Read of the Week

This week I decided to review The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir to accompany the podcast I posted earlier this week. It was book I greatly enjoyed. Despite only covering the last several days of her life, the book is over 300 pages. In this book you will discover Weir's theory for the downfall of Anne, that Cromwell was solely responsible for the plot against her and that Henry believed the charges of incest and adultery against her. I love the way this book does not romanticize Anne's last days, the book reads like a forensic report. Weir carefully examines each piece of evidence in Anne's case including the court records, personal letters and eye-witness accounts of the time. I do have certain issues with some of the evidence she presents; first of all that Anne miscarried a deformed fetus in late January 1536. There is absolutely no primary evidence of this, in fact Weir cites a modern author as her source for this information. I have deeply researched this topic and each author who writes that Anne carried a deformed baby cite each other as their source, with no credible beginning information. Secondly, Weir claims that Jane Boleyn testified against her husband and sister in law, accusing them of incest. This is an inaccurate claim. (To read my research regarding these claims click here.) Other than these inaccuracies, Weir's book is incredibly well written and fun to read. Despite knowing how the book will inevitably end, the writing is fresh and suspenseful. Pick it up today!

"The Lady in the Tower" Podcast

Hello readers,
I located another podcast for your listening enjoyment this week. This one is by renowned Tudor historical writer Alison Weir. In this podcast, Weir discusses the imprisonment and execution of Anne. Listening to this amazing podcast here at the British Libraries. This audio is a great companion to Weir's latest Anne themed book The Lady in the Tower. Happy Monday and enjoy!

The Marriage of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn: The Controversy and Conception

Hello All,
I recently had a discussion with a fellow history enthusiast who was under the impression that Anne and Henry only married after she became pregnant and that the marriage was solely to deter any questions of legitimacy regarding Anne's future children. This has been a long debated question in Tudor history; when is the actual wedding date of Henry and Anne? Some historians believe it to be November 1532 while other argue it is January 1533. So when were the King and his lady-love married and why is this such a pressing question?

First of all, we must dispell the rumor that Henry only married Anne because she was pregnant. He had applied for a Papal dispensation in order to marry a woman whom he had had sexual relations with her close affinity. Of Henry's known mistresses, this dispensation could only apply to Anne, because Henry had a relationship with her sister Mary. This dispensation was filed for well before Anne's pregnancy. Secondly, during a planned trip to France Henry presented Anne as his betrothed. This was also before her pregnancy.

So then, let us discuss the two proposed marriage dates for Henry and Anne. Did the nuptials take place when the couple landed in Kent in November after visiting France or back in London in January? Historian Alison Weir writes that the couple was married on the 25th of January in the King's private chapel at Whitehall Palace and that this ceremony was their first and only marriage. Eric Ives, widely lauded as the Anne Boleyn expert of our times, however disagrees. He believes that the King and Anne were married in November and had already consummated their union. He bases his claim on the notations of the Tudor chronicler Edward Hall who wrote that the King and Anne were actually married on November 14, 1532 St. Erkenwald's Day in Kent and celebrated a sort of "vow renewal" in January.

So why the two wedding saga? We may never know for sure, but my theory is this; the couple was legally married in Kent in November. I base my assertion on the fact that Anne has maintained her virginity for so many years that she would not likely have given up her maidenhead when a wedding was so close. This first wedding was to assure Anne that her position as intended Queen was secure, hence she got what she wanted and Henry got what he had been waiting nearly seven years for. The second wedding had to take place in order to assure Henry's subjects that he was indeed married since the first ceremony had been very secretive. The second wedding would also have coincided with the discovery that Anne was pregnant with the couple's first child. Rumors of when the couple married became rampant during Elizabeth's reign, with people saying that they had never been legally married which would put Elizabeth's right to rule in question.

On This Day in Tudor History

On January 24, 1536 Henry VIII took a serious fall from his horse during a jousting accident. The horse, a heavy breed designed for war, fell on top of him leaving him unconscious for an extended period of time. Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys who witnessed the fall reported to his master saying, "...the King being mounted on a great horse, to run at the lists, both fell so heavily that everyone thought it a miracle he were not killed..."  It was this accident, and the subsequent internal injuries that I believe led to Henry's mental and physical decline in the coming years. It was also a force in the decline of Henry and Anne's relationship. Upon hearing of the King's fall and subsequent inability to wake or speak Anne Boleyn went into pre-term labor delivering a male fetus of about four months gestation. Unsubstantiated claims have said the Queen cried and screamed saying "I miscarried of my savior.." Jousting, though dangerous, was considered a chivalrous sport, where noble men rode not only for honor but also the favor of high-born women and rich prizes.

Read of the Week

This week I gladly dove into Blood and Roses by Helen Castor, the second of her books I have loved. First of all let me say that Helen Castor truly is a master historian, bringing facts and people of the time to the forefront and presenting their stories in an incredible way. In her writing the most ordinary of days in Pre-Tudor England seem fascinating. Blood and Roses presents the life of the Paston family who lived during the tenuous, often violent period of the War of Roses. The time was highlighted by the largest mass slaughter of English nobility in history. This killing was at the hands of brothers, cousins and often former friends as the country divided over the question of who had a legitimate claim to the throne of England. Unlike many authors specializing in this time period, Castor focuses on the contributions of women. She follow Margaret Pastor as she outfits her family's tenants with armor and weaponry and oversees their brief training before marching out to take on a rival landowner who plans to lay siege to Margaret's family home at Gresham in the absence of her father-in law, husband and brothers. Outside of the every day lives of women during this time, Castor pays homage to the men who died defending the York or Lancaster claimants citing one battle where the snow was dyed red from the blood of thousands of dead on both sides. The author uses more primary source material than the reader can comprehend, relying on first-hand accounts of battles, property records, letters and other material to build a foundation for a not only incredibly well-written book, but one that is the pinnacle of historical integrity. This book is one I would happily recommend to you all.