Sir William Stanley (1548 – 3 March 1630), son of Sir Rowland Stanley of
Hooton (died 1612) and Margaret Aldersy, was a member of the
Stanley family, Earls of Derby. He was an
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
and a
recusant, who served under
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
of England and is most noted for his surrender of
Deventer
Deventer (; Sallands: ) is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020, Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, ...
to the Spanish in 1587.
Early career
Stanley was educated with
Dr. Standish at
Lathom and was brought up in the
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
faith. After school, he entered the service of his kinsman,
Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby
Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby KG (c. 10 May 1509 – 24 October 1572) was an English nobleman and politician. He reigned over the Isle of Mann until his death, and then was succeeded by his son.
Early life
At the age of thirteen, Edw ...
(c.1508–1572), and then served in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
as a volunteer under the
Duke of Alba from 1567 to 1570. In 1570 he was sent on service to Ireland.
Ireland
On the outbreak of the
Second Desmond Rebellion in 1579, Stanley was promoted to captain under Sir
William Drury, lord justice of Ireland, who knighted him at
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
for his service in penetrating
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2 ...
in pursuit of the followers of
Gerald FitzGerald, 14th Earl of Desmond. He fought in the battle of Monasternenagh and defended the town of Adare. In 1580, he enlisted troops in England and led them to the rebellious province of Munster; but the new lord deputy, Lord Grey, quickly recalled him to
the Pale
The Pale ( Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast ...
to help put down the rebellion that had broken out in the vicinity of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
.
In 1581, he campaigned against the clans of Kavanagh and O'Toole, and on 30 August 1581 was commissioned to follow the lord deputy in the government's campaign against
Fiach McHugh O'Byrne, a rebel leader whose fastness lay in the Wicklow mountains. During that campaign, he was engaged at the
Battle of Glenmalure in charge of the rear guard, and covered the retreat of Grey's forces after they had been routed from the glens. At the end of the year, his troops were discharged, and he went to England to seek further employment from the queen's principal secretary,
Lord Burghley.
At the beginning of 1583, Stanley was sent back to Ireland to deal with the rebel Geraldines of Desmond, and was appointed by the
Earl of Ormond as commander of the garrison at Lismore; he was also constable of Castlemaine, which he intended to "''make a town of English''". During this tour of duty he assisted in the pursuit of the earl of Desmond and
James Fitzedmund Fitzgerald
John Fitzedmund Fitzgerald (died 1589) was the hereditary Seneschal of Imokilly, an Irish nobleman of the Welsh-Norman FitzGerald dynasty in the province of Munster, who rebelled against the crown during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. ...
, the seneschal of Imokilly, and in the final subjugation of Munster at the end of the rebellion.
The defeat of the rebels presented many opportunities for advancement to the
New English, those adventurers and administrators who had taken advantage of crown policy in Ireland to establish fortunes for themselves outside of their restricted circumstances at home. Stanley became ambitious and sought the presidency of the province of Connacht by petitioning Sir
Francis Walsingham
Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster".
Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wal ...
and Burghley, but this was denied. Instead, he was made sheriff of Cork in August 1583, and then assumed the government of
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following t ...
in the absence of
Sir John Norris. He boasted of having hanged 300 rebels and of leaving the rest so terrified that, "''a man might now travel the whole country and none molest him''".
At the end of 1584, the new lord deputy, Sir
John Perrot
Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) served as lord deputy to Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he was an illegitimate son of Henry VIII, though the idea is re ...
, sent Stanley north in the company of Sir
Henry Bagenal to act against the Ulster chieftains and the Scots led by
Sorley Boy MacDonnell. During this campaign, he received severe wounds and was laid up for several months. He had marched with two companies to Ballycastle to join up with a troop of cavalry stationed in Bunamargey Abbey (the burial place of the MacDonnells), after Bagenal was forced to take refuge in Carrickfergus. On 1 January 1585, the enemy took him completely by surprise in camp beside the abbey, when half a dozen horsemen at the head of the Scots foot set the thatched roof of the church on fire. Stanley was forced to fight in his shirt, having had no time to don armour, and was wounded in the thigh, the arm and side, and in the back (he claimed he had turned to his men to urge them on). Some of the horse were burned in the abbey, and the enemy fell away without pursuit, and soon after twenty-four oared galleys of the Scots rowed across Ballycastle Bay while Stanley's ships remained at anchor in flat calm conditions. Although he subsequently almost defeated Sorley Boy's nephew, reinforcements arrived from Scotland and there was little more to be achieved. Stanley returned to England in October, where his service in Ireland was considered to have been brilliant.
Leicester's expedition
At the start of the
Anglo-Spanish War, Stanley accompanied
Robert Dudley, 1st 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 o ...
in the 1585 expedition to the Netherlands, and was then sent to Ireland for the recruitment of troops. He expressed his enthusiasm for Irish soldiers, considering those who had fought under the Geraldine John of Desmond as resolute as any in Europe; in 1579 he had commented that the only difference between English and Irish soldiers lay in the superior discipline of the former.
Having raised 1,400 troops – most of them Irish – Stanley set out for the continent. En route he stayed in London, where it was reported that he had been in the confidence of
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
s and privy to part of the
Babington Plot, and that he had corresponded with the Spanish ambassador, Mendoza, and with the Tower-bound
Earl of Arundel. When ordered to carry on to the Netherlands, he tarried in England, supposedly in the expectation of an attempt on Elizabeth's life or the arrival of a Spanish fleet. Eventually, he was obliged to sail, but anticipated joining with the
Duke of Parma
The Duke of Parma and Piacenza () was the ruler of the Duchy of Parma and Piacenza, a historical state of Northern Italy, which existed between 1545 and 1802, and again from 1814 to 1859.
The Duke of Parma was also Duke of Piacenza, excep ...
.
In August 1586, Stanley joined Leicester and, with
John Norris, took Doesborg in a violent assault. Following his service at Zutphen, where Sir
Philip Sidney
Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...
was fatally wounded, Leicester deemed him "worth his weight in pearl"; in October, with
Sir William Pelham he took Deventer, where he was appointed governor of the city in command of a garrison of his own – mostly Irish – troops, numbering 1,200.
The quarrel between Leicester and Norris resulted in a commission for Stanley to act independently of the latter, who had taken over command of the English forces on Leicester's departure, an arrangement that prompted dissent from the
States General of the Netherlands
The States General of the Netherlands ( nl, Staten-Generaal ) is the supreme bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate () and the House of Representatives (). Both chambers meet at the Binnenhof in The Hague.
The State ...
. Stanley promptly communicated with the Spanish governor of Zutphen, and Deventer was surrendered by him to the Spanish in January 1587, whereupon he and 600 of his men entered the service of King Philip II. 300 remained loyal to Elizabeth. This occurred the day after the fort of
Zutphen had similarly been betrayed by the English commander
Rowland York
Rowland York or Yorke (died 1588) was an English soldier of fortune and defector to Spain.
Early life
Rowland York was the ninth of eleven sons of Sir John York. He volunteered for the Netherlands under Thomas Morgan of Llantarnam in 1572. He em ...
(28 January).
Cardinal
William Allen published a letter at Antwerp justifying Stanley's actions and setting out the case for the assassination of
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
Eli ...
as an act of
tyrannicide
Tyrannicide is the killing or assassination of a tyrant or unjust ruler, purportedly for the common good,
and usually by one of the tyrant's subjects. Tyrannicide was legally permitted and encouraged in the Classical period. Often, the term tyr ...
, citing
Pope Pius V
Pope Pius V ( it, Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri, O.P.), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1566 to his death in May 1572. He is v ...
's 1570
papal bull ''
Regnans in Excelsis
''Regnans in Excelsis'' ("Reigning on High") is a papal bull that Pope Pius V issued on 25 February 1570. It excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I of England, referring to her as "the pretended Queen of England and the servant of crime", declared h ...
''. At the time, the queen had been considering Stanley for honours and titles, including his appointment as viceroy of Ireland; but he was almost certainly in complete sympathy with the Jesuits, which order his brother had joined and whose members sang his praises. Thereafter he plotted an invasion of England – the troops to disembark at Milford-Haven and in Ireland, where bases for the larger operation might be established – but he was disappointed at the countenance he received from the Spanish authorities, although they did award him a crown pension, in the 1580s amounting to 300
escudos per month (the arrears of which he had to pursue in later years).
Later career
In 1588, the year of the
Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an ar ...
, Stanley was at the head of 700 men in the Netherlands, ready to embark with the invasion fleet. After the failure of the Armada, Sir
William Fitzwilliam, lord deputy of Ireland, speculated that Stanley might be chosen to lead the Spanish army in any further attempt to invade England. In any event, he maintained his regiment in the Netherlands while travelling often to Spain to urge action against Elizabeth. Stanley drew up plans for the conquest of
Alderney
Alderney (; french: Aurigny ; Auregnais: ) is the northernmost of the inhabited Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependencies, Crown dependency. It is long and wide.
The island's area is , making i ...
in the late 1580s, but these too were cast aside by the Duke of Parma. Philip II remained obstinate in his refusal to deploy the English regiment outside the Low Countries.
In the early 1590s, he fostered numerous attempts to assassinate the Queen, but all of them were poorly planned and easily detected.
Patrick O'Collun
Patrick O'Collun , also known as Patrick Cullen or Patrick Collen, (died 1594) was an Irish soldier and fencing master who was executed at Tyburn in 1594 for treason, in that he had conspired to murder Queen Elizabeth I.
Background
Little is k ...
, an Irish fencing master, and his accomplice John Annias, who had both served under Stanley, were executed at
Tyburn
Tyburn was a Manorialism, manor (estate) in the county of Middlesex, one of two which were served by the parish of Marylebone.
The parish, probably therefore also the manor, was bounded by Roman roads to the west (modern Edgware Road) and sout ...
in 1594 for having agreed at Stanley's instigation to murder the Queen, as were Richard Williams and Edmund York the following year. Stanley is said to have been greatly under the influence of his former army lieutenant Jacques de Francisco (Captain Jacques), a somewhat shadowy individual, and the
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
William Holt, both of whom believed sincerely that the killing of Elizabeth was a meritorious act.
By 1595 Stanley was desperate and suffered a reproof from the Spanish governor of the Netherlands for his violent language against Elizabeth. In December 1596 he helped deliver a renegade Scottish courtier
John Wemyss of Logie
John Wemyss younger of Logie, (1569-1596), was a Scottish courtier, spy, and subject of the ballad " The Laird o Logie", beheaded for plotting to blow up a fortification at Veere in the Netherlands
Life
John Wemyss was a brother or son, the fam ...
to the
Count of Fuentes. He continued in military service for the Spanish and was opposed to King
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
on his accession in 1603, but he soon sued for a pardon and seemed desirous of returning to England. Sir
Robert Cecil exonerated him from complicity in the
Gunpowder Plot, but he never gained permission to visit England and spent the rest of his life in relative obscurity. He maintained a close association with the Jesuits, and when he had fallen out with them, with the English
Carthusian
The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has i ...
s.
Stanley died at
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
on 3 March 1630, aged eighty years old.
[A.J. Loomie, ''Spanish Elizabethans'', p. 180.]
Legacy
In 1560, he married Anne Dutton, a bride of ten, but the marriage was dissolved in 1565. His second marriage was to Elizabeth Egerton (d. 1614), sister of Sir
John Egerton ("black Sir John"), who married William's sister Margaret. He had two sons and three daughters; one of his sons,
James Stanley, was an associate of the
Earl of Arundel in the 17th century, as they plotted to overthrow the
Jamestown Colony
The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James (Powhatan) River about southwest of the center of modern Williamsburg. It was ...
.
References
Further reading
*Richard Bagwell, ''Ireland under the Tudors'' 3 vols. (London, 1885–1890)
*John O'Donovan (ed.) ''Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters'' (1851).
*''Calendar of State Papers: Carew MSS.'' 6 vols (London, 1867–1873).
*''Calendar of State Papers: Ireland'' (London)
*Nicholas Canny ''The Elizabethan Conquest of Ireland'' (Dublin, 1976); ''Kingdom and Colony'' (2002).
*Steven G. Ellis ''Tudor Ireland'' (London, 1985) .
*Cyril Falls ''Elizabeth's Irish Wars'' (1950; reprint London, 1996) .
*
*Mattingley, Garret ''
The Defeat of the Spanish Armada''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, William
1548 births
1630 deaths
16th-century English soldiers
17th-century English soldiers
People of Elizabethan Ireland
Recusants
Spanish military personnel
William Stanley, Elizabethan
Traitors in history
People of the Second Desmond Rebellion