Her Majesty’s Secret Service

086. John Knox

New Year’s Day, June 7th.

The three envoys from Joseon had been looking around the city of London for several days now, following the guidance of an attendant given by Jonghyeong.

Today, we arrived at a market called ‘Borough Market’. This market is already 600 years old and has a long history, so there are shops that have been in the same place for decades.

Originally, I had no intention of stopping by the market, but after hearing from Jeongsa In-gil that a market of this size might sell ‘rice’, I decided to look around the market.

While wandering around the market looking for rice, we stopped at a bookstore that carried European books. We couldn’t hide our surprise when we saw the prices of the books.

In Joseon and Japan, no matter how cheap a book is, you have to give at least one or two dozen rice, and even if it is an expensive book, it is standard to ask for four or five thousand rice, but it is said that books here are traded for less than half that amount in silver. Can you hide your surprise?

That day, I returned to Jonghyung’s mansion and asked Jonghyung, “How can books be so cheap in Europe?” I asked, and Jonghyeong replied that the books are cheap because they are printed using a machine called a ‘printing press’.

Curious as to what the ‘printing press’ was, Jonghyeong led our envoys to a printing house in London and gave them a tour of the printing press. They were amazed at the sight of a book being printed in an instant before their eyes.

Why didn’t we think of making something like this? I’ll have to figure out how to make something called a ‘printing press’ somehow.

* * *

Edinburgh, capital of Scotland, St Giles Church.

“Then Jesus said,… Peter, you… .”

John Knox, the founder of Presbyterianism and the clergyman who led the religious reform in Scotland, was delivering a passionate speech again today.

Every word he uttered was filled with strong conviction and passion, and on days when he gave speeches, many people would listen.

This priest, with a full beard and kind eyes, and a generally relaxed look, seemed weak at first glance, but he was by no means weak.

In the past, even when he was captured by France and made a slave as an oarsman while leading religious reform, Pastor John did not give up his beliefs and encouraged the courage of his fellow prisoners.

And 12 years ago, in 1549, with the help of Edward, then King of England, Knox gathered his followers and established the ‘Presbyterian Church’ based on Calvin’s Protestantism, settling a new denomination in Scotland.

And based on his rhetoric, he gained the trust of small and medium-sized clans and local nobles, and little by little began to form a force for ‘religious reform’, and in 1560, the last year, despite opposition from the royal family, he was able to convene parliament and pass numerous reform bills. there was.

Royalists who believed in Catholicism tried to stop John Knox at all costs, but Queen Mary Stuart, who moved to Scotland at the age of 6, had not visited Scotland once since she visited at the age of 10, so the royalists, who lost their legitimacy, gritted their teeth and rejected Knox’s reform plan. I had no choice but to let it pass.

In fact, even if there was a queen, it would have been impossible to stop Nox because the nobles that Nox had recruited were slightly more than the royalists.

Knox, who gained momentum, wrote the ‘Scottish Confession of Faith’ four days after convening the Parliament and even had the confession of faith written by himself and his colleagues adopted as the Scottish confession of faith. The name John Knox had a great influence in Scotland, which was riddled with civil war. I could see that it was affecting me.

“Whoa… There is still a long way to go. There is still a long way to go to spread the correct faith throughout Scotland… .”

After finishing his day’s work by concluding the evening service, John Knox returned to his room and began to think about how he could spread the ‘Presbyterian Church’ throughout Scotland.

While I was thinking about it for a while, I heard a voice calling for Nox from outside the door.

“Pastor, I apologize for the late evening. “Are you awake?”

Hearing a voice coming from outside the door, Nox opened the door and went out. Outside the door, the guard protecting St. Giles’ Church stood with an apologetic expression on his face.

“What are you doing this late at night? “Brother.”

“A guest has arrived.”

“customer? “You mean at this time of night?”

“Yeah, that’s… .”

The soldier approached Pastor John and whispered quietly, afraid that someone might hear him.

“They say it was sent by Princess Elizabeth of England. and… this.”

“What is this?”

“They said it was a letter from the princess, and they asked me to read it and respond.”

At the soldier’s words, Pastor John quietly opened the letter with an expressionless face and checked its contents.

Pastor John’s eyebrows twitched as he checked the contents of the letter, and he spoke quietly to the soldier in a slightly excited voice.

“Where is that person from England now?”

“Yes, I’m waiting outside. Shall we take you inside?”

“I think it’s worth talking about. Brother, will you please bring him to me?”

A little while later, a man who said he was visiting from England entered Pastor John’s room inside the chapel.

“It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Knox.”

“So, Princess Elizabeth sent you?”

“Yes, as the letter said, the princess wants to help Mr. Knox. “Mr. Nox will also have to help the princess to that extent.”

“I’d like to hear a little more detail. Specifically… “How can I trust the ‘princess’?”

“As much as you want.”

There was quite a long conversation between the two, and after they had finished talking, the man from England left the chapel, saying, “I will be staying in the port of Edinburgh for a month, so please give me an answer.”

“Pastor. “What on earth did you talk about that made your expression so dark?”

After finishing his conversation with the man, Pastor John had a deep look of concern on his face. Pastor John responded to the soldier’s voice of concern for him, “It’s nothing, don’t worry,” and went back to his room.

A few days later, Pastor John visited the port of Edinburgh.

The evening that Pastor John visited the port, letters with Pastor John’s seal were sent all over Scotland.

To sum up the contents of the letter sent to the small and medium-sized nobles and small clans who joined hands with Pastor John, it was, ‘We need your consent to serve a new king.’

* * *

London.

Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, owner of the Seymour family mansion, and his patron, Princess Elizabeth, were talking late into the night.

“Princess, really… John Knox, will he accept our offer?”

The voice of Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, was full of anxiety.

If this plan failed, the Seymour family would have no choice but to remain as a marginal family during Mary’s reign. When I first heard of the plan, I was tempted to agree with Elizabeth, but will Nox actually follow the plan? That was the problem.

“Don’t worry, Count. John Knox won’t be able to refuse our offer. Oh, you also heard of John Knox, right?”

Princess Elizabeth looked at the Earl of Hertford like that and opened her mouth in a soft voice as if to reassure him.

Perhaps thanks to Elizabeth’s efforts, some of the tremor disappeared from the count’s voice as he answered the question.

“Yes, isn’t he famous? His Highness Edward personally came forward and rescued him… “Wasn’t it quite noisy when he formed the Presbyterian Council?”

“Is that so? “Then does the Earl know what title Knox holds?”

In response to Elizabeth’s question, the earl began to groan as he tried to remember the title that ‘John Knox’ had.

“For sure… what… I think I had a title… .”

“You don’t have to think about it that much. Because John Knox has no title. “He is a man who has had such an influence on Scotland just through his personal connections and excellent speech.”

When the Count could not answer the question for a long time, Elizabeth told him the answer. After hearing the answer, the Count looked at Elizabeth with surprised eyes.

“You don’t have any title? “But how did you convene the council?”

“I told you, right? He used his reputation and rhetoric as weapons. Simply seeing a man named ‘John ​​Knox’, small and medium-sized nobles came together and held a parliament. I believe in his beliefs. Well, there may have been other reasons.”

An incredulous expression appeared on the Earl of Hertford’s face after hearing Elizabeth’s answer.

“Huh… Is that possible? “You accomplished that without a single helper?”

“I can’t say there are no helpers at all. He was a religious leader who led the ‘Protestant’ faction that had long called for religious reform… . However, it was Knox’s power that attracted the Scottish nobles and large and small clans who believed in Catholicism to his side. “The power of his speech.”

“Why would someone like that join hands with us? “If he’s that capable, there’s no need for him to hold our hands, right?”

“So he threw us a bait that had no choice but to get our hands on it, right? “The full power of Scotland.”

Elizabeth took a moment to catch her breath and continued speaking to the Count.

“He said this, right? ‘Our claims are true, so we must win and we will win.’ What a shame since he is a disciple of the famous Calvin. Anyway, he wants to prove that he is right.

They said they would give you a chance to prove it, but you refused? Hoho, no problem. He will do what I want. He will come to ask my sister to wear the ‘Crown of Scotland’ under the seal of the nobles who have joined hands with him and those who follow him.”

After hearing everything Elizabeth said, the Count cautiously opened his mouth for fear of offending Elizabeth.

“princess… . What will Her Majesty the Queen do if she accepts the Crown of Scotland? .”

“The Earl is not even half like Sir Thomas. Do you think he will stay away in France if your sister accepts the crown?”

“that… “I guess he is too.”

Elizabeth reprimanded the Earl of Hertford in a frustrated voice.

“Whoa, the earl is as learned as Sir Thomas…” “No, let’s leave this aside.”

Elizabeth, seeing a slightly displeased look on the count’s face, cleared her throat and continued talking.

“Hmm, hmm. Anyway, as a sister, I can’t wear that crown myself, nor can I give it up. At that time, I decided to wear the crown of Scotland. Among the remaining members of the royal family, my sister and I are the only ones with blood ties to the late King James V of Scotland. “No matter how much she hates me, she wouldn’t want to miss the chance to win Scotland, would she?”

“By the way, princess. Although it is said that the royal bloodline has faded… Isn’t it true that there is no royal family that can be sent as king to a foreign country? “What if Her Majesty the Queen declares that she is putting forward another royal family?”

“Would Nox be willing to accept that offer? And, who else but Jane was married to Baron Grinstead?”

“He too… I guess so. Well, if France declares that Mary of Stuart is returning to Scotland… .”

“Do you think France will send her to Scotland if she doesn’t want to wear the crown? King Henri is not a fool. France won’t move unless her sister wears her crown right now. She wouldn’t necessarily want to cause friction with England. What if France still moves? What should I do then? “I have to think of it as my fate and accept it.”

Seeing the attitude of Princess Elizabeth, who said with a smiling face, ‘Then there’s nothing we can do, right?’, the Count thought that he wanted to get out of this matter even now. At no time, the anxiety did not go away.

However, didn’t he say that if he let go, he would immediately explode along with himself? The Count remembered Elizabeth’s threat and sighed.

‘As expected, when Her Majesty the Queen ascended the throne, she should have abandoned Princess Elizabeth and gone to Her Majesty the Queen… .’

Belated regret. I regretted that something like this would not have happened if I had abandoned Princess Elizabeth along with the others earlier. It’s already too late.

The Count, who had missed the moment, could only earnestly hope that Elizabeth’s plan would succeed.

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*In real history, Scotland in the 1560s was extremely chaotic. In the Highland region, small and medium-sized tribes began to clash over various causes, and in the Lowland region, discontent was breaking out because the queen’s religion was Catholic. In 1558, a pamphlet was even circulated criticizing her queen, which said, ‘None of the countries in the Bible has done well under her queen, so she should step down from her position.’

*Please note that unlike the original history, the Queen did not return until 1561, so John Knox in the story had a stronger influence than in the original history.

*John Knox was a Scottish religious reformer, a disciple of Calvin, and the founder of Presbyterianism. It could be the roots of the Presbyterian Church that spread throughout Korea.

Knox was a man with strong convictions. Even though he was captured and enslaved in France while leading the religious reform in 1547, he did not give up his beliefs and encouraged the courage of his fellow prisoners. There is also a record that when Mary Stuart tried to marry Felipe’s son Carlos, she openly opposed her queen’s marriage, ultimately making Mary Stuart cry.

*In real history, John Knox convened a parliament in 1560 and passed a Scottish Reformation Act, despite the return of the Catholic queen. After passing the bill, he rose to the position of ‘High Commissioner for Reform’ and spearheaded the Scottish Reformation.