James Colville, 1st Lord Colville of Culross facts for kids

James Colville, 1st Lord Colville of Culross (1551–1629) was an important Scottish soldier, a helper at the royal court, and a diplomat. He lived during a time of big changes in Scotland and England.

The Life of James Colville

James Colville was the son of James Colville of East Wemyss and Janet Douglas. His mother was the daughter of Robert Douglas of Lochleven. Before he became a Lord, people often called him the "Laird of East Wemyss." This means he was the owner of a large estate.

Early Adventures and Military Service

James Colville was a brave soldier. He fought in France for Henry, Prince of Navarre, who later became King Henry IV. When he returned to Scotland in 1582, he had many good recommendations from his French friends. He was also involved in an event called the Ruthven raid in August of that year.

Colville even owned a ship called the Good Company. In June 1583, pirates attacked his ship near Great Yarmouth. They forced the ship's master, James Cowan, to tell them where any money was hidden. The pirates stole the ship's new sails and threw its valuable cargo of tables and beds into the sea. At the time, Colville was working as an ambassador in London. Later, another ship carrying his goods back to Scotland was also robbed by pirates.

Important Diplomatic Missions

In March 1589, Colville was sent to London and Navarre. His job was to talk with Queen Elizabeth I about King James VI's right to lands owned by his grandmother, Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox. He also had to announce that King James wanted to marry Anne of Denmark. The English ambassador in Scotland, William Asheby, wrote that Colville was very supportive of Queen Elizabeth. He also helped to improve the relationship between Scotland and England.

King James VI was very pleased with Colville's service, especially his work as a diplomat in other countries. As a reward, the King gave him the lands and Abbey of Culross in June 1592.

In April 1594, Colville went to London again as an ambassador with Edward Bruce. They invited Queen Elizabeth to send someone to the baptism of Prince Henry, King James's son. They also discussed other important matters, like the Earl of Bothwell, and Catholics in Scotland. They also asked for the yearly sum of money that Queen Elizabeth gave to King James. After this, Colville continued his journey to France. There, he invited King Henry IV to the christening and looked into money matters related to Mary, Queen of Scots. He also tried to help bring peace in France.

Later, in January 1595, Colville met Queen Elizabeth again. She was not happy about his mission to France. After their meeting, he asked to see Sir Robert Cecil. He was told that Cecil had been in the room with him the whole time! Someone joked that Colville missed him because Cecil was very short. Colville found this funny.

After James VI of Scotland became King of England in 1603, Colville was one of his main supporters. He helped King James in the discussions about joining Scotland and England into one country.

Family and Legacy

James Colville married Isabel Ruthven in 1570. They had five children together. Their oldest son, Robert, died in 1614. One of their daughters, Jean, married James Campbell of Lawers in 1595.

In 1599, James Colville married Helen Schaw. This marriage caused a disagreement with Francis Mowbray, who was Helen's dead husband's brother. James and Helen had another child together.

A famous legal case called Calvin's case was about the rights of citizens after Scotland and England joined under one king in 1603. This case was partly about the legal rights of Colville's young grandson, James.