Image courtesy
of the MD State Archives.
|
The
charter had yet to be signed by Charles I granting promised land to
the young Baron of Baltimore in the New World. Succeeding his father,
George, the first Lord Baltimore, Cecil Calvert would soon become the
first Proprietor of the new colony of Maryland, so named for Charles’
Catholic queen, Henrietta Maria. Mary’s Land, as the new colony
was to be named, would become the American Palatinate in the New World
with powers and authority rivaling those of the monarchies of Europe.
Deriving his authority from the doctrine of “Divine Right of Kings”
conceived by his father, James I, Charles ruled with an iron had. And
ruled he did, until his continuous quarrels with Parliament over
political, religious, and economic affairs eventually led to his
downfall and death in 1649 at the hands of a Puritan executioner. With
the signing of the Maryland Charter in June of 1633, Cecil Calvert
became the instrument of his father’s plan to colonize the
Chesapeake Bay
area with Catholics and Protestants in search of a better world that
offered religious toleration and economic opportunities regardless of
religious orientation.
Following
the Reformation begun by King Henry VIII, the reign of Elizabeth I
(1558-1603) continued her father’s practices of banning Catholicism from
England and plans were adopted to eliminate its continuance by banishing
and imprisoning priests. Using Scandinavia as an example, Elizabeth and
her advisors concluded that within twenty years the lack of a Catholic
clergy would result in the disappearance of Catholicism from England.
It was through the protection of the English Catholic elite that
Catholicism overcame these edicts and survived although the numbers of
Catholics were greatly reduced. Though professing and demonstrating
their loyalty to the English state, many Catholics continued to worship
in secret in fear of being imprisoned. With the loss of many of their
civil rights and ways to making a living, Catholics were forced to
either convert to the state religion or place ventures empowered the
young Cecil with the skills necessary to continue the family’s global
interests. With the failure of the colony in Newfoundland, George
Calvert petitioned King Charles I for another patent to be located in a
milder climate. Calvert favored a locale south of Virginia but as
opposition from Jamestown trader and future Secretary of State for
Virginia, Captain William Claiborne, grew the request was changed to
include lands situated north of the Potomac. With granting of the
Charter in 1632 following the death of George Calvert, the new Second
Lord Baltimore, twenty-six year old Cecil, became the first Proprietor
of the newly created Palatinate of Maryland.
Planning to
lead the expedition to the New World, Cecil Calvert was soon
disillusioned over the safety of his newly formed colony. The formation
of a Catholic colony outside the borders of England gave concern to the
Protestants. Religious bigotry and political distrust partially brought
on by the disillusioned William Claiborne threatened the survival of the
colony before it was even established. Prevailing, Calvert fought these
arguments and received permission to continue with his colony from the
Privy Council. On Friday, November 22, 1633 the ships Ark and Dove
set sail for their epic journey across the Atlantic Ocean to their
destination of Mary’s Land…Maryland.
Even with
the safe arrival of the colonists the following March, the dangers to
the infant colony were not reduced. Unable to accompany his young
colony, Cecil Calvert remained behind engaged in an everlasting battle
with his enemies who were plotting the overthrow of the young colony.
On January 10, 1634 (Old Style) Cecil Calvert wrote to the Earl of
Stafford:
“My ships are gone
after… my adversaries had informed, by several means, some of the Lords
of the council that I intended to carry Nuns over to Spain and soldiers
to serve that King, which, I believe, your Lordship will laugh, as they
did. I have… at last, by the help of your Lordships good friends and
mine… overcome these difficulties and sent a hopeful colony into
Maryland with a fair and probable expectation of good success…”
The troubles
did not end with the landing on St. Clement’s Island and the
establishment of the colony at St. Mary’s City. Surrounded by Indians
involved in a murderous war with neighboring nations; and located near
Spanish, French and Dutch colonies as well as a hostile Virginia, the
infant colony was surrounded by potential enemies who had the capability
of organizing a military action against the Maryland settlers. Cecil
Calvert was careful in his instructions concerning relationships with
other colonies and Indians. The local people were to be treated as
sovereign nations and good will was to prevail in all dealings. Trade
was to be
encouraged
with Virginia, and the problem concerning the status of Kent Island was
to be delayed for a year while negotiations with Captain William
Claiborne were encouraged concerning Maryland’s title to the island.
Calvert was also careful in not establishing a theocracy as was evident
in Anglican Virginia and Puritan Massachusetts. Maryland would consist
of Protestant and Catholics, alike, worshipping and building a colony in
which religious toleration would be the touchstone of the
colony. Often overlooked was Cecil Calvert’s position on relationships
between the two groups. His instructions were explicit in warning the
Catholics not to antagonize Protestants by openly practicing their
religion. The landing on St. Clement’s Island is note worthy for two
important reasons: It was the landing site of the Maryland colonists;
the birthplace of Maryland, and the place of the celebration of the
first Roman Catholic Mass in the English speaking colonies. That these
two events occurred at the same time and at the same place without being
a part of an official ceremony combining religion and state is a tribute
to the farsightedness of Cecil and George Calvert. This separation of
church and state functions would be the predecessor to a fundamental
philosophy of American Government.
The
establishment of the Maryland colony with powerful adversaries both in
the wilderness and Parliament kept Cecil Calvert in England protecting
his Charter. His younger brother, Leonard, was appointed the colony’s
first governor. It would be Governor Leonard Calvert that would have to
fulfill the instructions of his older brother in dealing with problems
on this side of the Atlantic. One of the immediate problems facing
Cecil Calvert was opposition to his proprietorship from within the ranks
of the Jesuits. Operating under the idea of creating manorial holdings
within Maryland that would not be under the authority of the Proprietor
soon led to a collision course. Cecil Calvert remained firm and the
issue was settled when the Jesuits revised their missions to solely
include the converting of the Indians and establishing missions and
schools. A more ominous threat to the colony, however, involved an old
antagonist whose cause had been embraced on both sides of the Atlantic.
Captain William Claiborne claimed that his plantation on Kent Island was
exempted from Calvert’s Charter for two reasons. The first was
contained in the language of the Charter that entitled the Calvert’s to
claim land that was hactenus inculta or note previously
cultivated or as Claiborne insisted, “not settled.” The second
concerned the fact that William Claiborne was an official within
Virginia and was the Secretary of State for the colony. Caught up in a
legal battle, Cecil Calvert was able to prevail over the claims of
Claiborne. First of all, the concept of hactenus inculta did
not apply because Kent Island was never farmed. Although a settlement
was located on the island, it was a trading post and not a permanent
agricultural entity. In the second case, the Virginia Charter was
dissolved in 1624 by King James with the lands reverting to the Crown.
It is interesting to note that one of George Calvert’s appointments was
to oversee the dissolution of the Virginia Charter. Once the charter
was dissolved and the lands returned to the monarchy, the King Charles
was then able to reassign the patent to whomever he chose. Appealing,
Claiborne claimed that the coveted land was not included in Calvert’s
charter. The Court of the Star Chamber in 1663 found in favor of the
Calvert’s as did the Lords Commissioners in 1663.
Leading up
to the court cases, the Kent Island controversy had escalated into open
warfare when on April 23, 1635, two proprietary vessels, the St.
Helen and St. Margaret clashed with a vessel belonging to
Claiborne, the Cockatrice at the mouth of the Pocomoke River
(Potomac?) on the Chesapeake Bay. After several hours of maneuvering
and firing, the Cockatrice was forced to surrender when her
captain and two others fell. This clash was the first naval battle in
American history. Shortly thereafter, another skirmish was fought
between Calvert’s troops and the forces of William Claiborne as the
proprietary attempted
to force the surrender of Kent Island. An armistice was reached when
the trading company of Cloberry and Company of London replaced
Captain Claiborne as their employee on Kent Island with George Evelin.
Claiborne retreated to Jamestown where he continued his efforts to
exclude Kent Island from Calvert’s Maryland. As the relations between
Parliament and King Charles escalated into open warfare, the fortunes of
the Calvert colony were endangered as a colony loyal to the King. In
1644, Richard Ingle, as adherent of Parliament, was captured trading in
Maryland waters without a license. Brought into St. Mary’s City for
trial, the elusive Ingle soon escaped on board his ship, the Reformation. Returning the following year, Captain Ingle armed with
parliamentary letters of marquee began attacking and capturing loyalist
ships in Maryland waters. Soon farms were attacked and looted as Ingle
spread his private war against pro-royalist Maryland. The government of
Maryland including governor Leonard Calvert fled the colony and escaped
into nearby Virginia. For two years, Ingle occupied St. Mary’s City
attacking enemies imagined and real. Maryland officials were brought on
board his ship in chains; Catholic priests such as Father Fisher and
Father Andrew White were transported to England for trial as traitors in
chains. Soon after, the Calvert’s wrestled control of Maryland back
from the dissidents and entered upon a plan of reconciliation.
Captain
William Claiborne was not finished with the Calvert’s nor Maryland.
Because of him, several of his men including Thomas Smith had been hung
as pirates and traitors. His possessions had been seized, as were those
of his employer, Cloberry and Company of London by Maryland
authorities. During the winter of 1644, Claiborne, a member of the
Council of Virginia, again landed on Kent Island with a small force.
Here, he planned an invasion of St. Mary’s City to attack the royalist
government of Leonard Calvert. Failing to rally support from the
residents of Kent Island, Claiborne retired to Virginia. Returning to
England some years later he was appointed to oversee that Maryland would
adhere to the “Supreme Authority of the Commonwealth of England.”
Captain Claiborne had finally won but his influence on Maryland at this
point was not of vengeance and there are no records of him seeking
revenge against the colony or its proprietors. Soon after, Captain
William Claiborne of Kent Island died.
With the
death of Leonard Calvert in 1647, Cecil appointed William Greene to
succeed him but this appointment was rescinded with the appointment of
William Stone as governor. During these times, the king would be
executed and a commonwealth replacing the authority of the monarchy.
Maryland and Virginia would be compelled to acknowledge these changes.
Not recognizing the complete authority of the commissioners (under
William Claiborne) for reforming the government, Stone was replaced by a
Puritan, William Fuller and his commissioners. Cecil Calvert, enraged
at the surrender of his authority in Maryland, ordered William Stone to
seize the capitol and return the government to the proprietary. The
battle fought on the south bank of the Severn River in 1655, near
Annapolis, resulted in the route of Calvert’s troops. Surprisingly,
Cromwell recognized the claims of Cecil Calvert and restored the
Palatinate of Maryland to him. Cecil Calvert then appointed Josias
Fendall as governor in place of William Stone. A revolutionary by
choice, Fendall plotted against Cecil Calvert and led a rebellion to
overthrow the Calvert Charter. After the rebellion was quickly resolved
and Fendall banished to nearby Virginia, Calvert then appointed his
brother, Philip Calvert, as the new governor. Within a few years Cecil
Calvert sent his only son, Charles as governor.
In 1675, a
tired 69 year old Cecil Calvert died leaving his only son, Philip as
governor and Proprietor. Cecil had fought a long and costly battle to
retain his family’s rights to the land that was Maryland. In doing so,
he set precedents that would live long after his death in American
history and government. His ideas of religious toleration were
revolutionary for the time. He differentiated in using toleration in
place of freedom. Cecil Calvert fully realized that freedom of religion
was a masked threat to personal liberty. He knew that religious liberty
allowed groups to worship as they chose without offering the same right
to others that worshipped differently. Cecil Calvert also knew that
religious toleration would enable people of differing faiths to work and
live together without religious strife. In a larger sense, he also took
great pains to insure that the roles of church and government was
separate and distinct. By not creating a chosen religious belief
Calvert was able to avoid the pitfalls of creating a theocracy which
would then be contrary to his principles of religious toleration. He
was the hand at the tiller in Maryland, and American history in crucial
times. These times would set the course for the development of an
American civilization, which included his life long concerns.
