Anne's Final Pregnancy

   Lately, I have had many inquiries about the reproductive history of Anne Boleyn. Thanks in large part to the novel The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory and the subsequent Hollywood film there is a general consensus that Anne Boleyn suffered a miscarriage in which the fetus had severe abnormalities and as result Henry decided to seperate himself from her. As a historian who is greatly interested in the fall of Anne Boleyn I have explored the possibility that this is true and how it may have effected her decline in power and influence over Henry VIII. First, let us examine the root of the myth (yes, I said myth). Author Retha Warnicke is one of the first respectable historians to perpetuate this rumor. On January 29, 1536, just days after Henry suffered a near fatal fall during a jousting match, Anne went into pre-term labor and bore a stillborn son. She was cared for by a royal doctor and several midwives, there is no primary source evidence that supports the child being abnormal in any way.

    Warnicke support the theory that Anne’s miscarriage must have been abnormal saying, “Her fall was almost certainly triggered by the nature of the miscarriage she was to suffer in late January, for there is no evidence that she had been in any personal or political danger [prior]…”*

   We know this statement is misleading; careful examination of primary sources show us that Chapuys had written to Charles V speaking of the King’s new love interest Jane Seymour more than three months prior to Anne’s miscarriage. In the letter, Chapuys reveals that Henry had been wooing Jane with expensive gifts and paying her a lot of attention. It also becomes apparent through the use of these documents that the rumors regarding the Queen’s allegedly malformed fetus were not evident until almost thirty years after her death. The tales of Anne’s reproductive woes, physical deformities and witchcraft were spread by Roman priests, especially Nicholas Sander, as they sought to undermine Elizabeth’s claim to the English throne. Despite the lack of evidence for fetal abnormalities, I believe that Anne’s miscarriage damaged her relationship with Henry. She had miscarried several time, causing him to question her ability to provide him with a legitimate heir. She had also had heated confrontation with his trusted advisor Thomas Cromwell, resulting in the loss of him as her ally. Henry’s marriage to Anne had caused significant political tension between England and the other Catholic countries on the continent, but especially the Holy Roman Empire. The pregnancy shook Henry’s faith in Anne, but it was not the moment he decided to put her aside in favor of another woman. There were many factors, political, religious and familial that contributed to Anne’s fall and there is no evidence other than conjecture that Henry decided to bring charges against Anne for miscarrying a malformed child.

*Excerpt taken from The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics in the Court of Henry VIII

 

Read of the Week

 This week I greatly enjoyed The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory. The novel chronicles the life and rise of Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII. The book showed a side of Margaret rarely seen, the author portrays her as an unloved and overly pious young woman who thinks only of the power of her family and of putting her son Henry Tudor on the throne. It is a fascinating, fictional look at Margaret's complex life that is definitely worth a read!

Confessions on Twitter

Hey followers!
You can now follow us on Twitter @QueenAnneAddict. Use the hashtags #ABconfessions and/or #AnneBoleynLove to associate your tweet! Help "Confessions" trend!!!!!

Hever Castle Slide Show

Hey all,
While searching for some information on Hever Castle, I came across this slideshow of photos on a blog called All Things Royal. The author visited Hever and took some amazing photos. Check it out:

http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg58/susiefio/Hever%20Castle/?albumview=slideshow





**Note: Owner maintains all rights and priviledges to photographs. No infringement is intended.

The Tudor Claim to the Throne

Hey all,
I was recently asked by a follower how the Tudor line had a claim to the English throne. The House of the Plantagenets had two cadet lines, York and Lancaster. The Lancaster line was directly descended from John of Gaunt (founder of the Royal House) while York was descended through his younger brother. Margaret Beaufort was the last true heir of the Lancastrian line, she was married at twelve to Edmund Tudor who died young. Her son Henry Tudor had his claim to the throne through his mother. Henry Tudor would become Henry VII of England following the defeat of the Yorks and death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Edward, the Earl of Warwick was nephew to the York king Richard III and had a strong claim to the throne. When Henry VII had him executed in 1499 the House of York went extinct in the male line ensuring that the Tudors were secure in their newfound power. Check out the graphic below for details on the family tree:

Image courtesy of the British Royal Family.