The Most Happy
Page 14
Epilogue
May 19th, 1555
Catherine Culpepper, the last remaining lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, wondered if she should tell Elizabeth of the death of her mother. The queen had been out hunting that morning, loving a good chase, as had her father before her. Dudley, of course, hunted with her. It was known throughout Europe that Elizabeth, the great-granddaughter of Edward IV and the daughter of Henry Tudor, had, like her father and great-grandfather, married a commoner. It seemed, it was whispered, that this line enjoyed marrying their own subjects, rather than marrying other princes or princesses of Europe, as was proper. Did England think they were above the other nations? What was this baseborn Plantagenets and Tudors doing on the English throne?
Anne Boleyn had died that morning, after making confession. Catharine Culpepper, herself growing older, feared and dreaded bringing the news to Queen Elizabeth. It had been known that Elizabeth’s father had threatened messengers who brought him unpleasant news with death. But what other option was there? Anne Boleyn, legitimate wife of Henry VIII, mother of the queen and previous monarch, was dead. Elizabeth had to know.
Catherine decided to wait and allow Elizabeth to enjoy the fine day of hunting with her husband. Catherine herself had little joy anymore either. Thomas Culpepper was dead, and her children refused to speak with her, knowing of her wanton past. As Catherine mused on her cousin, she wished she had listened to Queen Anne’s wise advice. For now, Catherine decided, the day was warm and fair. Allow the queen to enjoy it.
It was late in the evening when Elizabeth finally returned to her chambers, noting Catherine Culpepper’s sad face.
“Little Catherine Howard, why do you weep?” Elizabeth asked.
“Indeed. We have caught and killed a great stag.” Robin said.
“I weep for your mother, Elizabeth Tudor. Anne Boleyn is dead.” Catherine Culpepper said.
“Dead?” Elizabeth said. Catherine Culpepper nodded. Elizabeth would not believe it! Her mother, the vivacious Anne Boleyn, had departed this Earth? Elizabeth hurried up to the queen mother’s sick room. No! Anne was not dead!
But Elizabeth saw that she was. Priests tended the body of the woman who had enchanted Henry VIII, stolen the heart of the French court, toppled a Spanish princess, and ruled England on her own for eighteen years. Anne’s face wore a look of serenity and peace- she was at last free of her pain. Heaven awaited Anne Boleyn. But Elizabeth remained on this mortal coil. She would have to have all the courage of her mother to succeed in this sad, lonely world.
Afterward and Bibliography
Anne Boleyn is an enigma. Known throughout the world as the beheaded wife of King Henry VIII, she is more often seen as a caricature than an authentic woman with a real history. She is either seen as a tragic, romantic heroine or as a homewrecker whose death was karma for her usurpation of Katharine of Aragon. Both of these black and white extremes do the real Anne a disservice and paint a picture of history that is inaccurate.
Though ‘the Most Happy’ is a work of alternate history or speculative fiction, I have still tried to remain true to the personalities of Anne Boleyn and those in her world. The changes began with having Anne birth a son. From there, I began to imagine how the 16th century, a pivotal time in Western Civilization, would have changed. Though I feel much sorrow for poor Katharine of Aragon, Anne’s predecessor, I have always identified and admired Anne Boleyn much more. As a Francophile and one with strong ties to France, I could not help but love the wife of England’s ‘Great Harry’ that was described as ‘more French than a Frenchwoman born.’ Anne’s religious views have often been overlooked in dramas and novelizations of her life, either by those who wish to portray her as shades of black and blacker, or those painting her as a 20th/21st century woman transported back to the 16th century. There is no doubt Anne was indeed avant garde, but she was still a 16th century woman. I hope to have done justice to a woman who was a committed Christian in spite of her many flaws.
Edward VI existed, but he was the son of Anne’s successor, Jane Seymour. Still, I saw no reason Anne could not have borne a son that would have held this name. Anne really did live abroad at the court of François I during the 1510s and early 1520s, and the French often were sympathetic to her because of her love for their nation. It was indeed her Frenchness that led the English people to call her ‘French whore’ and ‘Nan Bullen’ and her sympathy with France that led to Katharine of Aragon hating her even before Henry’s ‘great matter’ began. England and France were never formally allied against Spain, at least not officially, but I saw no reason this could not have occurred if Anne had been left Regent of the land. Much is made in fiction of the Anglo-French rivalry, but very little of the Franco-Spanish one, which was just as long lasting and persistent.
Though Henry feared leaving the realm to a daughter he would have had no qualms about leaving a wife of his to be regent. He had done so when he had fought in Scotland and left Katharine of Aragon regent during his absence from 1512 to 1514, and later did so in 1543 whilst married to his sixth wife, Katharine Parr. Women had previously served as Regent, the most famous among them Philippa of Hainault, the wife of Edward III. This tale would have been known to Anne, as Edward III was often remembered as a fine leader of England during the times of the Wars of the Roses and the Tudor era which followed. Closer to Henry VIII’s time, his grandmother, Margaret Beaufort, had served as Regent of England from April of 1509 until Henry attained majority in June of that same year. Furthermore, there had never been any Salic, or male succession law, in England, as there had been in France and parts of Spain.
I have been a sympathizer with Anne since seeing the amazing movie, ‘Anne of the Thousand Days.’ This movie hooked me on Anne’s story long before The Other Boleyn Girl or The Tudors became a sensation. Yet I am indebted to this recent interest in the 16th century world that was sparked by the two aforementioned pieces. Having completed and still working on an alternate history that imagines the victory of Cleopatra VII, pharaoh of Egypt, rather than her defeat, I saw no reason why I could not imagine a world in which Anne Boleyn is also given her chance to shine.
What follows is a bibliography of the many sources, biographies, nonfiction works, novels, and dramas that have been my inspiration. It is by no means a complete bibliography on the medieval or Renaissance era, or even of the amazing Anne Boleyn. May Queen Anne rest in peace. She and her daughter were truly amazing queens.
Bibliography
Bordo, Susan. The Creation of Anne Boleyn. Mariner, 2014.
Erickson, Carolly. Mistress Anne: The Exceptional Life of Anne Boleyn. Simon & Schuster. 1985
Ives, Eric. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn. Wiley-Blackwell. 2005
Lofts, Norah. Anne Boleyn. Putnam Pub Group. 1986
Fraser, Antonia. The Wives of Henry VIII. Vintage. 1992
Weir, Alison. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Grove Press. 1991
--. The Children of Henry VIII. Ballantine Books. 1997
Mattingly, Garrett. Catherine of Aragon. Book-of-the-month. 1990
Softly, Barbara. The Queens of England. Stein and Day. 1976.
Novels of the Tudor period:
Barnes, Margaret Campbell. Brief Gaudy Hour: A Novel of Anne Boleyn. Sourcebooks. 2008
Clark, Frances B. Mistress Jane Seymour. Ulvescroft. 1973
George, Margaret. The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by his Fool, Will Sommers. St. Martin’s Press. 2010
Hamilton, Julia. Katherine of Aragon. Beagle. 1972.
Kay, Susan. Legacy: A novel of Elizabeth I. Crown Publishers. 1985
Maxwell, Robin. The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn. Arcade Publishing. 1997
--. Mademoiselle Boleyn. Broadway. Berkley. 2007
Miles, Rosalind. I, Elizabeth: A Novel. Broadway. 2003
Plaidy, Jean. Katherine of Aragon: The Story of a Spanish Princess and an English Queen. Broadway. Reprint edition. 2-009
-- . The Lady in the Tower: A Novel. Broadway. Reprint edition. 2009
--. The Rose Without a Thorn. Broadway. Reprint edition. 2010
--. The Sixth Wife. Broadway. Reprint edition 2010
--. In the Shadow of the Crown. Broadway. Reprint edition 2010
--. Queen of this Realm. Broadway. Reprint edition 2010
--. The Spanish Bridegroom. Broadway. Reprint edition. 2010
Worth, Sandra. The King’s Daughter: A Novel of Elizabeth of York. Berkley. 2008
Documentaries:
Henry and Anne: The Lovers who c-hanged History. Presented by Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb. Channel 5. 2014
The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Presented by Dr. David Starkey. BBC. 2001.
Films that also serve as an inspiration for this work:
Capon, Naomi and Glenister, John, directors. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. BBC productions. 1970.
Jarrott, Charles, director. Anne of a Thousand Days. Hal Wallis Productions. 1969.
Graham, Roderick, Martin, Richard, McWhinnie, Dondald, Whatham, Claude and Wise, Herbert, directors. Elizabeth R. BBC productions. 1971.
Sidney, George. Young Bess. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). 1953.
And many other sources too numerous to mention.
«Cantaban las Musas que habitan las mansiones olímpicas,
las nueve hijas nacidas del poderoso Zeus.
Calíope es la más importante de todas,
pues ella asiste a los venerables reyes».
HESÍODO, Teogonía, 1-103
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Afterward and Bibliography
Bibliography