Hey all,
I am absolutely loving the collection of Tudor themed podcasts available through the British Libraries. I listened to another last night entitled Henry VIII: The Inner Life of a Most Public King. The audio discusses his relationships, worries and personal failures. It really humanizes Henry is a way I have never heard/read before. I really encourage you to listen to it here
Friday, May 10, 2013
Thursday, May 2, 2013
The Arrests of Anne and Her "Lovers"
On this day in Tudor history 1536, Sir Henry Norris, friend to the King and Groom of the Stool was taken to the Tower to await trial. He had been held over night at York Place but refused to confess to any wrong doing. Mark Smeaton was already imprisoned and George Boleyn, Lord Rochford was arrested that afternoon. During the arrests, Queen Anne had been busily watching a lively game of tennis at the Greenwich courts when she was interrupted by a messenger ominously telling her that the King had ordered her to present herself before his privy council. Anne left the match and appeared before the royal commission in the council chambers. The Council, made up of her uncle the Duke of Norfolk, Sir William FitzWilliam and Sir William Paulet informed her that she was being accused of committing the treasonous act of adultery with three different men and that Smeaton and Norris has already confessed. Anne was held under force in her chambers until the tide of the River Thames turned favorable and then, at two o'clock in the afternoon, she was rowed by barge to the Tower of London. Anne entered the Tower by the Court Gate of the Byward Tower, not Traitors' Gate as often reported. There she was met by Sir Edward Walsingham, the Lieutenant of the Tower. Walsingham escorted her to the Royal Palace, where Sir William Kingston, the Constable of the Tower was waiting. Not long after Kingston recorded was happened at their meeting in his correspondence with the King's minister Thomas Cromwell.
"On my lord of Norfolk and the King's Council departing from the Tower, I went before the Queen into her lodging. She said unto me, "Mr. Kingston, shall I go into a dungeon?' I said, 'No, Madam. You shall go into the lodging you lay in at your coronation. 'It is too good for me, she said; Jesu have mercy on me;' and kneeled down, weeping a good pace, and in the same sorrow fell into a great laughing which she has done many times since.
She desire me to move the King's highness that she might have the sacrament in the closet by her chamber, that she might prayer for mercy, for I am as clear from the company of man as for sin as I am clear from you, and am the King's true wedded wife. And then she said, Mr/ Kingston, do you know where for I am here? and I said, Nay. And then she asked me, When saw you the King? and I said I saw him not since I saw {him in} in the Tiltyard. And then Mr. Kingston, I pray you to tell me where my Lord, my father is? And I told her I saw him afore dinner in the Court. O where is my sweet brother. I said I left him at York place; and so I did. I hear say, said she, that I should be accused with three men; and I can say no more by nay, without I should open my body. And there with opened her gown. O, Norris, hast thou accused me? Thou are in the Tower with me, and though and I shall die together; and, Mark, thou art here to. O, my mother, though wilt die with sorrow; and much lamented my lady of Worcester, for by cause that her child did not stir in her body. And my wife said, what should be the cause? And she said, for the sorrow she took for me. And the she said, Mr. Kynston shall I die without justice? And I said, the poorest of the King's subject hath, hath justice. And there with she laughed."
Perhaps Anne laughed because she had seen the King's "justice" at work and knew that things would likely not end well for her. Her fears were well founded as today in history 1536 began the process of the first judicial execution of a reigning Queen.
"On my lord of Norfolk and the King's Council departing from the Tower, I went before the Queen into her lodging. She said unto me, "Mr. Kingston, shall I go into a dungeon?' I said, 'No, Madam. You shall go into the lodging you lay in at your coronation. 'It is too good for me, she said; Jesu have mercy on me;' and kneeled down, weeping a good pace, and in the same sorrow fell into a great laughing which she has done many times since.
She desire me to move the King's highness that she might have the sacrament in the closet by her chamber, that she might prayer for mercy, for I am as clear from the company of man as for sin as I am clear from you, and am the King's true wedded wife. And then she said, Mr/ Kingston, do you know where for I am here? and I said, Nay. And then she asked me, When saw you the King? and I said I saw him not since I saw {him in} in the Tiltyard. And then Mr. Kingston, I pray you to tell me where my Lord, my father is? And I told her I saw him afore dinner in the Court. O where is my sweet brother. I said I left him at York place; and so I did. I hear say, said she, that I should be accused with three men; and I can say no more by nay, without I should open my body. And there with opened her gown. O, Norris, hast thou accused me? Thou are in the Tower with me, and though and I shall die together; and, Mark, thou art here to. O, my mother, though wilt die with sorrow; and much lamented my lady of Worcester, for by cause that her child did not stir in her body. And my wife said, what should be the cause? And she said, for the sorrow she took for me. And the she said, Mr. Kynston shall I die without justice? And I said, the poorest of the King's subject hath, hath justice. And there with she laughed."
Perhaps Anne laughed because she had seen the King's "justice" at work and knew that things would likely not end well for her. Her fears were well founded as today in history 1536 began the process of the first judicial execution of a reigning Queen.
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| The Tower of London |
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Henry VIII: Myths and Reality
Hey followers,
There has been some pretty negative feedback on Henry lately; it is a rough time of the year for all of us "Anne Addicts" because we are counting down to the anniversary of her execution. However, we still need to keep ourselves professional and continue learning about Henry as well as dispelling the mythology that surrounds the time period. Take a listen to this excellent podcast by the British Libraries which explores what peoples' ideas about Henry and what is the truth. I really enjoyed it and I hope you will too!
There has been some pretty negative feedback on Henry lately; it is a rough time of the year for all of us "Anne Addicts" because we are counting down to the anniversary of her execution. However, we still need to keep ourselves professional and continue learning about Henry as well as dispelling the mythology that surrounds the time period. Take a listen to this excellent podcast by the British Libraries which explores what peoples' ideas about Henry and what is the truth. I really enjoyed it and I hope you will too!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
This Day in Tudor History
On April 25, 1536 Henry VIII wrote a letter to several foreign ambassadors referring to Anne as "...our most dear and entirely beloved wife and Queen..." Additionally he spoke of his hopes for an heir in the near future. This letter came less than a month before Anne's execution. When I read the text of the letter it seems to me that Henry is still quite devoted to Anne despite her miscarriage earlier in the year. Henry was not one to suppress him emotions, what do you think followers? Was Henry still in love with Anne and committed to his marriage or was this all part of his ploy to bring her down?
Reader Questions
This week I received so many question submissions that I had to sort through them and choose just a few. If I do not directly answer your question in this post I will work diligently to get an answer to you as soon as possible!
Q: I was recently reading a book by Phillipa Gregory that insinuated Margaret of Anjou based off a bastard as the rightful Lancastrian heir to the throne during the War of Roses. Is that true?
A: We will never know for sure, but there was gossip during that time and many historians today believe that her son Henry was the offspring of either Edmund Beaufort Duke of Somerset or James Butler, Earl of Wiltshire (ancestor of Anne Boleyn) This gossip was born out of the fact that Margaret's husband Henry was weak, often ill and spent much of his days at prayer leading many courtiers to believe him incapable of producing an heir.
Q: The clothing in The Tudors is beautiful, but does not seem very realistic. Did the costume designer take creative liberties?
A: ABSOLUTELY, much of the costuming is very Elizabethan in nature. Also, the costume designer Joan Bergin said she was aiming for sexy and alluring rather than historical accuracy. The characters are often shown revealing more cleavage than would be considered moral in the Tudor period. The female characters also are rarely shown wearing chemises, a clothing staple in Tudor times as heavy dresses were difficult and expensive to clean and care for. Chemises kept sweat, cosmetics and other things from dirtying the heavy garments. Bergin also omits the codpiece which was an important part of male fashion during the reign of Henry VIII. Synthetic fabrics, which did not exist in the sixteenth century, are also noticeable. Bergin made the decision to design in this way, not from ignorance to the style of Tudor England, but because she felt that viewers would connect more to her more modern designs.
Q: I read your work on Catherine of Aragon's eating disorder; where can I find more information on the topic?
A: That is a great question; first of all let me say that my work is very original there has only been one other author who suggested that Catherine of Aragon suffered from Anorexia and he did not provide the background information that I did. His name is Gilles Tremlett and his books are widely available. Yet, my best advice to you is to dive into the primary sources and follow the patterns like I did. Do research on eating disorders and compare it to Catherine's habits.
Q: What was wrong with Henry VI?
A: He suffered from a mental disorder, most likely schizophrenia. From boyhood he was often paranoid, had grandiose, unrealistic ideas and at times very indecisive. At about the age of 30 or 31 he suffered from a mental breakdown where he was in an unresponsive, comatose state for nearly 18 months. After awakening he suffered from religious delusions, failed to properly care for his personal hygiene and seemed to not care that the country was on the brink of war due to his inability to rule. Eventually, his mental disorder resulted in the loss of his crown to the York dynasty, his wife and son (who were driven out of England by Yorkist supporters) and eventually his life. It is a sad, but very interesting story. If you are interested there is an excellent book on the subject called The Reign of Henry VI by Dr. RA Griffiths.
Q: When was Anne Boleyn born?
A: That is open for debate amongst historians although I definitely believe that she was born in 1500/01. I base my idea on the fact that in 1513 she was sent abroad to be a maid in waiting to Margaret of Austria. Practice dictated that maids in waiting had to be at least 12 years old. There is also the letter she wrote from Austria to her father which shows advanced French language skills and beautiful script much beyond that capabilities of a six year old, which in my mind negates the possible birth date of 1507 put forward by author Retha Warnicke.
Keep submitting, I am learning right along with you!
Q: I was recently reading a book by Phillipa Gregory that insinuated Margaret of Anjou based off a bastard as the rightful Lancastrian heir to the throne during the War of Roses. Is that true?
A: We will never know for sure, but there was gossip during that time and many historians today believe that her son Henry was the offspring of either Edmund Beaufort Duke of Somerset or James Butler, Earl of Wiltshire (ancestor of Anne Boleyn) This gossip was born out of the fact that Margaret's husband Henry was weak, often ill and spent much of his days at prayer leading many courtiers to believe him incapable of producing an heir.
Q: The clothing in The Tudors is beautiful, but does not seem very realistic. Did the costume designer take creative liberties?
A: ABSOLUTELY, much of the costuming is very Elizabethan in nature. Also, the costume designer Joan Bergin said she was aiming for sexy and alluring rather than historical accuracy. The characters are often shown revealing more cleavage than would be considered moral in the Tudor period. The female characters also are rarely shown wearing chemises, a clothing staple in Tudor times as heavy dresses were difficult and expensive to clean and care for. Chemises kept sweat, cosmetics and other things from dirtying the heavy garments. Bergin also omits the codpiece which was an important part of male fashion during the reign of Henry VIII. Synthetic fabrics, which did not exist in the sixteenth century, are also noticeable. Bergin made the decision to design in this way, not from ignorance to the style of Tudor England, but because she felt that viewers would connect more to her more modern designs.
Q: I read your work on Catherine of Aragon's eating disorder; where can I find more information on the topic?
A: That is a great question; first of all let me say that my work is very original there has only been one other author who suggested that Catherine of Aragon suffered from Anorexia and he did not provide the background information that I did. His name is Gilles Tremlett and his books are widely available. Yet, my best advice to you is to dive into the primary sources and follow the patterns like I did. Do research on eating disorders and compare it to Catherine's habits.
Q: What was wrong with Henry VI?
A: He suffered from a mental disorder, most likely schizophrenia. From boyhood he was often paranoid, had grandiose, unrealistic ideas and at times very indecisive. At about the age of 30 or 31 he suffered from a mental breakdown where he was in an unresponsive, comatose state for nearly 18 months. After awakening he suffered from religious delusions, failed to properly care for his personal hygiene and seemed to not care that the country was on the brink of war due to his inability to rule. Eventually, his mental disorder resulted in the loss of his crown to the York dynasty, his wife and son (who were driven out of England by Yorkist supporters) and eventually his life. It is a sad, but very interesting story. If you are interested there is an excellent book on the subject called The Reign of Henry VI by Dr. RA Griffiths.
Q: When was Anne Boleyn born?
A: That is open for debate amongst historians although I definitely believe that she was born in 1500/01. I base my idea on the fact that in 1513 she was sent abroad to be a maid in waiting to Margaret of Austria. Practice dictated that maids in waiting had to be at least 12 years old. There is also the letter she wrote from Austria to her father which shows advanced French language skills and beautiful script much beyond that capabilities of a six year old, which in my mind negates the possible birth date of 1507 put forward by author Retha Warnicke.
Keep submitting, I am learning right along with you!
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