Notizen zu dieser Person
1 _UID 1B023CB95D404CF7A6CE6303C28D3956AAE8
1 _UID D1F08291FB7144438EB3C498138F8CDE700F
HAMILTON, JAMES, third marquis, and first duke of Hamilton, wasborninthepalace at Hamilton, on the 19th of June, 1606. Hisfather,James,marquisof Hamilton, was held in high favour by James I.,who,amongstotherhonours which he bestowed on him, created him earlofCambridge, atitlewhich was at an after period a fatal one totheunfortunatenobleman who isthe subject of this memoir.
Before the marquis had attained his fourteenth year, hisfather,whowasthen at St Jamesus court, sent for him for the purposeofbetrothinghimto the lady Margaret Fielding, daughter to the earlofDenbigh, andnieceof the duke of Buckingham, and then only in theseventhyear of herage.After this ceremony had taken place, the marquiswas sentto Oxford,tocomplete those studies which he had begun inScotland, butwhich hadbeenseriously interrupted by his coming to court.He succeededhis fatherasmarquis of Hamilton, March 2, 1625, while as yetconsiderablyunderage.
An early and fond intimacy seems to have taken placebetweenprinceCharlesand the marquis. That it was sincere and abiding onthepart ofthe latter,the whole tenor of his life and his melancholyandtragicaldeath beartestimony. On Charles succeeding to the throne, oneofhisfirst cares wasto mark the esteem in which he held his youngandnoblefriend, by heapingupon him favours and distinctions.
Soon after the coronation of the king, however, in whichceremonyhecarriedthe sword of state in the procession, he returned toScotlandforthepurpose of superintending in person his family affairs,whichhadbeen muchderanged by the munificence of his father. Themarquis,whodoes not seem tohave ever been much captivated by the lifeofacourtier, soon became warmlyattached to the quiet and retirementofthecountry, and spent the greaterpart of his time at Brodickcastle,abeautiful and romantic residence inthe island of Arran.
The king, however, whose attachment to him seems to havegainedstrengthbyhis absence, wrote to him repeatedly, and with his ownhand,in themostpressing terms, to return. All these flatteringinvitations heforsometime resisted, until his father-in-law, the earl ofDenbigh,cameexpresslyto Scotland with another earnest request from theking thathewould comeup to London, and at the same time, offeringhimtheappointment of masterof the horse, then vacant by the death ofthedukeof Buckingham.
Unable longer to resist the entreaties of his sovereign, nowsecondedbytheearl, the marquis complied, and proceeded with hisfather-in-lawtocourt,where he arrived in the year 1628. The promisedappointmentwasimmediatelybestowed on him; and in the fullness ofhismajestyushappiness at his youngfriendus return, he further madehimgentleman ofhis bed-chamber, and privycouncillor in both kingdoms.Theamiable andunassuming manners of themarquis saved him at this partofhis careerfrom all that hostility andjealousy which usually attendthefavouriteof a sovereign, and he waspermitted to receive and enjoyallhis officesand honours without a grudge,and without the cost ofcreatingan enemy.
At the baptism of prince Charles in 1630, he represented thekingofBohemiaas one of the sponsors, and on this occasion the orderofthegarter wasconferred upon him, together with a grant of theofficeofchief steward ofthe house and manor of Hampton court. Amoreactivelife, however, was nowabout to open upon the favouritecourtier.KingCharles, having in thedukeus name entered into a treatywiththecelebrated Gustavus Adolphus,king of Sweden, to furnish himwith6000men for his intended invasion ofGermany, with the view ofthusenablinghis brother-in-law, the ElectorPalatine, to regainhishereditaryterritories from which he had beendriven, the marquiswasempowered toraise the stipulated force. These hesoon collected, andwason the pointof embarking with them himself, when hefound that achargeof hightreason had been preferred against him by lordOchiltree,son ofthatcaptain James Stewart who had usurped the Hamiltonestatesanddignitiesin the time of his grandfather. The king himself wasthefirstto informthe duke of the absurd charge which had beenbroughtagainsthim, andwhich consisted in the ridiculous assertion, thatthemarquisintended,in place of proceeding to Germany with the forces hehadraised,toemploy them in asserting a right to the Scottishcrown.Although, intheface of all existing circumstances, it wasimpossible thatany onecouldbe expected to believe that there was anytruth in theaccusation,yetthe marquis insisted that his innocence shouldbeestablished by apublictrial. To this proposal, however, the king notonlywould notlisten, butto show his utter incredulity in the calumny,andhisconfidence in themarquisus fidelity, he invited him to sleep inthesamebed-chamber withhim, on the very night on which he had informedhimofthe charge broughtagainst him by lord Ochiltree. The forgeriesofthelatter in support ofhis accusation having been proven, hewassentencedto perpetualimprisonment, and thrown into the castleofBlackness, wherehe remaineda captive for twenty years, when hewasliberated by one ofCromwellusofficers.
On the 16th of July the marquis sailed from Yarmouth roads withhisarmyandforty ships, and arrived in safety at Elsineur on the 27thofthesamemonth. Here he went on shore to wait upon the king ofDenmark,andon the29th sailed again for the Oder, which he reached on the30th.Herehe landedhis men, and having previously received ageneraluscommissionfrom the kingof Sweden, marched into Silesia, whereheperformed manyimportant services,took many fortified places,anddistinguished himselfon all occasions byhis bravery andjudiciousconduct. After variousturns of fortune, however,and much severeservice,during which his armywas reduced by the casualtiesof war, and bytheplague, which swept offgreat numbers of his men, totwoincompleteregiments; and, moreover,conceiving himself slighted bytheking ofSweden, who, flushed with hissuccesses, forgot thatrespecttowards himwith which he had firstreceived him; he wrote to theking,requesting hisadvice as to hisfuture proceedings, and not neglectingtoexpress thedisgust with whichGustavusus ungracious conduct hadinspiredhim. Charlesimmediatelyreplied 'that if he could not beserviceable tothe Palatinatehe shouldtake the first civil excuse to comehome.' This hesoonafterwards did,still parting, however, on good termswith theSwedishking, whoexpressed his esteem for him by saying at hisdeparture,'inwhateverpart of the world he were, he would ever look uponhim as oneofhisown.' There seems to have been a sort of understandingthatthemarquiswould return to Germany with a new levy of men;butthisunderstandingdoes not appear to have been very seriouslyentertainedbyeither party;at all events it never took place. The marquis,onhisreturn to theEnglish court was received with unabated kindness,andagaintook hisplace amongst the foremost in the esteem of hissovereign.
In 1633, he accompanied the king to Scotland, when he camedowntoreceivethe crown of that kingdom; but from this period untiltheyear1638, hemeddled no further with public affairs.
The troubles, however, of that memorable year again broughthimonthestage, and his love for his sovereign, and zeal forhisservice,inducedhim to take a more busy and a more prominent partthenthan hewouldotherwise have done. To put an end, if possible,tothereligiousdistractions in Scotland, and which were then comingtoacrisis, themarquis was despatched to Scotland with instructions,andapower togrant further concessions on some important points.Thedemandsof thecovenanters were, however, greater than was expected,andthisattempt atmediation was unsuccessful. He returned to London, andwasasecond timesent down to Scotland with enlarged powers, butastheseembraced noconcession regarding the covenant, this journeywasequallyfruitlesswith the other. The marquis now once more returnedtoLondon. Inthebeginning of winter, he was a third time despatched,withinstructionstoact as commissioner at the General Assembly, which hadbeenappointedtomeet for the settlement of differences, and which sat downatGlasgowinNovember. The concessions, however, which he was authorizedtomake,werenot considered at all sufficient. The opponents of thecourtintheassembly proceeded from measure to measure inimicaltothekingusauthority, carrying every thing before them in despiteofallthemarquisus efforts to resist them, and to stem thetideofdisaffection.Finding this impossible, he dissolved thecourt.Thecovenanters,however, were in no humour to obey thisexerciseofauthority. Theycontinued their sittings, went onsubscribingthecovenant, and decreedthe abrogation of bishops in theScottishchurch.Having been able torender the king little more servicethan thegain oftime which hisnegotiations had secured, the marquisreturned toLondon.Indeed moresuccess could not have been expected fromaninterferencewhere thecovenant, the principal subject of contention,wasthus spokenof by theopposite parties: the king writing tohiscommissioner, 'So longas thisdamnable covenant is in force, I havenomore power in Scotlandthan aduke of Venice;' and the covenantersagainreplying to someoverturesabout its renunciation, that 'they wouldsoonerrenounce theirbaptism.'The king, who had long anticipated a violentissuewith theScottishmalcontents, had in the meantime been activelyemployedincollecting aforce to subdue them; and the marquis, soon afterhisarrivalin England,was appointed to a command in this armament, andsentdown toScotland,no longer as a negotiator, but as a chastiser ofrebels.Whilstthe kinghimself proceeded over land with an army of 25,000foot and3000horse,the marquis sailed from Yarmouth with a fleet, havingon boardafurtherforce of 5000 men, and arrived in Leith roads on the 1stofMay.On hisarrival, he required the leaders of the covenanterstoacknowledgethekingus authority, and seemed disposed to proceedtohostilities. Buttheking, in the meantime, having entered into apacificarrangement withthecovenanters, his military command ceased, andheproceeded to joinhismajesty at his camp near Berwick. Soon afterthis,the marquis oncemoreretired from public employment, and did notagaininterfere innationalaffairs for several years. In 1642, he was oncemoresent toEdinburgh bythe king to promote his interest, and toresumenegotiationswith thecovenanters; and on this occasion was sosuccessfulas toalarmPickering, the agent of the English parliament atEdinburgh,whowrote tohis employers, recommending them to bring himimmediatelytotrial as adisturber of the harmony between the twokingdoms.Thisrepresentation ofPickeringus, however, was attended withnoimmediateresult, whatevereffect it might have on his ultimate fate;andit is notimprobable thatit was then recollected to his prejudice. Asareward forhis faithfuland zealous services, the king now bestoweduponhim bypatent, dated atOxford, 12th April, 1643, the title of duke.Thesamepatent invests himalso with the lathe of marquis of Clydesdale,earlofArran andCambridge, and lord Avon and Innerdale. By one ofthosestrangeandsudden reverses, however, to which the favourites ofkingsaresosubject, the duke was thrown into prison by that very sovereignwhobutashort while since had loaded him with titles and honours.
Various misrepresentations of the dukeus conduct in Scotlandhadreachedthekingus ears. He was charged with unfaithfulness to thetrustreposedin him;of speaking disrespectfully of the king; andofstillentertaining viewsupon the Scottish crown. Theseaccusations,absurd,incredible, andcontradictory to facts as they were,had been sooftenrepeated, and sourgently pressed on the unfortunateanddistractedmonarch, that they atlength shook his faith in hisearlyfriend.Deserted, opposed, and harassedupon all hands, he waspreparedtobelieve in any instance of treachery thatmight occur, andclingingtoevery hope, however slender, which presenteditself, was tooapttoimagine that the accusation of others was a proofoffriendshiptohimself on the part of the accuser.
The kingus altered opinion regarding him having reached theearsoftheduke, he instantly hastened, accompanied by his brother,theearlofLanark, who was also involved in the accusation, toOxford,wherehismajesty then was. Conscious of his innocence, the duke,onhisarrival,sought an audience of the king, that he might, atapersonalinterview,disabuse him of the unfavourable reports which hehadheardregardinghim. An order, however, had been left at the gates tostophimuntil thegovernor should have notice of his arrival. Through amistakeofthecaptain of the guard, the carriage which contained thedukewasallowedto pass unchallenged, but was immediately followedwithacommanddirectly from the king himself, that the duke andhisbrothershouldconfine themselves to their apartments. This intimationofthekingusdisposition towards him was soon followed bystillmoreunequivocalindications. Next day a guard was placed on hislodgings,withordersthat, no one should speak with him but in presence ofoneofthesecretaries; and finally, notwithstanding allhisprotestationsofinnocence, and earnest requests to be confronted withhisaccusers,hewas sent a prisoner, first to Exeter, and afterwardstoPendenniscastlein Cornwall. His brother, who had also beenorderedintoconfinement inLudlow castle, contrived to make his escapebeforehisremoval, andreturned to Scotland; a circumstance whichincreasedtheseverity withwhich the duke was treated. His servants weredeniedaccessto him, hismoney was taken from him; and he was refused theuseofwritingmaterials, unless to be employed in petitioning theking,aprivilegewhich was still left to him, but which availed him little,asitdid notprocure him any indulgence in his confinement, oreffectanychange inthe sentiments of the king regarding him. Whilst aprisonerinPendenniscastle, the dukeus amiable and gentle manners so farwonuponthegovernor of that fortress, that he not only gave himmorelibertythanhis instructions warranted, but offered to allow himtoescape. Withamagnanimity, however, but rarely to be met with, thedukerefusedtoavail himself of a kindness which would involve hisgenerouskeeperinruin. The intimacy between the governor and the dukereaching theearsofthe court, the latter was instantly removed to thecastle ofStMichaelusMount at Landus End, where he remained a closeprisoner tillthemonth ofApril, 1646, when he was released, after anunmeritedconfinementofeight and twenty months, on the surrender of theplacetotheparliamentary forces. Feeling now that disgust with theworld,whichthetreatment he had met with was so well calculated toinspire,thedukeresolved to retire from it for ever. From thisresolution,however,hisaffection for the king, which, notwithstanding thehard usagehehadreceived at his hands, remained as warm and sincere asever,inducedhimonce more to depart; and when that unhappy monarch,drivenfromEngland,sought protection from the Scottish army at Newcastle,thedukeofHamilton was amongst the first to wait upon him there,withoffersofassistance and consolation; and this at a time too, whenhewasabandonedby many on whom he had much better, or atleast,moreunqualified claims.When the king and the duke first met onthisoccasion,both blushed; andthe latter in the confusion of themoment,aftersaluting his majesty,was about to retire into the crowd whichfilledtheapartment, when theking asked him 'If he was afraid to comenearhim.'The duke returned,and a long and earnest conversationensuedbetweenthem. The kingapologised for his treatment of him, andconcludedbyrequesting that hewould not now leave him in the midst ofhisdistresses.The appeal wasnot made in vain. The duke once moreembarkedwith all hisformer zeal inthe cause of his beloved master, andmade everyeffort toretrieve hisdesperate fortunes. These efforts werevain, butthey havesecured forhim who made them a lasting and anhonourable fame;and nowthat theconflicting opinions of the times in whichhe lived havelongsince beennumbered with the things that were, we canrecognise intheconduct ofJames, first duke of Hamilton, only a nobleexample ofunshakenanddevoted loyalty.
When the question, whether the king, now in the handsoftheScottishmalcontents, should be delivered up to hisEnglishsubjects,wasdiscussed in the Scottish parliament, the dukeexertedhisutmostinfluence and power to prevent its being carriedintheaffirmative.'Would Scotland,' he exclaimed, in anelegantandenthusiastic speechwhich he made on the occasion, 'WouldScotlandnowquit a possession offifteen hundred yearsu date, which wastheirinterestin their sovereign,and quit it to those whose enmity againstbothhim andthemselves did nowso visibly appear? Was this theeffect oftheirprotestations of duty andaffection to his majesty?Was thistheir keepingof their covenant,wherein they had sworn to defendthekingus majesty,person, andauthority? Was this a suitable returntothe kingus goodness,both in hisconsenting to all the desires ofthatkingdom in the year1641, and inhis late trusting his persontothem? What censure would bepassed uponthis through thewholeworld? What a stain would it be tothewholereformedreligion? What danger might be apprehended inconsequenceofit,both to the kingus person and to Scotland from the partythatwasnowprevalent in England?' The dukeus brother, the earlofLanark, wasnotless earnest in his opposition to the disgracefulproposal,and whenhisvote was asked, he exclaimed with much energy, 'AsGod shallhavemercyupon my soul at the great day, I would choose rather tohavemyheadstruck off at the Market-cross of Edinburgh than give myconsenttothisvote.' These generous efforts of the noble brothers,however, asiswellknown, were unavailing, the measure was carried,andtheunfortunatemonarch was delivered into the hands oftheEnglishparliament.
Defeated in his attempts to prevent the kingus being given uptohisEnglishsubjects; the duke, still hoping to avert theconsummationofhisunfortunate sovereignus misfortunes, now entertainedtheideaofrelieving him by force of arms. Encouraged in thisprojectbysomethinglike a reaction of public feeling in favour of theking,and,sanctionedby the vote of the estates, though not of the kirkofScotland,heproceeded to raise an army with which he proposed tomarchintoEngland,where he expected to meet with an activeandpowerfulco-operation fromthe royalists of that kingdom. With theseviews,hehastily collectedtogether a force of 10,000 foot and 4000cavalry,andwith this army,which, besides the inadequacy of itsnumbers,wasindifferentlyappointed, ill disciplined, and unaccompaniedbyartillery,he marchedinto England. Passing Carlisle, where he wasreceivedwithringing ofbells and other demonstrations of welcome, hecontinuedhismarch byPenrith, Appleby, and Kendal, driving before himdetachedbodiesofCromwellus troops, and finally reached Preston on the17thofAugust,where he was opposed by Cromwell in person withhisveteranbattalions;and notwithstanding that the duke had beenreinforcedsince heenteredEngland, by 3000 to 1000 loyalists under SirMarmadukeLangdale,andafterwards by 2000 foot and 1000 horse, commanded bySirGeorgeMunro,the result of various skirmishes which here took place,wasthetotaldefeat of his army. The duke himself, accompanied by afewofficersandcavalry, proceeded on to Uttoxeter in Staffordshire,wherehesurrenderedto Lambert, on assurance of personal safety to himselfandhisfollowers.The unfortunate duke was now carried toDerby,thencetoAshby-de-la-Zouchie, where he remained till December, whenhewasremovedto Windsor, and placed under a strong guard. On thesecondlnightof hisconfinement here, while taking a turn after supperiuthecourtyard, asergeant made up to him, and, with the utmostinsolenceofmanner,ordered him to his apartment: the duke obeyed, butremarkedtolordBargeny, who was then a prisoner also that what had justhappenedwasasingular instance of the mutability of worldly thingsvthat hewho,butashort while since, had the command of many thousandmen,wasnowcommanded by a common sergeant.
A few days after the dukeus arrival at Windsor, hisill-fatedmaster,whowas then also a prisoner there, was ordered fortrials.Havinglearnedwhen the king was to proceed to the tribunal, thedukeprevailedupon hiskeepers to allow him to see his majesty as hepassed. Ontheapproach ofthe king, he threw himself at his feet,exclaiming in anagonyof sorrow,his eyes suffused with tears, ttMy dearmaster!' The king,notlessaffected, stooped down and embraced him,replying, with amelancholyplayupon the word dear, 'I have indeed been soto you.' Theguardswouldpermit no further conversation, but, by the orderoftheircommander,instantly hurried ooff the king. The duke followedhisbelovedmaster,with his eyes still swimming in tears, so long as hecouldseehim,impressed with the belief that they would never meetonearthagain.Aware from the kingus execution, which soon after tookplace,thatasimilar fate awaited him, the duke, with the assistanceofafaithfulservant, effected his escape from Windsor. Two horseswaitedataconvenient place to carry him and his servant to London,wherehehopedto conceal himself until an opportunity occurred of gettingtoaplace ofgreater safety ; but he was instructed not on anyaccounttoenter thecity till seven ouclock in the morning, when thenightpatrols,whoprowled about the town and suburbs, should have retiredfrontduty. Byanunaccountable fatality, the unfortunate duke neglectedtoattend tothismost important injunction, and entered the city atfourouclock inthemorning. As if every thing had resolved to concur inthedestructionofthe unfortunate nobleman, besides the risk which he ranas amatterofcourse from the patrol, it happened that there was a partyofhorseandfoot in Southwark, where the duke entered, searching forSirLewisDivesand another gentleman, who had also escaped fromconfinementthenightbefore. By these the duke was taken while in the actof knockingatadoor where he had been long seeking admittance. At firstheimposeduponthe soldiers by a plausible story, and as they didnotknowhimpersonally, they were disposed to allow him todepart;butsomesuspicious circumstances attracting their notice, theysearchedhim,andfound in his pockets some papers which at once discoveredhim. Hewashowcarried to St. Jamesus, where he was kept a close prisonertillthe6thof February, 1648, when he was brought to trial before thehighCourtofJustice, and arraigned as earl of Cambridge,forhaving'traitorouslyinvaded this station (England) in a hostilemanner,andlevied war toassist the king against the kingdom and peopleofEngland,&c.' The dukepled that he was an alien, and that his lifebesideswassecured by thearticles of his capitulation to Lambert. To thefirstitwas replied,that he always sat as a peer of England, and assuchhadtaken thecovenant and negative oath. With regard to thesecondobjection,it wasaffirmed by two witnesses, lords Grey and Lilburn,thathe wastakenprisoner before the treaty was signed. After alengthenedtrial, inwhichnone of his objections availed him, theunfortunatenoblemanwassentenced to be beheaded on the 9th of March. Thewhole tenorofthedukeus conduct after sentence of death was passed uponhim,evincedthegreatest magnanimity and resignation. He wrote to hisbrotherinfavourof his servants, and on the morning before hisexecution,addressedaletter to his children, recommending them to theprotectionoftheirheavenly Father, now that they were about to be deprivedofhimself.Heslept soundly on the night previous to his death,untilhalf-pastthreein the morning, when he was attended by hisfaithfulservant Cole,theperson who had assisted him in his attemptedescape. Tohim he now,withthe utmost composure, gave a variety ofdirections to becarried tohisbrother. The remainder of the morning, up tonine ouclock,he spentindevotion. At this hour he was desired to preparefor thescaffold,whichhe soon after ascended with a smiling andcheerfulcountenance,attendedby Dr Sibbald. After again spending some timeinsecret prayer,he arose,and embracing Dr Sibbaid, said, laying hishandupon his heart,'I blessGod I do not fear - I have an assurance thatisgrounded here;'he nextembraced his servants severally, saying to eachofthem, 'You havebeenvery faithful to me, the Lord bless you.'
Turning now to the executioner, he desired to know howheshouldplacehimself to receive the fatal stroke. Having beensatisfiedregardingthisfearful particular, he told the executioner, thatafter hehadplacedhimself in the necessary position, he would say a shortprayer,andthathe would extend his right hand as the signal for his doinghisduty.Henow stretched himself along, and placed his neck readyfortheblow,prayed a short while with much appearance of fervour, thengavethefatalsignal, and with one stroke his head was severed from hisbody.
The head of the unfortunate nobleman was received inacrimsontaffetascarf, by two of his servants, who knelt beside himforthepurpose ofperforming this last act of duty for their kind master.
The dukeus head and body were placed in a coffin which layreadyonthescaffold, and conveyed to a house in the Mews,andafterwards,agreeablyto his own directions before his death, conveyedtoScotland,andinterred in the family burying ground.
Thus perished James, duke of Hamilton, a nobleman whosefortitudeathisdeath gives but little countenance to the charge oftimiditywhichhasbeen insinuated against him, and whose zeal for, andadherenceto,theroyal cause, in the most desperate and tryingcircumstances,affordlessencouragement to the accusation of infidelity tohis sovereignwithwhichhe has been also assailed.
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1 _UID 660D2B3C15511E4E8B5862AE62238F19CC84
1 REFN M21314
Thomas
Schäfer
