London's Love to Prince Henry (31 May 1610), was a pageant on the River Thames organised by the city of London for the investiture of Prince Henry as Prince of Wales. [1]
This pageant was performed on the Thames between Chelsea and Whitehall. It was organised by the Lord Mayor of London, and written by Anthony Munday who subsequently published an account of the spectacle. [2] Fireworks costing £700 were provided by Roger Dallison of the Royal Ordnance. [3]
Prince Henry's barge coming from Richmond Palace encountered Corinea, Queen of Cornwall (John Rice), at Chelsea riding on a whale. She declared London's love for him. Next at Whitehall, Henry met Amphion, a Genius of Wales, (Richard Burbage), riding a dolphin, who bid the Prince farewell. Musicians were concealed in the whale and the dolphin. [4] The mayor and the guilds followed the prince in fifty barges.
Corinea wore a "watrie habit yet riche riche and costly, with a Coronet of Pearles and Cockle shelles on her head." Amphion was "a grave and judicious Prophet-like personage, attyred in his apt habits, every way answerable to his state and profession, with a wreathe of Sea-shelles on his head, and his harpe haging in fayre twine before him." [5]
Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg nephew of Anne of Denmark, was among the audience and passengers on the prince's barge. The following Monday a water-fight and fireworks night was planned, and announced by the appearance of Proteus. This event was rained off, but on 5 June 1610 the aquatic theme continued with the court masque Tethys' Festival .
There was tilting on the afternoon of Wednesday 6 June. Lord Compton disguised himself as a shepherd in a bower designed by Inigo Jones and a Scottish lord made a pageant device of a cloud. [6] The delayed sea fight took place that evening. A Turkish pirate ship defending a castle engaged with two merchant ships. The merchants came under fire from the pirate castle, then two warships assisted, many sailors appeared to be killed and thrown in the sea, and finally the pirate castle was blown up in a firework display. [7]
John Noyes, Member of Parliament for Calne, compiled an account of the festivities for his wife, including material which he "received by hearsay". Noyes thought that Compton's disguise as a shepherd might refer to the wealth of his father-in-law Sir John Spencer, founded on woollen cloth. He was impressed by a description of the rockets on 6 June, powerful enough "to fly up into the air twice so high as St Paul's tower and when it was highest it would stream down again as long as bellropes, and the fires did seem to fight and skirmish one with another in the skies; which was very pleasant to behold in the dark evening". [8]
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, was the eldest son and heir apparent of James VI and I, King of England and Scotland; and his wife Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley; and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to his father's thrones. However, at the age of 18, he predeceased his father, dying of typhoid fever. His younger brother Charles succeeded him as heir apparent to the English, Irish, and Scottish thrones.
Anthony Munday was an English playwright and miscellaneous writer. He was baptized on 13 October 1560 in St Gregory by St Paul's, London, and was the son of Christopher Munday, a stationer, and Jane Munday. He was one of the chief predecessors of Shakespeare in English dramatic composition, and wrote plays about Robin Hood. He is believed to be the primary author of Sir Thomas More, on which he is believed to have collaborated with Henry Chettle, Thomas Heywood, William Shakespeare, and Thomas Dekker.
Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a Scottish nobleman who through their paternal lines was a second cousin of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He was involved in the Plantation of Ulster in Ireland and the colonization of Maine in New England. Richmond's Island and Cape Richmond as well as Richmond, Maine, are named after him. His magnificent monument with effigies survives in Westminster Abbey.
William Fowler was a Scottish poet or makar, writer, courtier and translator.
Love Freed from Ignorance and Folly was a Jacobean era masque, written by Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones, with music by Alfonso Ferrabosco. It was performed on 3 February 1611 at Whitehall Palace, and published in 1616.
The Entertainment at Althorp, or The Althorp Entertainment, performed on 25 June 1603 is an early Jacobean era literary work, written by Ben Jonson. It is also known as A Particular Entertainment of the Queen and Prince, or The Satyr. The work marked a major development in Jonson's career, as the first of many entertainments and masques that he would write for the Stuart Court.
Jean Ker, Countess of Roxburghe, néeDrummond (c.1585–1643) was a Scottish courtier, serving Anne of Denmark in Scotland and England.
Susan Herbert, Countess of Montgomery, was an English court office holder. She served as lady-in-waiting to the queen consort of England and Scotland, Anne of Denmark. She was the youngest daughter of Elizabethan courtier, and poet Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford.
Fidele and Fortunio was a comedy written by Anthony Munday and first published in 1584. Its authorship has been disputed but scholars are now generally agreed that the initials "A.M." appearing in the first edition of the play refer to Anthony Munday. Its chief interest nowadays lies in its possible influence on Shakespeare as the play was performed around the time he arrived in London and established himself as an actor and later as a playwright. It also gives us a view of the English language prior to the influence of Shakespeare on the language. The play is loosely based on the Italian play Il Fedele by Luigi Pasqualigo.
Sir Francis Stuart or Frank Stewart (1589–1635), sailor, aristocrat, Member of Parliament and courtier
Tethys' Festival was a masque produced on 5 June 1610 to celebrate the investiture of Prince Henry (1594–1612) as Prince of Wales.
Mary Middlemore was a Courtier and Maid of Honour to Anne of Denmark, subject of poems, and treasure hunter.
Abraham Harderet, goldsmith and jeweller to Elizabeth I of England and Anne of Denmark
Dorothy Hastings was a courtier to Elizabeth I of England and Anne of Denmark
Antoine Lefèvre de la Boderie (1555-1615) was a French diplomat and ambassador to England.
The Masque of Indian and China Knights was performed at Hampton Court in Richmond, England on 1 January 1604. The masque was not published, and no text survives. It was described in a letter written by Dudley Carleton. The historian Leeds Barroll prefers the title, Masque of the Orient Knights.
The wedding of Princess Elizabeth (1596–1662), daughter of James VI and I, and Frederick V of the Palatinate (1596–1632) was celebrated in London in February 1613. There were fireworks, masques, tournaments, and a mock-sea battle or naumachia. Preparations involved the construction of a "Marriage room", a hall adjacent to the 1607 Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace. The events were described in various contemporary pamphlets and letters.
The Entertainment of the Two Kings of Great Britain and Denmark or The Hours was written by Ben Jonson and performed at Theobalds House on 24 July 1606. John Harington of Kelston described a masque of Solomon and Sheba, performed one day after dinner. There is some doubt over Harington's account. In May 1607 another masque An Entertainment of the King James and Queen Anne at Theobalds was performed when the keys of the house were given to Anne of Denmark.
Sophia Stuart was the fourth daughter and last of nine children of James VI and I and Anne of Denmark.
Christopher Shawe or Shaw was an English embroiderer and textile artist who worked on masque costume for Anne of Denmark. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Broderers.