Pedro de Negro or Pedro Negro (died 1551) was a Spanish soldier who fought for
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
and
Edward VI of England
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first ...
in France and Scotland.
Career and knighthood
Pedro de Negro commanded calvalrymen armed with
muskets
A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...
during the war between England and Scotland now known as the
Rough Wooing
The Rough Wooing (December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following its break with the Roman Catholic Church, England attacked Scotland, partly to break the ...
. The war began in 1544, sparked by plans for
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...
to marry
Edward VI
Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first E ...
. Some of the leather horse armour used by the English cavalry was made by an Italian specialist
Niccolo da Modena
Niccolo da Modena or Nicholas Bellin of Modena (died 1569) was an Italian artist and technician at the English court.
Career
He was born in Modena near the end of the 15th century. He is first recorded at the French court in 1516 as a valet of t ...
. Both sides made use of foreign military expertise.
![Broughty Castle, Scotland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Broughty_Castle%2C_Scotland.jpg)
According to
William Patten, Pedro Negro was knighted by the
Duke of Somerset
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
following the
battle of Pinkie
The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh ( , ), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Crow ...
and the capture of
Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
on 28 September 1547 at
Roxburgh Castle. Two other Spanish captains were knighted, Christpher Diaz and Alonso de Ville. Another source lists Pedro Negro and Alonso de Villeseige among knights made by the
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation ...
at
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census reco ...
. On New Year's Day, Edward VI gave him a
half mark (6s-8d) as a reward. English sources sometimes name him as "Petro Negro" or "Peter Negroo".
Siege of Haddington
An English army occupied and fortified the town of
Haddington, East Lothian
The Royal Burgh of Haddington ( sco, Haidintoun, gd, Baile Adainn) is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian. It lies about east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is ...
as a foothold in Scotland. Haddington is near to the coast and could be supplied by sea and land. French and Scottish forces
surrounded Haddington. In June 1548, the English commander
Grey of Wilton chose Pedro de Negro, and 100 Spanish soldiers from
Pedro de Gamboa Pedro de Gamboa (died 1550) was a Spanish soldier who fought for Henry VIII of England in France and Scotland.
He was from Madrid.
In 1545 he commanded a company of Spanish soldiers for the Earl of Hertford. Eustace Chapuys describes him as a ''Ma ...
's command to reinforce the garrison. On 29 June 1548 Pedro Negro and the Spanish troops tried unsuccessfully to cross enemy lines into the town. In July, French troops prepared ladders for an assault on the town. The English army outside the town made plans to get supplies to the defenders.
On 7 July 1548, an English soldier
Thomas Holcroft
Thomas Holcroft (10 December 174523 March 1809) was an English dramatist, miscellanist, poet and translator. He was sympathetic to the early ideas of the French Revolution and helped Thomas Paine to publish the first part of ''The Rights of Ma ...
described a plan, that 150 of Pedro de Gamboa's mounted arquebusiers, commanded by Pedro de Negro, and other soldiers would ride through French lines from
Linton bridge
Linton Bridge carries the minor road that links Collingham and Linton over the River Wharfe near Wetherby in West Yorkshire, England.
The Grade II listed bridge was built out of rock-faced stone in the early to mid-19th century. Its para ...
to relieve the siege. Some of the force would ride back to the English camp, while others would join the garrison in Haddington, after being "well-instructed how to work for their defence within". The Scottish leader,
Regent Arran
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...
, ordered the gentlemen of
Lothian to assemble and block the approach to Haddington on the
River Tyne east of
Haddington Abbey. According to a Spanish chronicle now known as the ''Chronicle of Henry VIII'', Pedro de Negro successfully broke through. The chronicle relates that the Spanish and English cavalrymen rode into Haddington carrying bags of gunpowder. Rather than return to Linton through enemy lines, they slaughtered their own horses outside the town gates. The rotting horses in the summer heat deterred French attacks. After the French and Scottish had withdrawn, Pedro de Negro buried them in three pits.
The Scottish records suggest that the siege was not abandoned at this time. Robert Hamilton, the son of
Robert Hamilton of Briggis, hauled the cannon called "thrawyn-mouth" from
Dunbar Castle
Dunbar Castle was one of the strongest fortresses in Scotland, situated in a prominent position overlooking the harbour of the town of Dunbar, in East Lothian. Several fortifications were built successively on the site, near the English-Scotti ...
to batter the town. A cavalry force led by
Thomas Palmer was defeated by the French on 16 July, a loss described by
Ulpian Fulwell
Ulpian Fulwell (1545/6 – before 1586) was an English Renaissance theatre playwright, satirist and poet. Later as a Gloucestershire parish priest, he appears to have neglected his duties.
Church, stage and satire
Born one of the two sons of a l ...
in his ''Flower of Fame'' (London, 1575), and by
John Knox in his ''History''.
At the end of July, the French diplomat
Odet de Selve
Odet de Selve (c. 1504-1563) was a French diplomat.
He was the son of Jean de Selve, first president at the parliaments of Rouen and Bordeaux, vice-chancellor of Milan, and ambassador of the king of France. In 1540 Odet was appointed councillor ...
reported that the delivery of the bags of gunpowder and the efforts of "Pietro Negro" and "Captain Windent" were the talk of the court in London. However, some doubt remains about the date of their exploit,
Thomas Fisher wrote on 30 July that Baynbridge was preparing a second convoy of men and powder, while a coded note from
James Wilsford, the Captain of Haddington, dated 3 August, discusses a plan with horsemen carrying powder as a future event, and Wilsford says the town could not support their horses.
In February or March 1549 Pedro Negro and his band of Spanish soldiers joined
John Luttrell at
Broughty Castle
Broughty Castle is a historic castle on the banks of the River Tay in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Scotland. It was completed around 1495, although the site was earlier fortified in 1454, when George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, received permission t ...
near Dundee. In July Luttrell complained that the Spanish soldiers had not yet received pay or clothing.
Pedro and the taking of Captain Julian
Captain
Julián Romero was stationed at
Cheswick in Northumberland in May 1549 and "Pero Negro" was close by at
Kyloe
Kyloe is a civil parish in the county of Northumberland, about south-east of Berwick-upon-Tweed. According to the parish council, the main centres of population are Fenwick, Beal, and Berrington (in the western "panhandle" of the parish).
T ...
and
Fenwick near
Lindisfarne. A chronicle of the reign of
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567.
The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...
mentions the defeat and capture of Spanish soldiers led by "Julius Romanus", Julián Romero, near
Coldingham
Coldingham ( sco, Cowjum) is a village and parish in Scottish Borders, on Scotland's southeast coastline, north of Eyemouth.
Parish
The parish lies in the east of the Lammermuir district. It is the second-largest civil parish by area in Berwi ...
in the spring of 1549.
In September 1549 Pedro was blamed for the capture by the Scots of Captain Julián Romero by other Spanish soldiers and Captain Gamboa. The controversy was mentioned by the courtier Richard Scudamore. A feud amongst the Spanish soldiers led to Gamboa's murder in London.
Lady Home and the Moor
Marion Haliburton, Lady Home returned to
Hume Castle
'
, partof =
, location = Hume, Berwickshire, Scotland
, image = Hume Castle - geograph.org.uk - 812984.jpg
, image_size =
, caption =
, map_type = Scotland Scottish Borders
, map_size =
, map_alt =
, map_caption = Shown within Scotland Scot ...
after it was recaptured from the English. She wrote in favour of the Spanish cavalrymen (who owed money to her villagers) to Mary of Guise in March 1549, that they behaved "like noble men, and also the Mour, he is as sharp a man as rides, beseeching your grace to be a good princess unto him". The "Mour" or "Moor" seems to have been an African officer amongst the Spanish cavalry.>
London
Pedro Negro died in London from the "
sweating sickness
Sweating sickness, also known as the sweats, English sweating sickness, English sweat or ''sudor anglicus'' in Latin, was a mysterious and contagious disease that struck England and later continental Europe in a series of epidemics beginning ...
" on 14 July 1551. In his will, he names his friend Captain Christopher Diaz his sole executor; he leaves his entire property to his (unnamed) son when he comes of age, apart from a bequest to a putative daughter in Italy: "And yf by fortune that a daughter that I have in Ittaly to be approved to be my daughter then I will she have Fiftie ducats".
His surname "Negro" has been interpreted to mean he was of African descent. It has also been suggested that he belonged to a family called "Negro" from
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
, many of whom settled in Spain and Portugal.
[Gustav Ungerer, 'The Presence of Africans in Elizabethan England', Susan P. Cerasano, ''Medieval and Renaissance Drama in England'', 21 (2008), pp. 45-6 fn. 1.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Negro, Pedro
1551 deaths
Spanish soldiers
People of the Rough Wooing
Spanish people of the Rough Wooing