Difficult to refuse
Sir: Lord Bethell's mention of Arundell (`Gong but not forgotten', 18 March) is particularly apposite as 1995 is 400 years after the battle of Gran in 1595. Sir Thomas Arundell was sent by the Queen to assist the Emperor Rudolph in his defence of Christendom against the Turks. He cap- tured, with his own hands, the Turkish stan- dard at the battle of Gran. For this he was created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire by the Emperor, not the Pope. The standard was presented to the Pope. On his way back to England his ship was wrecked off the Suffolk coast and he lost all his valu- able presents.
Countship of the Holy Roman Empire was deemed to rank higher than an Earl. I suspect this rankled with Leicester and oth- ers and so gave rise to the Queen's displea- sure and hence his imprisonment. The remark the Queen is said to have made was that 'as chaste wives should have no glances but for their own spouses so should faithful subjects keep their eyes at home and not gaze upon foreign crowns', which was a bit much as Arundell was sent to assist the Emperor by the Queen and I assume it would have been difficult for him to refuse the Emperor's honours.
John Arundell
Hook Manor, Donhead St Andrew, Shaftesbury, Dorset
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