Letters between Vasili III of Russia and John of Denmark wherein Master David, herald to the King of Denmark is mentioned (1507).

Note

The followings are taken from the text version of Hamel, Iosif Khristianovich, Leigh, John Studdy (tr.), Early English voyages to Northern Russia: comprising the voyages of John Tradescant the Elder, Sir Hugh Willoughby, Richard Chancellor, Nelson, and others, London: Richard Bentley, 1857. (Internet Archive.) I corrected typographical errors due to the OCR system misrecognition, but there may still exist such errors. Please consult printed version for academic purpose.
See Wegener, Bildrag, 12D02 and RDHD, 0201D02 also for more about this document.
For Master David the herald see pp.58ff.
The latest discussion (as of Feb 2015) on him is found in Grosjean, Alexia, "A time when 'fools and dwarfs were highly esteemed'? Seeking the Late Medieval Scandinavian Herald", in Stevenson 2009, pp.165-198, especially pp.178ff. Grosjean gives such references as Kock, David, —1529, Herold in Dansk biografisk Lexikon, ix, 1895; Allen, Carl Ferdinand, Breve og Aktstykker til Oplysning af Christiern den Andens og Frederik den Forstes Historie, i Bind, Reitzels, 1854, p.483, n. 1; David Kock mester, også kaldet Våbenkongen Danmark, var skotte, "Cokron, van Koran", kgl herold, (lever august 1528 er d 1529) ; 1517-016; Brewer, J. S. (ed.), Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII, vol. 2, part 2, London : Longmans, H.M.S.O., 1864, pp.1235-1236.
His name can be found along with other Scandinavian and elsewhere heralds in Werlauff, Erik Christian, De Hellige tre Kongers Kapel, stiftet af Kong Christian den forste og Dronning Dorothea i Röskilde-Domkirke, Kjobenhavn: C. A. Reitzel, 1849, Tillæg to S.30, pp.73-4.
There was a mention to a herald of King of Denmark in the Berner-chronik: Item des kúngs von Tenmark herolt hat an demselben fritage dem keiser ein credenz uf graf Fridrichen von Helfenstein... [Tobler, Gustav (ed.), Die Berner-chronik des Diebold Schilling 1468-1484, 1. Band, Bern: K. J. Wyss, 1897, p.82. (Internet Archive.)]

Letter from Vasili III of Russia to John of Denmark

Original Latin

(pp.409ff.)

Appendix C.

    “Annunciamus vobis plurimas et amicabiles salutationes, serenissime et carissime frater. Scribimus ad vestram celsitudinem quantum vestra misit celsitudo ad genitorem nostrum Johannem Imperatorem et Dominum tocius Russie et Magnum Ducem vestrum Oratorem Heraldum Magistrum David Kocken (Kocker?) Dei autem voluntas facta est quod genitor noster migravit in Dominum. Deinde a vobis ad nos venit vester nuncius Johannes Plagh, cum vestris credentialibus, literis et verbis, nam quid vir vester Magister David post obitum patris nostri a vobis retulit, vester nuncius Johannes Plagh nobis ex parte vestra ille idem retulit, quod si divina providentia genitor noster migrasset in Domino ut nos tunc vobiscum essemus simili modo, sicut vos cum genitore nostro in fraternitate et amicitia fuistis contra omnes inimicos, etnuncium quoque nostrum ad vos fratrem nostrum Johannem Regem cum hoc unacum vestris” (not nostris) “ nunciis mitteremus. Nos autem vobiscum cum fratre nostro Johanne Dacie, Suecie, Norwagie, &c. Rege amicitiam et fraternitatem habere volumus, eodem modo sicuti vos cum nostro genitore habuistis. Et nunc ad vos nostrum nuntium Yschonia” (Ystoma [Gregory Istoma. See p.33. S.U.]) “cum hiis nostris litteris optamus quatenus vestras fortificatas literas de amicicia et fraternitate nomine vestro scribere mandaretur, qualiter apud genitorem nostrum vestre littere fuerint, et huiusmodi litteris vestris sigillum vestrum mandaretur appendi. Et super hiis litteris ad nos crucem in presencia nostri nuncii Ysconie (Ystoma) osculari veletis, istas quoque sic fortificatas litteras cum vestro nuncio una cum nostro nuncio Yscania” (Ystoma) “ad nos mittatis nobis hujusmodi tales vestras litteras obsignando. Et Deo favente cum idem noster nuncius Yscania” (Ystoma) “una cum vestris nimciis cum huiusmodi vestris roboratis litteris ad nos redierit, quibus nobis visis nos vice versa de verbo ad verbum litteras nostras scribere, nec non sigillum appendi manderemus, et super talibus litteris nostris in presencia vestri nuncii crucem osculari volumus, et de post easdem nostras roboratas litteras ad vos una cum vestro nuncio remittamus, Et sic Deo auxiliante vobis volumus obsignare nuncium quoque nostrum Ysconiam” (Ystomam) “ad nos absque mora remittatis. Ex Muscovia, anno septimo millesimo decimo, quinto mensis Julii septuagesima die.”

English translation

(pp.77ff.)

“Most serene and dear brother, we send you many and friendly greetings. We write to your Highness, inasmuch as your Highness sent your spokesman and Herald, Master David Kocker, to our Father John, Emperor, Grand Duke, and Lord of all Russia. By the will of God, our Father has departed in the Lord. Subsequently your messenger, John Plagh, came to us with your credentials and letters, for whereas your Master David brought a message from you after the death of our Father, your messenger, John Plagh, has acquainted us again with your wish that, as Divine Providence has willed that our Father should depart in the Lord, we should be united with you, as our Father was, in fraternity and friendship, against all enemies; and that we should also send a messenger to you our brother John, the King, together with your messengers. Truly we desire to have the same friendship and fraternity with you our brother John, King of Dacia (Denmark ?), Sweden, and Norway, as you had with our Father; and we now send you our ambassador Yschonia, togetlier with your ambassadors. God willing, your ambassadors will reach you together with our ambassador Yschonia (Istoma), who bears these our letters. We desire, moreover, that your letters to Us be conceived in the same strong terms of friendship as those you wrote to our Father; and that you order your seal to be affixed to these letters in the same manner. And we request that in the presence of our ambassador Yschonia (Ystoma) you kiss the cross on those your letters to us, and that you send them to us, so confirmed, by your ambassador, together with our ambassador Yschonia (Istoma), sealing up your said letters in the same manner. And, God willing, when Our aforesaid ambassador returns to us with your ambassadors, bearing your letters so ratified, and when the same have been seen by us, we shall write to you letters in return — the same word for word as yours — and shall also order Our seal to be affixed thereto. On the same letters, We shall kiss the cross in the presence of your ambassador, and then we shall send you Our letters so ratified together with your ambassador. And so, with God's assistance, we request that you will sign, and send us back our ambassador Ysconia (Ystoma) without delay. Dated at Moscow on the seventieth (sic) day of July, in the year seven Thousand and Fifteen.”

Letter from John of Denmark to Vasili III of Russia

Original Latin

(pp.411ff.)

Appendix D.

    “Johannes &c., Basilio tocius Russie Imperatori salutem et sincerem atque fraternalem in Domino dilectionem. Delectissime frater et confederate. Vestre Majestatis nuncius Yscania” (Ystoma) “tali die N. ad nos una cum David Heraldo nostro applicuit, atque venit nobis vestras litteras exhibens atque presentans. Ex quibus litteris clarius accepimus vos velle pie memorie domini Johannis Basilii vestigia in omnibus imitari, et precipue fraternalem amicitiam atque confederacionem nobiscum contrahere, ac insuper tali amicicia et confederacione litteras nostras conficere, et eos ad manus vestras una cum memorato nuncio nostra N. ac Yscania” (Ystoma) “in presentiarum dirigimus atque transmittimus, summopere desiderantes atque deprecantes ut similes litteras vestras eandem amiciciam et confederacionem continentes nobis remittere velitis. O Princeps, frater noster, socer ac parens.”

English translation

(p.79.)

“John, &c., King. — To the Emperor of all Russia, health and sincere and fraternal love in the Lord. Dearly beloved Brother and Confederate, — Your Majesty's ambassador Yscania (Ystoma) applied and came to Us, with David our Herald on such a day, exhibiting and presenting your letters. From which letters we have clearly understood that you wish in all things to follow the footsteps of the Lord John Vassily of pious memory, and especially to enter into brotherly friendship and confederacy with Us — and so to frame our letters with reference to such friendship and confederacy, and send them to you by our aforesaid Ambassador N. and Yscania (Ystoma). We therefore, by these presents, address and transmit them to you, greatly desiring and requesting that you will send Us letters from you containing the assurance of the same friendship and confederacy. — O Prince, our brother, father-in-law, and parent!”

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