Adam Moleyns
Encyclopedia
Adam Moleyns was an English bishop, lawyer, royal administrator and diplomat. During the minority of Henry VI of England
, he was clerk of the ruling council of the Regent
.
from 1433. He was Dean of Salisbury
. He became bishop of Chichester
on 24 September 1445, and was consecrated bishop on 6 February 1446. He was Lord Privy Seal
in 1444, at the same time that he was Protonotary of the Holy See. In 1447 he had permission to fortify the manor house at Bexhill
.
An active partisan of the unpopular William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk
, Moleyns was lynched in Portsmouth
by discontented unpaid soldiers on 9 January 1450.
Moleyns was a correspondent of the humanist
Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, Pope Pius II
, who complimented him in a letter of 29 May 1444: "And I congratulate you and England, since you care for the art of rhetoric".
The Libelle of Englyshe Polycye ("The Little Book of English Policy"), a poem on English sea power, from c.1436, is convincingly attributed to Moleyns by its modern editor, Sir George Warner. The poem, not remarkable for its poetic power, is important as the first expression of the linked conceptions that the strength of England lay in the expansion of trade, which depended on the nation's merchant fleet and mastery of the narrow seas: the English Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic. A measure of the influence of this poetical tract is expressed in the fact that of nine manuscripts found by Warner, one had belonged to Samuel Pepys
, father of the Late Stuart English Navy, another to William Cecil, Lord Burghley
, Queen Elizabeth's most trusted advisor, and yet another to the printer William Caxton
. The Libelle was printed by Richard Hakluyt
in his Voyages, from a manuscript that is now lost.
The poem details the chief exports of England at the time, and treats at some length on the importance to England of Ireland
and of Calais
and Wales
. It details the dangerous decay of the English navy, the supremacy of Flemish markets
and the drain of bullion to Lombardy
and Venice
.
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
, he was clerk of the ruling council of the Regent
Regency Government of England 1422-1437
The Regency Government of England 1422-37 ruled while Henry VI was a minor. Decisions were made in the king's name by the regency Council made up of the most important and influential government of England, and dominated by Henry IV's son Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and Bishop Henry Beaufort ,...
.
Life
Moleyns had the living of KempseyKempsey, Worcestershire
Kempsey is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is bounded by the River Severn on the west, and the A38 main road runs through it and is about 3 miles south of Worcester....
from 1433. He was Dean of Salisbury
Dean of Salisbury
The Dean of Salisbury is the Head of the Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral in the Church of England. The current Dean is The Very Revd June Osborne, who was installed in 2004.-Selected office-holders:*Walter 1102*Osbert 1105*Robert 1111*Serlo 1122...
. He became bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
on 24 September 1445, and was consecrated bishop on 6 February 1446. He was Lord Privy Seal
Lord Privy Seal
The Lord Privy Seal is the fifth of the Great Officers of State in the United Kingdom, ranking beneath the Lord President of the Council and above the Lord Great Chamberlain. The office is one of the traditional sinecure offices of state...
in 1444, at the same time that he was Protonotary of the Holy See. In 1447 he had permission to fortify the manor house at Bexhill
Bexhill-on-Sea
Bexhill-on-Sea is a town and seaside resort in the county of East Sussex, in the south of England, within the District of Rother. It has a population of approximately 40,000...
.
An active partisan of the unpopular William de la Pole, Duke of Suffolk
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk
William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, KG , nicknamed Jack Napes , was an important English soldier and commander in the Hundred Years' War, and later Lord Chamberlain of England.He also appears prominently in William Shakespeare's Henry VI, part 1 and Henry VI, part 2 and other...
, Moleyns was lynched in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
by discontented unpaid soldiers on 9 January 1450.
Moleyns was a correspondent of the humanist
Renaissance humanism
Renaissance humanism was an activity of cultural and educational reform engaged by scholars, writers, and civic leaders who are today known as Renaissance humanists. It developed during the fourteenth and the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, and was a response to the challenge of Mediæval...
Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II
Pope Pius II, born Enea Silvio Piccolomini was Pope from August 19, 1458 until his death in 1464. Pius II was born at Corsignano in the Sienese territory of a noble but decayed family...
, who complimented him in a letter of 29 May 1444: "And I congratulate you and England, since you care for the art of rhetoric".
The Libelle of Englyshe Polycye ("The Little Book of English Policy"), a poem on English sea power, from c.1436, is convincingly attributed to Moleyns by its modern editor, Sir George Warner. The poem, not remarkable for its poetic power, is important as the first expression of the linked conceptions that the strength of England lay in the expansion of trade, which depended on the nation's merchant fleet and mastery of the narrow seas: the English Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic. A measure of the influence of this poetical tract is expressed in the fact that of nine manuscripts found by Warner, one had belonged to Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
, father of the Late Stuart English Navy, another to William Cecil, Lord Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
, Queen Elizabeth's most trusted advisor, and yet another to the printer William Caxton
William Caxton
William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
. The Libelle was printed by Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt was an English writer. He is principally remembered for his efforts in promoting and supporting the settlement of North America by the English through his works, notably Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America and The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and...
in his Voyages, from a manuscript that is now lost.
The poem details the chief exports of England at the time, and treats at some length on the importance to England of Ireland
God forbede that a wylde Yrishe wyrling
Shulde be chosene for to been there kynge.
and of Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It details the dangerous decay of the English navy, the supremacy of Flemish markets
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
and the drain of bullion to Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
.
Further reading
- Reeves, A.C., Lancastrian Englishmen (Washington: University Press of America) 1981. One of five fifteenth-century careers outlined through documents.