Ghent demands return of Elizabeth I letter

On December 30, 1578, Queen Elizabeth I wrote a letter in French to Jan van Hembyze, an alderman and leader of the Calvinist Republic of Ghent.

It is understood that the letter was hand delivered by the Anglo-Flemish envoy and spy Daniel Rogers some time in 1579.

Protestant Queen asks for mercy for Catholics

In the letter, Elizabeth, a Protestant Queen praises Hembyze’s enlightened statesmanship and love of justice in order to secure a fair trial for the imprisoned Catholics who had been captured following an attempted coup d’état in the city in October 1577.

An interesting footnote to show that at one time she was committed to religious tolerance although that tolerance became less noticeable as she got older and was the target of attacks from Catholics across Europe.

Letter to be auctioned in Edinburgh

How the letter ever left Ghent is unknown, but it is now being offered for sale at an upcoming sale being conducted by Edinburgh auction house Lyon & Turnbull with an estimate of £14,000 to £18,000.

Ghent council demands its return

Having discovered that letter is for sale, the Ghent Council believes that it should rightly belong in the City Archives and 62-year-old Alderman, Filip Watteeuw told VRT News “The letter was addressed to the city and has also been delivered. That means it belongs in our archives.”

Having demanded the withdrawal of the letter from the auction, the council will need to establish when and how it disappeared from the city with little time to spare.