Plurrimi Laetissima: Anne and Public Perception

     As I watched a rerun of The Tudors episode depicting Anne's coronation parade through London, I was interested in how the screenwriters portrayed the event. Citizens stood at the sides of the road glaring and refusing to remove their hats as Anne's carriage passed. Some authors have gone as far as to say that people threw food and hurled curses at her during her procession. Is this true? Were the citizens of England disgusted by their new queen and her "usurpation" of the throne? In this post we will look at the primary source evidence of Anne's coronation day, her interactions with the public and whether or not she really was Plurrimi Laetissima (the most happy)
      It is a very common misconception that Anne was widely disliked. In fact Thomas Cranmer wrote that "...as she came along the City, were shewn many costly pageants from which children sang to her and tossed flowers..." Historian Joanna Denny says that "The banks of the Thames outside the palace were lined with crowds eagers to see their new queen..."

  Anne was especially loved amongst the people of London who had becoming increasingly inclined towards Evangelicalism following persecution at the hands of Thomas More. London was the hub of new religious learning and Anne patronized many of the men promoting Protestant doctrine. Many religious books were dedicated to her including a book by Erasmus whom called her "...the most gracious and virtuous..."While the people of London were saddened by the divorce of Henry and Catherine, who's piety was reknowned and admired, but they understood the need for a male heir. Primogeniture, or the inheritance of all property and titles by a first born son, was still the standard of that time period. There was much fear amongst the people of England that if Mary (Catherine's daughter) were to inherit that she would marry a foreign monarch who would rule and subject England to outside power.

     One group amongst whom Anne was unpopular were the nobility who remained Catholic and thus staunch supporters of Catherine and Mary. This hatred was grounded not only in her usurpation of the throne, but also the deep changes made to religious life in England. Anne was a figurehead for Evangelicals to rally around and she imposed her ideas on the women in her households, some of whom were opposed to them. These Catholics found allies in the long rebellious north of England and in the ambassadors of France and England. Conspiracy and hatred towards Anne simmered amongst these groups for many years and when she spoke those famous Latin words "Plurrimi Laetissima" she may not have enjoyed the complete happiness she had hoped to portray.
    
      Anne's generosity and the birth of her daughter Elizabeth were celebrated across London. The common people often spoke of the monies she donated to charitable causes (an enormous sum at 1,500 GBP/year) and how she wished to build educational institutions across England. Her popularity rose the longer she was reigned and by the time her execution was ordered, the gentry were appalled that Henry would dispose of another wife. These rumors of deep hate against Anne are merely that, rumors. She was liked and her appeal and the number of people who love her continues to grow as the truth about her is researched and exposed.

Anne Coronation Procession
Thomas Welter circa 1880

     
     

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