This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(May 2014) |
James Gordon (1541 – 16 April 1620) was a Scottish Jesuit. He is sometimes known as James Gordon Huntly, to distinguish him from James Gordon (1553–1641), another Jesuit.
He was the fifth son of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, by Elizabeth Keith, Countess of Huntly, eldest daughter of Robert, Lord Keith, and sister of William Keith, 4th Earl Marischal. He entered the Society of Jesus at Rome on 20 September 1563, and taught philosophy, theology, sacred scripture, and Hebrew in the colleges of the order at Pont-à-Mousson, Paris, and Bordeaux. [1]
In 1584 William Crichton and Gordon were sent on a mission to Scotland. Their vessel was seized on the high seas by the Dutch. The ship was released; but the merchant who had hired her for the voyage, having discovered that his two passengers were priests, accused them as enemies, and the Dutch detained them. The merchant was concerned about the attitude of the Earl of Huntly, Gordon's nephew, and Gordon was set free after the substitution of a secular priest in his place. [1]
On arriving in Scotland Gordon, as a kinsman of King James VI, had influence among the nobility; and he engaged in public discussions with Protestant ministers. For two months he followed the king everywhere else in hope of finding an opportunity to convert him to Catholicism. He then went to the north of Scotland, where he held a public discussion on matters of faith with George Hay and made converts including Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll. In 1585 other Jesuits arrived, Edmund Hay and John Durie. Reporting to Francis Walsingham on 18 October 1585, Thomas Rogers wrote that the Jesuits were announcing progress on conversions, and were still aiming to make the king a Catholic. The situation changed with the return of the exiled lords to power. [1]
In February 1588 Gordon held a conference with Protestant ministers in the presence of James at Holyrood Palace. The king determined in 1592 to raise Catholics to power. On the advice of his councillors of state he sent Gordon and Crichton to Rome to arrange with the Pope means of restoring the Catholic religion in Scotland. They areturned to Scotland in company with the legate George Sampiretti, landing at Aberdeen on 16 July 1594. As the popular agitation increased, James changed his mind and resolved that laws against Catholics should be enforced. Gordon was sent into exile in 1595; but he subsequently paid two visits to Scotland in June 1597 and December 1598, still with the object of bringing about the conversion of the king. [1]
Gordon died at the Jesuit college in Paris on 16 April 1620. [1]
Gordon's works are: [1]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney, eds. (1890). "Gordon, James (1541-1620)". Dictionary of National Biography . Vol. 22. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
George Gordon, 2nd Marquess of Huntly, styled Earl of Enzie from 1599 to 1636, eldest son of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly by Lady Henrietta Stewart, daughter of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, born at Huntly Castle, Huntly, Aberdeenshire, in Scotland was brought up in England as a Protestant, and later created Viscount Aboyne by Charles I.
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns.
Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll was a Scottish nobleman. A convert to Catholicism, he openly conspired with the king of Spain to try to unseat the Protestant Queen Elizabeth.
William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton was the son of Robert Douglas of Lochleven and Margaret Erskine, a former mistress of James V of Scotland.
George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly was a Scottish nobleman.
Clan Gordon is a Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the most powerful Scottish clans. The Gordon lands once spanned a large territory across the Highlands. Presently, Gordon is seated at Aboyne Castle, Aberdeenshire. The Chief of the clan is the Earl of Huntly, later the Marquess of Huntly.
The Battle of Glenlivet was a Scottish clan battle fought on 3 October 1594 near Glenlivet, Moray, Scotland. It was fought between Protestant forces loyal to King James VI of Scotland who were commanded by Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll, against Catholic forces who were commanded by George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly, and Francis Hay, 9th Earl of Erroll. The Catholics won a decisive victory in the battle, but in the aftermath were subdued by King James.
James Tyrie was a Scottish Jesuit theologian.
Edmund Hay was a Scottish Jesuit, and envoy to Mary, Queen of Scots.
The Scots College at Douai was a seminary founded in Douai, France, for the training of Scottish Roman Catholic exiles for the priesthood. It was modelled on the similar English College there, founded for the same purpose. It has an unfortunate notoriety in consequence of the long dispute between the Jesuits and the secular clergy which centred around it in later times.
Jean Gordon, Countess of Bothwell was a wealthy Scottish noblewoman and the second wife of James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell. He became, after his divorce from Lady Jean, the third husband of Mary, Queen of Scots. Lady Jean herself had a total of three husbands. Upon her second marriage, she became the Countess of Sutherland.
Agnes Leslie, Countess of Morton was a Scottish noblewoman, being the daughter of George Leslie, 4th Earl of Rothes as well as a great-granddaughter of King James II. She was the wife of William Douglas, 6th Earl of Morton, who as Laird of Lochleven Castle was the custodian of Mary, Queen of Scots during her captivity from June 1567 until her escape on 2 May 1568. Agnes was Queen Mary's chief female companion throughout her imprisonment; thus it was while Lady Agnes was recovering from childbirth that the queen successfully escaped from Lochleven.
Agnes Douglas, Countess of Argyll was a Scottish noblewoman and the first wife of Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll. She was the mother of three of his children, including his heir, Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll, the de facto head of the government in Scotland throughout most of the conflict known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Lady Agnes was considered so beautiful that she was described as a "pearl of Lochleven".
David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford (1547?–1607) was a Scottish nobleman and privy councilor.
William Crichton or Creighton was a Scottish Jesuit who became head of the Scots seminary in Flanders.
Sir Walter Lindsay of Balgavie was a Scottish Roman Catholic intriguer.
James Spottiswood was a Scottish courtier and Protestant bishop of Clogher.
Gilbert Blackhall or Blakhal was a Scottish Catholic missionary priest. He is now remembered for his autobiographical writings.
Henrietta Stewart (1573–1642) was a Scottish courtier. She was the influential favourite of the queen of Scotland, Anne of Denmark.
Elizabeth Douglas, Countess of Erroll was a Scottish aristocrat.