Jean Scheyfve

Jean or Jehan Scheyfve, (c.1515-13 July 1581), Seigneur de Rode-Saint-Agathe, was the ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire to England from May 1550 to October 1553.

Jean was the son of Jean Scheyfve and Jeanne de Bercham. He was for some years a magistrate, and Burgomaster of Antwerp in 1545. Scheyfve was resident ambassador at the courts of Edward VI of England and Mary I of England. His letters are mostly concerned with commercial issues and rarely say much of the doctrinal religious controversies in England. Scheyfve was sent to London before the departure of the previous ambassador, François van der Delft, in May 1550. London was not regarded as a good posting in the diplomatic community and he thought his mission would last only three months.

Edward VI mentioned Scheyfve once in his journal, writing that the Imperial ambassador came to him on 5 September 1551, asking that his sister, the Princess Mary, should be allowed to attend the Mass and have her household officers restored to her. As the changes to Mary's household had happened so recently, Scheyfve's master Charles V could not have authorised him to make the request, so Scheyfve was refused. It was said that Edward VI was acting in his rights by English law, and Philip Hoby, the ambassador to the Emperor, had reported the understanding on the matter of the Mass was not as Scheyfve represented it.

After speaking to Princess Mary, Scheyfve sent a letter to Charles V on 12 September describing the incident in detail. Mary had felt compelled to dismiss her chaplains. On 5 September, Scheyfve had first addressed the Earl of Warwick who deferred to Edward VI in person, considering the King was now of age. Warwick and the Marquess of Northampton discussed his business with Edward while Scheyfve was not present, and then told him Edward thought he ought to be satisfied with the answer already given. Mary would not be allowed to hear the Mass with her ladies, and although Scheyfve said Nicholas Wotton and William Paget had made a promise otherwise to Charles V, they and Hoby denied this was possible. The three men from her household would not be reinstated. Scheyfve had to tell Mary not to practice the Catholic religion.

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