Jerome Bowes
Encyclopedia
Sir Jerome Bowes was an English ambassador to Russia and Member of Parliament in England.
in Suffolk
(now in the county of Norfolk
). His name occurs in the list of the gentlemen who followed Edward Clinton
, to France, in his expedition to avenge the fall of Calais
. It has been inferred from a casual mention of him by John Stowe that he was a client of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
in 1571; but he was banished from court six years later for slanderous speech against him.
. Fedor Pisemsky had travelled to England in 1581, and the diplomatic background included trade matters, and a proposed marriage of Ivan IV of Russia
to Lady Mary Hastings, daughter of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon
. In June 1583 Bowes set sail with Pisensky for Russia, on what was to be a fruitless mission.
John Milton
, in his Brief History of Moscovia, gives an account of this embassy, taken from Richard Hakluyt
. Anecdotes are in Samuel Pepys
and Samuel Collins's Present State of Russia, 1671. Ivan IV of Russia
is there said to have nailed the French ambassador's hat to his head. Bowes at his next audience put on his hat, and the czar threatened him with the like punishment. Bowes replied that he did not represent the cowardly king of France, but the invincible queen of England, 'who does not vail her bonnet nor bare her head to any prince living.' The czar commended his bravery and took him into favour. Bowes also tamed a wild horse so effectually that the beast fell dead under him. Milton describes the pomp of the reception and that the ambassador would not submit to the etiquette prescribing the delivery of his letters into the hands of the chancellor, but insisted upon his right to give them to the emperor himself. The czar, irritated by the assertion of Elizabeth's equality with the French and Spanish kings, lost patience when Bowes, to his question 'What of the emperor?' replied that her father Henry VIII had the Holy Roman Emperor
in his pay. He hinted that Bowes might be thrown out of the window, and received for answer that the queen would know how to revenge any injury done to her ambassador. Ivan's anger gave place to admiration, and he renewed his proposal of an alliance with one of the queen's kinsfolk. But he died soon after, and with Feodor I
the anti-English Dutch faction came into power. Alfred Nicolas Rambaud
, in his History of Russia, blamed Bowes for clumsiness and want of tact. He was imprisoned, threatened, and at last dismissed. When ready to embark he sent back the new tsar's letters and present.
, and was a robbery victim in a well-documented case. Bowes was buried on 28 March 1616 in Hackney Church. A portrait of him, painted in the year of his embassy, is in the Suffolk Collection.
Early life
He was of a Durham family, son of John Bowes, who married Anne, daughter of Gunville of GorlestonGorleston
Gorleston-On-Sea, also known colloquially as Gorleston, is a settlement in Norfolk in the United Kingdom, forming part of the larger town of Great Yarmouth. Situated at the mouth of the River Yare it was a port town at the time of the Domesday Book. The port then became a centre of fishing for...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
(now in the county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
). His name occurs in the list of the gentlemen who followed Edward Clinton
Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln
Edward Fiennes, 1st Earl of Lincoln, KG, also known as Edward Clinton was an English nobleman and Lord High Admiral.-Background:...
, to France, in his expedition to avenge the fall of Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
. It has been inferred from a casual mention of him by John Stowe that he was a client of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
in 1571; but he was banished from court six years later for slanderous speech against him.
Diplomatic mission to Russia
He was restored to favour, and in 1583 was appointed ambassador to RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Fedor Pisemsky had travelled to England in 1581, and the diplomatic background included trade matters, and a proposed marriage of Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
to Lady Mary Hastings, daughter of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon
Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon
Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, KG was the eldest son of George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Anne Stafford, Countess of Huntingdon, the ex-mistress of Henry VIII....
. In June 1583 Bowes set sail with Pisensky for Russia, on what was to be a fruitless mission.
John Milton
John Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
, in his Brief History of Moscovia, gives an account of this embassy, taken from Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt was an English writer. He is principally remembered for his efforts in promoting and supporting the settlement of North America by the English through his works, notably Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America and The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and...
. Anecdotes are in Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
and Samuel Collins's Present State of Russia, 1671. Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
is there said to have nailed the French ambassador's hat to his head. Bowes at his next audience put on his hat, and the czar threatened him with the like punishment. Bowes replied that he did not represent the cowardly king of France, but the invincible queen of England, 'who does not vail her bonnet nor bare her head to any prince living.' The czar commended his bravery and took him into favour. Bowes also tamed a wild horse so effectually that the beast fell dead under him. Milton describes the pomp of the reception and that the ambassador would not submit to the etiquette prescribing the delivery of his letters into the hands of the chancellor, but insisted upon his right to give them to the emperor himself. The czar, irritated by the assertion of Elizabeth's equality with the French and Spanish kings, lost patience when Bowes, to his question 'What of the emperor?' replied that her father Henry VIII had the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
in his pay. He hinted that Bowes might be thrown out of the window, and received for answer that the queen would know how to revenge any injury done to her ambassador. Ivan's anger gave place to admiration, and he renewed his proposal of an alliance with one of the queen's kinsfolk. But he died soon after, and with Feodor I
Feodor I of Russia
Fyodor I Ivanovich 1598) was the last Rurikid Tsar of Russia , son of Ivan IV and Anastasia Romanovna. In English he is sometimes called Feodor the Bellringer in consequence of his strong faith and inclination to travel the land and ring the bells at churches. However, in Russian the name...
the anti-English Dutch faction came into power. Alfred Nicolas Rambaud
Alfred Nicolas Rambaud
Alfred Nicolas Rambaud was a French historian.- Life :Alfred Nicolas Rambaud was born in Besançon. After studying at the École Normale Supérieure, he completed his studies in Germany...
, in his History of Russia, blamed Bowes for clumsiness and want of tact. He was imprisoned, threatened, and at last dismissed. When ready to embark he sent back the new tsar's letters and present.
Later years
The subsequent life of Bowes left few traces. In a report by the lord chief baron of the exchequer he appears in a discreditable light, as having fraudulently dealt with a will under which he claimed (the record is undated, but assigned to 1587 in the Calendar of State Papers, Domestic). On 5 February 1592 a special license is granted him to make drinking-glasses in England and Ireland for twelve years, and in 1597 the inhabitants of St. Ann, Blackfriars, built a warehouse for his use, and also gave him £133. He was said to have sat in parliament in 1601 for Lancaster and 1604 for Reading. In 1607 he was living at Charing CrossCharing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
, and was a robbery victim in a well-documented case. Bowes was buried on 28 March 1616 in Hackney Church. A portrait of him, painted in the year of his embassy, is in the Suffolk Collection.