Read of the Week

This week I dove headlong into the 765 pages of David Starkey's Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII.

The book, most notably, is written in Starkey’s snarky, entertaining fashion. He gives a lot of commentary about Tudor life and almost always interjects his own thoughts on marriage, inheritance and other issues relevant to the book. It is extremely long but gives a beginning Tudor enthusiast much of the background they will need to continue their traverse into the world of Henry VIII. Starkey successfully brings to life the women in Henry’s life. I think the part I loved the most was how much he humanized Catherine of Aragon, often she is painted as so pious that her character become flat and uninteresting. Starkey removed this misnomer and makes Catherine’s tenacity and personality as interesting as any of the other wives. David Starkey has one again brought his incredible narrative energy to English history making the events flow and intertwine to show how complex the situation really was, all the while keeping the reader 100% engaged. Most of this book is devoted to the study of Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, but this can be attributed to the fact that their lives shaped and changed Henry and England the most of any of his Queens. I strongly encourage you to pick this book up; but pace yourself and do not become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the book; this one is a marathon…not a sprint J

Anne and Thomas More: Mortal Enemies?

Thomas More was a close friend of the King; so close they may have been brotherly but Anne Boleyn turned Henry away from him and brought about his ultimate demise because he refused to acknowledge her as Queen.

What a myth. This misrepresentation of Thomas More and his downfall can be attributed to the influence of Hollywood and tacky historical novelists. The real story of Sir Thomas More is much more complicated and interesting. More was a noted Renaissance Humanist who deplored war and strove to be a moderate voice amongst Henry VIII's ambitious, sometimes ill informed advisers. More held minor positions in Henry's household and a seat in Parliament. Until the falling out of Thomas Wolsey and Henry VIII over negotiations with the Pope for an annulment of Henry's unhappy and rapidly deteriorating marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

After Cardinal Thomas Wolsey fell, More succeeded him to the office of Chancellor in 1529. He dispatched England's cases with unprecedented rapidity. He was undoubtedly devoted to Henry and the royal prerogative; More initially cooperated with the King's new policies, denouncing Wolsey in Parliament as ineffective and scheming. He also joined the opinion of the theologians at Oxford and Cambridge that the marriage of Henry to Catherine had been unlawful because of her relationship with his older brother Arthur. Yet as Henry's actions became more extreme and he denied Papal Authority, More's qualms about the extent which the King would go to grew.

As the conflict over supremacy between the Holy See and the King of England reached its climax, More continued to remain ardent in his support of the supremacy of the Pope as the vicar of Christ over that of the Henry. In 1530, More refused to sign a letter by the leading English churchmen and aristocrats which asked Pope Clement VII to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine, and also quarrelled with Henry VIII over the heresy laws trying to protect Catholics in England.

 In 1531, Henry began to move against More by purging nearly all of the clergy who supported Roman authority from senior positions in the church, this action left his isolated from those who shared his devotion. Additionally, Henry had solidified his denial of the Papacy's control of England by passing the "Statute of Praemunire" which forbade appeals to the Roman Curia from England, in essence silencing Catherine of Aragon's pleas for papal intervention in her divorce proceedings. More quickly realized his isolated position and attempted to resign after being forced to take an oath declaring the King the Supreme Head of the English Church "...as far as the law of Christ allows". Furthermore, the Statute of Praemunire made it a crime to support in public the claims of the Papacy to be the sole, something he had done while burning Protestant heretics and pursuing the arrest and execution of William Tyndale. Thus, he refused to take the oath in the form in which it would renounce all claims of jurisdiction over the Church except the sovereign's. Despite his refusal, the reputation and influence of More as well as his long relationship with Henry, kept his life secure for the time being and consequently Henry refused to accept his resignation from office. However, with his supporters in court quickly disappearing, in 1532 he asked the King again to relieve him of his office, claiming that he was ill and suffering from sharp chest pains. This time Henry granted his request.

In 1533, More notably refused to attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn as the Queen of England. This is the first piece of evidence sensationalists will use to suggest that there was enmity between Anne and More. Despite claims by multiple authors this act in and of itself was not treasonous, as More had written to Henry acknowledging Anne's queenship and expressing his desire for the King's happiness and the new Queen's health. Though we cannot know for sure the reasons for his absence at the event, but there were rumors of illness, proven increasing poverty and unpoularity at court as the Boleyn faction grew in power and influence.

On  April 13, 1534, More was asked to appear before a commission and swear his allegiance to the parliamentary Act of Succession. Instead More accepted Parliament's right to declare Anne Boleyn the legitimate Queen of England, but he steadfastly refused to take the Oath of Supremacy of the Crown in the relationship between the kingdom and the Church in England. Holding fast to the teaching of Holy See supremacy, More refused to take the oath which reads:

"...By reason whereof the Bishop of Rome and See Apostolic, contrary to the great and inviolable grants of jurisdictions given by God immediately to emperors, kings and princes in succession to their heirs, hath presumed in times past to invest who should please them to inherit in other men's kingdoms and dominions, which thing we your most humble subjects, both spiritual and temporal, do most abhor and detest..."

With his refusal to support the King's assertion of absolute religious authority in England More's enemies had enough evidence to have the King arrest him for treason. Four days later, King Henry VIII had More locked away in the Tower of London. While he was imprisoned, Thomas Cromwell made at least three visits, urging him to take the oath; for his part More continued to refuse. As a result he was tried by a panel of judges  that included the new Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas Audley, as well as Anne Boleyn's father, brother and uncle. Writers have tried to point to this as evidence of Anne's influence in his destruction. Historians however, see this as only natural when one takes into account the immense power wielded by the Thomas Boleyn, the Earl of Ormonde, George Boleyn, ennobled as Viscount Rochford and Thomas Howard the Duke of Norfolk.

More was tried, and found guilty, under the following section of the Treason Act 1534:

If any person or persons, after the first day of February next coming, do maliciously wish, will or desire, by words or writing, or by craft imagine, invent, practise, or attempt any bodily harm to be done or committed to the king's most royal person, the queen's, or their heirs apparent, or to deprive them or any of them of their dignity, title, or name of their royal estates...

That then every such person and persons so offending... shall have and suffer such pains of death and other penalties, as is limited and accustomed in cases of high treason.

After the verdict was read and prior his sentencing, More spoke freely of his belief that "no temporal man may be the head of the spirituality".

AS we can clearly see from the evidence available, More's downfall was a direct result of his inability/unwillingness to accept Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church in England. His deeply held and unchaging Catholicism made it impossible for him to consider that the Apostolic line might not lie with the Pope. There was no personal quarrel between Anne and Sir Thomas More; in fact she kept a copy of Utopia amongst her belongings. This is just another example of irresponsible myth spreading thanks to those with little respect for historical fact or research.

The Wedding of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour

On May 30, 1536 Henry VIII married his third wife Jane Seymour. The wedding was small and took place in the Queen's Closet at Whitehall. Henry thought that Jane Seymour was actually his first "true wife" because his other marriages had been marred by incest and adultery. He believed that God would now grant him a son and heir; something he desperately hoped for. Jane made her public debut as Queen just three days later on June 2, 1536 at Greenwich.  Her appearance was described in a letter to Lord Lisle by John Russell. He said, " On Friday last the Queen sat abroad as Queen, and was served by her own servants, who were sworn that same day. The King came in his great boat to Greenwich that day with his privy chamber, and the Queen and the ladies in the great barge..." Jane was officially proclaimed Queen the next day on Whitsun, the 3rd anniversary of Anne's coronation.

Portrait of Henry, Jane and their son Edward painted post-humously by Hans Holbein.

Quote taken from The Six Wives of Henry VIII

This Day in Tudor History

On May 29, 1533 Anne's coronation celebration began. Her marriage to Henry VIII had been declared legal and binding by the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, the day before. Anne's victory celebration was to last four days. On this day a river pageant rowed the pregnant Anne, who was dressed in cloth of gold, from Greenwich Palace to the Tower of London where she was to stay in the sumptuously remodeled queen's apartments. Her barge was lavishly decorated and was accompanied by a wherry that flew her badge, the crowned falcon, and had a choir of women singing as the procession went downriver. All along the river crowds watched the new queen as she waved from the deck of her barge. Reports say there were over 300 watercraft on the River Thames that day as nobles turned out to fly their arms in a show of wealth and power.  Gun salutes also followed the queen for two hours until she landed at the Tower Wharf where she was greeted by dignitaries, statesman, nobles and her husband who "...laid his hands on both her sides, kissing her with great reverence and a joyful countenance..." This day began the three year reign of Queen Anne Boleyn.

Reader Questions

This week I had over 30 question submissions! I am so glad that you guys are submitting and showing how curious you are about Anne and Tudor England! I am splitting this week's questions up in to two posts to make answering them all more manageable.

Q: Do you think Catherine of Aragon was a virgin when she married Henry VIII like she claimed?

A: It truly is impossible to know. Yet from my research and understanding of the primary source documents, I doubt it. The papal dispensation granted to Catherine and Henry said that her first marriage "might" have been consummated. Arthur and Catherine were bedded in front of the court, as was customary for the time, he made a joke about "...being in the midst of Spain" and that having a wife was "a good past time...". There was never any mention of there being sexual problems in the relationship until after Arthur's death. However, this is just my opinion and every person should research it and come to their own conclusions as it can never be proved one way or another.

Q: Why do portraits of Anne vary so much?

A: Well first off let me start by saying there is no absolutely authenticated portrait of Anne. I believe that the NPG and Hever portraits are most likely her. You can read my full article on the subject here.

Q: Did Anne have a relationship with Mark Smeaton? My instructor seems to think so.

A: Absolutely not, all three dates when Mark and Anne supposedly slept together have been disproven by historians. The first two dates were prior to Anne's official churching ceremony, meaning she was still in seclusion after the birth of Elizabeth, carefully watched by her ladies for signs of post-partum illness or distress. There is no way she could have "snuck out" to meet him. The third date was supposedly a meeting at Hampton Court in her closet, when court records prove that Anne was actually far away in Richmond.

Q: Did Anne and Henry really wear yellow to celebrate the death of Catherine of Aragon?

A: Great question! I don't think so, but it has been interpreted many ways. Some say they wore yellow in celebration, others say they wore yellow because it was the official mourning color of Spain. I have also heard that they wore yellow because it was often associated with the hierarchy of Ireland and Henry was trying to assert his claim as King of Ireland. Once again, this is a matter of opinion because they never told anyone of their exact reason for wearing yellow.

Q: What crimes was Catherine Howard convicted of?

A: Treason, she never admitted to adultery. I do not feel well enough informed to speculate on whether or not Dereham raped her as she claimed. I am however reading a great book on the subject right now called Catherine Howard: The Adulterous Wife of Henry VIII. I'll try to write a post on it when I feel more confident on what I think of her.

Q: Who is Catherine de Eresby?

A: Catherine de Eresby was the third wife of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and best friend of Henry VIII. People often are not aware that de Eresby is Catherine's last name because she is almost always referred to as Catherine Willoughby. Willoughby was actually her father's title, Baron Willoughby. She was called Catherine Willoughby in much the same way Anne Boleyn was referred to as Anne Rochford. Catherine later became an outspoken advocate of religious reform and the guardian of Kateryn Parr's daughter Mary.

Q: What exactly did Henry VIII die of?

A: We don't know exactly but he was suffering from severe gangrene in his feet, infection in his leg ulcers and he had several strokes prior to his death. It was most likely a combination of a bunch of health problems.

Q: Why couldn't Mary I have children?

A: Well as we have clearly explored on this blog, fertility problems ran in Mary's family. She also did not marry until well into her forties, likely after she had stopped ovulating. Even if she was still capable of conceiving after her marriage, her husband Phillip spent much time away from England often returning to Spain for extended periods of time making having a child nearly impossible.