Christopher Mont facts for kids

Christopher Mont (born in Koblenz, Germany in 1496 or 1497 – died in 1572) was an important diplomat in the 1500s. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in talks with other countries. In 1531, he was given special permission to live and work in England, becoming an agent for Thomas Cromwell, a powerful advisor to King Henry VIII.

Life as a Diplomat

During the time of Henry VIII, Christopher Mont worked as an ambassador to Saxony, a region in Germany. An ambassador is a top diplomat who lives in another country to represent their own.

On October 4, 1531, Mont officially became an English resident. He then started working for Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell used Mont, who spoke German, as an interpreter. Mont also spent his free time translating German history books into Latin. He even earned money for this work.

Missions for King Henry VIII

In July 1533, King Henry VIII sent Mont and another agent, Vaughan, to Germany. Their job was to report back on what was happening politically there. They arrived in Nuremberg in August, and Mont went on to Augsburg. There, he met with leaders of the Swabian League, a group of German states.

Mont was very good at his job and was often sent on missions in Germany. He didn't return to England very often. His bosses were happy with his work, and he was paid on time, which wasn't always the case for other royal servants.

In January 1534, Nicholas Heath joined Mont in Germany. They were given instructions directly from King Henry. Their main task was to talk to German princes. They had to explain King Henry's difficult marriage situation and why he wanted to end his marriage. They also had to explain how the Pope had treated him unfairly. Mont, who supported the new ideas of the Protestant Reformation (called Lutheranism), found this work easy to do. Because of his good service, he was given a yearly payment of £20 for the rest of his life starting in June 1534.

Working with Reformers

In July 1535, Mont and Dr. Simon Heynes were asked to go to France. Their secret mission was to stop France from influencing Germany. Most importantly, they wanted to invite Philipp Melanchthon, a famous German reformer, to England.

Melanchthon was still in Germany, so Mont went to find him. While Mont couldn't convince Melanchthon to come to England, he did persuade him not to visit France. They became friends, and Melanchthon later described Mont as a very smart and educated person. Mont's friendships with important reformers in Germany helped him greatly in his work.

Mont was also good at answering tough questions. For example, in 1539, he had to calm the Germans when King Henry didn't allow priests to marry. He also had a very hard job explaining King Henry's actions regarding his marriage to Anne of Cleves.

Later Years and Alliances

In 1545, Mont worked with another diplomat, Walter Bucler, in Europe. They tried to create an alliance between the German princes, the King of Denmark, and the King of England. An alliance is an agreement to work together. However, this mission didn't lead to any agreements.

When Edward VI became king, Mont lived in Strasbourg and continued to work as an agent. He even served as an ambassador to the city of Zurich. His pension, or regular payment, was still sent to him.

When Mary became queen, Mont was called back to England. But when Elizabeth took the throne, he got his job back. He kept working for her, even though he disagreed with her on some religious matters, like the clothes priests wore (called vestments). He mostly lived in Strasbourg, where he passed away between July and September 1572.

Letters and Writings

Many of Christopher Mont's letters have been saved. These letters are important because they tell us a lot about the history of that time. They can be found in various historical collections and archives. For example, he wrote an interesting letter in 1549 from Strasbourg to the Duke of Somerset. In this letter, he described how the ideas of Lutheranism were spreading.