Sir Philip Hoby (also Hobby or Hobbye)
PC (1505 – 31 May 1558) was a 16th-century
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
Ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
and
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
.
Early life
He was born probably at
Leominster, England, the son of William Hoby of Leominster by his first wife, Catherine Forster. He was the elder half-brother of Sir
Thomas Hoby
Sir Thomas Hoby (1530 – 13 July 1566) was an English diplomat and translator.
Early life
Hoby was born in 1530. He was the second son of William Hoby of Leominster, Herefordshire, by his second wife, Katherine, daughter of John Forden. He was ...
, father of
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
and
Thomas Posthumous Hoby
Sir Thomas Posthumus Hoby (1566 – 30 December 1640), also spelt Hobie, Hobbie and Hobby, Posthumous and Postumus, was an English gentleman and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1589 and 1629. A Puritan, he has ...
.
Hoby became a diplomat, largely thanks to the support he gave to the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
during the reign of
King Henry VIII
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 disag ...
.
Career
He travelled to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
and
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
in the royal service. On 10 March 1538 he arrived at
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
with the painter
Hans Holbein the younger
Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Jüngere; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered o ...
.
Thomas Cromwell
Thomas Cromwell (; 1485 – 28 July 1540), briefly Earl of Essex, was an English lawyer and statesman who served as chief minister to King Henry VIII from 1534 to 1540, when he was beheaded on orders of the king, who later blamed false charge ...
had sent them to make a portrait of
Christina, Duchess of Milan for Henry VIII. The English resident in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, John Hutton, had already obtained a portrait, but realising this portrait was not as perfect as one made by ''Master Haunce'', "a man very excellent in makyng of phisanymies," he recalled his messenger. Hoby was introduced to a courtier of the
Regent of the Netherlands, Lord Benedict Court, and they spoke together in Italian. Benedict, who was Grand Master of the Duchess' house, then made the arrangements for Holbein to have a sitting of three hours with the Duchess, where he "proved himself the master of his science." Hoby and Holbein departed the same night taking leave of the Duchess, (making a formal farewell), but not to the Lady Regent. Henry received the portrait of Christina on 18 March 1538 and was delighted.
![Elizabeth, Lady Hoby by Hans Holbein the Younger](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Elizabeth%2C_Lady_Hoby_by_Hans_Holbein_the_Younger.jpg)
On a second trip to France, Hoby and Holbein painted the Princess
Margaret of France, and perhaps
Mary of Bourbon
Mary of Bourbon or Marie de Bourbon (29 October 1515 – 28 September 1538) was a daughter of Charles, Duke of Vendôme, and Françoise d'Alençon, daughter of René, Duke of Alençon. Mary was the subject of marriage negotiations of James V of ...
, then they arrived at
Joinville
Joinville () is the largest city in Santa Catarina, in the Southern Region of Brazil. It is the third largest municipality in the southern region of Brazil, after the much larger state capitals of Curitiba and Porto Alegre. Joinville is also a ...
in France at the end of August 1538. They wanted a portrait of Louise de Guise, daughter of Antoinette,
Duchess of Guise
Lady of Guise Non hereditary, 950–?
Elder House of Guise, ?–1185
House of Avesnes, 1185–1244
House of Châtillon, 1244–1404
House of Valois-Anjou, 1404–1417
Countess of Guise House of Valois-Anjou, 1417–1425
House of L ...
. Hoby mentioned that they had been to
Nancy. Antoinette guessed they had obtained the portrait of
Anna of Lorraine
Anna of Lorraine (25 July 1522 – 15 May 1568) was a princess of the House of Lorraine. She was Princess of Orange by her first marriage to René of Châlon, and Duke of Aarschot, Duchess of Aarschot by her second marriage to Philippe II de ...
there, and joked with her daughter, the
Queen of Scotland
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...
, that soon either her sister or her cousin would become her neighbour by marrying Henry VIII.
By 1542, he was a gentlemen usher of the King's Privy Chamber, and was involved in the persecution of Jews. In 1543, however, Hoby was briefly held in the
Fleet Prison on suspicion of heretical beliefs. Following the
Siege of Boulogne, Hoby was
knighted and received gifts of property, including some of the profits from the
Dissolution of the Monasteries. In 1545, he became Master of the Ordnance in the North, and in 1547,
Master-General of the Ordnance
The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...
, a post he held until 1554. In 1547 he replaced John Cock as
MP for
Cardiff Boroughs when Cock resigned to sit for Calne. In 1548, he succeeded Bishop
Thomas Thirlby
Thomas Thirlby (or Thirleby; –1570), was the first and only bishop of Westminster (1540–50), and afterwards successively bishop of Norwich (1550–54) and bishop of Ely (1554–59). While he acquiesced in the Henrician schism, with its reje ...
as ambassador to the court of
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, french: Charles Quint, it, Carlo V, nl, Karel V, ca, Carles V, la, Carolus V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (Crown of Castile, Castil ...
. During this period, he helped plot the downfall of the Lord Protector,
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...
.
In 1551, Hoby was involved in attempts to negotiate a marriage between King
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 ...
and Elizabeth, the daughter of King
Henry II of France
Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...
. He was also trusted to negotiate loans with from merchants in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , and was involved in a diplomatic mission to
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
. He was admitted to the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
in March 1552. The manor of
Bisham Abbey
Bisham Abbey is a Grade I listed manor house at Bisham in the English county of Berkshire. The name is taken from the now lost monastery which once stood alongside. This original Bisham Abbey was previously named Bisham Priory, and was the trad ...
in
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
was given to him, at the expense of the former queen,
Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves (german: Anna von Kleve; 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. Not much is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to Francis, Duke of ...
.
In 1553, Hoby was again at the court of Charles V, trying to negotiate a peace between him and Henry II of France. Shortly afterwards, he became ambassador to Flanders. During the brief reign of
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey ( 1537 – 12 February 1554), later known as Lady Jane Dudley (after her marriage) and as the "Nine Days' Queen", was an English noblewoman who claimed the throne of England and Ireland from 10 July until 19 July 1553.
Jane was ...
, Hoby appears to have supported her. He was recalled by Queen
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
on her accession, but he managed to retain her favour. In June 1554, he was sent to Brussels on a diplomatic mission, but was allowed to travel to Liege and Pau for his health. In June 1555, he was staying with Sir
John Cheke
Sir John Cheke (or Cheek) (16 June 1514 – 13 September 1557) was an English classical scholar and statesman. One of the foremost teachers of his age, and the first Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge, he played a great ...
at
Padua
Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...
, and went on from there to visit Sir
John Masone, the English ambassador at Antwerp. He returned home in 1556.
Personal life
By 1540 he had married Elizabeth Stonor, daughter of
Walter Stonor
Sir Walter Stonor (died 1551) was the son of Thomas Stoner of North Stoke, Oxfordshire and Sybilla, the daughter of Sir David Brecknock. He was a Knight of the Body and appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London on 29 September 1546. He had at ...
of
Hawton, Nottinghamshire and
Fenny Compton
Fenny Compton is a village and parish in Warwickshire, England, about eight miles north of Banbury. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 797, increasing to 808 at the 2011 census. Its name comes from the Anglo-Saxon ''Fennig Cumbt ...
, widow of Sir
William Compton and of Walter Walshe. They had no children.
Sir Philip died at his house in
Blackfriars, London
Blackfriars is in central London, specifically the south-west corner of the City of London.
Blackfriars Priory
The name is first visible today in records of 1317 in many orthographies. Friar evolved from la, frater as french: frère has, mea ...
and was buried in
Bisham
Bisham is a village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. The village is on the River Thames, around south of Marlow in the neighbouring county of Buckinghamshire, and around northwest of Maide ...
Church where there is a fine
effigial monument to him and his brother.
Notes
References
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External links
Hoby, Sir Philip (1504/5-58), of Leominster, Herefs., Bisham, Berks. and the Blackfriars, London.Biography
Sir Philip Hoby, KnightFamily tree
*
All Saints, BishamAll Saints, BishamGallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoby, Philip
1505 births
1558 deaths
People from Bisham
People from Leominster
Inmates of Fleet Prison
Ushers of the Black Rod
Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales
16th-century English diplomats
Ambassadors of England to the Holy Roman Empire
English MPs 1547–1552
Knights Bachelor