جيمس سبنس (دبلوماسي)

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الموسوعة الحرة

شعار النبالة الأصلي لجيمس سبنس
شعار النبالة السويدي لجيمس سبنس بصفته فريهير من عام 1628

كان السير جيمس سبنس (توفي عام 1632) [1] مغامرًا وجنديًا ودبلوماسيًا اسكتلنديًا ، اهتم كثيرًا بشؤون الدول الاسكندنافية ودول البلطيق ، وكان شخصية بارزة في تجنيد الجنود الاسكتلنديين والإنجليز لحرب الثلاثين عامًا . رُفع إلى طبقة النبلاء السويديين بلقب الأخ جاكوب سبنس.

وقت مبكر من الحياة

كان ابن ديفيد سبنس من وورميستون (أو وورميستون أو وورميستون )، من زوجته مارغريت ليرمونث ، ابنة السير باتريك ليرمونث من دايرسي. كان والده أحد أعضاء المجموعة التي أسرت الوصي ماثيو ستيوارت، إيرل لينوكس الرابع، في ستيرلنغ عام 1571، وأُطلق عليه النار أثناء محاولته حمايته. وبسبب خيانته، صودرت ممتلكاته. في عام 1594، كان ابنه جيمس رئيسًا لبلدية كرايل في فايف ، وخلال انتفاضة فرانسيس ستيوارت، إيرل بوثويل الخامس، طُلب منه تأمين البلدة. [ 2 ]

رحلة لويس الاستكشافية

في عام ١٥٩٨، دخل سبنس وعدد من النبلاء الاسكتلنديين، بمن فيهم زوج أمه، السير جيمس أنسترثر ، في مشروع استيطان جزيرة لويس . وبمنحة من جيمس السادس ملك اسكتلندا ، وصلوا إلى ميناء ستورنواي في أكتوبر ١٥٩٩. في البداية، سارت الأمور على ما يرام. استولوا على الأرض سلميًا، وخضع لهم السكان، ومعظمهم من عشيرة ماكلويد . [ ٢ ] لكنهم واجهوا مقاومة على المدى الطويل من نيل ماكلويد ، وأُخذ سبنس رهينةً لديه. [ ١ ]

تجدد الهجوم على لويس من قبل آخرين في عام 1605، لكن المهمة أثبتت مرة أخرى أنها أكبر من قدرة المغامرين الأفراد. [ 2 ]

سفير، رئيس جواسيس، وجندي

On being released by MacLeod, Spens entered the service of Charles IX of Sweden, and raised several thousand foot and horse for Sweden, thereby earning the rank of colonel, though he never joined his troops in the field.[1] 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.[3]

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, to urge on him the expediency of peace with Denmark.[2] The Treaty of Knäred ended the Kalmar War, and, with his step brother Robert Anstruther, Spens contributed to its negotiation.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] He also used his time establishing an effective spy network for the Swedish Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna. This he deployed mainly against Poland, and particularly against Scots working in the interest of the deposed Swedish king, Sigismund III Vasa.[7]

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.[8] 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 which was projected by Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and France. He reached Stockholm 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 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,[9] 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), with the Order of the Garter.[10] That he did in Dirschau; and moved on to Elbing, where he recruited John Durie as his secretary.[11] On 28 April 1628 Gustavus made him friherre Spens awarding him the barony of Orreholmen.[12]

In March 1629 Spens was commissioned by Gustavus to urge Charles I of England to support him in the Thirty Years' War. 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.[13] 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.[6] 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.[14]

His second wife was Margaret Forrat (Margaretha Forath) who he married in 1624. Together they had sons Axel and Jacob.[15] 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.[15] Margaret later remarried, to Hugh Hamilton, 1st Viscount of Glenawly.[16] Isobel Spens married James Ramsay,[17] another Scot, who rose to high military rank in Swedish service and was much employed by Spens as an intermediary with Axel Oxenstierna.[18]

Notes

  1. 123Brzezinski 2004
  2. 1234Carlyle1898, p. 391.
  3. ↑Edmund Lodge, Illustrations of British History, vol. 3 (London, 1838), p. 263.
  4. ↑Murdoch 2012
  5. ↑Murdoch 2006, p. 256.
  6. 12Grosjean & Murdoch, SSNE, ID 1642
  7. ↑Murdoch 2010, pp. 45–65
  8. ↑Grosjean 2003, pp. 58–59
  9. ↑Krigsarkivet, f.264.
  10. ↑Carlyle1898, p. 392.
  11. ↑Murdoch 2006, p. 283.
  12. ↑Swedish House of Nobility;
  13. ↑Jönsson 2007
  14. ↑Kugelberg & Hildebrand 1945, p. 461.
  15. 12"FORRAT, MARGARETHA [SSNE 6267] - The Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern European Biographical Database". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  16. ↑Grosjean 2004a
  17. ↑Grosjean 2004b.
  18. ↑Murdoch 2006, p. 252.

References

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