By the time Mary came to court and caught the eye of the King, George was already established as a favorite. Records show him playing dice, cards and tennis with his majesty as well as joining the royal hunting party on more than one occasion. He was only 24 or 25 when he was appointed ambassador to France, a great honor. He was popular at Francis' court and was often praised for his witty discourse and intelligence. During this time he was trusted with the delicate task of seeking French scholarly opinion on the King's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Over the next several years he worked in France to convince Francis to support Henry's new marriage to Anne, he carried the Papal Bull of Excommunication against Henry back to England and negotiated for the betrothal of his niece Elizabeth to Francis' heir.
George had one of the most important tasks in the Reformation Parliament; he argued the case for Kingly supremacy in front of the Convocation in 1531. He also made suggestions to the parliament from 1530 until his death six years later. Many historical sources including Dr. Ives suggest that George was a book smuggler who was responsible for passing the works of Fish and Tyndale into the hands of the English nobility.
George was raised to the peerage in February 1533. He took his role seriously and parliamentary records show that during the 1534 sessions he had the most regular attendance of any member of either house of parliament. During the same year he was assigned the tasks of monitoring all ports and making sure the crown's share of shipping writs were paid into the royal coffers. In this capacity he was also responsible of arresting criminals and serving in an admiral position. In addition to his dynamic career, George was a trusted member of Henry's inner circle. Often giving advice, administering delicate tasks and keeping the King company. He handled incredible amount of crown money, had the favor of foreign governments and more importantly the ear of the King.
His appointments were irrespective of Anne's role and when Cromwell began considering ridding himself of the Boleyn faction, George was only slightly less of a target than Anne was. With George alive, Cromwell knew he could not seek to fully control the King. There was only one way to ensure George's total destruction; his death. There would be no evidence of the George betraying the King politically as his diplomatic record was spotless, so the only other way to incite treason charges was to accuse his of violating the Act of Succession and having sexual relations with the King's wife. Cromwell accused George of saying Elizabeth was not the King's daughter; a charge we now view as ludicrous as George would have greatly benefited from Elizabeth being the King's sole legitimate heir. There is also no evidence to support the claims that he had intercourse with his sister as all the times stated in court documents have been disproven as the Queen and her brother were many miles apart.
George Boleyn was not just collateral damage in the plot to remove Anne from power; it was a carefully calculated move that ensured a new faction could rise without the impediment of Boleyn influence. His power and favor would have limited the Seymours' rise and Cromwell's plan to gain more governmental/religious control. His death was deemed necessary in order to bring their plans to fruition; and with his demise Henry lost not only a skilled, trustworthy politician but probably one of his few friends.
Where did you find information on George Boleyn? I haven't really been able to find much.
ReplyDeleteHello much of my knowledge of George Boleyn comes from Eric Ives' writing and court records avaliable online. Please see my resources page for more information.
DeleteI don't know if I agree with your statement that his appointments were irrespective of Anne. Most of his major career movement was after her rise to power.
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteHe actually held many positions prior to Anne's rise to power. Most historians including Ives and Warnicke chronicle his accomplishments before Anne even returned to England. He was a rising star in court politics, and though Anne's influence definitely helped his appointments he was more than qualified for the positions he was appointed to and he was already a favorite.
There really is no evidence of a friendship between King Henry and George Boleyn. Their relationship seems, at least to me, strictly professional.
ReplyDeleteThere is actually a great deal of evidence for a friendship between the two men. In a love letter to Anne he calls George his friend, also in court records George is listed as hunting, playing cards and etc with Henry's select group of friends including Charles Brandon.
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