Nicolò Molin facts for kids

Nicolò Molino, painted by Daniël Mijtens.

Nicolò Molin (born 1562, died 1608) was an important noble from Venice, Italy. He served as an ambassador, representing Venice in England.

His family's main home in Venice was the Palazzo Molin del Cuoridoro. In 1597, he asked the famous architect Vincenzo Scamozzi to build a beautiful country house for him, called the Villa Molin, which was located near Padua.

Serving as Ambassador in England

Nicolò Molin worked as Venice's ambassador in England from November 1603 to January 1606.

Meeting the Royal Family

In November 1603, Molin and another diplomat, Piero Duodo, traveled to Wilton House. There, they had a special meeting with King James, his wife Anne of Denmark, and their son Prince Henry.

Molin wrote to the leader of Venice, the Doge Marino Grimani, describing King James. He said the King wore a cloak made of marten fur. The Venetian ambassadors stayed in Salisbury and had more meetings at Wilton. They spoke with Queen Anne, who sat under a fancy canopy decorated with jewels and pearls. Prince Henry even came to their lodging in Salisbury for dinner, which Molin felt was a great honor.

Royal Events and Diplomatic Challenges

Molin described the King's grand entry into London in March 1604. This event had been delayed because of a serious illness called the plague. However, Molin did not attend because of disagreements among the ambassadors about who should sit in the most important spot.

At a special tournament called the Accession Day tilt, three viewing boxes were built for the ambassadors from Spain, France, and Venice. But the diplomats argued over which box was the best place to sit.

Molin also had a disagreement with the Queen's brother, the Duke of Holstein. This happened at a wedding on December 27, 1604, for the Earl of Montgomery and Susan Vere. The Duke sat in Molin's special seat, which was opposite Prince Henry. Molin felt the Duke was still upset with him when he left England without saying goodbye.

In June 1605, after his two brothers passed away, Molin started the process of leaving his job as ambassador. Zorzi Giustinian was chosen to take his place.

Royal Gifts and Farewell

Queen Anne of Denmark enjoyed hearing Molin speak Italian, as she seemed interested in learning the language. King James honored Molin by making him a knight. In January 1606, the King also allowed Molin to add a special design, called a "canton," to his family's coat of arms.

A writer named John Pory mentioned Molin introducing the new ambassador, Zorzi Giustinian. He wrote that Molin presented Giustinian to both the King and Prince Henry. They arrived at court in thirteen coaches, wearing black gowns lined with expensive black fox fur. King James gave Molin a gift of fancy gold-plated items, made by his goldsmith John Williams.

Molin was given an English coat of arms that showed a watermill wheel. This was a clever play on his name, "Molin," which sounds like "mill." He also gave Queen Anne a gold ring with a blue-green gem called an aquamarine. The ring had a motto that meant "a drop of water from the mill."

Later Life and Legacy

In 1607, Molin wrote a detailed report, or relazione, about the politics and royal court of King James. In this report, Molin shared his honest opinions about several people at court. He mentioned that King James criticized Prince Henry for not studying as hard as his younger brother, the Duke of York. Molin believed King James might have been a little jealous of Prince Henry's popularity.

In 1607, Nicolò Molin married Maria Grimani. She was the daughter of the Doge, Marino Grimani, and his wife Morosina Morosini. Maria was also the widow of Alvise Grimani.

Nicolò Molin passed away on May 9, 1608. His widow, Maria, later married Lorenzo Giustinian.

A portrait of Nicolò Molin was painted after his death by Daniël Mijtens. This painting is now at Knole, a historic house where one of the bedrooms is thought to have been used by Molin.

The architect Inigo Jones and the Earl of Arundel visited the Villa Molin in 1614. The design of this villa later influenced Jones's work on the Queen's House at Greenwich and his plans for the Prince's Lodging at Newmarket.

Images for kids

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  Nicolò Molino, painted by Daniël Mijtens.