Jean or Jehan Scheyfve ( – 13 July 1581), Lord of
Sint-Agatha-Rode, was
Chancellor of Brabant
The Chancellor of Brabant was the head of the civilian government of the late medieval and early-modern Duchy of Brabant as president of the Council of Brabant.
List of chancellors Late Middle Ages
16th century
17th century
18th centu ...
, head of the civilian administration of the
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant, a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant of 1085–1183, and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries. The Duchy comprised part of the Bu ...
, from 1557 to 1579. He had earlier served as the ambassador of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...
, to the English court (May 1550 to October 1553).
Early life
Jean was the son of Jean Scheyfve and Jeanne de Berchem. He studied at
Leuven University, graduating
doctor of law
A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...
.
[ Vander Linden, Herman, "Scheyfve (Jean)", '']Biographie Nationale de Belgique
The ''Biographie nationale de Belgique'' (; ) is a biographical dictionary of Belgium. It was published by the Royal Academy of Belgium in 44 volumes between 1866 and 1986. A continuation series, entitled the ''Nouvelle Biographie Nationale'' (, ...
''
vol. 21
(Brussels, 1913), 707-710. In 1541-1542 he was an
alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
of Antwerp, and in 1545
Burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, ) is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or executive of a city or town. The name in English was derived from the Dutch .
In so ...
. In 1548 he was appointed to the
Brussels Privy Council.
[
]
Ambassador to England
Scheyfve was resident ambassador at the courts of Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...
and Mary I of England
Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...
. His letters are mostly concerned with commercial issues and rarely say much of the doctrinal religious controversies in England. Scheyfve was sent to London before the departure of the previous ambassador, François van der Delft, in May 1550. London was not regarded as a good posting in the diplomatic community and he thought his mission would last only three months.
Scheyfve and Princess Mary
Edward VI mentioned Scheyfve once in his journal, writing that the Imperial ambassador came to him on 5 September 1551, asking that his sister, the Princess Mary, should be allowed to attend the Mass
Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
and have her household officers restored to her. As the changes to Mary's household had happened so recently, Scheyfve's master Charles V Charles V may refer to:
Kings and Emperors
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
Others
* Charles V, Duke ...
could not have authorised him to make the request, so Scheyfve was refused. It was said that Edward VI was acting in his rights by English law, and Philip Hoby, the ambassador to the Emperor, had reported the understanding on the matter of the Mass was not as Scheyfve represented it.
After speaking to Princess Mary, Scheyfve sent a letter to Charles V on 12 September describing the incident in detail. Mary had felt compelled to dismiss her chaplains. On 5 September, Scheyfve had first addressed the Earl of Warwick who deferred to Edward VI in person, considering the King was now of age. Warwick and the Marquess of Northampton
Marquess of Northampton is a title that has been created twice, firstly in the Peerage of England (1547), then secondly in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (1812). The current holder of this title is Spencer Compton, 7th Marquess of Northampton ...
discussed his business with Edward while Scheyfve was not present, and then told him Edward thought he ought to be satisfied with the answer already given. Mary would not be allowed to hear the Mass with her ladies, and although Scheyfve said Nicholas Wotton
Nicholas Wotton (c. 1497 – 26 January 1567) was an England, English diplomat, cleric and courtier. He served as Dean of York and Royal Envoy to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.
Life
He was a son of Sir Robert Wotton of Boughton Malherbe, Kent ...
and William Paget had made a promise otherwise to Charles V, they and Hoby denied this was possible. The three men from her household would not be reinstated. Scheyfve had to tell Mary not to practice the Catholic religion.
Mary's three household servants at Kenninghall
Kenninghall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.
Kenninghall is located north-west of Diss and south-west of Norwich.
History
Kenninghall's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the ...
in High Suffolk, mentioned by Scheyfve were a chaplain, Pooly and Lyonel. In July 1549 the English Privy council had heard that they were somehow involved in Kett's Rebellion nearby in Norfolk. Mary replied that it was a case of mistaken identities. Her chaplain, Dr Hopton and the Comptroller of her household had been summoned before the council in June over matters of religion.
The Princess Elizabeth
In November 1550, Scheyfve heard that Lord Warwick would divorce his wife and marry the Princess Elizabeth. When Scheyfve heard in January 1551 that the Venetian and French ambassadors had paid their respects to Elizabeth at court, he asked if he might do the same. The Treasurer
A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization.
Government
The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...
and Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
said they would ask, and consulted with Warwick. They told Scheyfve that Edward was busy with Elizabeth, so Scheyfve left the court, saying, "Some other time then."
In June 1551 he was told of a plan that she would marry the Duke of Enghien, the brother of Antoine de Bourbon. A portrait of Elizabeth had been hastily made and sent to France with Philip Hoby and Thomas Goodrich, Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with ...
. In July there were rumours Elizabeth would marry the Duke of Aumale
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
brother of the Duke of Guise
Count of Guise and Duke of Guise ( , ) were titles in the French nobility.
Originally a Fiefdom, seigneurie, in 1417 Guise was erected into a county for René I of Naples, René, a younger son of Louis II of Anjou.
While disputed by the House of ...
or the Prince of Denmark. In March 1552 he heard she refused to marry the recently widowed Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...
, and he guessed the Duke of Northumberland was directing his suit.
News of Sebastian Cabot
Scheyfve wrote to Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, Bishop of Arras on 10 April 1553, with news of a voyage planned by Sebastian Cabot. Three ships would sail north from Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...
by the "Frozen sea" to "Camchina." The plan was to trade English kersey cloth and velvet for spices. Scheyfve had spoken to Cabot and pointed out that China ought to be a possession of the Empire. Cabot replied that he would like to have an audience with Charles V regarding his future employment by the Empire. A month later Scheyfve found himself discussing this voyage with a Portuguese messenger.
Cabot did not sail with these ships himself, and continued to discuss employment with Charles V. An offer from Charles arrived on the day of Edward VI's death, which Scheyfve was therefore unable to refer to the English court. Later, as Cabot had a salary from the English crown, and was well-respected in England, Scheyfve and his colleague Simon Renard considered that detaching him from Mary's service might foster ill-will.
Edward's illness
Scheyfve's letters detail the progress of Edward VI's illness. On 12 May Scheyfve reported to his master that he had a tumour on the lung and broke out in ulcers. At the end of May, the King was wasting away daily and not expected to live. It was thought to be the same sickness that had killed his half-brother, the Duke of Richmond
Duke of Richmond is a title in the Peerage of England that has been created four times in British history. It has been held by members of the royal Tudor and Stuart families.
The current dukedom of Richmond was created in 1675 for Charles ...
. In June, the people of London were told that he was better, but Scheyfve knew these rumours were not believed and the nobility were preparing for a struggle. At court there were rumours that Edward had been poisoned, on the day that Princess Mary last visited him. Edward was shown to a crowd from a window at Greenwich Palace on 27 June. On 4 July, Scheyfve heard of the will that made Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey (1536/1537 – 12 February 1554), also known as Lady Jane Dudley after her marriage, and nicknamed as the "Nine Days Queen", was an English noblewoman who was proclaimed Queen of England and Ireland on 10 July 1553 and reigned ...
his heir. Scheyfve was joined by three colleagues on 7 July and news of the death of Edward was certain. The Imperial ambassadors were officially informed of the King's death on 10 July by William Petre and William Cecil.
Queen Jane
The four Imperial ambassadors acted on behalf of Princess Mary's cousin, Charles V. While they waited to be informed who was now the monarch of England, by 10 July 1553 they had heard Princess Mary had been proclaimed Queen in Norfolk, news which had made Jane's mother, the Duchess of Suffolk, and the Duchess of Northumberland weep. They were wary of the Venetian ambassador, Giacomo Soranzo, who had tried to canvas Scheyfve's reaction to the news, and avoided communicating with Mary so as not to raise suspicions against her.
George Brooke, Lord Cobham, and John Mason told the ambassadors their mission had ended at Edward's death, but they argued it had not, referring particularly to the assurances of international friendship made by Andrew Dudley. They repeated this argument to Jane's Privy Council, and then were constrained to tell Cobham and Mason they would leave on 20 July, as insisting on remaining would have been suspicious. On 19 July Mary was proclaimed, to rejoicing in London, and Mason, now accompanied by the Earl of Shrewsbury
Earl of Shrewsbury () is a hereditary title of nobility created twice in the Peerage of England. The second earldom dates to 1442. The holder of the Earldom of Shrewsbury also holds the title of Earl of Waterford (1446) in the Peerage of Ireland ...
, asked them to stay in London.
Queen Mary
Charles V recalled Scheyfve, whom he called the Master of Requests, and his colleague ambassadors, the Chevaliers Jean de Montmorency Sieur de Courriéres, and Jacques de Marnix Sieur de Tholouse, on 14 September 1553, nominating Simon Renard, the Lieutenant of Aumont, as their successor in England. Simon Renard had recently written to Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle, Bishop of Arras, noting Scheyfve's jealousy when Renard was spokesman and minute-taker for the four ambassadors during their audiences with Mary. Renard, not Scheyfve, was entrusted with sounding out Mary's marriage to Philip II of Spain
Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...
.
Later career
On his return from England Scheyfve resumed his duties as a privy councillor. He was appointed Chancellor of Brabant
The Chancellor of Brabant was the head of the civilian government of the late medieval and early-modern Duchy of Brabant as president of the Council of Brabant.
List of chancellors Late Middle Ages
16th century
17th century
18th centu ...
on 17 February 1557.[ During the Iconoclastic Fury of 1566, Calvinists seized power in ]'s-Hertogenbosch
s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...
, one of the four chief cities of Brabant. Scheyfve attempted to negotiate with them, but for several weeks in March and April 1567 effectively became a hostage in the city.[ He did not support the Duke of Alva's response to the ]Dutch Revolt
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...
, and in 1576 backed the Pacification of Ghent
The Pacification of Ghent, signed on 8 November 1576, was an alliance between the provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands. The main objectives were to remove Habsburg Spain, Spanish mercenaries who had made themselves hated by all sides due to their ...
as a basis for restoring peace to the Low Countries.[ With the failure of conciliation he retired as chancellor on 26 November 1579.][
A collection of his letters on a controversy with Granvelle, who was now a Cardinal, was published in 1580. In 1575 he commissioned the sculptor Jacques Jonghelinck to make his portrait medallion, which shows him wearing a ]cuirass
A cuirass ( ; ; ) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material.
The term probably originates from the original material, leather, from the Old French word and the Latin word . The us ...
and mantle with the motto "danger." Jonghelinck also made a portrait medal for his literary opponent Granvelle. Jean Scheyfve died in Antwerp on 13 July 1581 and was buried in Antwerp Cathedral.[
]
Family
His coat-of-arms was gules with a gold chief charged with three black wolf heads. The same Scheyfve arms were painted on the Prado ''Adoration of Magi'' triptych by Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...
, which was commissioned by a Pieter Scheyfve of a previous generation.
Scheyfve married Genevieve van Hoogelande (died 10 June 1580). Their children included:
* Marguerite Scheyfve, married Christophe d'Assonleville (1528–1607), jurist and Master of Requests to the Privy Council of Brabant.[Houssiau, Jean, 'Les Recommandations de Christophe d'Assonleville à Philippe II,' in ''Liber Amicorum Raphaël de Smedt: Historia'', vol.3, Peeters, Leuven (2001), pp.237–246.]
* Marie Scheyfve, married Simon de Longin
* Maximilian Scheyfve
* Edward Scheyfve
References
Sources
''Responces de Messire Iehan Sceyfve Chevalier, Seigneur de Sainct Aechtenrode, Ottenborch, Nethene etc., iadis Chancellier du Brabant sur certaines lettres du Cardinal de Granvelle'', Corneille de Bruyn, Antwerp (1580)
* De Beer, Joseph, ''Jean Scheyfve, bourgmestre d'Anvers, chancelier de Brabant et ses deux médailles, 1575'', Antwerp (1950)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scheyfve, Jean
Chancellors of Brabant
People of the Tudor period
Politicians from Antwerp
1581 deaths
1510s births
Ambassadors of the Holy Roman Empire
16th-century diplomats from the Holy Roman Empire
Ambassadors of Spain to the Kingdom of England
16th-century politicians from the Holy Roman Empire