When his father turned Protestant in June 1559, James was at his father's French estates at Châtellerault, perhaps at the Chateau de la Brelandiere, and became a fugitive from the French authorities.CSP Scotland, vol, 1 (Edinburgh, 1898), 223, 334. He made his way to safety in Switzerland by July, reportedly spending 15 days hiding in a wood on the way. His escape from France was masterminded by Elizabeth's counsellor William Cecil and the English ambassador in Paris, Nicolas Throckmorton.Nicholas Throckmorton to Elizabeth, 27 July 1559, Forbes, Full View, vol. 1 (London, 1740), p. 173.
