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42-528: Thomas Shirley was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Shirley of Wiston House , Sussex, and Anne Kempe, the daughter of Sir Thomas Kempe (d. 7 March 1591) of Olantigh in Wye, Kent . Sir Anthony Shirley and Sir Robert Shirley were his younger brothers. Shirley matriculated at Hart Hall, Oxford in 1579, but left the university without taking a degree. In 1584 he was elected Member of Parliament for Steyning . He went on military service with his father and brother in

84-638: A blow against the Ottoman Empire of Mehmed III . He was given encouragement by the Duke of Tuscany at Florence , who supported Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor in this respect. However, he made an imprudent descent on the island of Kea on 15 Jan 1603 and was captured by the Turks. He was transferred to Negropont on 20 March, and on 25 July 1603 he was carried a close prisoner to Constantinople. When news of his misfortunes reached England, James I appealed to

126-571: A confirmation of their old one, but also several new articles of reformation. By the charter of King Charles II in 1661, the company was erected into a body politic , capable of making laws, under the title of the Company of Merchants of England trading to the Seas of the Levant . The number of members was not limited, but averaged about 300. The principal qualification required was that the candidate be

168-531: A court, or board at London, composed of a governor, sub-governor, and twelve directors, or assistants; who were all actually to live in London, or the suburbs. They also had a deputy-governor, in every city and port where there were any members of the company. This assembly at London sent out the vessels, regulated the tariff for the price at which the European merchandise sent to the Levant were to be sold; and for

210-488: A decline in trade with the Levant over a number of decades, several London merchants petitioned Queen Elizabeth I in 1580 for a charter to guarantee exclusivity when trading in that region. In 1580 a treaty was signed between England and the Ottoman Empire, giving English merchants trading rights similar to those enjoyed by French merchants. In 1582, William Harborne , an English merchant who had carried out most of

252-475: A great deal of American silver, which the English took up at Cadiz . The more valuable returns were in raw silk , cotton wool and yarn, currants and raisins, nutmeg, black pepper, indigo , galls , camlets , wool and cotton cloth, the soft leathers called maroquins , soda ash for making glass and soap, and several gums and medicinal drugs. Velvet, carpets, and silk were bought by the traders. The commerce of

294-550: A relation of his wife, and in the summer of 1598 sailed into the English Channel, and seized four 'hulks' of Lübeck which were reputed to be carrying Spanish goods. He may have made some of his attacks with the Queen's ship Foresight , which he commanded in 1599. The costs and returns were high. A ship that Shirley captured while returning from San Domingo laden with sugar, was valued at £4,700. In April 1600, Shirley offered

336-428: A wholesale merchant, either by family, or by serving an apprenticeship of seven years. Those under 25 years of age paid 25 pounds at their admission; those above, twice as much. Each made an oath, at his entrance, not to send any merchandise to the Levant, except on his own account; and not to consign them to any but the company's agents, or factors. The company governed itself by a plurality of voices. The company had

378-630: The Dutch Revolt . This gave him the power to speculate with the funds that passed through his hands (a normal perk of office at this period), but he so mishandled them that he contracted massive debts to the Crown and found himself accused of fraud. His estate, including Wiston House, was sequestered in 1602, though he continued to live at Wiston until his death in October 1612. Sir Thomas was elected to Parliament as MP for Sussex in 1584, representing

420-648: The Fleet Prison . The House of Commons of England made a number of attempts to order his release by issuing writs of habeas corpus , but the Warden of the Fleet Prison would not free him, unless he received assurance that he would not himself be held liable for Shirley's debts, or blamed for what might technically be seen as allowing an 'escape'. The Commons had the warden placed in the Tower of London and sent

462-591: The Low Countries in 1585, and later saw some in Ireland. He was knighted at Kilkenny in Ireland by the lord deputy, Sir William Fitz-William , on 26 October 1589. Shirley later came to the court. In the summer of 1591 he made a secret marriage to one of Queen Elizabeth 's maids of honour and when the queen heard of it, she promptly committed him to the Marshalsea Prison . He remained in prison till

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504-537: The Spanish Armada campaign, proving their worth. James I (1603–25) renewed and confirmed the company's charter in 1606, adding new privileges. However he engaged in a verbal anti-Turk crusade and neglected direct relations with the Turks. The government did not interfere with trade, which expanded. Especially profitable was the arms trade as the Porte modernised and re-equipped its forces. Of growing importance

546-521: The Company in 1821 until its dissolution in 1825. Membership began declining in the early eighteenth century. In its decline the company was looked upon as an abuse, a drain on the resources of Britain. The company's purview was thrown open to free trade in 1754, but continued its activities until dissolution in 1825. The name of the bird called 'turkey' came from the Turkey merchants. Turkish opium

588-680: The Earl of Nottingham £600 for his tenth share in two ships which he brought into Plymouth and said he had already paid £2,000 for 'the company's thirds'. In October 1600 Shirley was brought before the Admiralty court for seizing a ship from Hamburg which had a cargo belonging to some Dutch merchants and Lord Cobham had to intervene on his behalf. He was also coming under attack from his creditors for in July 1600 some supporters of Sir Richard Weston broke into his father's house at Blackfriars and threatened

630-598: The Levant Company in 1592 after Queen Elizabeth I approved its charter as part of her diplomacy with the Ottoman Empire . The company had no colonial aspirations, but rather established " factories " (trading centers) in already-established commercial centers, such as the Levant Factory in Aleppo , as well as Constantinople , Alexandria and Smyrna . Throughout the company's history, Aleppo functioned as

672-593: The Shirleys, father and son, demanding payment. In 1601 his father required the borough seat of Steyning . Shirley was elected MP for both Bramber and Hastings and chose to sit for Hastings. In 1602 he renewed his privateering adventures, and pillaged 'two poor hamlets of two dozen houses in Portugal.' At the end of 1602 Shirley equipped two ships for a more ambitious adventure in the Levant where he aimed to strike

714-570: The Tower. This persuaded the warden to release Shirley, and he also had to apologise on his knees to the House of Commons. Shirley then resumed his seat as an MP. Parliament subsequently passed a general act, the Privilege of Parliament Act 1603 ( 1 Jas. 1 . c. 13), which confirmed the privilege of freedom from arrest for Members, but also gave creditors an opportunity to recover what they were owed when

756-490: The Turks. During the English Civil War (1642–1651), some innovations were made in the government of the company, allowing many people to become members who were not qualified by the charters of Elizabeth and James, or who did not conform to the regulations prescribed. Charles II , upon his restoration, endeavored to set the company upon its original basis; to which end, he gave them a charter, containing not only

798-408: The central hub for the entire Middle East operations. By 1588, the Levant Company had been converted to a regulated monopoly on an established trade route, from its initial character as a joint-stock company . The prime movers in the conversion were Sir Edward Osborne and Richard Staper. In January 1592, a new charter was granted and by 1595 its character as a regulated company had become clear. In

840-530: The company to Smyrna, Constantinople, and İskenderun , was much less considerable than that of the East India Company ; but was, more advantageous to England, because it took off much more of the English products than the other, which was chiefly carried on in money. The places reserved for the commerce of this company included all the states of Venice , in the Gulf of Venice ; the state of Ragusa ; all

882-431: The company was not to leave the consuls, or even the ambassador, to fix the impositions on the vessels for defraying the common expenses—something that was fatal to the companies of most other nations—but to allow a pension to the ambassador and consuls, and even to the chief officers—including the chancellor, secretary, chaplain, interpreters, and janissaries —so that there was no pretence for their raising any sum at all on

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924-446: The county for many years, and then Steyning , in 1601 and 1604, which was controlled by Shirley as a pocket borough ; he was apparently not distinguished as a member, but tried to draw upon an MP's privilege of immunity from arrest in 1604 when his debts grew too pressing to meet. Despite his protests that he had parliamentary privilege, he was arrested at the instigation of a goldsmith called Simpson , to whom he owed money, and placed in

966-534: The debtor ceased being an MP. This case is generally regarded as having finally settled the question of privilege from arrest in the Commons’ favour, and was cited as Sir Thomas Shirley's Case for centuries afterwards. His sons Thomas , Anthony and Robert were all noted adventurers. Shirley married, about 1559, Anne Kempe (c.1542–1623), the daughter of Sir Thomas Kempe (d.1591) of Wye, Kent , by whom he had twelve children, of whom three died as infants. Shirley

1008-560: The early days of the company there were threats not just from Barbary pirates but also from Spain during the 1585 to 1604 war . In that conflict however the company with its heavily armed ships managed to repel the Spanish galleys intent on capturing the cargo in a number of pitched naval battles, in 1586 , 1590 , 1591 and 1600 The company as a result surrendered some of their ships to the English Crown and these were used during

1050-473: The family seat of Wiston House , which he turned into a massive country house. (It is now the site of the government's Wilton Park conference centre.) However, soon afterwards Shirley found himself in considerable financial difficulties which eventually swallowed the family fortune. In 1586 Queen Elizabeth I appointed Sir Thomas Treasurer-at-War to the English forces serving in the Netherlands during

1092-411: The government of the sultan to release him. The English ambassador to the Porte, Henry Lello , used every effort on his behalf, and finally he was released on 6 December 1605, after eleven hundred dollars had been paid to his gaolers. He immediately went to Naples, where he was described by Toby Mathew, on 8 August 1606, as living there 'like a gallant.' At the end of 1606 he returned to England. Shirley

1134-423: The merchants or merchandises. It was true that the ambassador and consul might act alone on these occasions, but the pensions being offered to them on condition of declining them, they chose not to act. In extraordinary cases, the consuls, and even ambassador himself, had recourse to two deputies of the company, residing in the Levant, or if the affair be very important, assemble the whole nation. Here were regulated

1176-555: The presents to be given, the voyages to be made, and every thing to be deliberated; and on the resolutions here taken, the deputies appointed the treasurer to furnish the required funds. The ordinary commerce of this company employed from 20 to 25 vessels, of between 25 and 30 pieces of cannon. The merchandises exported there were limited in quality and range, suggesting an imbalance of trade; they included traditional cloths, especially shortcloth and kerseys , tin, pewter , lead, black pepper, re-exported cochineal , black rabbit skins and

1218-530: The quality of those returned. It raised taxes on merchandise, to defray impositions, and the common expense of the company; presented the ambassador, which the King was to keep at the port; elected two consuls for Smyrna and Constantinople , etc. As the post of ambassador to the Sublime Porte became increasingly important, the Crown had to assume control of the appointment. One of the best regulations of

1260-553: The sergeant-at-arms of the Commons, who was carrying the mace, to the Fleet Prison to set Shirley free. However, the warden's wife proved equally obdurate, and the sergeant-at-arms had to report that his mission had been a failure. The warden had originally been able to move around within the Tower, but now the Commons made sure that he was placed in an unpleasant dungeon, called the Little Ease, four feet (1.2 metres) square, within

1302-502: The spring of 1592. In 1593 he was elected MP for Steyning again. In the same year he saw service with the rank of captain in the Low Countries again. Shirley was beginning to suffer from hopeless embarrassment because of his father's increasing financial difficulties. To secure a livelihood, he decided to fit out a privateering expedition to attack Spanish merchandise. He handed over his company at Flushing to Sir Thomas Vavasour ,

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1344-526: The states of the "Grand Signior" (the Ottoman Sultan ), and the ports of the Levant and Mediterranean Basin ; excepting Cartagena , Alicante , Barcelona , Valencia , Marseilles , Toulon , Genoa , Livorno (Leghorn), Civitavecchia , Palermo , Messina , Malta , Majorca , Menorca , and Corsica ; and other places on the coasts of France, Spain, and Italy. Ships owned by the Levant Company from 1581 to 1640: The British government took over

1386-644: The treaty negotiations in Constantinople to French protestations, made himself permanent envoy. But by 1586 Harborne was appointed 'Her Majesty's ambassador' to the Ottoman Empire, with all his expenses (including gifts given to the Sultan and his court) to be paid by the Levant Company. When the charters of the Venice Company and the Turkey Company expired, both companies were merged into

1428-700: The wars against the Turks in Hungary, although a parallel was routed to Morocco and the Barbary Coast on a similar trade winds as early as 1413. The collapse of the Venetian empire , high tariffs, and the ousting of the Genoese from Scio ( Chios ) had left a vacuum that was filled by a few intrepid adventurers in their own cog vessels with endeavour to reopen trade with the East on their own accounts. Following

1470-439: Was an English Member of Parliament , government official and courtier who is said to have suggested the creation of the title of baronet . Thomas Shirley was the eldest of the three children of William Sherley (c.1498–1551) of Wiston, Sussex , and Mary Isley, the daughter of Thomas Isley of Sundridge, Kent . He was knighted in 1573, and served as High Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex in 1576. Also in 1573, he began rebuilding

1512-510: Was baptised at West Clandon , Surrey, on 30 June 1597, was knighted in 1645 by Charles I at Oxford, was alive in 1664, and was father of Thomas Sherley [q. v.], the physician . Shirley married secondly at Deptford on 2 December 1617, a widow, Judith Taylor, daughter of William Bennet of London, by whom he had five sons and six daughters. Thomas Shirley (died 1612) Sir Thomas Shirley (c.1542 – October 1612), of Wiston in Sussex ,

1554-471: Was bought by the Levant Company. The Levant Company encompassed American merchants before 1811 who bought Turkish opium. These merchants would sell the opium to the Chinese, beginning in 1806. Among these American Turkey merchants were members of the famous Astor family . The arms of the Levant Company were: Azure, on a sea in base proper, a ship with three masts in full sail or, between two rocks of

1596-483: Was good for seven years and was granted to Edward Osborne , Richard Staper , Thomas Smith and William Garrard with the purpose of regulating English trade with the Ottoman Empire and the Levant . The company remained in continuous existence until being superseded in 1825. A member of the company was known as a Turkey Merchant . The origins of the Levant Company lay in the Italian trade with Constantinople, and

1638-669: Was imprisoned in the Tower of London in September 1607 on a charge of illegal interference with the operations of the Levant Company . It was said that he had "overbusied himself with the traffic of Constantinople, to have brought it to Venice and to the Florentine territories." In August 1611 he was confined in the king's bench as an insolvent debtor. The death of his father next year, and his second marriage greatly increased his difficulties. Wiston, which had fallen into ruins,

1680-515: Was sold, but he was elected MP for Steyning in 1614, and 1621. Shirley is said to have retired subsequently to the Isle of Wight , and to have died there about 1630. Shirley married firstly Frances Vavasour, daughter of Henry Vavasour of Copmanthorpe , by whom he had three sons and four daughters. His second son, Henry Shirley , was the dramatist who was murdered in London on 31 October 1627. His only surviving son by his first marriage, Thomas Shirley,

1722-439: Was survived by three sons and six daughters: Levant Company The Levant Company was an English chartered company formed in 1592. Elizabeth I of England approved its initial charter on 11 September 1592 when the Venice Company (1583) and the Turkey Company (1581) merged, because their charters had expired, as she was eager to maintain trade and political alliances with the Ottoman Empire . Its initial charter

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1764-511: Was textile exports. Between 1609 and 1619, the export of cloth to the Turks increased from 46% to 79% of total cloth exports. The business was highly lucrative. Piracy continued to be a threat. Despite the anti-Ottoman rhetoric of the king, commercial relations with the Turks expanded. The king's finances were increasingly based on the revenues derived from this trade, and English diplomacy was complicated by this trade. For example, James refused to provide financial support to Poland for its war against

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