Jean Hotman, Marquis de Villiers-St-Paul (1552 – 1636) was a French diplomat. Although he came from a Calvinist family, who had been exiled during the
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholic Church, Catholics and Protestantism, Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estim ...
, Jean, through cultivating connections with
Henry IV eventually was restored to a portion of his patrimony.
Early life
Hotman was the eldest son of the famous
jurist
A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Uni ...
and author
François Hotman
François Hotman (23 August 1524 – 12 February 1590) was a French Protestant lawyer and writer, associated with the legal humanists and with the monarchomaques, who struggled against absolute monarchy. His first name is often written 'Francis' ...
. He was born in
Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...
because his family was in exile during the
Wars of Religion
A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...
in France. His father, although heir to an estate, did not take the title of
Marquis
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
because his adherence to
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
distanced him from his
extended family
An extended family is a family that extends beyond the nuclear family of parents and their children to include aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins or other relatives, all living nearby or in the same household. Particular forms include the stem ...
.
Due in part to the
religious conflicts, the family moved often. From 1555 to 1563, they were in
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
, from 1563 to 1566 in
Valence, from 1566 to 1572, in
Bourges
Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry.
History
The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...
, from 1572 to 1578 in
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
. In 1578, they moved for the last time to
Basel
, french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese
, neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...
where Jean's father Francis would die in 1590.
Jean studied law at Valence, graduating before 1568. He later went to Paris in 1578, and through his father's influence, was named a tutor in the household of the English Ambassador to Paris, Sir
Amias Paulet
Sir Amias Paulet (1532 – 26 September 1588) of Hinton St. George, Somerset, was an English diplomat, Governor of Jersey, and the gaoler for a period of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Origins
He was the son of Sir Hugh Paulet of Hinton St Geo ...
(ambassador 1576–1579). He tutored Amias' two sons,
Anthony
Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the '' Antonii'', a ''gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton, ...
and George. When Amias was recalled to England in November 1579, Jean followed him there to continue tutoring his sons. Sir
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626), also known as Lord Verulam, was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon led the advancement of both ...
also traveled with Sir Amias during this time 1577–78, and it is possible they knew each other.
Middle life
In March 1580, Jean, Anthony and George settled at
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
where he became acquainted with many current or soon-to-be famous persons. Jean graduated from the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
in 1581, with a doctorate in law. Anthony Paulet would later receive an
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
and eventually succeeded his father as
Governor of Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...
(see
DNB
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
, XV, pg 527). His three-years-younger brother George took another route with a good marriage (see DNB, XV, pg 528).
While at Oxford, Jean fell in with a group of fellows including
Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt (; 1553 – 23 November 1616) was an English writer. He is known for promoting the English colonization of North America through his works, notably ''Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America'' (1582) and ''The Pri ...
,
Henry Cuffe
Sir Henry Cuffe (1563 – 13 March 1601) was an English writer and politician, executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, for treason.
Biography
Family connections
Born in 1563 at Hinton St George, Somerset, he was the y ...
(1563–1601) and Sir
Philip Sidney
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philip ...
. Through Philip Sidney and Amias Paulet, Hotman caught the attention of Philip's uncle
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, (24 June 1532 – 4 September 1588) was an English statesman and the favourite of Elizabeth I from her accession until his death. He was a suitor for the queen's hand for many years.
Dudley's youth was ov ...
, the Chancellor of the University, who around May/Oct 1582, engaged him as one of his secretaries. This brought Hotman to the court of Queen
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
.
Despite this, he moved back to the continent. He was at
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,[lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...]
to
Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich. And on 14 January 1585, he was appointed counsellor and
master of requests by
Henry of Navarre
Henry IV (french: Henri IV; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry or Henry the Great, was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarc ...
, the future Henry IV.
He returned to England, where he followed Leicester to the
Low Countries
The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
in May 1585, and when Leicester returned to England, he left Hotman behind as his agent, with the special commission to pacify the troubles in Utrecht. He performed this task well and wrote to Leicester but had the effrontery to write directly to Queen Elizabeth for which Leicester upbraided him. This did not lead to a permanent breach for "When Leicester after his second stay in the Netherlands, returned to England (Dec 1587), Hotman was one of his retinue." (Posthumus, pg 40)
In 1588, he was appointed Prebendary of Ilfracombe with an income of 28 pounds, although mostly eaten up by taxes and expenses. In March 1588, he was entered at Gray's Inn, but apparently did not embark on a legal career.
In Scotland
In August 1589 Hotman travelled to Scotland, to Edinburgh and then met the king
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
at
Falkland Palace
Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish Kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, providing an escape from political and religious turmoil. Today it is under the stewardship of ...
. James VI gave him a jewel and a ring with a diamond set in a star. Hotman left Edinburgh and stayed at
Whittingehame Tower on 20 August 1589 with
Richard Douglas. He may have travelled in the company of the poet
Henry Constable
Henry Constable (1562 – 9 October 1613) was an English poet, known particularly for ''Diana'', one of the first English sonnet sequences. In 1591 he converted to Catholicism, and lived in exile on the continent for some years. He returned to E ...
.
[Roderick J. Lyall, ''Alexander Montgomerie: Poetry, Politics, and Cultural Change in Jacobean Scotland'' (Arizona, 2005), p. 179.]
Later life
Upon the death of his father in 1590, he returned to France to settle the estate and became the guardian of his three unmarried sisters. One of these, Suzanne has a marriage contract dated 1594 in Paris. She is perhaps the most well-known of his sisters, having known modern descendants in Canada and the United States, which has made her and especially her husband, the subject of a few scholarly articles.
In his treatise that was translated into English in 1603 as "The Ambassador", John Hotman warned diplomats against hiring servants from the country to which they were assigned for fear these hirelings would act as spies. He even recommended that ambassadors take their wives with them to supervise their households in order to prevent its members from revealing sensitive information to outsiders.
At one point, he apparently received in France the title of ''Comte'' (Count) d'Hotman. Sometime before 1619, he was French ambassador to the
Duchy of Berg
Berg was a state—originally a county, later a duchy—in the Rhineland of Germany. Its capital was Düsseldorf. It existed as a distinct political entity from the early 12th to the 19th centuries.
The name of the county lives on in the modern ...
at
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
.
References
*Posthumus Meyjes, G.H.M., ''Jean Hotman's English Connection''. 1990. 62 pp.
*D.R. Kelley, ''François Hotman. A revolutionary's ordeal'', Princeton 1983.
Further reading
*''Francisci et Joannis Hotomannorum...Epistolae'', Amsterdam, 1700
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hotman, Jean, Marquis De Villers-St-Paul
Villers-St-Paul, Jean Hotman, Marquis de
Villers-St-Paul, Jean Hotman, Marquis de
Villers-St-Paul, Jean Hotman
Marquesses of Villers-St-Paul
People of the Tudor period
Ambassadors of France to Prussia
Ambassadors of France to Scotland
Alumni of the University of Oxford