22:
30:
846:
295:(Margaretha Forath) who he married in 1624. Together they had sons Axel and Jacob. 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. Margaret later remarried, to
191:
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
236:
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, while Spens
219:
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. On 24 March 1624 the council authorised his son, James Spens, to levy a body of twelve hundred men to aid the king of
211:
and the
Swedish wish to have him recruit Scottish troops. 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. He also used his time establishing an effective spy network for the Swedish
283:. 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. He moved with his regiment into Germany in 1630 and followed the main Swedish army in the company of Gustavus Adolphus.
207:
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
291:
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. His second wife was
856:
162:
781:
Murdoch, Steve (2010), "Oxenstierna's Spies: Sir James Spens and the
Organisation of Covert Operations in Early Seventeenth-century Sweden", in Szechi, Daniel (ed.),
300:
229:
180:, and raised several thousand foot and horse for Sweden, thereby earning the rank of colonel, though he never joined his troops in the field. In July 1609 the
930:
712:
663:
563:
216:. This he deployed mainly against Poland, and particularly against Scots working in the interest of the deposed Swedish king, Sigismund III Vasa.
653:
614:
269:
111:
in 1571, and was shot while trying to guard him from injury. Because of his treason, his estates were forfeited. In 1594 the son James was
880:
791:
296:
241:
181:
157:
harbour in
October 1599. At first all went well. They took peaceful possession of the country, and the inhabitants, mostly of
920:
124:
885:
303:, another Scot, who rose to high military rank in Swedish service and was much employed by Spens as an intermediary with
104:
208:
740:
168:
The attack on Lewis was renewed by others in 1605, but the undertaking again proved too much for private adventurers.
772:
220:
Sweden. In the same year Spens was commissioned to return to Sweden and to bring
Gustavus into the alliance against
915:
865:
746:
701:
221:
925:
695:
499:"FORRAT, MARGARETHA [SSNE 6267] - The Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern European Biographical Database"
136:
103:, daughter of Sir Patrik Learmonth of Dairsie. His father formed one of the party which captured the regent
185:
800:
830:
631:
100:
233:
232:, bearing Gustavus's demands. These were thought extravagant, and the more moderate proposals of
739:
764:
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498:
757:
Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial And Covert
Associations in Northern Europe 1603–1746
910:
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8:
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204:, and, with his step brother Robert Anstruther, Spens contributed to its negotiation.
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45:
29:
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which was projected by Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and France. He reached
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heard that King James preferred to employ Spens rather than his step-brother,
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In 1598 Spens and other Scottish gentlemen, including his stepfather, Sir
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In 1627 Spens was dispatched to invest Gustavus, then occupied in the
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48:
849: This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
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249:
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56:
34:
161:, submitted to them. But they were resisted in the longer term by
793:
Seventeenth-Century Scandinavia: The Evidence in the State Papers
52:
750:. Vol. 47. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 243–244.
733:
The first edition of this text is available at Wikisource:
684:
The first edition of this text is available at Wikisource:
869:, vol. 53, London: Smith, Elder & Co, pp. 381–382
783:
The Dangerous Trade: Spies, Spymasters and the Making of Europe
628:
The Scotland, Scandinavia and Northern European Database (SSNE)
601:
253:
561:
Brzezinski, Richard Z. (2004), "Spens, James, of Wormiston",
471:
116:
145:
of that ilk, entered into a project for a plantation on the
67:
affairs, and an important figure in recruiting Scottish and
705:. Vol. 24. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 160.
196:, to urge on him the expediency of peace with Denmark. The
176:
On being released by MacLeod, Spens entered the service of
120:
275:
In March 1629 Spens was commissioned by Gustavus to urge
429:
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337:
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591:, Stockholm: Krigsarkivet (Military Archives of Sweden)
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a knight, to Sweden, as ambassador on the accession of
598:
An Unofficial Alliance: Scotland and Sweden, 1569–1654
539:
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in August and returned in January 1625 accompanied by
188:, to convey troops from Ireland to service in Sweden.
527:
378:
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as his secretary. On 28 April 1628 Gustavus made him
171:
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continued with his shuttle diplomacy when required.
16:
Scottish adventurer, soldier, and diplomat (d. 1632)
127:he was called on to find security for the borough.
902:
887:The Works and Correspondence of Axel Oxenstierna
395:
393:
661:Grosjean, A. N. L. (2004a), "Hamilton, Hugh",
587:"James Spens' Regiment, Muster, August 1624",
710:Grosjean, A. N. L. (2004b), "Ramsay, James",
716:(online ed.), Oxford University Press,
667:(online ed.), Oxford University Press,
567:(online ed.), Oxford University Press,
390:
621:
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652:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
640:Letters of Sir James Spens and Jan Rutgers
613:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
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931:Scottish people of the Thirty Years' War
595:
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28:
20:
854:
789:
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713:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
664:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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564:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
545:
483:
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297:Hugh Hamilton, 1st Viscount of Glenawly
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165:, and Spens was taken hostage by him.
125:Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell
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105:Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox
33:James Spens Swedish peerage coa as
13:
790:Murdoch, Steve (3 February 2012),
741:"Ramsay, James (1589?-1638)"
622:Grosjean, Alexia; Murdoch, Steve,
172:Ambassador, Spy-master and Soldier
14:
942:
874:
87:He was the son of David Spens of
881:Biographical/genealogical record
866:Dictionary of National Biography
855:Carlyle, Edward Irving (1898), "
844:
747:Dictionary of National Biography
702:Dictionary of National Biography
364:, vol. 3 (London, 1838), p. 263.
362:Illustrations of British History
222:Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor
696:"Hamilton, Hugh (d.1679)"
516:
477:
75:. Raised to Swedish peerage as
589:KrA/0022/1624/8 (1624), f.264.
417:
405:
367:
351:
242:Polish–Swedish War (1626–1629)
1:
801:State Papers Online 1509–1714
785:, Dundee: DUP, pp. 45–65
554:
137:Gentleman Adventurers of Fife
82:
921:17th-century Scottish people
729:UK public library membership
680:UK public library membership
580:UK public library membership
7:
638:Jönsson, Arne, ed. (2007),
123:, and during the rising of
10:
947:
134:
596:Grosjean, Alexia (2003),
472:Swedish House of Nobility
286:
632:Saint Andrews University
310:
99:), by his wife Margaret
25:James Spens original coa
916:Ambassadors of Scotland
755:Murdoch, Steve (2006),
630:, published online by:
299:. Isobel Spens married
264:Spens awarding him the
234:Christian IV of Denmark
91:(alternatively spelled
926:17th-century diplomats
722:10.1093/ref:odnb/23084
673:10.1093/ref:odnb/12074
573:10.1093/ref:odnb/26142
400:Grosjean & Murdoch
279:to support him in the
59:, much concerned with
38:
26:
256:, where he recruited
149:. With a grant from
32:
24:
503:www.st-andrews.ac.uk
277:Charles I of England
230:Christian von Bellin
178:Charles IX of Sweden
151:James VI of Scotland
131:The Lewis expedition
893:Electric Scotland,
246:Order of the Garter
759:, BRILL, pp.
252:; and moved on to
44:(died 1632) was a
39:
27:
823:External link in
727:(Subscription or
678:(Subscription or
578:(Subscription or
281:Thirty Years' War
248:. That he did in
194:Gustavus Adolphus
186:Robert Anstruther
182:Earl of Worcester
153:, they landed at
73:Thirty Years' War
71:soldiers for the
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143:James Anstruther
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42:Sir James Spens
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358:Edmund Lodge
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301:James Ramsay
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212:Chancellor,
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163:Neil MacLeod
159:Clan MacLeod
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96:
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61:Scandinavian
41:
40:
18:
911:1632 deaths
861:Lee, Sidney
736:Lee, Sidney
691:Lee, Sidney
642:, Stockholm
448:Carlyle1898
346:Carlyle1898
244:, with the
905:Categories
731:required.)
682:required.)
582:required.)
555:References
270:Orreholmen
258:John Durie
202:Kalmar War
200:ended the
93:Wormieston
83:Early life
49:adventurer
624:"ID 1642"
226:Stockholm
155:Stornoway
101:Learmonth
97:Wormeston
89:Wormiston
37:from 1628
816:citation
648:citation
609:citation
508:24 April
438:, f.264.
262:friherre
250:Dirschau
109:Stirling
77:friherre
57:diplomat
46:Scottish
35:friherre
863:(ed.),
853::
763:, 256,
113:provost
69:English
53:soldier
859:", in
771:
725:
676:
602:Leiden
576:
287:Family
266:barony
254:Elbing
65:Baltic
808:(PDF)
797:(PDF)
311:Notes
117:Crail
831:help
769:ISBN
654:link
615:link
510:2021
121:Fife
95:and
63:and
55:and
765:283
761:252
718:doi
669:doi
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268:of
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