Antoine Lefèvre de la Boderie (1555-1615) was a French diplomat and ambassador to England.

He was a son of Jacques Lefèvre de la Boderie and Anne de Montbray; and the brother of the French Orientalist, Guy Lefèvre de la Boderie. Antoine Le Fèvre de La Boderie (1555-1615) on biblissima.frBoderie, Ambassades, 1, p. x.

Career Lefèvre de la Boderie was a master of household to Henry IV of France. In January 1598 he welcomed Sir Robert Cecil as ambassador to France at Dieppe.G. Dyfnallt Owen, HMC Salisbury Hatfield, vol. 23 (London, 1974), p. 11. He was French ambassador to Rome, and ambassador in England from April 1606 until 1611. His correspondence from these years was published in the 18th century with Lettres d'Henri IV et de Messieurs de Villeroy, et de Puisieux à Mr. Antoine Le Fevre de la Boderie Ambassadeur de France en Angleterre in 1733,Lettres d'Henri IV et de Messieurs de Villeroy, et de Puisieux à Mr. Antoine Le Fevre de la Boderie Ambassadeur de France en Angleterre, Amsterdam, 1733 and the 5 volume Ambassades de Monsieur de la Boderie en Angleterre in 1750.

Boderie is known for his commentary on politics in London during the reign of James VI and I. Boderie was particularly surprised by the hunting activity of King James, who regularly absented himself from the apparent centres of power to country residences.Jenny Wormald, 'One king, two kingdoms', Alexander Grant & Keith Stringer, Uniting the Kingdom?: The Making of British History (Routledge, 1995), p. 131: Ambassades de Monsieur de la Boderie, 1, p. 94, 2, pp. 100–2, 165–69.

In 1606, Boderie noted that Prince Henry played golf, which he described as a Scottish game not unlike "pallemail" or pall-mall.Marcia Vale, The Gentleman's Recreations: Accomplishments and pastimes of the English Gentleman, 1580-1630 (Cambridge, 1977), p. 115.Ambassades de M. de La Boderie en Angleterre (Paris, 1750), p. 400 Boderie also mentioned exercises with the pike and archery.Martin Butler, The Stuart Court Masque and Political Culture (Cambridge, 2008), p. 173.

Prince Henry's riding master, Monsieur St Antoine, asked Boderie to obtain a suit of gilt armour with a pistol and sword for the prince.Thomas Birch, Life of Prince Henry (London, 1760), pp. 65, 68-9: Ambassades de M. de La Boderie en Angleterre, 1 (Paris, 1750), p. 60 The armour is thought to survive in the Royal Collection.See external links. Another French armour made for Henry as a gift from the Prince de Joinville also survives.Cuirassier armour of Henry, future Prince of Wales about 1607, RCIN 72832

Lefèvre de la Boderie and the Nottingham scandal Christian IV of Denmark visited his sister, Anne of Denmark, the wife of King James in London in 1606. Boderie reported that some celebrations and tournaments would be cancelled because of the death of Anne's daughter Sophia.Ambassades de M. de La Boderie en Angleterre, 1 (Paris, 1750), p. 185. When Christian IV was preparing to leave England he had an argument with the Earl of Nottingham aboard ship about time and tide. The Danish king insisted it was two o'clock and waved two fingers at the Earl.Susan Doran, From Tudor to Stuart: The regime change from Elizabeth I to James I (Oxford University Press, 2024), p. 249. Nottingham, or his wife Margaret Howard, Countess of Nottingham, thought he made a joke about their age difference.Courtney Erin Thomas, If I lose Mine Honour I Lose Myself (Toronto, 2017), pp. 87-9. An angry correspondence ensued.Lawrence Stone, Crisis of the Aristocracy (Oxford, 1965), p. 665.

Arbella Stuart attempted to mediate in the scandal in letters to Christian's Scottish chamberlain, Sir Andrew Sinclair.Sara Jayne Steen, The Letters of Lady Arbella Stuart (Oxford, 1994), pp. 211-7, 282-4. Anne of Denmark asked James to banish the Countess of Nottingham from court.Agnes Strickland, Lives of the Queens of England vol. 4 (London, 1869) pp. 93-5, quoting a letter in the British Library, Egerton MSS., printed in J. Payne Collier,The Egerton Papers (Camden Society: London, 1840), pp. 467-470 and John Duncombe, A Select Collection of Original Letters, vol. 1 (London, 1755), pp. 67-8

Lefèvre de la Boderie was aware of the details of this quarrel and described it in his letters. He wrote of the age difference between Lady Nottingham and the Admiral. He described the argument on the Thames centering on a clock and the time of departure, and Christian IV two or three times indicating the time two o'clock with his fingers. Lefèvre de la Boderie knew that the Countess of Nottingham had written to Sinclair, and Anne of Denmark had expelled her from court, berating her as the grandchild of an illegitimate son of James V, (as a granddaughter of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray). His letters are an important source for our knowledge of the incident. Lefèvre de la Boderie said Anne of Denmark made the Earl and Countess of Nottingham unwelcome at their lodge in the park of Hampton Court in September.Ambassades de M. de La Boderie en Angleterre, vol. 1 (Paris, 1750), pp. 307-9, 349-50 Boderie's version of these events was a source of amusement to Henry IV of France.Friedrich Ludwig Georg von Raumer, History of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, illustrated by original documents, vol. 1 (London, 1835), pp. 215-7.

Plague in 1606 According to Lefèvre de la Boderie, in October 1606 Anne of Denmark was alarmed by the death of a servant in the buttery at Hampton Court, and intended to move to Oatlands. She discovered the plague was also in that vicinity and wanted to move to Greenwich Palace, but the plague was there too. She stayed at Hampton Court and sent Prince Charles to join Prince Henry at Richmond Palace.Ambassades de M. de La Boderie en Angleterre, vol. 1 (Paris, 1750), pp. 399-400. Anne of Denmark kept King James, who was at Royston, informed by messages sent with the Scottish courtiers Robert Anstruther and John Auchmoutie. James was happy with Anne's decision but some courtiers were critical.HMC Salisbury Hatfield, vol. 18 (London, 1940). The Venetian ambassador Zorzi Giustinian also reported her decision.Horatio Brown, Calendar State Papers Venice, 1607-1610, vol. 11 (London, 1904), p. 416 no. 599.

Boderie regarded Anne of Denmark's secretary William Fowler as a useful source of information, worthy of cultivation, describing him as an "Ecossais et un galant homme, que je desir bien entretenir".Ambassades de Boderie, 2, pp. 145, 350. Boderie reported the arrest of Anne of Denmark's Scottish chamberer Margaret Hartsyde, describing her offence as slander rather than the theft of the queen's jewels.Ambassades de Monsieur de La Boderie, 2 (Paris, 1750), pp. 414–416.

Anne of Denmark and the French royal baptism On 15 July 1608, at Somerset House, Boderie presented to Anne of Denmark an invitation to the baptism of Gaston, Duke of Anjou, a son of Henry IV and his second wife, Marie de' Medici. She was to be a godparent by proxy. The Republic of Venice would stand as the other godparent or sponsor.Boderie, Ambassades, 3, pp. 357–358. Anne of Denmark spoke to the Venetian ambassador Zorzi Giustinian about the invitation, assuring him that despite this token of alliance with France, she did not intend there to be a matrimonial alliance with France. Instead, she hoped her daughter Princess Elizabeth would marry an Italian or German husband.Horatio F. Brown, Calendar State Papers Venice, 11 (London: HMSO, 1904), p. 150 no. 285, 152 no. 288.

There had been some diplomatic wrinkles in the previous months. Boderie felt that he had been slighted by Anne of Denmark's show of favour to the Spanish ambassador at The Masque of Beauty in January.David Bergeron, The Duke of Lennox, 1574–1624: A Jacobean Courtier's Life (Edinburgh University Press, 2022), pp. 179–180: Martin Butler, The Stuart Court Masque and Political Culture (Cambridge, 2008), p. 383 fn. 290.Susan Doran, From Tudor to Stuart: The regime change from Elizabeth I to James I (Oxford University Press, 2024), p. 241: Leeds Barroll, Anna of Denmark, Queen of England: A Cultural Biography (University of Pennsylvania, 2001), pp. 110–111.Ellen R. Welch, A Theater of Diplomacy: International Relations and the Performing Arts in Early Modern France (University of Pennsylvania, 2017), pp. 41–44.Clare Jackson, The Mirror of Great Britain: A Life of James VI & I (Allen Lane, 2025), pp. 312–313. Sir Henry de Gunderot or Guenterode, a German-born soldier and gentleman of King James's privy chamber associated with Anne of Denmark's brother the Duke of Holstein,Pierre Paul Laffleur de Kermaingant, L'ambassade de France en Angleterre sous Henri IV: Mission de Christophe de Harlay (Paris, 1895), p. 256. Gunderot was a relative of Henri de Schomberg. had been sent as a diplomatic envoy to the French court. According to the Venetian ambassador in Paris, Antonio Foscarini, Henry IV gained the impression from Gunderot, who he called "Signor Ghintrot", that Anne of Denmark favoured Spain rather than France and blamed him for this.Horatio F. Brown, Calendar State Papers Venice, 11 (London: HMSO, 1904), p. 150 no. 282.

Among the ensuing correspondence, Henry IV wrote to Boderie about Gunderot, hoping he could smooth things over and still hoped Anne of Denmark would be a godparent by proxy to his son.Maurice Lee junior, James I and Henri IV: An essay in English foreign policy, 1603–1610 (University of Illinois, 1970), pp. 103, 110. Boderie thought some issues could not be committed to the "hazard of paper".Boderie, Ambassades, 3, pp. 255–262, 280–287, 298, 329, 336–337. The French minister Pierre Brûlart de Puisieux wrote to Boderie with news that Anne of Denmark had written to Henry IV to disavow the speeches Gunderot had made. Puisieux wrote to Boderie to expect a present of little dogs for the English queen. She had asked Boderie for a couple of the smallest and most beautiful dogs.Lettres d'Henri IV et de Messieurs de Villeroy, et de Puisieux à Mr. Antoine Le Fevre de la Boderie Ambassadeur de France en Angleterre (Amsterdam, 1733), pp. 280–290, 317Boderie, Ambassades, 3, pp. 311, 314–317, 359.

In November 1608, Boderie noted that Anne of Denmark defended Lord Balmerino, who was accused of sending letters to the Pope in the king's name without authority.Boderie, Ambassades, 4, pp. 66, 280–281 In February 1609, Boderie attended The Masque of Queens. Conflict over the invitations and precedence was avoided by the departure of the savoy ambassador Ferdinand de Girone.Susan Doran, From Tudor to Stuart: The regime change from Elizabeth I to James I (Oxford University Press, 2024), pp. 242–243. Boderie dined with King James and Prince Henry and Charles, while his wife dined with Princess Elizabeth. During the masque, Anne of Denmark spoke to Boderie's wife and daughter, and his daughter joined the dance.Mary Sullivan, Court masques of James I; their influence on Shakespeare and the public theatres (New York, 1913), pp. 56–57, 216–219: Boderie, Ambassades, 4, pp. 229, 233–235.Ellen R. Welch, A Theater of Diplomacy: International Relations and the Performing Arts in Early Modern France (University of Pennsylvania, 2017), pp. 51–52. The Venetian ambassador was not invited and in Venice, Henry Wotton had to make excuses, saying that the English ambassador in Paris had been singled out for an invitation to Marie de' Medici's dance.Horatio F. Brown, Calendar State Papers Venice, 11 (London: HMSO, 1904), p. 253 no. 468.

Boderie's invitation and the masque marked a period of friendship between England and France. Puisieux and the Marquis of Villeroy wrote to Boderie acknowledging the role that court theatre had played in ongoing negotiations for a European peace treaty. It was hoped there would be a marriage between French and English royals.Mary Sullivan, Court Masques of James I (New York, 1913), pp. 56–59.

Scottish silver mine