On This Day in Tudor History

On this day in Tudor history Katherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII and Queen of England made her confession of infidelity to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. Cranmer had attempted to interrogate Katherine the day before but she became hysterical and unable to answer his questions. On this day it seemed her hysteria had calmed and led her to a state of repentance. Cranmer tried a more gentle tactic and coaxed Katherine into saying:

"Alas, my lord, that I am alive! the fear of death grieved me not so much before, as doth now the remembrance of the Kings goodness: for when I remember how gracious and loving a prince I had, I cannot but sorrow, but this sudden mercy, and more than I could have looked for, shewed unto me, so unworthy, at this time, maketh mine offences to appear before mine eyes much more heinous that they did before: and the more I consider the greatness of his mercy, the more I do sorrow in my heart that I should so misorder myself against his majesty."

Katherine continued the confession admitting that she had been sexual with Francis Deerham [Dereham] saying her often called her wife, kissed her and entrusted her with a large amount of money when he was away. You can read the entire examination of the Queen online at archive.org

Portrait believed to be of Katherine Howard
By Hans Holbein the Younger ca 1540

White Falcon: The Coronation Song of Anne Boleyn

In 1533, a song was composed by Nicholas Udall, praising Anne Boleyn. It was to be sung at her coronation at Queen of England. The song was a remarkable piece of PR work; it extolled Anne's virtues of chastity and fertility. It also spoke about her pale beauty and shining wit; additionally it hinted at her long position as Henry's favorite. Read on for the lyrics:

This White Falcon,
Rare and geason
This bird shineth so bright;
No bird compare
May with this Falcon White

The Virtues all,
No man mortal,
Of this bird can write.
No man earthly
Enough truly
Can praise this Falcon White.

Who will express
Great Gentleness
To be in any wight;
He will not miss,
But call him this
The gentle Falcon White.

This gentle bird
As white as curd
Shineth both day and Night
Nor far ne near
Is any peer
Unto this Falcon White,

Of body small.
Of power regal,
She is, and sharp of sight;
No manner fault
Is in this Falcon White

In chastity,
Excelleth she
Mostly like a virgin bright:
And worthy is
To live in bliss
Always this Falcon White.

But now to take
And use her make
Is time, as troth is plight;
That she may bring
Fruit according
For such a Falcon White.

And where by wrong,
She hath fleen long,
Uncertain where to light;
Herself repose
Upon the Rose,
Now may this Falcon White.

Whereon to rest,
And build her nest;
GOD grant her, most of might!
That England may
Rejoice always
In this Falcon White.

Check out the song here

Anne Boleyn: Witch, Bitch, Tempress, Feminist

While I have often given Hilary Mantel a bad rap for her wildly inaccurate histories and scathing remarks about Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, I really did enjoy a recent article she wrote for The Guardian. In it Mantel talks about why Anne was so controversial and why she captivates historians and Hollywood nearly 500 years after her demise. Check out the article here.

Two Gentleman Poets at the Court of Henry VIII

I love when new research becomes available about the Boleyn family! Thankfully, Claire Ridgway, from the Anne Boleyn Files, recently translated and published a nineteenth century biography of George Boleyn. It is currently the only biography of Anne's ill-fated brother and gives insight on the Howards as well! Claire translated this book from 1800s French to English in order to give Anne addicts who do not speak French access to the this work. My copy is on order, stay tuned for a review! Purchase your own copy here!

On This Day in Tudor History

On this day in Tudor history, 1532 Henry and Anne set sail from Dover bound for Calais. It was to be the first time Anne was presented on the international stage as Henry’s intended bride, despite the fact that he was still married to Catherine of Aragon. In preparation for Anne acting as his consort on this trip, abroad Henry had raised her to the rank of Marquis and presented her with a large collection jewels and new dresses to wear while in France.

The purpose of this trip was multi-faceted; to renew the friendship between England and France as well as to serve as a public showing of King Francis’ approval of Henry’s intended plans for marriage to Anne. Anne and Henry hoped that Francis would agree to meet with the Pope on their behalf to encourage a quick annulment of Henry’s first marriage for the sake of the Church and peace in Europe. Francis assured Henry of his support and in turn Henry, confident that a resolution of his Great Matter was coming soon, began a sexual relationship with Anne.  Anne conceived before Francis had a chance to appeal to the Pope resulting in the hasty crowning of Anne as queen of England.