The Paradox of the Valentine Thomas Affair: English Diplomacy, Royal Correspondence and the Elizabethan Succession
Date
2021
Authors
Tunstall, E.
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Journal article
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Parergon: Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 2021; 38(1):65-87
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Elizabeth Tunstall
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Abstract
In 1598 the Catholic Valentine Thomas was apprehended near Morpeth in northern England. Thomas’s confession accused King James VI of Scotland of encouraging him to murder Queen Elizabeth I of England. Rumours of Thomas’s confession reached Scotland, transforming it into a matter of Anglo-Scottish diplomacy. This article will focus on the English political context as intensive diplomatic exchanges passed between ambassadors and through the royal correspondence in the search for a resolution. The Valentine Thomas affair was a paradox, for while the plot was minor, its connection to the Elizabethan succession debate turned it into a matter of diplomatic importance.
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© 2021 Elizabeth Tunstall