The Religiosity of Anne's Fall

As the anniversary of Anne's death approaches, I am examining her fall from a primarily religious stand-point. Historians have long held that Anne's fall from favor and her beheading were a result of her inability to produce a male heir. However, I am promoting the theory that her fall had less to do with Henry's changing affections and more with a rapidly deteriorating relationship between Anne and Thomas Cromwell.
Anne and Cromwell had quarelled regarding his use of money and lands confiscated from the dissolution of the monasteries. Please read an excerpt from my research regarding the religious nature of Anne's fall:

There is much evidence that she <Anne> had a vehement disagreement with Henry and Cromwell regarding the use of lands and funds confiscated from the monasteries in England. Anne believed the buildings should be converted for educational as well as charitable purposes and the monies used to build a college in London and feed the poor.[i] The King and Cromwell however, were selling off the land to nobles and using the money for the King’s personal enrichment. Anne issued a very public attack on Cromwell’s monastic policies on Passion Sunday 1536 when she allowed her personal almoner, John Skip, to preach a memorable sermon that more than once referenced the events happening within Henry’s court. First, and less notable, was Skip’s reference to King Solomon, who in his last days brought a certain level disgrace to his earlier accomplishments by filling his palace with thousands of wives and concubines. It is hard to imagine how he could have intended anything but to draw certain parallels to Henry, his two wives and his current mistress Jane Seymour. Although that portion of the sermon is undoubtedly controversial, the much more inflammatory portion was a somewhat skewed version of the story of Ahasuerus, his wife Esther and his evil, scheming advisor Haman. Skip was addressing an audience well-versed in biblical literature and undoubtedly realized and planned that the connection, to which he alluded to several times, would be made to the current political climate in court between Henry, Anne and Cromwell.[ii]

---

[i] Roland H. Bainton, Women of the Reformation in France and England (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing 1973).

[ii] Caroline Hasenyager, Anne Boleyn and the Politics of Religious Reform (Northampton: Smith College University Press, 2002).

Tweet