James Spens (diplomat)
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Sir James Spens (died 1632) was a
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
r,
soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...
and
diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...
, much concerned with
Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
n and
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affairs, and an important figure in recruiting Scottish and English soldiers for the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. Raised to Swedish peerage as
friherre (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in i ...
Jacob Spens.


Early life

He was the son of David Spens of Wormiston (alternatively spelled ''Wormieston'' and ''Wormeston''), by his wife Margaret Learmonth, daughter of Sir Patrik Learmonth of Dairsie. His father formed one of the party which captured the regent
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, England. Origin ...
at
Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
in 1571, and was shot while trying to guard him from injury. Because of his treason, his estates were forfeited. In 1594 the son James was provost of
Crail Crail (; ) is a former royal burgh, parish and Community council#Scotland, community council area (Royal Burgh of Crail and District) in the East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The locality has an estimated population of 1,630 (2018). Etymology The ...
in
Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...
, and during the rising of
Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell (c. December 1562 – November 1612), was Commendator of Kelso Abbey and Coldingham Priory, a Privy Counsellor and Lord High Admiral of Scotland. He was a notorious conspirator who led several uprisings aga ...
he was called on to find security for the borough.


The Lewis expedition

In 1598 Spens and other Scottish gentlemen, including his stepfather, Sir James Anstruther of that ilk, entered into a project for a plantation on the
Isle of Lewis The Isle of Lewis () or simply Lewis () is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. The two parts are frequently referred to as if they were separate islands. The t ...
. With a grant from
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 ...
, they landed at
Stornoway Stornoway (; ) is the main town, and by far the largest, of the Outer Hebrides (or Western Isles), and the capital of Lewis and Harris in Scotland. The town's population is around 6,953, making it the third-largest island town in Scotlan ...
harbour in October 1599. At first all went well. They took peaceful possession of the country, and the inhabitants, mostly of
Clan MacLeod Clan MacLeod ( ; ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan associated with the Isle of Skye. There are two main branches of the clan: the MacLeods of Harris, Outer Hebrides, Harris and Dunvegan, known in Gaelic as ' ("seed of Tormod") an ...
, submitted to them. But they were resisted in the longer term by Neil MacLeod, and Spens was taken hostage by him. The attack on Lewis was renewed by others in 1605, but the undertaking again proved too much for private adventurers.


Ambassador, Spy-master and Soldier

On being released by MacLeod, Spens entered the service of
Charles IX of Sweden Charles IX, also Carl (; 4 October 1550 – 30 October 1611), reigned as King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. He was the youngest son of King Gustav I () and of his second wife, Margaret Leijonhufvud, the brother of King Eric XIV and of ...
, and raised several thousand foot and horse for Sweden, thereby earning the rank of colonel, though he never joined his troops in the field. In July 1609 the Earl of Worcester heard that King James preferred to employ Spens rather than his step-brother, Robert Anstruther, to convey troops from Ireland to service in Sweden. When tension erupted with Denmark in 1611, Spens was recalled by James VI & I, who wished to promote peace between Sweden and Denmark, and was unwilling to allow troops for the Swedish service to be recruited from Scotland – at least officially. In the beginning of 1612 James sent Sir James, now a knight, to Sweden, as ambassador on the accession of
Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...
, to urge on him the expediency of peace with Denmark. The
Treaty of Knäred The Treaty of Knäred (, ) was signed on 21 January 1613 and ended the Kalmar War (1611–1613) between Denmark-Norway and Sweden. The peace negotiations came about under an English initiative. The peace was guaranteed by King James I of Engla ...
ended the
Kalmar War The Kalmar War (1611–1613) was fought between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark-Norway soon gained the upper hand, it was unable to defeat Sweden entirely. The Kalmar War was the last time Denmark-Norway successfully defended its '' ...
, and, with his step brother Robert Anstruther, Spens contributed to its negotiation. In 1614, and often subsequently, Spens conveyed a request to the London court on behalf of Gustavus Adolphus, in whose interests he worked consistently. On this occasion it concerned Samuel Cockburn and the Swedish wish to have him recruit Scottish troops. In 1615 Spens gained a pension in Scotland (surrendered in 1619), but continued in his duties as dual-ambassador, visiting London and Stockholm several times. He also used his time establishing an effective spy network for the Swedish Chancellor,
Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (; 1583–1654) was a Swedish statesman and Count of Södermöre. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of ...
. This he deployed mainly against Poland, and particularly against Scots working in the interest of the deposed Swedish king, Sigismund III Vasa. In 1623 Spens was again in Sweden, and was sent by Gustavus to the Scottish privy council to request permission to levy troops in Scotland to repel a threatened Polish invasion. On 24 March 1624 the council authorised his son, James Spens, to levy a body of twelve hundred men to aid the king of Sweden. In the same year Spens was commissioned to return to Sweden and to bring Gustavus into the alliance against
Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, King of Hungary, Hungary, and List of Croatian monarchs, Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II, Archduke of Austr ...
which was projected by Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and France. He reached
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 ...
in August and returned in January 1625 accompanied by Christian von Bellin, bearing Gustavus's demands. These were thought extravagant, and the more moderate proposals of
Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...
having been accepted, Spens was despatched in March to persuade Gustavus to enter the confederacy as the ally of Denmark. Unsuccessful he returned to his role as military commander and embedded diplomat. His main regiment of Scots was based in Riga in Livonia from late 1624 onwards, while Spens continued with his shuttle diplomacy when required. In 1627 Spens was dispatched to invest Gustavus, then occupied in the
Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629) The Polish–Swedish War of 1626–1629 was the fourth stage (after Polish–Swedish War (1600–1611), 1600–1611, Polish–Swedish War (1617–1618), 1617–1618, and Polish–Swedish War (1621–1625), 1620–1625) in a series of conflict ...
, with the
Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...
. That he did in
Dirschau Tczew (, formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). It is the capital of Tczew County and the largest city of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie within th ...
; and moved on to Elbing, where he recruited
John Durie John Durie (1537–1600) was one of the first Presbyterianism, Presbyterian ministers in Edinburgh after the Reformation in Scotland. He was born at Mauchline in Ayrshire in 1537, and educated at Ayr. He became one of the Benedictines, Benedic ...
as his secretary. On 28 April 1628 Gustavus made him
friherre (; male, abbreviated as ), (; his wife, abbreviated as , ) and (, his unmarried daughters and maiden aunts) are designations used as titles of nobility in the German-speaking areas of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in i ...
Spens awarding him the
barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of Orreholmen.Swedish House of Nobility
In March 1629 Spens was commissioned by Gustavus to urge
Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...
to support him in the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
. For the next year he was charged with the superintendence of Gustavus's levies in Scotland and England, and letters by him are extant on this subject. He moved with his regiment into Germany in 1630 and followed the main Swedish army in the company of Gustavus Adolphus.


Family

He married Agnes Durie, by whom he had three sons (James and David and William), and daughters Cecilia, Isabella and one daughter whose name is unknown. Cecilia was married to David Drummond, colonel of Kalmar Regiment and major-general of foot in Swedish service. She died a widow in Sweden, 1645. His second wife was Margaret Forrat (Margaretha Forath) who he married in 1624. Together they had sons Axel and Jacob. After his death in 1632 his widow lobbied the Queen and the Swedish Chancellor for assistance and she and their children received money. Three of James' sons were ennobled as a result of Margaret's entreaties. Margaret later remarried, to
Hugh Hamilton, 1st Viscount of Glenawly Hugh Hamilton, 1st Viscount Glenawly ( 1600–1678) was a soldier in Swedish and English service. He was awarded the title of ''friherre'' for his service to Sweden. Background He came from a family that descended from the Hamiltons of Dalser ...
. Isobel Spens married James Ramsay, another Scot, who rose to high military rank in Swedish service and was much employed by Spens as an intermediary with
Axel Oxenstierna Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (; 1583–1654) was a Swedish statesman and Count of Södermöre. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of ...
.


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * Kugelberg, A. & Bengt Hildebrand (1945). "David Drummond." ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'', vol. 11. * * * Attribution: *


External links


Biographical/genealogical record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spens, James Year of birth missing 1632 deaths Ambassadors of Scotland 17th-century Scottish people 17th-century diplomats Scottish people of the Thirty Years' War