Richard Shelley (Grand Prior) facts for kids

Richard Shelley (born around 1513 – died around 1589) was an important diplomat for England. He was also the very last Grand Prior of the Knights of Saint John in England.

Early Life and Adventures

Richard Shelley was born about 1513. He was the second son of a knight named Sir William Shelley. Like other members of his family, Richard joined the Knights of St John. This was a famous group of knights who helped people and fought for their beliefs.

Around 1535, Richard was sent abroad to finish his education. He traveled to places like Rome and Venice. But he soon felt tired of studying. In 1539, he decided to go on an exciting journey to Constantinople (which is now Istanbul, Turkey). He traveled overland with the Venetian ambassador. The trip took four months! Sadly, the ambassador died along the way. Richard stayed in Constantinople under the protection of the French ambassador.

Richard Shelley later said he was the first Englishman to visit Constantinople since the Turks had captured it.

Working for the King and Queen

While Richard was away, the Knights of St. John were stopped in England in 1540. So, Richard started working for the king. He went on many important trips to other countries to represent England. These trips are called diplomatic missions.

In 1547, he became a member of Parliament for a place called Gatton.

Richard continued his diplomatic work. In 1549, he was sent to the King of France. He also helped escort Mary of Guise through England in 1551. She was returning to Scotland from France.

In 1553, Richard was sent to Brussels with news about the death of Edward VI. He was supposed to announce that Lady Jane Grey was the new queen. But Richard waited to see what would happen in England. When Mary I of England became queen instead, he returned home without delivering the news.

Queen Mary I trusted Richard. She sent him to important people like the King of the Romans in Vienna and the Duchess of Parma in the Netherlands.

The Knights of St. John Return

Queen Mary I wanted to bring back the Knights of St. John in England. Richard Shelley helped a lot with this plan. When the group was restarted in 1557, Richard was given an important role. He became the turcopolier, which was the second most important job after the Grand Prior. He was also given control of two areas called Halston and Slebech.

In 1558, Richard was on his way to Malta, where the Knights had their main base. But he became sick in Brussels. There, he heard that Queen Mary had died. He decided not to return to England because there were many protests against Catholics at that time.

Life Abroad and Later Years

After Queen Mary's death, Richard Shelley went on another trip to the King of the Romans. Then he went to Spain, where King Philip gave him a pension (money to live on). Even though English leaders tried to get him to come back to England, Richard stayed loyal to Queen Elizabeth I from afar.

As relations between England and Spain became difficult, Richard left for Malta. But he didn't make it there right away. He was called back by King Philip to be an ambassador to Persia, but this trip didn't happen. Instead, in 1562, Philip sent him to congratulate the new King of the Romans.

In 1565, Richard finally reached Malta. The island had just been under a long attack by the Turks, but the Turks had left by the time he arrived.

In 1566, Richard became the Grand Prior of the Knights of St. John. This was the highest position in England for the Knights. However, he didn't use the title much because Queen Elizabeth I didn't want him to.

Around 1569, Richard left Malta because he disagreed with the new Grand Master of the Knights, Peter de Monte. Richard moved to Venice. From there, he tried to help the English government by sending secret information about plots against Queen Elizabeth I. He also helped look after English businesses in Venice.

Richard Shelley died in Venice around 1589. Many of his letters are kept in the British Museum today.