Wilhelm von der Wense (floruit 1580-1610) was a German courtier and Danish diplomat. Wilhelm von der Wense was a servant of

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (''Sophia''; 4 September 1557 – 14 October 1631) was Queen of Denmark and Norway by marriage to Frederick II of Denmark. She was the mother of King Christian IV of Denmark and Anne of Denmark. She was Regent of Schl ...

, wife of

Frederick II of Denmark Frederick II (1 July 1534 – 4 April 1588) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1559 until his death. A member of the House of Oldenburg, Frederick began his personal rule of Denmark-Norway at the age of ...

. In 1587 he came to London with letters for the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. Early creations ...

from Frederick II. In 1589 he became master of household to

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

, the bride of

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

. He came to Scotland with Anne of Denmark in May 1590 to ensure her well-being while she was learning the

Scottish language Scottish language may refer to: * Scots language (''Scots Leid''), a Germanic language spoken in Lowland Scotland and Ulster, native to southeast Scotland * Scottish Gaelic (''Gàidhlig''), a Celtic language native to the Scottish Highlands * Scot ...

. He left in October 1590, first travelling to the English court. James VI gave him instructions to discuss a Protestant league in Europe with his wife's relations.

Colonel William Stewart Sir William Stewart of Houston (c. 1540 – c. 1605) was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish soldier, politician and diplomat. He is often known as "Colonel Stewart", or the Prior of May (Pittenweem), Commendator of Pittenweem. Life He began his ca ...

wrote to William Cecil about this mission. Wense travelled to England with Gotthard, Count of Starhemberg (1563-1624). On his return to Denmark, he reported to Queen Sophie on the situation of her daughter in Scotland. Sophie wrote from

Koldinghus Koldinghus is a Danish royal castle in the town of Kolding on the south central part of the Jutland peninsula. The castle was founded in the 13th century and was expanded since with many functions ranging from fortress, royal residency, ruin, mus ...

on 23 November 1590 and again on 1 July 1591 from

Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe and was inscribed on the UNES ...

to the Scottish chancellor, John Maitland of

Thirlestane Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Wate ...

, thanking him for his foresight and the care he had taken in making arrangements and provisions for the queen's household. Wilhelm von der Wense, like other German and Danish nobles, signed several autograph books. His name appears in several versions in Scottish records, including "William Vanderwant" or "Vandervantt".Robert Chambers, ''Domestic Annals of Scotland'', vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1858), p. 198:

David Moysie David Moysie () was a Scottish notary public, known as the author of the ''Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland, 1577–1603''.Also Moise, Moyses, Mosey. Life He was by profession a writer and notary public. A notarial attestation of a lease by hi ...

''Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland'' (Edinburgh, 1830), p. 158
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wense von der, Wilhelm Court of Frederick II of Denmark Household of Anne of Denmark 16th-century German people Danish courtiers