SINCLAIR, ANDREW [SSNE 1578]
- Surname
- SINCLAIR, SINKLAR, til SINKLARSHOLM
- First name
- ANDREW, ANDERS
- Title/rank
- COLONEL
- Nationality
- SCOT
- Region
- FIFE
- Social status
- NOBILITY
Text source
Andrew Sinclair [1555-1625] of Ravenscraig in Scotland and Sincklarsholm in Denmark, was soldier, diplomat and statesman. He was the son of Henry Lord of St. Clair and his first consort Janett Lindsay, daughter of Patrick, Lord Lindsay of the Byres. Sinclair, a Scottish nobleman, was educated in the Duke of Guise's household. In 1591 he became gentleman of the Danish court under King Christian IV and eventually settled in Denmark. Sinclair accompanied Christian IV to Germany in 1597 and acted as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to Queen Anna Katrine until he retired from Court service in 1600. In that year he married Kirsten Kaas [d.1632-3] daughter of Erik Kaas [d.1578] and Kirsten Pederrsdatter Galt [1536-1616]. Christian IV later became godfather to one of his sons in 1607. As a result of his marriage, Sinclair became lensmand (regional governor) of Gladsaxe in Scania in which capacity he worked until 1620. Throughout his career, Sinclair also acted as lensmand of Landskrone between 1619-21, and of Hammershus with Bornholm between 1621 and 1625. During the Danish-Swedish Kalmar war of 1611-13 he served the Danish-Norwegian army as a captain. After participating in the conquest of parts of southern Sweden in 1611, he became the governor of Kalmar on its capture from 10 September and held this until 6 April 1613. By 1615, Sinclair was appointed colonel of the Skaane regiment, and awarded Sandby manor. He eventually became commander of the entire Danish-Norwegian army east of the Baltic Sound by 1622 and established his major estate, Sincklarsholm. Sinclair became ennobled in Denmark in 1616 and further rewarded in 1617 being appointed a member of the Danish Rigsraad (state council) at the age of 62. From 1619-21 Sinclair was the lensman of Landskrone also in Scania. From 1621-5 he was then lensman of Hammershus
Throughout his career Sinclair maintained his links with Scotland, travelling with Princess Anna's ambassador to Scotland in October 1589 to participate in her marriage negotiations with James VI. He joined the Danish embassy to Scotland in the summer 1594. Sinclair proved to be a useful negotiator, uniquely equipped with a familiar knowledge of both Scots and Danish language and society. After 1603, Sinclair proceeded to act as the Danish-Norwegian envoy to the Stuart court in 1604, 1606, 1612, 1614, 1618, 1619 and 1621. The letters of Christian IV reveal that Sinclair also kept in contact with Stuart diplomats elsewhere in Europe. This included men in the service of countries with which Denmark-Norway remained at war. The Swedish based diplomat, Andrew Stuart [SSNE 1646], sent diplomatic letters from Stockholm to both James VI & I and to Andrew Sinclair in Denmark. Sinclair in turn passed the information on to Christian IV and it can safely be concluded that this transfer of information formed part of Stuart policy. The practice extended to the two resident Stuart ambassadors in Copenhagen and Stockholm, the step-brothers Sir Robert Anstruther [SSNE 1472] and Sir James Spens [SSNE 1642]. Perhaps because the traffic in correspondence was known, the Scots were sometimes used as unofficial links between the Danish and Swedish kings. When Gustav II Adolf sought to retrieve his bride from Brandenburg, Swedish ships had to cross Danish waters and challenge Danish claims to Dominium Maris Baltici. Gustav was informed by a Stuart agent that the Danish Rigsraad had advised Christian not to be confrontational - and devise a system for the Scandinavian ships to salute each other should they meet. This information probably reached Sweden via Andrew Sinclair who, by 1617, sat as a member of the Danish Rigsraad. Both these theories are compatible with an official 'leak' tacitly approved by Christian IV himself. Sinclair maintained his status as an influential Danish and Stuart diplomat. Early in 1614, James VI and I had been asked by Christian IV to arbitrate in his dispute with Lubeck. Andrew Sinclair achieved a short-term settlement in the dispute which was followed up by a further embassy in 1615 by Sir Robert Anstruther. James diplomatic intervention on behalf of Denmark-Norway once more proved influential with Christian in resolving the issues peacefully. When Danish-Swedish negotiations were held at Ulvsbeck in 1619, Sinclair was present and met the Swedish king, Gustav II Adolf. Thereafter, Sinclair travelled to Britian arriving in March 1619 (where his mission overlapped with that of Jonas Charisius).
With the outbreak of the Bohemian War in 1618 the peaceful policies of James VI and I finally faltered. He relied heavily on Sir Robert Anstruther in Denmark to gain Christian IV's support for his schemes to end the war. Christian IV in turn sent Andrew Sinclair, with Frederick Gunther, to the Stuart Court in 1621. Sinclair was not able to convince James to support Christian IV's militant politics toward an evangelical alliance. He conducted no further missions for Christian IV to Britain but did continue in both military and diplomatic capacities until his death in 1625. Sinclair had several children: Henrik who died as a child, Jacob [SSNE 1582], Christian [SSNE 1579], Johanne [SSNE 6807], Erik and Christine (mentioned in 1623 [SSNE 6591]?).
Further information can be found in the following sources: DRA. TKUA Skotland A II 4:A. Thiset and P.L. Wittrup 'Nyt Dansk Adelslexicon', pp.261-262; G. Lind, Danish Data Archive 1573; J.C.W. Hirsch and K. Hirsch, (eds.), 'Fortegnelse over Danske og Norske officerer med flere fra 1648 til 1814', (12 vols. Copenhagen, compiled 1888-1907), vol.10, 4; Dansk Biografisk Lexicon, 1933-44, vol.3; E. Marquard, Danske Gesandter 1952; T. Riis, Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot (Odense, 1988), II, p.74; Sir James Balfour Paul, The Scots Peerage (8 vols., Edinburgh, 1904-1911), VII, p.575; K. Erslev, Danmark-Norges Len og Lensmaend 1596-1660, (Copenhagen, 1885), pp.2,4-6,51; Swedish Riksarkivet, AOSB, E724. James Spens to Axel Oxenstierna, 10 January 1614, 17 March 1618, 7 March 1619 and 28 March 1619; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.29, 259.
Service record
- DENMARK-NORWAY, SCOTLAND
- Arrived 1589-10-10
- Departed 1590-12-31
- Capacity DIPLOMAT, purpose DIPLOMACY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, DANISH COURT
- Arrived 1591-01-01
- Departed 1594-06-01
- Capacity GENTLEMAN OF COURT, purpose CIVIL SERVICE
- DENMARK-NORWAY, SCOTLAND
- Arrived 1594-06-01
- Departed 1594-12-31
- Capacity DIPLOMAT, purpose DIPLOMACY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, GERMANY
- Arrived 1597-01-01
- Departed 1597-12-31
- Capacity KAMMERJUNKER, purpose DIPLOMACY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, GLADSAXE
- Arrived 1600-01-01
- Departed 1620-12-31
- Capacity LENSMAND, GOVERNOR, purpose CIVIC
- DENMARK-NORWAY, STUART KINGDOMS
- Arrived 1604-01-01
- Departed 1604-12-31
- Capacity ENVOY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- Arrived 1606-01-01
- Departed 1606-12-31
- Capacity ENVOY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, SCANIAN REGIMENTS
- Arrived 1611-01-01, as CAPTAIN
- Departed 1611-12-31, as CAPTAIN
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, KALMAR
- Arrived 1611-05-27, as GOVERNOR
- Departed 1613-12-31, as GOVERNOR
- Capacity GOVERNOR, purpose MILITARY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, STUART KINGDOMS
- Arrived 1612-01-01
- Departed 1612-12-31
- Capacity ENVOY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- Arrived 1614-03-29
- Departed 1614-12-31
- Capacity ENVOY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, SCANIAN REGIMENTS
- Arrived 1615-01-01, as COLONEL
- Departed 1615-12-31, as COLONEL
- Capacity OFFICER, purpose MILITARY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, RIGSRAD
- Arrived 1617-01-01
- Departed 1625-12-31
- Capacity COUNCILLOR, purpose GOVERNMENT
- DENMARK-NORWAY, STUART KINGDOMS
- Arrived 1618-01-01
- Departed 1618-12-31
- Capacity ENVOY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, LANDSKRONE
- Arrived 1619-01-01
- Departed 1621-12-31
- Capacity LENSMAND, GOVERNOR, purpose CIVIC
- DENMARK-NORWAY, STUART KINGDOMS
- Arrived 1619-03-08
- Departed 1619-12-31
- Capacity ENVOY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, HAMMERHUS OCH BORNHOLM
- Arrived 1621-01-01
- Departed 1625-12-31
- Capacity LENSMAND, GOVERNOR, purpose CIVIC
- DENMARK-NORWAY, STUART KINGDOMS
- Arrived 1621-02-14
- Departed 1621-12-31
- Capacity ENVOY, purpose DIPLOMACY
- DENMARK-NORWAY, ANDERS SINCLAIR
- Arrived 1622-01-01, as COMMANDER
- Departed 1622-12-31, as COMMANDER, RIKSRAAD, STATE COUNCILLOR
- Capacity OFFICER, RIKSRAAD, STATE COUNCILLOR, purpose MILITARY