Home > Francis Windebank

The only son of Sir Thomas Windebank of Hougham, Lincolnshire, who owed his advancement to the Cecil family, Francis entered St John's College, Oxford, in 1599, coming there under the influence of William Laud. After a few years' continental travel (1605-1608), he was employed for many years in minor public offices, and became clerk of the council. In June 1632 he was appointed by King Charles I as secretary of state in succession to Lord Dorchester, his senior colleague being Sir John Coke, and he was knighted. His appointment was mainly due to his Spanish and Roman Catholic sympathies. The first Earl of Portland, Francis, Lord Cottington, and Windebank formed an inner group in the council, and with their aid the king carried on various secret negotiations, especially with Spain.

In December 1634 Windebank was appointed to discuss with the papal agent Gregorio Panzani the possibility of a union between the Anglican and Roman Churches, and expressed the opinion that the PuritanThe Puritans were members of a group of radical Protestants which developed in England after the Reformation. Terminology The word puritan is now applied unevenly to a number of Protestant churches from the late sixteenth century to the early eighteenth c opposition might be crippled by sending their leaders to the war in the Netherlands. Windebank's efforts as treasury commissioner in 1635 to shield some of those guilty of corruption led to a breach with Archbishop Laud, and the next year he was for a time disgraced for issuing an order for the conveyance of Spanish money to pay the Spanish troops in the Netherlands.

In July 1638Events March 29 Swedish colonists establish first settlement in Delaware, called New Sweden April 15 Shogunate forces defeat the last rebels of Shimabara Rebellion in the fortress of Hara May 11 French admiral d'Estrees runs his whole fleet aground in Cur he urged the king to make war with the ScotsScotland or in Scottish Gaelic, Alba is a country and former independent kingdom of northwest Europe, and one of the four nations comprising the United Kingdom. Scotland occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland took part in a p, and in 1640Events December 1 Portugal regains its independence from Spain and John IV of Portugal becomes king. Spain does not recognize the indepedence before 1668 Charles I summons and rapidly dismisses the Short Parliament in an attempt to fund the second of the, when trouble was breaking out in England, he sent an appeal from Queen Henrietta MariaHenrietta Maria Henrietta Maria ( November 25, 1609 September 10, 1669) was Queen Consort of England, Scotland and Ireland ( June 13, 1625 January 30, 1649) through her marriage to Charles I. state of Maryland (in Latin, "Terra Maria") was so named in her to the popeThis article is about the Catholic pope. See Pope (disambiguation) for other meanings of the word pope. The Pope is the Catholic bishop and patriarch of Rome, and ex officio supreme spiritual leader of what might be called the Catholic Communion (that is, for money and men. He was elected in March 1640 to the Short Parliament, as member for Oxford University, and he entered the Long Parliament in October as member for Cone. In December the House learnt that he had signed letters of grace to recusant priests and Jesuits, and summoned him to answer the charge, but the king allowed him to escape to France. From Calais he wrote to Christopher Hatton, defending his integrity, and affirming his belief that the Church of England was the purest and nearest the primitive Church. He remained in Paris until his death, shortly after he had been received into the Roman communion.