Albert Fontenay
Albert Fontenay or Fontaine was a French servant of Mary, Queen of Scots and acted as her diplomat in Scotland in 1584. Fontenay wrote a frequently cited description of the young James VI of Scotland. Some of his correspondence with Mary, Queen of Scots, was decipherered and published by Sheila R. Richards in 1974.
French lawyers and secretaries and Mary's service
Albert Fontenay was a chancellor or chamberlain to Mary, and secretary of her council, an administrator of her estates and dowry lands in France. Mary's supporter James Beaton, the exiled Archbishop of Glasgow was a key figure in her French affairs. Fontenay was related to other lawyers working for Mary, and was frequently described as a half-brother or brother of Mary's secretary Claude Nau, who was a son of Sebastian Nau and Claire Regnault. Mary mentioned him a letter of 1 October 1584 "le frere de mon secretaire nommé Fontenoy", and Fontenay wrote to Claude Nau as "mon frére".Claude Nau wrote to Fontenay as "Albert". Nau mentioned the death of a sister-in-law, "de Lespine" in 1585, the wife of their older brother. They had a cousin, "de Beauvois". Fontenay's family connections are mentioned in Mary's letters, but were misinterpreted by older writers and historians such as Agnes Strickland. Fontenay was identified as Claude Nau. It has also been suggested that Fontenay was a "uterine sibling" of Claude Nau, having the same mother, but this does not seem compatible with Claire Regnault's epitaph. Fontenay's family relationships with other members of Mary's council and secretariat are unclear.
Claude Nau mentions their older brother, whose wife, who died in 1584, was their sister-in-law "de Lespine". Jean Champhuon, sieur du Ruisseau, an advocate who married Claude Nau's sister Claire in 1563, was also in Mary's service, from 1575 as master of her accounts, and his brother, Pierre de Champhuon, joined Mary's French council in 1584. Jehan Champhuon was promoted to be Mary's chancellor and keeper of her seals for French administration on 2 May 1585. Fontenay described Ruisseau's affection to their blood relatives of the surname Nau. On 4 January 1592, a courtier described as "Procureur Champhuon" was executed by hanging for conspiracy with Philippe Dallier, an usher of accounts, and a soldier called La Fontaine at a crossroads or in the old market place during the siege of Rouen.
Sieur de Fontenay, equerry
As a territorial designation, "Fontenay" was the name of a French equestrian at the court of James VI and I. By 1611, Julian Bourdin, sieur de Fontenay, was naturalized as denizen of England, and served as squire or equerry to Prince Charles. He was granted an annuity of pension in 1619, as enjoyed by other French riding staff including his kinsman or brother Pierre Antoine Bourdin, seigneur de St Antoine.Fontenay in England and Spain
In August 1577, Claude Nau wrote from Sheffield Manor to his brother or brother-in-law about Mary's discontent with the services of Réné Dolu, a controller of her finances. During a recent visit to England, Dolu made several purchases for Mary in London, including confectionery, lemons for perfume, and a chess set. Nau hoped his relative would get Dolu's job and offered advice, but Dolu remained in post until 1581.Fontenay visited Mary in England in October 1582 and she decided to send him as her diplomat to Spain. He mentioned in 1585 that he had bought valuable commodities in Spain including musk and civet for perfumes.
Fontenay later mentioned arriving with his brother-in-law, Jean de Champhuon, sieur du Ruisseau, to see Mary in England and finding she was out hunting. Du Ruisseau went to London and met Francis Walsingham. Some copies of Fontenay's letter have "Tutbury Castle" as the location, but this was probably a mistake made when Fontenay's letter was deciphered at Tutbury in January 1585 or an interpolation made by Thomas Phelippes. Fontenay wrote a symbol for the location.
Fontenay's letters show that he was aligned with English supporters of Mary, including Thomas Morgan and Charles Paget, and was mistrustful of James Beaton, Archbishop of Glasgow, Mary's primary diplomat in France. He complained that the Archbishop had not written to him while he was in Spain.
Mission to Scotland in 1584
Fontenay travelled to Scotland as a diplomat for Mary in July 1584. At this time she was a prisoner in England at Wingfield Manor. He brought Mary's outlines and plans for her return to Scotland, perhaps even to become a joint ruler with her son. The scheme was known as the "association". Fontenay was optimistic about Mary's plans and opportunities, and in one letter wrote "jamais si belle", that the time was never so good as now.Fontenay arrived at Leith on 4 July. A few days later he sent word to James VI who was at Falkland Palace, and the king sent James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune to meet him. An English diplomat in Edinburgh, William Davison, heard that he brought the king a sword, a gift from the Duke of Guise, and later discovered the gift was from Mary.
James VI welcomed Fontenay, invited him to Falkland and gave him access to the palace. Fontenay presented Mary's sword to James and they had a lighthearted discussion. James said he had been Mary's knight since he was in the cradle at Edinburgh Castle. Years later, an old servant Anthony Standen said he had been knighted by touching Mary's diamond cross on James' cradle clothes. James began to wear a diamond cross at the end of August, and perhaps his choice of jewellery was connected with these recollections and the idea of service to his mother.
On the first Saturday after he arrived, James lent Fontenay a horse, a courser, so that he could follow the hunt. James seemed to like hunting best and would spend six hours in the saddle. James said that he had tried to spend six days in a row looking at the royal accounts, but the effort made him unwell, and he compared his stamina to Spanish jennet, which he characterised as better for a "brave course" or gallop than long endurance. Fontenay thought that the Earl of Arran and the Master of Gray deliberately encouraged the king to pass his time in amusements and recreation, whilst Arran, the Earl of Montrose, and newly appointed Secretary Maitland wielded real power as a triumvirate.
File:Portrait of James I of England and James VI of Scotland.jpg|thumb|right|James VI enjoyed the company of Fontenay without engaging with the proposals he brought from his mother, Mary, Queen of Scots
A heart serves for the name of the king your son
James wrote in French to Mary on 23 July 1584, pleased to welcome Fontenay to Falkland, as one of the first envoys from his mother. He understood that Fontenay intended to broach the topic of their "perfect union and association" which he would "without fail immediately pass" after the return of Lord Seton from France. French policy was to support the "association" and James was not yet fully recognised as ruler. Fontenay was also to declare other secret matters in person. A note written in Fontenay's cipher alphabet says that James asked the writer to pen a heart symbol for his name.The young old man
On 15 August, while staying with the court musician James Lauder in Edinburgh, Fontenay wrote that James VI was intelligent, perceptive, and well-educated. He was however timid and lacked courtly manners. He thought that James was as yet unaware of the comparative lack of wealth of the Scottish crown, that he had made bad choices in his favourite courtiers, and was more interested in hunting and pastime than his proper business. James was a "young old man", the original word order was "vieulx ieune homme", avoiding his political duty as if he heard the "sirens of Socrates". This was a reference to the education of Alcibiades from Plato's Symposium.Fontenay thought the king was at risk, and reminded him of a story from French history, how the kings of the "race of Clovis" or Merovingian dynasty sent their spare heirs to be monks in monasteries. Fontenay was trying to persuade James to make an agreement with his mother. James later described seeing a letter of Mary to Fontenay, which suggested that if James failed to agree terms, and she regained power in Scotland, he would have only the Lordship of Darnley.
Fontenay's letters of August 15 were written in cipher and he mentions his difficulty with composing notes and a text for ciphering and his need for an assistant. The texts were deciphered for Claude Nau and Mary by Jérôme Pasquier. Nau wrote that the letter came to him via France, and there was a long delay before it was deciphered. Fontenay's description of the king is not accurate on every point. He wrote that James disliked and avoided the courtly arts of dance and music, but there are records of his dancing lessons with William Hudson, patronage of musicians, and the purchase of costumes and disguises for him to wear at dances and masques.
Building support for Mary
Fontenay was invited to a banquet at Edinburgh Castle with the English diplomat William Davison. The feast was hosted by the Earl and Countess of Arran. When Elizabeth Stewart, Countess of Arran asked him to attend, Fontenay claimed that the Scottish fare on the menu disagreed with him and he would get colic. This answer made James blush and smile. Fontenay included this story in an account of his negotiations which he later sent to Mary. He wrote that the Earl and Countess of Arran took every opportunity to convince James that Mary would displace him rather than form a partnership, actions which would frustrate his brother Nau's efforts in London in November. He thought they were concerned that if Mary were freed, she might marry and have another heir.Fontenay met Agnes Keith, who was pleased to hear news from Mary. Fontenay liked her because she spoke of her love for Mary. However, Agnes Keith did not now hold much sway with the present regime in Scotland. He thought she would send the "Mademoiselle d'Orkenay" to join Mary's household in England, possibly meaning Mary Stewart, a daughter of Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney who married the Master of Gray in 1585. Fontenay asked Countess of Arran to help relieve Mary, offering her "liberal promises" of Mary's gratitude. He also met one of Mary's consistent allies, Margaret Fleming, Countess of Atholl.
Fontenay wrote of his discussions with Arran as if they were a farce, and he said that Mary's allies in Scotland like the "lord of Briquemault" found his tales of Arran very funny. Arran seemed to threaten him, then insist he take a gift of a diamond jewel. Fontenay gave Arran a skin of Spanish leather. James said he was waiting for a letter of Lord Seton before proceeding with the Association, as an excuse, and Fontenay felt his mission was becoming a failure.
When authorities in Edinburgh impounded Fontenay's luggage, suspected to contain Catholic books forbidden in Scotland, James ordered the return of the diplomat's "cofferis and guids". However, during his conversations with the king, Fontenay was surprised that James did not ask him anything about his mother's life in England, and it became clear that James and his advisors would not move to forward the "association", or support another plan mooted by Mary, which was to invade England with Spanish and French armies. James VI was not very enthusiastic about the plan, known as the "Enterprise of England". He worried that it would go ahead without offering any benefit to him.