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Sir Thomas Smith

Type Figure Region England Time 1513–1577 Also known as Sir Thomas Smith、Thomas Smith、托马斯·史密斯

English humanist scholar, diplomat and politician, Cambridge professor of civil law, author of the celebrated political treatise The Commonwealth of …

Timeline

  1. 1540–1553Cambridge · CambridgeIn 1540 he became Regius Professor of Civil Law at Cambridge; in 1547 he entered the household of the Duke of Somerset as Lord Protector, serving as Secretary of State and receiving a knighthood. In 1548 he was sent on embassy to Brussels, took part in the administration of the Scottish expedition, and drafted the first version of The Commonwealth of England, systematically setting out the division of duties among monarch, Privy Council, and Parliament.
  2. 1562–1566Paris · ParisFrom September 1562 he served jointly with Nicholas Throckmorton as ambassador to France, maneuvering among the factions of the French Wars of Religion, upholding Elizabeth's policy of limited support for the Protestant alliance, and handling diplomatic affairs relating to the Anglo-Scottish border and trade.
  3. 1572–1577London · LondonIn July 1572 he became Principal Secretary and Companion of the Order of the Garter, taking part in the trial of the Duke of Norfolk's Catholic conspiracy and pushing forward the Acts of Uniformity. In his later years he was frequently ill and died in August 1577 at his estate at Hill Hall, Essex; his library was donated to Queens' College, Cambridge.

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