Francisco de Busso (died 1576) was an Italian courtier in the service of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

. Busso was a Master of Household, in charge of

provisions Provision(s) may refer to: * Provision (accounting), a term for liability in accounting * Provision (contracting), a term for a procurement condition * ''Provision'' (album), an album by Scritti Politti * A term for the distribution, storing and/ ...

and household servants.

Career

Busso had been a servant and Master of Household to

Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...

(died 1560). He was a Knight of the Order of St James of the Sword. In 1552, Mary of Guise sent him as an envoy or diplomat to

Mary of Hungary Mary, also known as Maria of Anjou (, , ; 137117 May 1395), queen regnant, reigned as Queen of Hungary and List of dukes and kings of Croatia, Croatia between 1382 and 1385, and from 1386 until her death. She was the daughter of Louis I of Hun ...

, Governor of the Netherlands, when she wanted her to return some letters of

Henri Cleutin Henri Cleutin, seigneur d'Oisel et de Villeparisis (1515 – 20 June 1566), was the representative of France in Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland from 1546 to 1560, a Gentleman of the Chamber of the King of France, and a diplomat in Rome 1564–1566 d ...

which had chanced into her possession. Mary, Queen of Scots, made him superintendent and overseer of her palaces and building works in September 1563. He was the Keeper of

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...

. His name appears in financial records of the court as "Senyeour Frances" or "Francisco". His first name is recorded as "John" in some official documents. He worked with

William MacDowall William MacDowall or McDougall (died 1580) was a Scottish priest and Master of Works to Mary, Queen of Scots, her mother Mary of Guise, and James VI of Scotland. The title 'sir' was used in Scotland by a priest without a master's degree. The nam ...

to improve the gardens at Holyrood. A French diplomat, Paul de Foix, noted he was close to Mary. In July 1565, Mary gave him a damask silk mantle from her mother's clothing and gave the rest of the outfit to the wife of the wardrobe servant

Servais de Condé Servais de Condé or Condez (employed 1561–1574) was a French servant at the court of Mary Queen of Scots, in charge of her wardrobe and the costume for masques performed at the Scottish royal court. Varlet of the Wardrobe He was usually ref ...

. Busso had a prominent role at the Baptism of Prince James at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

in December 1566. There was a procession bringing the food into the Great Hall, which Busso joined as a Master of Household walking with

Gilbert Balfour Gilbert Balfour (died 1576) was a 16th-century Scottish courtier and mercenary captain. He probably played a leading role in the murder of Lord Darnley, consort of Mary, Queen of Scots. Family background, marriage, and Orkney lands He was the se ...

and the Laird of Findlater. Mary's secretary

Claude Nau Claude Nau or Claude Nau de la Boisseliere (d. 1605) was a confidential secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, in England from 1575 to 1586. He was involved in coding Mary's letters with cipher keys. Career Nau was a successful lawyer practicing in Par ...

later wrote that when Mary was sent a prisoner to

Lochleven Castle Lochleven Castle is a ruined castle on an island in Loch Leven, in the Perth and Kinross local authority area of Scotland. Possibly built around 1300, the castle was the site of military action during the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296–1 ...

, Busso gave her wardrobe to her enemies. Soon after, when

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotl ...

returned from France, he set a tailor who worked for his wife Annas or Agnes Keith, Countess of Moray to make Mary a new violet gown (''une robbe de drap violet''), and he let Mary have some of her older worthless clothes.

Suspicion of foreign courtiers

John Knox wrote of the disapproval of Scottish courtiers at the influence of Busso and other foreigners preferred by Mary. In September 1565 the English diplomat Thomas Randolph listed him with David Riccio, and the Englishman Thomas Fowler, as "unworthy persons" and foreigners who were exciting suspicion for their influence at court. In 1565 the leaders of the

Chaseabout Raid The Chaseabout Raid was a rebellion by James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, against his half sister, Mary, Queen of Scots, on 26 August 1565, over her marriage to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley. The rebels also claimed to be acting over other causes i ...

, a rebellion against Mary, included his presence in their list of grievances. Knox also wrote that Busso, and three other men of the "queen's domestics and strangers", were involved by the

Earl of Bothwell Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was recreated for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...

in the

murder of Lord Darnley The murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, took place on 10 February 1567 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Darnley's lodgings were destroyed by gunpowder; his body and that of his servant were found nearby, appar ...

Death

He died at Dunkeld in April 1576.David Laing, ''Works of John Knox'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1848), p. 507:

National Records of Scotland National Records of Scotland () is a non-ministerial department of the Scottish Government. It is responsible for civil registration, the census in Scotland, demography and statistics, family history, as well as the national archives and hist ...

CC8/8/4 pp. 284-5

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busso, Francisco 1576 deaths Court of Mary, Queen of Scots Masters of the Scottish royal household Expatriates in the Kingdom of Scotland