Diplomatic counsel and the shaping of Anglo-Scottish relations (1558-69): the British perspectives of Nicholas Throckmorton and Thomas Randolph

Thesis

This thesis combines debates on the nature of politics and counsel in Elizabeth's first reign with strands of the ‘new diplomatic history’. These distinct fields of study intersect on a theme at the heart of this thesis: the importance of socio-political networks at home and abroad to the formation and sustenance of political careers, and individuals’ access to channels of counsel that enabled them to exert political influence.

This is a thesis with two clear but intimately related approaches: the first three chapters explore the nature and practices of diplomatic counsel from the perspectives of Nicholas Throckmorton and Thomas Randolph. They examine how well Randolph and Throckmorton’s education and experience fitted that of the ideal ambassador outlined in the prescriptive literature, and how their level of socio-political integration into the early Elizabethan regime affected the political influence they were able to exert, the avenues of counselling open to them, and the strategies of counsel they could employ. The final seven chapters then consider how these factors affected their ability to perform their diplomatic roles within the wider framework of Anglo-Scottish diplomacy. It highlights the relationships between diplomats abroad and councillors at the English court, the limits of diplomatic agency, and how diplomats used their privileged access to intelligence and foreign potentates to construct counsel that forwarded their preferred policies.

Focusing on Anglo-Scottish relations from the perspective of the diplomats on the ground rather than Elizabeth and her ministers, this thesis provides fresh insight into the key issues underpinning English policy toward Scotland in the 1560s: the assumption of a British Protestant ideological approach to Anglo-Scottish relations amongst members of the English and Scottish regimes; the contentious issue of Mary, Queen of Scots’ place in the English succession; the Darnley marriage; and English responses to Mary’s deposition in 1567.

Authors: Smith, V

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-j0darzxzb
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English