Andrew Sinclair (privy counsellor)

Herr
Anders Sincklar af Ravenscraig
Rigsråd
In office
1617–1625
Envoy to England
In office
1604–1621
Lensmand
In office
1600–1625
Personal details
Born Andrew Sinclair
(1555-01-01)January 1, 1555
Dysart, Fife, Scotland [1]
Died January 17, 1625(1625-01-17) (aged 70)
Spouse(s)
Kirsten Kaas (m. 1600)
Children
  • Jakob Sinclair
  • Johanne Andersdatter Sinclair
  • Erik Sinclair
  • Christian Sinclair (1607–1645)
Military service
Service/branch Danish Army
Years of service 1611–1625
Rank Colonel
Unit Scanian Regiment
Battles/wars
Awards Knight of the Armed Arm

Sir Andrew Sinclair of Ravenscraig, in Denmark known as Anders Sincklar (Sinklar, Sinclar), til Ravenscraig og Sincklarsholm, born 1555, died 1625, was a Scotsman of noble birth, who became a Danish privy counsellor, envoy to England, colonel, and holder of extensive fiefs.

Early life

Sinclair was the third son of Henry, fifth Lord Sinclair, and Janet Lindsay, in his fathers first marriage.[2][3] For a period he was brought up at the court of Henry I, Duke of Guise. It is assumed that Sinclair came to Denmark in connection with the marriage between King James VI and Anne of Denmark. He became hofjunker to Christian IV of Denmark in 1591, and in 1597 kammerjunker to the queen, Anne Catherine of Brandenburg. After his marriage 1600, Sinclair left the court, and became a fief-holder in Skåne. Sinclair fought in the Kalmar war as captain of a company of the King's regiment of foot, and participated in the Danish capture of Öland. After the Danish capture of Kalmar he became military governor of the city.[4][5][6]

Political role

Christian IV aggressive policy towards Sweden was met with reluctance and skepticism in Skåne, since the province would be the first to feel the impact of war in case of hostilities. The King needed faithful supporters in the province, and hence Sinclair was made colonel of the Scanian Regiment in 1615, and became recipient of a number of land donations. The following year he was made one of a very limited number of knights of the Order of the Armed Arm. In 1617 Sinclair became a member of the privy council of the Danish realm; the King needed loyal followers in that august body, as its resistance towards his foreign policy was mounting. He was the King's confidential adviser in matters concerning Great Britain, utilizing his many friends and connections to Danish advantage, especially James VI, with whom he was in great favour. Sinclair was the Danish King's envoy in Britain a number of times between 1606 and 1621, managing to influence James VI into adopting a more pro-Danish, and less pro-Swedish, stance.[7] At the same time Sinclair acted as the British King's emissary at the Danish court.[8][9]

Personal life

In 1600, Sinclair married Kirsten Eriksdatter Kaas, in a ceremony at the Royal Palace. She was maid of honour to the Queen, and of the Danish noble family af Sparre.[10] They had three sons, and one daughter; Jakob (James) Sinclair (who also served James VI), Johanne Andersdatter Sinclair, Erik Sinclair, and Christian Sinclair.[3][11] Sinclair had Gladsaxehus as a fief, 1600–1620; Gislöv from 1613; Landskrona 1619–1621, then exchanged against Hammershus. The King gave him Sandby in Göinge as allodial possession; in the vicinity he began to build Sinclairsholm, which, however, was not completed until after his death.[7] He also held Kronovall until his death.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Sir Andrew SINCLAIR Of Danish Rigsraad. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  2. ↑ Goldring, Elizabeth & al., eds. (2014). John Nichols's The Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth.Oxford University Press, vol. 3, p. 753, note 182.
  3. 1 2 "Anders Sinclair, (Andrew)." Skeel & Kannegaard Genealogy. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
  4. ↑ Christensen, Christian Villads (1901). "Sinclair, Andrew". Dansk Biografisk Lexikon. Kjøbenhavn, Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, vol. 15, pp. 611–612 Retrieved 2016-12-11.
  5. ↑ Grosjean, Alexia (2003). "A century of Scottish governorship", in: MacKillop, Andrew & Murdoch, Steve (eds). Military Governors and Imperial Frontiers c. 1600–1800: A Study of Scotland and Empires. Leiden: Brill, pp. 9–10.
  6. ↑ "Sinclar, Anders til Ravenscraig og Sinklarsholm". Officer – adelsvælden. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
  7. 1 2 Tandrup, Leo. "Andrew Sinclair". Dansk Biografisk Leksikon, 3. ed., Gyldendal 1979–84. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  8. ↑ Murdoch, Steve (2001). "Scottish ambassadors and British diplomacy 1618–1635", in: Murdoch, Steve (ed.), Scotland and the Thirty Years' War: 1618–1648. Leiden: Brill, p. 46-47.
  9. ↑ Brown, Keith M. (2011 ). Noble Power in Scotland from the Reformation to the Revolution. University of Edinburgh Press, p. 189.
  10. ↑ "Kirsten Eriksdatter Kaas, af Sparre". Skeel & Kannegaard Genealogy. Retrieved 2016-12-111.
  11. ↑ Murdoch, Steve (2005). "Children of the Diaspora: the 'homecoming' of the second generation Scot in the seventeenth century," in: Harper, Marjory (ed), Emigrant Homecomings: The Return Movements of Emigrants, 1600–2000. , Manchester University Press, pp. 66, 68.
  12. ↑ Kronovall, Sverige Retrieved 2016-12-11.
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