoever. In 1619 he was further honoured when he was made Baron Dunmore and Earl of D ...
by
James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
. He was appointed keeper of the castle of
Dingwall Dingwall (, ) is a town and a royal burgh in the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,491. It was an east-coast harbour that now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north ...
. He enjoyed the confidence of the politically ascendant
James Stewart, Earl of Arran Captain James Stewart, Earl of Arran (died 1595) was created Earl of Arran by the young King James VI, who wrested the title from James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran. He rose to become Lord Chancellor of Scotland and was eventually murdered in 1 ...
, who appreciated his efforts as a diplomat in Sweden and England. Arran arranged his peerage and sent him as ambassador to England in March 1584. The English ambassador in Scotland Robert Bowes understood that Arran and Dingwall had agreed to promote the marriage of James VI to the King of Sweden's daughter. In March 1586 he wrote to James Stewart, Earl of Arran from
Västerås Västerås () is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Mälaren, Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...
, sending his letters with John Anstruther, a brother of the Laird of Anstruther. He discussed their "secret purpose", a plan to marry James VI to a Swedish princess,
Anna Vasa of Sweden Anna Vasa of Sweden (also Anne, ; 17 May 1568 – 26 February 1625) was a Swedish princess heavily involved in the politics of that country and of Poland. She was starosta of Brodnica and Golub. The youngest child of King John III of Sweden ...
, daughter of
John III of Sweden John III (; 20 December 1537 – 17 November 1592) was King of Sweden from 1569 until his death. He attained the Swedish throne after a rebellion against his half-brother Erik XIV. He is mainly remembered for his attempts to close the gap bet ...
and
Catherine Jagiellon Catherine Jagiellon (; , Lithuanian: ''Kotryna Jogailaitė''; 1 November 1526 – 16 September 1583) was a princess of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Queen of Sweden from 1569 as the wife of King John III. Catherine had significan ...
, who had recently converted to
Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
. The plan was likely to fail because of the objections of her mother's sister the Catholic
Anna Jagiellon Anna Jagiellon (, ; 18 October 1523 – 9 September 1596) was King of Poland, Queen of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, Grand Duchess of Lithuania from 1575 to 1587. Daughter of Polish King and Lithuanian Grand Duke Sigismund I the Ol ...
,
Queen of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of Royal elections in Poland, free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electab ...
. Dingwall thought their scheme "should be put in oblivion." Anna Vasa never married and died in 1625.


Anna of Denmark

In June 1589 he went to Denmark with the Earl Marischal to negotiate the king's marriage to
Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
. He was paid £1,666-13s-4d Scots for the expense of fitting up two ships for his voyage. The
Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
, John Maitland of
Thirlestane Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Wat ...
was sceptical about their suitability and combined abilities for this mission, and said, "Marischal and the lord Dingwall ... will not both make a wise man". In July, Dingwall and his fellow ambassadors
George Young George Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Young (filmmaker), Australian stage manager and film director in the silent era * George Young (rock musician) (1946–2017), Australian musician, songwriter, and record producer * G ...
and John Skene returned to Scotland and at Boyne Castle in
Banffshire Banffshire (; ; ) is a historic county in Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. The historic county ceased to be used for local government purposes in 1975. Since 1996 the area has been spli ...
they reported to James VI on the progress of the marriage negotiations. However, in Denmark the presence of Andrew Keith in the embassy, as a man in Swedish service, had caused offence. John Colville, who was at Aberdeen with the royal party, heard that the ambassadors had not seen Anne of Denmark in person. Thomas Fowler, also at Aberdeen, heard a rumour that the embassy had caused some confusion in Denmark, the marriage being considered as settled, and costly preparations in hand, including ships, jewels, clothes, and a silver coach for the bride. Circumstances that, if the marriage plan failed, could bring disgrace to the lady and the Danish council "in most parts of Europe". James VI decided to send Dingwall back to Denmark. He was instructed to accept any Danish offer to complete the marriage. James wrote to the Earl Marischal congratulating him on his progress and asked him help Dingwall buy a jewel to give to Anne of Denmark. James was married on 20 August 1589, the Earl Marischal was his proxy or stand-in at the ceremony in his bride's lodging and bedchamber in the palace of
Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalised as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. It was inscribed ...
. Dingwall returned from Denmark on 12 September 1589 and reported that he had seen Anna of Denmark and her fleet, commanded by the Danish admirals
Peder Munk Peder Munk of Estvadgård (1534–1623), was a Danish navigator, politician, and ambassador, who was in charge of the fleet carrying Anne of Denmark to Scotland. The events of the voyage led to witch trials and executions in Denmark and Scotland ...
and Henrik Gyldenstierne, at the northern tip of Denmark, at
Skagen Skagen () is the northernmost town in Denmark, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in North Denmark Region, Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalbo ...
. The English ambassador William Ashby heard that the queen would arrive in five days in the best of conditions, and the wind was favourable. Some accounts say that Dingwall brought news of the storm. On 10 October
Steen Bille Steen Bille (1565–1629) was a Danish councillor and diplomat. He was the son of Jens Bille and Karen Rønnow, and is sometimes called "Steen Jensen Bille". His father compiled a manuscript of ballads, Jens Billes visebog. As a young man Bille ...
and
Andrew Sinclair Andrew Annandale Sinclair FRSL FRSA (21 January 1935 – 30 May 2019) was a British novelist, historian, biographer, critic, filmmaker, and a publisher of classic and modern film scripts. He has been described as a "writer of extraordinary flu ...
brought Anne of Denmark's letters of 3 October to Leith. She had decided to stay over-winter in Norway. Dingwall was picked to travel to Norway to fetch the queen, and then was included in the king's party in Norway and Denmark. In January they travelled overland through a part of Sweden, Anne of Denmark and James VI in sledges sent by her mother
Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (''Sophia''; 4 September 1557 – 4 October 1631) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark and List of Norwegian royal consorts, Norway by marriage to Frederick II of Denmark. She was the mother of King ...
. John III king of Sweden had sent special instructions that Andrew Keith and
Axel Gyldenstierne Axel Gyldenstierne (born c. 1542, died 13 July 1603 at Sandviken, Gotland) was a Danish-Norwegian official and Governor-general of Norway from 1588 until 1601. Northern Seven Years' War He is first mentioned in the records during the Northern S ...
should on no account be allowed in the fortress of Älvsborg at the mouth of the river
Göta Göta is a Sweden, Swedish given name, which is the female equivalent of Gote (disambiguation), Göte. It may refer to: *Göta Ljungberg (1893–1955), Swedish singer *Göta Pettersson (1926–1993), Swedish gymnast Other uses

*Göta, Sweden ...
. There was a controversy whether the queen's dowry money should be brought home untouched to Scotland, or whether the
Earl Marischal The title of Earl Marischal was created in the Peerage of Scotland for William Keith, the Great Marischal of Scotland. History The office of Marischal of Scotland (or ''Marascallus Scotie'' or ''Marscallus Scotiae'') had been hereditary, held ...
, Dingwall and
William Keith of Delny Sir William Keith of Delny (died 1599) was a Scottish courtier and Master of the Royal Wardrobe. He also served as ambassador for James VI to various countries. He was an important intermediary between George Keith, 5th Earl Marischal and the king ...
should be recompensed there and then. Delny, who was criticised for his ostentatious dress, was sacked from the post of Master of Wardrobe, and replaced by the rising favourite Sir George Home. Some of the Earl Marischal's expenses and Delny's outlay on the king's clothes were reimbursed from the dowry.


Sweden again

Keith returned to Sweden in 1592. He resigned his lands in Scotland to William Keith of Delny. He came to Scotland in January 1598 on a diplomatic mission from the king of Poland, and James VI gave him a gold chain worth 300 crowns. He intended to enlist men for service in Sweden but according to the English courtier
Roger Aston Sir Roger Aston (died 23 May 1612) of Cranford, Middlesex, was an English courtier and favourite of James VI of Scotland. Biography Aston was the illegitimate son of Thomas Aston (died 1553), Thomas Aston (died 1553). Scottish sources spell his n ...
he had no money to enlist them, and people were discouraged because earlier recruits had been "cruelly slain." Keith accompanied
Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...
into exile after the coup in 1598 and died in Paris in 1606.David Stevenson, ''Scotland's Last Royal Wedding'' (John Donald: Edinburgh, 1997), pp. 17-18: Miles Kerr-Peterson, ''A Protestant Lord in James VI's Scotland'' (Boydell, 2019), p. 209.


References


External links


'KEITH, ANDREW (SSNE 1534)', University of St Andrews, Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern European Biographical Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keith, Andrew 1606 deaths Scottish diplomats Court of James VI and I 16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish people Ambassadors of Scotland to Denmark Peers of Scotland created by James VI