Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester (1573–1632,) was an English diplomat, politician, and art collector, serving as Secretary of State and ambassador to multiple European courts. His career shaped England’s foreign relations during the early Stuart period.
Born in Brightwell Baldwin, Oxfordshire, Carleton studied at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, earning a B.A. (1595) and M.A. (1600.) He began as secretary to Sir Edward Norreys, later joining diplomatic missions to France and Spain.
Knighted in 1610, he became ambassador to Venice, helping negotiate the Treaty of Asti. He later served as ambassador to the Dutch Republic (1616–25,) influencing Anglo-Dutch relations. In 1628, he was appointed Secretary of State, advising King Charles I on foreign policy.
His extensive diplomatic correspondence, particularly letters from Venice and the Netherlands, provides insights into European politics and religious conflicts. His collected letters were published as Letters from Sir Dudley Carleton to John Chamberlain, 1603–24 (1972,) offering a valuable historical account of early 17th-century diplomacy.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester
There will be mistakes in divinity while men preach, and errors in governments while men govern.
—Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester
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