Noli me Tangere: The Relationship of Anne Boleyn and Thomas Wyatt

I have long pondered the relationship between Anne and Thomas Wyatt. History would tell us that he was the elder brother of one of Anne's good friends, Anne Wyatt. The Wyatt family estate was not far from the Boleyn ancestral home, Hever. We can assume that as neighbors, Anne and Thomas would have been familiar with each other but not that they were close. Anne left England (Ca. 1513/4) at a very young age to serve in the house of Margaret of Austria who praised Anne's intelligence and piety. Although there is no record, we can assume that Thomas would have been fostered by a powerful family closer to court and the King's favor, as was tradition during the period. Anne lived abroad for many years returning to England in 1523. Once at court she immediately attracted attention from the men of court. One was even quoted as calling her a ..."rare beauty with a soul of gold..." Wyatt's descendant George would later write of his grandfather's attraction to Anne in his biography Anne Boleigne saying, "he was surprised by the sight thereof..." Despite the attentions foisted upon Anne, we only know of one serious relationship, that of Anne and Henry Percy. The two wished to be married, an action undermined by Cardinal Wolsey who accused Anne of reaching too high in her marital ambitions. Facing the King's displeasure and a possible dent in her sterling reputation, Anne retreated to Hever. There was no chance of a romance blooming between Wyatt and Anne during her "exile" because court records confirm that Wyatt was away at court serving as the King's clerk of jewels. Anne returned to court, becoming almost instantly the object of Henry's affections.
Anne was an extremely intelligent, observant woman. She realized how quickly the King's favor and her own head could be lost. I am certain that she would not have risked the King's love and her life to pursue an affiar with the lower born Wyatt. Wyatt's own poetry suggests that there was a lack of interest on Anne's part:

Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind,

But as for me, hélas, I may no more.

The vain travail hath wearied me so sore,

I am of them that farthest cometh behind.

Yet may I by no means my wearied mind

Draw from the deer, but as she fleeth afore

Fainting I follow. I leave off therefore,

Sithens in a net I seek to hold the wind.

Who list her hunt, I put him out of doubt,

As well as I may spend his time in vain.

And graven with diamonds in letters plain

There is written, her fair neck round about:

Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am,

And wild for to hold, though I seem tame.

We may never know the true extent of the relationship between Anne and Thomas. I believe that while they may have had a flirtation prior to her marriage and coronation, Thomas was nothing more than a distant admirer afterward. Anne was known for her beauty, intelligence and wit which was sure to inspire admiration amongst the men of the court. Courtly devotion stemming from the unmarried men of the Tudor court and directed at the Queen was not uncommon; poets and musicians often praised Catherine of Aragon's piety and beauty (including her hair and face) prior to her fall from grace.
 In my opinion Thomas Wyatt represents nothing more than a case of unrequited love, as primary sources offer no other evidence. The innocence of their interaction is also suggested by the fact that Wyatt survived the execution of Anne's supposed lovers. What do you think followers? Does the poem suggest more than a trivial flirtation? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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.