Piero Hugon
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Piero or Pierre Hugon (floruit 1600-1625) was a French servant of Anne of Denmark accused of stealing her jewels.


Career at the royal court in England

Piero Hugon was the first page of the bedchamber and trusted servant of
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 ...
, the wife of King James. Amongst the duties of daily attendance, in February 1613 he was sent to give Princess Elizabeth a jewel to wear at her wedding to Frederick V of the Palatinate. He travelled to the Danish court for her in 1618. He may have been the queen's French servant noted in July 1614. Her brother
Christian IV Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is the longest in Scandinavian history. A member of the H ...
came to London incognito and managed to enter Denmark House (
Somerset House Somerset House is a large neoclassical architecture, neoclassical building complex situated on the south side of the Strand, London, Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadran ...
) without being discovered. He was recognised in the audience chamber by "Cardel, a dancer" (
Thomas Cardell Thomas Cardell or Cardall (died 1621) was a musician and dancing master specialising in playing the lute who served Elizabeth I and Anne of Denmark. Cardell joined the court of Queen Elizabeth in 1574, as dancing master and lutenist, in the place ...
) and the French servant agreed. He went to tell Anne of Denmark, who was dining in the gallery, and she laughed at him, thinking it was a kind of joke. Christian IV then entered the room. She took off a jewel she was wearing and gave it to the French servant. There was another French-born gentleman servant, Arthur Bodren, who kept some household accounts and gave the architect
Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was an English architect who was the first significant Architecture of England, architect in England in the early modern era and the first to employ Vitruvius, Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmet ...
money for his work for the queen. Bodren had been a member of the household of the infant Princess Mary. Bodren, and the queen's Danish cook Hans Poppilman, were naturalised as denizens of England in July 1618. One of the pages of the bedchamber, Matthew Hairstanes, was Scottish. Hugon is mentioned as "Mr Pero" and "Mr Peero" in the queen's inventories, in notes recording the moving of furniture. Hugon was described as "her creature and favourite", and according to a letter describing the queen's last days, "Pira, and the Dutch woman that serves her" were the queen's closest attendants at the deathbed, excluding other courtiers from her presence. After Anne of Denmark's funeral in May 1619, Piero Hugon and a "Dutch" servant called Anna were accused of theft. This Anna was perhaps the Danish Anna Kaas who had served the queen since her first days in Scotland, or Hugon's wife Anna who served the Queen as a chamberer. The theft was discovered by one of the goldsmiths who supplied jewels to the queen, either William Herrick or
George Heriot George Heriot (15 June 1563 – 12 February 1624) was a Scottish goldsmith and philanthropist. He is chiefly remembered today as the founder of George Heriot's School, a large independent school in Edinburgh; his name has also been given to H ...
. An inventory of her jewels and plate was made by Sir Lionel Cranfield on 19 April 1619. George Heriot produced "models" or drawings of missing jewels which he had supplied to the queen, said to be worth £63,000. Dutch Anna and Piero were taken to the
Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
and charged with stealing jewels worth £30,000.
James Howell James Howell ( – ) was a Welsh writer and historian. The son of a Welsh clergyman, he was for much of his life in the shadow of his elder brother Thomas Howell (bishop), Thomas Howell, who became Lord Bishop of Bristol. Education In 1613 he ...
heard rumours and wrote, "Q. Anne left a world of brave jewels behind, but one Piero, an outlandish man, who had the keeping of them, embezzled many, and is run away." Piero Hugon had powerful supporters, soon after the arrest, at
Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
, the
Marquess of Buckingham Marquess of Buckingham was a title that has been created two times in the peerages of England and Great Britain. The first creation of the marquessate was in 1618 for George Villiers, a favourite of James I of England. He had previously been ...
promised François Juvenal, Marquis de Traisnel, who had come to offer the French king's condolences to James, that he would protect Hugon. The Marquis wrote to Buckingham that
Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...
was convinced of his innocence. Buckingham and
Robert Naunton Sir Robert Naunton (1563 – 27 March 1635) was an England, English writer and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons at various times between 1606 and 1626. Family Robert Naunton was the son of Henry Naunton of ...
corresponded with the English ambassador in Paris, Sir Edward Herbert and his brother Henry Herbert. Another French ambassador
François de Bassompierre François de Bassompierre (; 12 April 157912 October 1646) was a French courtier. The son of Christophe de Bassompierre (1547–1596), he was born at the castle of Haroué in Lorraine. He was descended from an old family which had for generatio ...
, Count of
Tillières Tillières () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. History On 15 December 2015, Le Longeron, Montfaucon-Montigné, La Renaudière, Roussay, Saint-André-de-la-Marche, Saint-Crespin-sur-Moine, Saint-Germai ...
, tried to help Hugon. A draft letter written in answer to Tillières gives more detail of the accusations and proceedings. King James ordered a chest confiscated in Paris from Hugon to be given to Mr (Henry) Herbert, the brother of Sir Edward Herbert, and Hugo was compensated with £500. The missing jewels were worth £60,000. Hugon was also accused of sending the queen's money and some religious items after her death to a nunnery and to some Jesuits to pray for her soul. These accusations were not sent to Tillières, after Hugon was interrogated in the Tower and he made a deal or bargain. Edward Herbert discovered that the brother of Louis Richard, one of the queen's musicians, had carried packages to France for Hugon. Edward Herbert made an inventory of two chests belonging to Hugon, and the contents were thought to include some of the queen's jewels. He was concerned by various Catholic items he saw. There were many items of jewelry and costume, silverware, a bracelet set with turquoise and diamonds, and two
bezoar A bezoar stone ( ) is a mass often found trapped in the gastrointestinal system, though it can occur in other locations. A pseudobezoar is an indigestible object introduced intentionally into the digestive system. There are several varieties o ...
stones. Attached to a string of pearls was Hugon's note that Anne of Denmark had given them to him on his wedding day with a large diamond, and the pearls should be sold and the proceeds used to say Masses for the queen.
Marie de' Medici Marie de' Medici (; ; 26 April 1575 – 3 July 1642) was Queen of France and Navarre as the second wife of King Henry IV. Marie served as regent of France between 1610 and 1617 during the minority of her son Louis XIII. Her mandate as rege ...
became involved, who declared via
Pierre Brûlart, marquis de Sillery Pierre Brûlart, Marquis de Sillery, Viscount Puisieux, Baron Grand Pressigny (1583 – 22 April 1640) served Louis XIII as joint Minister of Foreign Affairs and War from 1617 to 1626. Life Pierre Brûlart was born in 1583, son of Nicolas Brûla ...
, Viscount Puisieux, that she had always been well-disposed to the service of the late queen Anne. Puisieux believed that Hugon was detained in England by the Spanish-favouring faction at court.


Analysis

Maureen Meikle Maureen M. Meikle (1961-2023) was an academic historian. Her 1988 PhD thesis at the University of Edinburgh was titledLairds and gentlemen: A study of the landed families of the Eastern Anglo-Scottish Borders c.1540-1603. Maureen Meikle was a Fulb ...
and Helen M. Payne propose that Hugon had become a significant figure in the queen's household after the departure of Jean Drummond, Countess of Roxburghe. Assuming that many or most of the items in the inventory had belonged to the queen, including Catholic items, they suggest that Anne of Denmark had asked him to take them away to prevent their discovery, although the outcome was the exact opposite. Hugon's confession that money was intended to found a monastery in France ought to be taken as evidence for the queen's
Catholic faith The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international instituti ...
.
Jemma Field Jemma Field is a historian and art historian from New Zealand. She studied for her PhD with Erin Griffey at the University of Auckland. She was subsequently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow at Brunel Un ...
argues from the same evidence that Anne of Denmark maintained a position that was a "middle path" or "
via media ''Via media'' is a Latin phrase meaning "the middle road" or the "way between (and avoiding or reconciling) two extremes". Its use in English is highly associated with Anglican self-characterization, or as a philosophical maxim for life akin to t ...
" in her own religion.


In France

Piero Hugon was ennobled in France in 1618 and became the Sieur de Fourchaud, Givry, le Breuil et la Fouresthile. He had married Anne Rumler, who was probably a sister of Anne of Denmark's German-born apothecary, John Wolfgang Rumler. They were both naturalized as denizens of England on 4 May 1618. Anne attended the funeral of Anne of Denmark, listed as "Mrs Ann Rubellow" with the ladies of the Privy Chamber. Hugon chose an armorial reflecting his service to the queen of England, which can be seen above a fireplace at Fourchaud. He had further dealings with the Richard brothers in 1620. Anne Hugon died in 1661 aged 85 at Fourchaud and was buried at Besson. Shortly before her death she renounced the Lutheran faith of her birth. Their eldest son and heir was Gaspard Hugon.X. M., 'Les Ancien Seigneurs de Fourchaud', ''Bulletin de la Société d'émulation du Bourbonnais'', 21 (1913), p. 271
/ref> Fourchaud now belongs to
Prince Charles-Henri de Lobkowicz Prince Marie Charles-Henri Hugues Xavier Benoît Michel Edouard Joseph Balthazar de Lobkowicz (born 17 May 1964) is a French nobleman and member of the Lobkowicz, House of Lobkowicz. Early life Prince Charles-Henri is the third child of four si ...
.


References


Further reading


Jemma Field, 'Anna of Denmark and the Politics of Religious Identity in Jacobean Scotland and England, c. 1592-1619', ''Northern Studies'', 50 (2019), pp. 87-113
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugon, Piero 17th-century French people Household of Anne of Denmark Jewel thieves