Editing Henry Vane the Younger (section)

==Early life==
[[File:Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt Sir Henry Vane the Elder.jpg|thumb|right|Sir [[Henry Vane the Elder]], portrait by [[Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt]]]]
Henry Vane was baptised on 26 May 1613 at [[Debden, Uttlesford|Debden]], [[Essex]].<ref name=DNB>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Vane, Henry (1613-1662)|display=Vane, Henry (1613-1662)|last=Firth|first=Charles Harding}}</ref> He was the eldest child of Sir [[Henry Vane the Elder]], who came from the landed gentry, and Frances Darcy, who came from minor nobility.<ref>Ireland, pp. 33–35</ref>  The elder Vane used the family's money to purchase positions at court, rising by 1629 to be [[Comptroller of the Household]].<ref name=DNBfather>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Vane, Henry (1589-1655)|display=Vane, Henry (1589-1655)|last=Firth|first=Charles Harding}}</ref> Vane was educated at [[Westminster School]], where his classmates included [[Arthur Heselrige]] and [[Thomas Scot]], two other men who would figure prominently in English politics.<ref>Ireland, pg. 36</ref> Vane's friend and biographer, George Sikes, wrote that Vane was "[ignorant] of God" and of a temperament that made him "acceptable to those they call good fellows", but that he had a religious awakening at 14 or 15, after which he "and his former jolly company came to a parting blow."<ref>Ireland, pg. 37</ref> Vane then enrolled at [[Magdalen Hall, Oxford]], where he studied in spite of his refusal to take the necessary matriculation oaths. He then travelled to Europe, where he was reported to be studying at [[Leiden]] and possibly in France and at [[Geneva]].<ref name=DNB/>

Vane's father had been upset by his open adoption of [[Puritan]] views, fearing this would hamper his opportunities for advancement at court. In 1631 he sent the young Vane to [[Vienna]] as an assistant to Robert Anstruther, the English ambassador. This was apparently a quite privileged role, for Vane's writings of the time include messages written in [[French language|French]] and in [[cipher]].<ref>Ireland, p. 40</ref>

During this trip the elder Vane was sent to negotiate with Swedish king [[Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden|Gustavus]] for an alliance; King Charles' unwillingness to act in the matter meant the effort was in vain.<ref>Adamson and Folland, pg. 35</ref>  He was introduced to the king after returning to England, and encouraged by his father to seek a position in the [[privy chamber]].<ref>Ireland, pp. 45–46</ref>  His father engaged in numerous attempts to get him to give up his [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|nonconformist]] views, without success. In order to worship as he chose, Vane then decided to go the [[New World]], joining the [[Great Migration (Puritan)|Puritan migration]].<ref>Ireland, pg. 54</ref>