Robert Jacob (died 1588) was an English physician. He was a court physician to

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

and later

Ivan IV of Russia Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584. ...

Biography

Jacob was the eldest son of Giles Jacob of London, was entered at Merchant Taylors' School on 21 January 1563–1564 (Register, ed. Robinson, i. 4). He matriculated as a sizar of

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

, on 12 November 1565, proceeded B.A. in 1569–1570, was elected a fellow, and in 1573 commenced M.A. He graduated M.D. at Basle, and was incorporated at Cambridge on 15 May 1579. He became physician to Queen

, who in 1581 sent him, at Tsar

Ivan IV Ivan IV Vasilyevich (; – ), commonly known as Ivan the Terrible,; ; monastic name: Jonah. was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1533 to 1547, and the first Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia from 1547 until his death in 1584. ...

's request, to the Russian court, where he attended the tsarina, and acquired a reputation which still survives. Jacob recommended Lady Mary Hastings to the tsar for his seventh wife. Happily for the lady, the tsar died before the conclusion of the negotiations, which were opened in 1583 with the sanction of Elizabeth. Jacob returned to England with Sir Jerome Bowes, the English envoy in Russia, about March 1584. The Russian Company charged him with trading on his own account. On 21 May 1583, he was admitted a licentiate of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

in London, a candidate on 12 November 1585, and a fellow on 15 March 1586. In the latter year he went out to Russia a second time, accompanied by a midwife to attend to Irina Godunova, wife of Tsar

Feodor I of Russia Feodor I Ioannovich () or Fyodor I Ivanovich (; 31 May 1557 – 17 January 1598), nicknamed the Blessed (), was Tsar of all Russia from 1584 until his death in 1598. Feodor's mother died when he was three, and he grew up in the shadow of his ...

. He died abroad, unmarried, in 1588 (Probate Act Book, P. C. C., June 1588).

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob, Robert Year of birth missing 1588 deaths 16th-century English medical doctors Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge Licentiates of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Expatriates from the Kingdom of England People from the Tsardom of Russia University of Basel alumni Court physicians People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood