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Books, Calendars, Calendar of State Papers of Spain
Calendar of State Papers of Spain is in Calendars.
1501 Arrival of Catherine of Aragon
1545 Battle of the Solent and the Sinking of the Mary Rose
1554 Wyatt's Rebellion Executions
Books, Calendars, Calendar of State Papers of Spain Volume 1
04 Oct 1501. Voyage of the Princess of Wales [Catherine of Aragon (age 15)], and arrival in England. 305. The Licentiate Alcares to Queen Isabella (age 50).
The Princess of Wales embarked1 on Monday the 27th of September. At five o'clock in the afteroon the ship weighed anchor, and set sail. The weather was favourable at first, but changed after midnight. Continued their voyage until they were off Ushant [Map], without any great inconvenience. The winds were variable, but the sea was not rough. When they had passed Ushant [Map], however, they were overtaken by a most furious vendabal2, thunderstorms, and immense waves. Had a thunderstorm every four or five hours during the rest of the voyage. "It was impossible not to be frightened."
The following Saturday [02 Oct 1501], at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the Princess entered the harbour of Plymouth [Map], which is the firston the coast of England. "She could not have been received with greater rejoicings, if she had been the Saviour of the world." As soon as she left the boat, she went in procession to the church [Plymouth Monastery [Map]], where, it is to be hoped, God gave her the possession of all these realms for such a period as would be long enough to enable her to enjoy life, and to leave heirs to the throne.—4th of October.
Addressed : "To the very powerful Queen of Spain, our excellent Lady." Spanish. Holograph, pp. 2.
Note 2. "Viento de abajo" (wind from below), that is, according to Castilian phraseology, south wind.
Books, Calendars, Calendar of State Papers of Spain Volume 4
Books, Calendars, Calendar of State Papers of Spain Volume 4 1587 1603
28 Feb 1587. Paris [Map]. Bernardino De Mendoza (age 47) to the King (age 59). Note. Assumed to be the Spanish King Philip II.
The English ambassador sent the confidant (i.e., Charles Arundel (age 54)) to me this morning to say that as it was so important that your Majesty should be informed instantly of the news he had received last night from England, that he sent to tell me of it, and openly to confess me his anxiety to serve your Majesty. He offered himself entirely through me, in the assurance that your Majesty would not order him to do anything against the interest of his mistress the Queen (age 53), who however, he could plainly see, had not long to live now that she had allowed the execution of the Queen of Scotland (age 44). It happened in this way. The Lord Treasurer (age 66) being absent through illness, the earl of Leicester (age 54), Lord Hunsdon (age 60), Lord Admiral Howard (age 51) and Walsingham (age 55), had represented to the Queen that the Parliament would resolutely refuse to vote any money to maintain the war in Holland, or to fit out a naval force to help Don Antonio, unless she executed the Queen of Scotland. Under this pressure she consented to sign a warrant, as they called it, that the Parliament might see, but which was not to be executed, unless it were proved that the Queen of Scotland conspired again against her life. As Secretary Walsingham was ill this warrant was taken to the Queen for her signature by Davison (age 46), and after she had signed it she ordered him not to give it to anyone unless she gave him personally her authority to do so. Davison, who is a terrible heretic and an enemy of the Queen of Scotland, like the rest of the above-mentioned, delivered the warrant to them. They took a London executioner and sent him with the warrant to the justice of the county where the Queen of Scotland was. The moment the justice received it, on the 8th [NOTE. Appears to be a typo; original says 18th], he entered the Queen of Scotland's chamber with Paulet (age 54) and Lord Grey (age 46), who had charge of her, and there they had her head cut off with a hatchet in the presence of the four persons only. The Queen orders her ambassador to inform this King of it, and assure him, as she will more fully by a special envoy, that the deed was done against her will, and although she had signed the warrant she had no intention of having it carried out. She cannot avoid blaming herself for having trusted anyone but herself in such a matter. The ambassador is begging earnestly for an audience and is keeping the matter secret until he tells the King. In order that no time may be lost in informing your Majesty, I send this special courier in the name of merchants, by way of Bordeaux, whence he will go post to Irun; and as God has so willed that these accursed people, for His ends, should fall into "reprobrium sensum," and against all reason commit such an act as this, it is evidently His design to deliver those two kingdoms into your Majesty's hands. I thanked the ambassador in general terms for his offer, saying that I would give an account thereof to your Majesty. As I have formerly said, it will be most advisable to accept it, and pledge him to give us notice of any machinations here and in England against us. He reports that the fitting out of ships continues but in no greater number than he previously advised, although the rumour is current here that there would be 60 English, besides the Hollanders, but that the crews, etc. were not raised and no time fixed for the departure. The ambassador says he will have full information on the point when a gentleman of his has arrived whom he had sent to England to gain intelligence, as Cecil only writes now to say that the execution of the Queen of Scotland has been against his will, as he, the ambassador knew; and that the King, her son, was in great danger of suffering a similar fate. The execution was known in London on the 20th when the executioner returned, and great bonfires had been lit for joy all over the countryside. They did not even give her time to commend her soul to God. .
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Books, Calendars, Calendar of State Papers of Spain Volume 5
Books, Calendars, Calendar of State Papers of Spain Volume 8
19 Jul 1545. Towards evening, through misfortune and carelessness, the ship [Mary Rose] of Vice-Admiral George Garew foundered, and all hands on board, to the number of about 500, were drowned, with the exception of about five and twenty or thirty servants, sailors and the like, who escaped. I made enquiries of one of the survivors, a Fleming, how the ship perished, and he told me that the disaster was caused by their not having closed the lowest row of gun ports on one side of the ship. Having fired the guns on that side, the ship was turning, in order to fire from the other, when the wind caught her sails so strongly as to heel her over, and plunge her open gunports beneath the water, which flooded and sank her. They say, however that they can recover the ship and guns.
Books, Calendars, Calendar of State Papers of Spain Volume 12 1554
Books, Calendars, Calendar of State Papers of Spain Volume 12 1554, Calendar of State Papers of Spain Volume 12 19 Feb 1554
19 Feb 1554. Simon Renard to Prince Philip.
My Lord: Since I last wrote to your Highness French plots have been discovered to show that Courtenay and the Lady Elizabeth, by means of intermediaries called Peter Carew, Wyatt (age 33), Crofts (age 36) and my Lord Thomas (Grey), conspired to throw the Queen of England into the Tower and put her to death, in order to seize the crown for themselves. The King of France had promised help in troops and money, and had already distributed some 10,000 to 12,000 crowns to private individuals. In the meantime 200 or 300 gentlemen, all of them heretics, were meeting together: the Duke of Suffolk (age 37) and his two brothers [Note. Thomas Grey and John Grey (age 30)], Cobham (age 57) and his three sons [Note. William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 26), George Brooke (age 21), Thomas Brooke (age 21)], Pelham, Pickering, Carew and many more, and agreed to put their plans into execution in the spring. However, as God means to protect this good lady, the conspirators were forced to take up arms sooner than they had intended because Courtenay did not keep the secret and letters from the French ambassador, seized and enclosed herewith, were deciphered and revealed part of the plot. Moreover, Courtenay had a servant of his in France, and six weeks ago he and one Valbic (Welby?) were intriguing for the conspirators. To start with, Peter Carew made a violent effort to rouse the people on account of your Highness's marriage with the Queen, but as the people refused to rise, he had to fly to France, where trustworthy accounts tell he had a nocturnal conversation with the King-a sign of their malignity. His adherents were taken prisoners at Coventry (Compierre) where a similar attempt was made; and on the first day of Lent the rebels were defeated as your Highness will see by the copies of letters I wrote from time to time to the Emperor.
19 Feb 1554. Simon Renard to Prince Philip. Thus God performed a miracle. At present there is no other occupation than the cutting off of heads and inflicting exemplary punishments Jane of Suffolk (deceased), who made herself Queen, and her husband (deceased), have been executed; Courtenay (age 27) is in the Tower; and this very day we expect the Lady Elizabeth (age 20) to arrive here, who they say has lived loosely like her mother and is now with child.
19 Feb 1554. So when all these heads are off no one will be left in the realm able to resist the Queen, and throughout the country there is no sign of discontent, for on the contrary the gentry have met together in many places to swear fidelity to your Highness and the Queen and die in defense of the alliance. I thought it my duty to report this at once so that your Highness might consider it in coming to a decision. All your good servants think you might proceed to Flanders and form your household there before coming to England, for without counting the marriage your speedy journey to these parts is necessary in order to assist his Majesty in the press of business that becomes heavier each day. German affairs are especially menacing, there is much in Italy that needs a remedy, and future plans must be formed. In the meantime your Highness may carefully reflect on the English question. The rising caused us to refrain from effecting any marriage per verba de prœsenti or giving any binding obligation until we should see how it was all to end; but I cannot omit to assure you that the Queen, in the midst of great trials, displayed a fortitude incomparably greater than any history relates in analagous circumstances, and overcame her enemies moved by an affection for your Highness that could not possibly be more constant.
His Majesty is fitting out a great fleet, and it is hoped you are doing the same, for the French have been planning to send one to Scotland, and if they did so, leaving their Norman and Breton ports unprotected, they might be attacked in that quarter.
His Majesty is fitting out a great fleet, and it is hoped you are doing the same, for the French have been planning to send one to Scotland, and if they did so, leaving their Norman and Breton ports unprotected, they might be attacked in that quarter.
News have reached me that on January 26th the Marquis of Marignano captured one of the main gates of Siena and a fort guarded by two companies of Frenchmen whom he killed. He hoped to have the whole town in his hands in three days' time, for it was nearly conquered and Peter Strozzi besieged in a small fort.
The death of the Prince of Portugal (deceased), brother (-in-law) to your Highness, has been reported here.
The powers sent by way of France have come, and the Pope has granted a dispensation.
The French, confident in the success of Courtenay's plot, have said no more about mediation.
Spanish translation from a lost French original.
Printed in Documentos Inéditos, Vol. III.
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19 Feb 1554. Gaspard Schetz to the Queen Dowager.
Madam: Although I believe your Majesty to be informed of occurrences in England, I am unwilling not to send you the news that have reached us this morning in a letter of the 15th instant. It relates that the Queen has caused the rebels to be punished: the Lady Jane (deceased) and her husband (deceased), the Duke of Suffolk's (age 37) son, have been decapitated; the White Rose (age 27) has been sent back to the Tower [Map], where are also the Duke of Suffolk with two of his brothers [Note. Thomas Grey and John Grey (age 30)] and guilty lords to the number of 27. They write that, of the soldiers who abandoned the Duke of Norfolk (age 81) on the field and joined the rebels, 40 have been hanged and 200 more condemned to the same penalty. They say that the said Duke has died in his own country. The Earl of Pembroke (age 53) has been sent down to Kent with 300 light horse to discover who took part in the rebellion and execute justice. This, Madam, is the substance of what I have heard, together with a report that it is being said in England that my Lord our Prince is to come with 8,000 Spanish soldiers, about which the English are not best pleased.
They say the Queen is sending hither an ambassador, the Viscount Fitzwalter (age 47) (Fewaters), who will be able to give your Majesty more trustworthy information.
Antwerp, 19 February, 1554.
Copy. French. Printed by Gachard, Voyages des Souverains des Pays-Bas, Appendix to Vol. IV.