Accidental diplomat Mariner wined and dined by Ivan the Terrible
HE has no statue, no buildings named after him and is a Bristol-born man few people in the city have ever heard of.
But this summer people will be marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of Richard Chancellor – right across Russia.
For the sailor and explorer Richard Chancellor is effectively the man who ended up leading England’s first ever mission to Russia, established the first diplomatic links between London and the Tsar and is being celebrated from Archangel to Moscow, 500 years after his birth.
A Russian historian, re-enactor and tour guide called Vadim Mikhaylov is leading the country’s commemorations of the 500th birthday of Chancellor – and is embarking on a week-long recreation of Chancellor’s journey from the spot on Russia’s White Sea coast where he landed, all the way to Moscow, where he became the first Englishman to be officially welcomed by the Tsar, Ivan the Terrible.
Chancellor, a mariner who was born and grew up in Bristol, spent most of his life at sea, and in the turbulent decade of the 1550s in England, ended up almost accidentally forging the first links between the
English royal court and the Tsar of Russia.
Chancellor’s story is a remarkable one of politics, bravery and exploration, and ultimately tragedy, which began when he grew up in the household of Sir Henry Sidney, an influential nobleman, and in his 20s, he began a career as a sailor.
He was initially apprenticed to Roger Bodenham, sailing from Bristol to the eastern Mediterranean, and learned from explorer Sebastian Cabot, whose father John had landed in North America back in the 1490s.
Exploration at the time was intent on finding quicker or easier ways to get to the lucrative trade coasts of India and south east Asia, rather than having to go all the way around Africa – it’s what Christopher Columbus and John Cabot were searching for, and why Columbus thought he’d landed in ‘the Indies’ when it was actually the Caribbean.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Sebastian Cabot had always dreamed of mounting an expedition to find a north-east passage to Asia, around Norway and Russia to the north, and also find new markets to sell England’s main export product – cloth.
Sir Hugh Willoughby was installed as the leader of the three-ship expedition in 1552, with Bristol’s Richard Chancellor as second in command and chief navigator.
But that first expedition was beset by problems. They lost contact with one of the ships, didn’t reach the North Cape – the most northerly point of Norway – until the autumn, which is not the ideal time to start sailing into the Arctic Ocean, and Willoughby and all his men died that first winter near Murmansk.
Chancellor fared better. His ship the Edward Bonaventure reached the White Sea, and he secured a safe harbour at the mouth of the Dvina River, where Archangel now stands.
Ivan The Terrible heard about his arrival, and sent a team of people to bring him 600 miles south to Moscow on a horse-drawn sleigh.
He was wined and dined in the Tsar’s palace, with Ivan the Terrible delighted to have the opportunity for new trade links between Russia and England that didn’t involve central European powers like the Swedes, Germans and the Poles.
The Tsar sent him back to his ship with letters promising trade deals, and he made it back to London two years after he left.
A year later, in 1555, he was sent back by the new Queen Mary, and spent the next year organising trade between England and Russia, and also trying to work out from the Russians if it was possible to get to China across the Arctic Ocean.
He returned towards England in 1556, with a Russian ambassador, but didn’t make it – his ship was wrecked near Aberdeen on November 10, 1556, and most of the crew, including Chancellor, at the age of 35, was killed. The Russian envoy survived, and made it to London the following year.
But the journeys of Chancellor did have a legacy – the Muscovy Company continued to forge trade links with Russia and deep into Asia, well into the 17th and 18th centuries.
“Richard Chancellor is considered as a founding father of British-Russian bilateral relations,” said Mr Mikhaylov. A series of events and tours are planned in Russia to mark the 500th anniversary of Chancellor’s birth, and the Mayor of Bristol has been invited to lend his support. His office sent a message of encouragement to the Russians organising the events.
“As a global city, we are keen to support international cultural links where we are able, and to connect residents living in Bristol with worldwide initiatives that connect with their country of origin,” a spokesperson said.
Richard Chancellor is considered as a founding father of British-Russian bilateral relations Vadim Mikhaylov