Claude Nau facts for kids

Claude Nau (died 1605) was a very important secretary for Mary, Queen of Scots. He worked for her in England from 1575 to 1586. Claude Nau helped Mary with her secret letters, using special cipher codes to keep them private.

Claude Nau's Life and Work

Nau was a successful lawyer in Paris. In 1574, the Guise family, who were Mary's relatives, hired him to be her secretary. His brother-in-law, Jean de Champhuon, also worked for Mary. Claude Nau's brother, Albert Fontenay, was also involved in Mary's service.

The Duke of Guise, Mary's nephew, introduced Nau to Henry III of France. The French King gave Nau special permission to act as a diplomat. He sent Nau to meet Elizabeth I of England. Queen Elizabeth then gave Nau a letter to introduce him to the Earl of Shrewsbury. The Earl was Mary's keeper at Sheffield Castle. Nau was well-known to Mary's friend in France, James Beaton, Archbishop of Glasgow. Many of Nau's own letters and mentions of him in Mary's letters still exist today.

In January 1577, Nau sent secret code keys to several people. These included his brother-in-law Jean de Champhuon, Mr Douglas, John Lesley, Bishop of Ross, and Ralph Lygon. These keys were for their secret letters with Mary. In August 1577, Nau added a note to one of Mary's letters to James Beaton. He mentioned he wanted to send Beaton a portrait of the queen. However, the artist at Sheffield Castle had not finished it perfectly yet.

Diplomatic Trips for Mary

In June 1579, Mary sent Nau to Scotland. He was meant to be her ambassador to her son, James VI of Scotland. However, the Scottish court at Stirling Castle would not let him meet the King. This was because Mary's letter was addressed to her son, not to the King. Nau was with Nicolas Errington, a military officer from Berwick upon Tweed. But Nau did not have any official papers from Queen Elizabeth. The Scottish Privy Council, a group of royal advisors, announced that Nau should be punished and sent away.

Claude's brother-in-law, the Sieur de Fontenay, had more success. Fontenay came from France and was able to meet James VI in August 1584. Fontenay wrote to Claude Nau about his good welcome. James had met him in his private room at Holyroodhouse. He even lent Fontenay a horse to go hunting at Falkland Palace.

On 15 November 1584, Nau came to London as Mary's ambassador. He stayed in a house belonging to Ralph Sadler. Nau spoke with Queen Elizabeth about Mary's complaints against Bess of Hardwick. Mary wanted Bess of Hardwick and her sons to admit that rumors about Mary were false. Nau also hoped to suggest a plan called the "association." This plan aimed to let Mary return to Scotland and rule alongside her son. However, James VI and another Scottish diplomat, the Master of Gray, made it clear that James would not accept sharing his rule. Nau was also told that Mary would be moved to another lodging, at Tutbury Castle.

While Fontenay was still in Edinburgh in March 1585, he warned Nau about a rumor. This rumor was spreading at the Scottish court. It suggested that Mary and Nau were too close. Fontenay advised them to change their behavior when the Master of Gray visited.

Nau's Personal Life

Nau had a relationship with a young woman in Mary's household named Elizabeth Pierrepont. In April 1586, he sent a friend to talk about marriage with her father, Henry Pierrepont. Mary supported their marriage. However, it seems Elizabeth's father had different plans and removed her from Mary's household.

The Babington Plot and Arrest

Nau and another secretary, Gilbert Curle, were arrested at Chartley in 1586. Thomas Gorges took them to London. Nau seemed to live comfortably with the family of Francis Walsingham in London. He was watched by men named Anthony Hall, Mr Mills, and John Allen. Allen was later accused of letting Nau write letters to Bess Pierrepont. Queen Elizabeth believed that neither Nau nor Curle were so desperate that they would harm themselves.

Jérôme Pasquier, a servant who coded Mary's letters, was also arrested. Pasquier was questioned in the Tower of London about the Babington Plot. This plot was a plan to overthrow Queen Elizabeth. Pasquier was asked about how secret codes were used in Mary's household. He told Thomas Phelippes that Nau kept the alphabets and cipher keys. Pasquier usually did his coding work in Nau's room. Mary herself kept the coded letters.

Nau was accused of decoding a letter from Anthony Babington. He was also accused of helping Mary write a reply to Babington. Gilbert Curle then translated this reply into English. Francis Walsingham sent news to the Scottish Court in September 1586. He said Mary would be moved to Fotheringhay. Walsingham also stated that Mary's guilt was clear. He said it was "confessed by her two secretaries," meaning Nau and Curle.

Mary believed that her secretaries, Nau and Curle, and the clerk Pasquier, had betrayed her. Because of this, she changed her will. After Mary was executed, Nau went back to France. The King of France and the Duke of Guise cleared him of any accusations of being disloyal to Mary.

In 1605, Nau wrote to James VI and I. He suggested that Mary was not guilty because she had no freedom to act. He said he tried not to hurt Mary's case when he was questioned by Cecil and Walsingham. He also said he did not take any bribes from Queen Elizabeth. The only gift he received from her was a small portrait of her. It was either a miniature painting or a cameo, framed in ebony. He received it in November 1585 and gave it to Mary.

Claude Nau's Writings

Joseph Stevenson found Nau's writings about Mary and her history. He published these works in 1883. Stevenson also believed that Nau wrote a French book about Mary's claim to the English throne.

Nau wrote a history covering the years 1542 to 1545. It describes how Regent Arran took power in Scotland. It also tells about the control of Holyroodhouse and Falkland Palace, and the royal treasury. He describes the burning of Edinburgh in May 1544. He also shares a story, which is also in John Lesley's History of Scotland. This story is about a banquet for the Patriarch of Venice. At this banquet, a table full of expensive Venetian glass was purposely tipped over. This was done to impress the visitor with Scotland's wealth.

Nau started translating John Lesley's Latin history of Scotland, called De Origine, into French. However, he did not finish this historical work.