Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby facts for kids
Peregrine Bertie, 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby (born October 12, 1555 – died June 25, 1601) was an important English nobleman, diplomat, and soldier. He was the son of Catherine Willoughby, 12th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, and Richard Bertie. Because of religious disagreements in England at the time, his parents had to leave the country. Peregrine was born in Wesel, a town on the River Rhine in what is now Germany.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Peregrine Bertie was born on October 12, 1555, and was baptized just two days later. When Elizabeth I became Queen of England in 1558, his family returned home. They asked for him to become an official English citizen, which happened on August 2, 1559.
He married Mary de Vere, the daughter of John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford, sometime between late 1577 and early 1578. When his mother passed away in 1580, Peregrine inherited her title and became the 13th Baron Willoughby de Eresby. He then took his place in the House of Lords, which is part of the English Parliament.
Peregrine and Mary had several children. Their most famous son was Robert Bertie, 1st Earl of Lindsey, who later became an Earl.
A Life of Diplomacy and War
Peregrine Bertie served Queen Elizabeth I in many important roles. He was both a diplomat, meaning he represented England in other countries, and a soldier.
Diplomatic Missions
In 1582, Peregrine was given the job of escorting the Duke of Anjou from Canterbury to Antwerp. The Duke was a French prince who had come to England hoping to marry Queen Elizabeth.
Later that same year, Peregrine was sent to Denmark. His main task was to present King Frederick II with the Order of the Garter, a very special English honor. He also had a secret mission: to make sure that English merchant ships would be safe when they sailed in Danish waters. He stayed in Denmark for about two months, working hard on these tasks.
These trips were very expensive, and Peregrine often had to pay for them himself. He wrote letters to Francis Walsingham, a top advisor to the Queen, asking for his expenses to be paid.
Military Service in the Netherlands
In 1585, Peregrine returned to Denmark to ask for their help for England's allies, the Netherlands. The Netherlands was fighting for its independence from Spain. After this, Peregrine went to the Netherlands himself.
From 1586, he served as the governor of Bergen-op-Zoom, a city in the Netherlands. He was under the command of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, who was the Governor-General of the United Provinces. When Leicester returned to England, Peregrine became the general of all the English forces in the Netherlands.
He faced a difficult defeat at the Battle of Zutphen. However, he later achieved a great victory at the Siege of Bergen, which helped his reputation.
Fighting for the Huguenots
After his time in the Netherlands, Peregrine Bertie went to France. He fought alongside the Huguenots, who were French Protestants, under their leader Henry of Navarre. In 1590, he led the English soldiers during Henry's Siege of Paris.
Final Appointment and Death
Peregrine's last important job was as Governor of Berwick upon Tweed, a town on the border with Scotland. He also became the Warden of the East March in 1598, which meant he was in charge of defending that part of the border. While in this role, he helped arrange for the capture of Edmund Ashfield, an Englishman who was visiting King James VI of Scotland.
Peregrine Bertie passed away on June 25, 1601, in Berwick, at the age of 45. He was buried at St. James Church in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England.
Land and Legacy
Peregrine Bertie owned land in Willoughby, Lincolnshire. Interestingly, the parents of John Smith of Jamestown, a famous explorer who helped found the first English settlement in America, rented a farm on Peregrine's estate. This farm was where John Smith was born.
Peregrine Bertie's military adventures and achievements were so well-known that they were even celebrated in a popular song called "Lord Willoughby's Welcome Home".
