Ralph Sadler
Encyclopedia
Sir Ralph Sadler, PC
, Knight banneret
(1507 – 30 March 1587) was an English
statesman of the 16th century, and served as a Secretary of State
for King Henry VIII
.
, Middlesex
, the elder son of Henri Sadler. The second son, John Sadler
, was the possibly the grandfather of Hamnet Sadler, the older friend and mentor after whom William Shakespeare
named his only son, Hamnet, and may also have influenced the name of the Shakespearian play Hamlet
. Roger Ascham
compared Sadler's appearance in terms of complexion, countenance and beard to Duke Maurice
, although the Duke was taller. Sadler is also represented by his tomb effigy at Standon, and a portrait. Sir Ralph's father was originally from Warwickshire, but later settled in Hackney. He was a minor official in the service of the Marquess of Dorset
and Sir Edward Belknap
.
's will. Around 1536, he was made a gentleman of the King's privy chamber
, became M.P. for Hindon, Wiltshire
and was soon sent to Scotland
to investigate complaints made by Margaret Tudor
(the King's sister) against her third husband, Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven
, and to improve Anglo-Scottish relations. He succeeded in both respects. On 1 April 1537, Ralph met James V of Scotland
, newly married to Madeleine of Valois, at Rouen
.
The King was pleased with Sadler's work, and sent him again to Scotland, this time to discourage the King of Scotland, James V, from accepting Cardinal Beaton's
proposed Franco-Scottish alliance. Sadler failed in that respect, but the King was nonetheless impressed with his work. In 1538 he was knighted and in 1539 elected knight of the shire (MP) for Middlesex
. In 1540, he became one of the two Secretaries of State, made a privy council
lor, and began more than 30 year of service representing Hertfordshire
in Parliament. He later (1545) represented Preston
.
After the Battle of Solway Moss
, Sadler was sent to Scotland again, this time to arrange a marriage between the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, and Edward, Prince of Wales
; he was again successful, although the marriage was not concluded. On 10 August 1543 he wrote to Henry VIII describing a visit to Mary of Guise
and the infant Queen at Stirling Castle
;
By November Sadler moved from Edinburgh to Tantallon Castle
, which belonged to the Earl of Angus
and with his commission to Scotland revoked, the Earl's kinsmen
conveyed Sadler to Berwick upon Tweed on 11 December 1543. All of his work in solidifying Anglo-Scottish relations, was for naught because war broke out, after the Scots rejected the marriage treaty made at Greenwich
in December 1543.
Sadler accompanied the Earl of Hertford
on his campaign as treasurer of the army, then filled that position again in 1545. Sadler had been replaced by William Paget
as Secretary of State, owing to his frequent absences on diplomatic missions, but was appointed Master of the Great Wardrobe in 1543. When Henry VIII died in 1547, he had already appointed Sadler onto the council of regency that would rule England during Edward VI's minority and left him £200 in his will.
Sadler again accompanied Lord Hertford, this time at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
as High Treasurer of the Army. In recognition of his services during the fighting, Sadler was made a knight banneret
, a position "above a knight and next to a baron
". Sadler was present when Stephen Gardiner
, Bishop of Winchester
, was arrested, and he also accompanied the force that put down Robert Kett's Norfolk Rebellion
. He was one of the signatories of Edward's will, but remained in semi-retirement during Queen Mary of England's
reign.
During Elizabeth's
reign Sadler was sent to Scotland 8 August 1559 to arrange an alliance with the Scottish Protestants
, and forward the cause of the Lords of the Congregation
and Duke of Chatelherault
. After the English became directly involved in the fighting at the Battle of Leith
, he was one of the architects of the Treaty of Edinburgh
. In 1568 he was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
, and when Mary, Queen of Scots, fled to England, Sadler was unwillingly appointed to meet with the Scottish commissioners regarding that problem. He was sent to arrest the Duke of Norfolk
during the Rising of the Northern Earls, and was unwillingly appointed gaoler of Mary, Queen of Scots. After the Babington Plot
, Sadler was also on the council that sentenced Mary to death.
's novel Wolf Hall
, which gives a fictional portrayal of his youth and early manhood living in the household of Thomas Cromwell. He is also a minor character in Philippa Gregory
's book The Other Queen
, with an account given of the time he spent as the Queen of Scots' gaoler.
Privy Council of England
The Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
, Knight banneret
Knight banneret
A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner and were eligible to bear supporters in English heraldry.The military rank of a knight banneret was...
(1507 – 30 March 1587) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
statesman of the 16th century, and served as a Secretary of State
Secretary of State (England)
In the Kingdom of England, the title of Secretary of State came into being near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I , the usual title before that having been King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary....
for King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
.
Background
Sadler was possibly born in HackneyHackney (parish)
Hackney was a parish in the historic county of Middlesex. The parish church of St John-at-Hackney was built in 1789, replacing the nearby former 16th century parish church dedicated to St Augustine . The original tower of that church was retained to hold the bells until the new church could be...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, the elder son of Henri Sadler. The second son, John Sadler
John Sadler
John Leonard Sadler is an English first-class cricketer, representing Derbyshire. He has previously played for several major teams in the English league including Leicestershire, Yorkshire Cricket Board and Yorkshire.Sadler missed most of the 2005 season through injury, after a Brett Lee bouncer...
, was the possibly the grandfather of Hamnet Sadler, the older friend and mentor after whom William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
named his only son, Hamnet, and may also have influenced the name of the Shakespearian play Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. Roger Ascham
Roger Ascham
Roger Ascham was an English scholar and didactic writer, famous for his prose style, his promotion of the vernacular, and his theories of education...
compared Sadler's appearance in terms of complexion, countenance and beard to Duke Maurice
Maurice, Elector of Saxony
Maurice was Duke and later Elector of Saxony. His clever manipulation of alliances and disputes gained the Albertine branch of the Wettin dynasty extensive lands and the electoral dignity....
, although the Duke was taller. Sadler is also represented by his tomb effigy at Standon, and a portrait. Sir Ralph's father was originally from Warwickshire, but later settled in Hackney. He was a minor official in the service of the Marquess of Dorset
Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset
Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, KG, KB was an English peer, courtier, soldier and landowner, the grandfather of Lady Jane Grey, briefly Queen of England.-Early life:...
and Sir Edward Belknap
Edward Belknap
Sir Edward Belknap was active in the service of the English crown, both on the battlefield and as a court official, during the 16th and 17th centuries....
.
Career
At a young age, Ralph Sadler was likely taken into the household of Thomas Cromwell. Ralph's name appears in the list of administrators named for Catherine of AragonCatherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
's will. Around 1536, he was made a gentleman of the King's privy chamber
Privy chamber
A Privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The gentlemen of the Privy chamber were servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King and Queen at court during their various activities, functions and entertainments....
, became M.P. for Hindon, Wiltshire
Hindon (UK Parliament constituency)
Hindon was a parliamentary borough consisting of the village of Hindon in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1448 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act...
and was soon sent to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to investigate complaints made by Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
(the King's sister) against her third husband, Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven
Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven
Henry Stewart, 1st Lord Methven was Master of the Scottish Artillery and third husband of Margaret Tudor, eldest daughter of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York.-Ancient lineage:...
, and to improve Anglo-Scottish relations. He succeeded in both respects. On 1 April 1537, Ralph met James V of Scotland
James V of Scotland
James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss...
, newly married to Madeleine of Valois, at Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
.
The King was pleased with Sadler's work, and sent him again to Scotland, this time to discourage the King of Scotland, James V, from accepting Cardinal Beaton's
David Beaton
The Most Rev. Dr. David Cardinal Beaton was Archbishop of St Andrews and the last Scottish Cardinal prior to the Reformation.-Career:...
proposed Franco-Scottish alliance. Sadler failed in that respect, but the King was nonetheless impressed with his work. In 1538 he was knighted and in 1539 elected knight of the shire (MP) for Middlesex
Middlesex (UK Parliament constituency)
Middlesex is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885....
. In 1540, he became one of the two Secretaries of State, made a privy council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
lor, and began more than 30 year of service representing Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Hertfordshire was a county constituency covering the county of Hertfordshire in England. It returned two Knights of the Shire to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in Parliament. He later (1545) represented Preston
Preston (UK Parliament constituency)
Preston is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
.
After the Battle of Solway Moss
Battle of Solway Moss
The Battle of Solway Moss took place on Solway Moss near the River Esk on the English side of the Anglo-Scottish Border in November 1542 between forces from England and Scotland.-Background:...
, Sadler was sent to Scotland again, this time to arrange a marriage between the infant Mary, Queen of Scots, and Edward, Prince of Wales
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
; he was again successful, although the marriage was not concluded. On 10 August 1543 he wrote to Henry VIII describing a visit to Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise
Mary of Guise was a queen consort of Scotland as the second spouse of King James V. She was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and served as regent of Scotland in her daughter's name from 1554 to 1560...
and the infant Queen at Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
;
"(Mary of Guise) is very glad that she is at Stirling, and much she praised there about the house, and told me, "That her daughter did grow apace; and soon," she said, "she would be a woman, if she took of her mother;" who indeed, is of the largest stature of women. And therefore she caused also the child to be brought to me, to the intent I might see her, assuring your majesty, that she is a right fair and goodly child, as any that I have seen for her age."
By November Sadler moved from Edinburgh to Tantallon Castle
Tantallon Castle
Tantallon Castle is a mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth...
, which belonged to the Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots...
and with his commission to Scotland revoked, the Earl's kinsmen
Clan Douglas
Clan Douglas is an ancient Scottish kindred from the Scottish Lowlands taking its name from Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and thence spreading through the Scottish Borderland, Angus, Lothian and beyond. The clan does not currently have a chief, therefore it is considered an armigerous clan.The...
conveyed Sadler to Berwick upon Tweed on 11 December 1543. All of his work in solidifying Anglo-Scottish relations, was for naught because war broke out, after the Scots rejected the marriage treaty made at Greenwich
Treaty of Greenwich
The Treaty of Greenwich contained two agreements both signed on July 1, 1543 in Greenwich between representatives of England and Scotland. The accord, overall, entailed a plan developed by Henry VIII of England to unite both kingdoms...
in December 1543.
Sadler accompanied the Earl of Hertford
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
on his campaign as treasurer of the army, then filled that position again in 1545. Sadler had been replaced by William Paget
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget of Beaudesert , was an English statesman and accountant who held prominent positions in the service of Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I.-Early life:...
as Secretary of State, owing to his frequent absences on diplomatic missions, but was appointed Master of the Great Wardrobe in 1543. When Henry VIII died in 1547, he had already appointed Sadler onto the council of regency that would rule England during Edward VI's minority and left him £200 in his will.
Sadler again accompanied Lord Hertford, this time at the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
Battle of Pinkie Cleugh
The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland on 10 September 1547, was part of the War of the Rough Wooing. It was the last pitched battle between Scottish and English armies, and is seen as the first modern battle in the British Isles...
as High Treasurer of the Army. In recognition of his services during the fighting, Sadler was made a knight banneret
Knight banneret
A knight banneret, sometimes known simply as banneret, was a Medieval knight who led a company of troops during time of war under his own banner and were eligible to bear supporters in English heraldry.The military rank of a knight banneret was...
, a position "above a knight and next to a baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
". Sadler was present when Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner
Stephen Gardiner was an English Roman Catholic bishop and politician during the English Reformation period who served as Lord Chancellor during the reign of Queen Mary I of England.-Early life:...
, Bishop of Winchester
Bishop of Winchester
The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and...
, was arrested, and he also accompanied the force that put down Robert Kett's Norfolk Rebellion
Kett's Rebellion
Kett's Rebellion was a revolt in Norfolk, England during the reign of Edward VI. The rebellion was in response to the enclosure of land. It began in July 1549 but was eventually crushed by forces loyal to the English crown....
. He was one of the signatories of Edward's will, but remained in semi-retirement during Queen Mary of England's
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
reign.
During Elizabeth's
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
reign Sadler was sent to Scotland 8 August 1559 to arrange an alliance with the Scottish Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, and forward the cause of the Lords of the Congregation
Lords of the Congregation
The Lords of the Congregation were a group of Protestant Scottish nobles who in the mid-16th century favoured reformation of the church along Protestant principles and a Scottish-English alliance.- Historical events :...
and Duke of Chatelherault
James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran
James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran was a Scottish nobleman and soldier who fought against French troops during the Scottish Reformation....
. After the English became directly involved in the fighting at the Battle of Leith
Siege of Leith
The Siege of Leith ended a twelve year encampment of French troops at Leith, the port near Edinburgh, Scotland. The French troops arrived by invitation in 1548 and left in 1560 after the English arrived to assist in removing them from Scotland...
, he was one of the architects of the Treaty of Edinburgh
Treaty of Edinburgh
The Treaty of Edinburgh was a treaty drawn up on 5 July 1560 between the Commissioners of Queen Elizabeth I with the assent of the Scottish Lords of the Congregation, and French representatives in Scotland to formally conclude the Siege of Leith and replace the Auld Alliance with France with a new...
. In 1568 he was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
, and when Mary, Queen of Scots, fled to England, Sadler was unwillingly appointed to meet with the Scottish commissioners regarding that problem. He was sent to arrest the Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was an English nobleman.Norfolk was the son of the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. He was taught as a child by John Foxe, the Protestant martyrologist, who remained a lifelong recipient of Norfolk's patronage...
during the Rising of the Northern Earls, and was unwillingly appointed gaoler of Mary, Queen of Scots. After the Babington Plot
Babington Plot
The Babington Plot was a Catholic plot in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the English throne. It led to the execution of Mary. The long-term goal was an invasion by the Spanish forces of King Philip II and the Catholic league in...
, Sadler was also on the council that sentenced Mary to death.
Private life
Sadler died in 1587 at Standon, Hertfordshire. He had bigamously married Ellen, the daughter of John Mitchell of Much Hadham, Hertfordshire and the widow of Matthew Barr. They had at least three sons, including Henry and Thomas, and four daughters.Works
Sadler is one of the few Renaissance statesmen for whom we have extant Parliamentary orations, including a speech on succession in 1563 and one on subsidy in 1566. Copies of these orations appear the three volume 1809 publication of his letters, which includes a biography by Walter Scott.Fictional portrayals
Sadler is one of the major characters in Hilary MantelHilary Mantel
Hilary Mary Mantel CBE , née Thompson, is an English novelist, short story writer and critic. Her work, ranging in subject from personal memoir to historical fiction, has been short-listed for major literary awards...
's novel Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall is a multi-award winning historical novel by English author Hilary Mantel, published by Fourth Estate. Set in the period from 1500 to 1535, Wolf Hall is a fictionalized biography documenting the rapid rise to power of Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex in the court of Henry VIII of...
, which gives a fictional portrayal of his youth and early manhood living in the household of Thomas Cromwell. He is also a minor character in Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory is an English novelist.-Early life and academic career:Philippa Gregory was born in Kenya. When she was two years old, her family moved to England. She was a "rebel" at school, but managed to attend the University of Sussex...
's book The Other Queen
The Other Queen
The Other Queen is a novel by British author Philippa Gregory, released in the United Kingdom in September 2008 and the United States in October 2008. It was released in Australia in June 2008. It covers the period of Mary, Queen of Scots' long imprisonment in England...
, with an account given of the time he spent as the Queen of Scots' gaoler.
External links
- Clifford, Arthur, ed., Sadler State Papers, vol. 1, Edinburgh (1809)
- Clifford, Arthur, ed., Sadler State Papers, vol. 2, Edinburgh (1809)
- Sadleir Stoney, F., Life and Times of Ralph Sadleir, Longman (1877)
- National Register of Archives, holdings indexed as relating to Sir Ralph Sadler