by Anne Stevens
A fifth glass does the trick, and Anton Fugger drifts off to sleep, next to his new wife. He has a disturbed night, and wakes up at dawn, with a start. He sits up, and sees something odd on the low table by his bed. He fumbles to light his tallow candle, and stares in abject horror.
Beside his head, sticking in the wooden table is a long, thin knife. At last, he realises that it is another message. Beware, Thomas Cromwell is saying from across the sea, for I can reach you, wherever you might be.
~End~
Postscript
Once more I find myself having to apologise to the reader, for my real characters behaviour, and for the shameless way I tailor them to fit into my fictional stories.
By now, readers familiar with my earlier books will recognise Thomas Cromwell as a real person, dressed up in a set of morals and ideas that he might never have possessed. As for poor Richard Cromwell, I can only say that my characterisation is at odds with his later life. Though a big man, there is little evidence that he was so violent, though he did serve in the army at one point. Far from him being slow witted, he was, in fact, a competent civil servant in later life, and a loyal supporter of his uncle, to the very end.
Anton Fugger is real too. He was a very rich banker, and was the man who financed the occupation, and terrible, exploitation of the so called New World. For the sake of profit, he visited untold misery on native populations, and encouraged their forced conversion to Christianity. Like most unpleasant men, he led a rich, happy life, and died in his bed - not from a dagger, but of old age.
George Constantine was also a real man. Taken prisoner by Sir Thomas More, he betrayed friends, and saw them burn as heretics, to save his own life. He was forced to flee England, and lived abroad, until circumstances at home changed, and he was allowed back.
Constantine was born around 1500, and in 1523 gained entry into Cambridge University to study for a Bachelor of Canon Law degree. He later adopted the Protestant doctrine, and fled to Antwerp, where he met and assisted William Tyndale . Here he helped to translate the New Testament into English, and compiled books denouncing the Catholic Church.
Constantine later moved to Paris, where he studied Lutheran scriptures and began to smuggle banned books into England. He was arrested in 1531 by Sir Thomas More. After revealing the names of some of his Protestant colleagues he was allowed to escape in December of the same year, returning to Antwerp.
He returned to England in 1536, following More's death, and entered the service of Sir Henry Norris. Later, Constantine was made the vicar of Llawhaden in Pembrokeshire. He made some ill judged remarks in 1539, which led to his imprisonment by Thomas Cromwell in the Tower of London.
Seven years later Constantine was released from prison, and regained favour with the new English church. He became the registrar of St David's in Wales, then, in 1549 he became the Archdeacon of Carmarthen and Prebendary of Llangammarch.
Although Constantine was stripped of his registrarship and all his livings during Queen Mary's reign, he was back in favour by 1559, when he was made Archdeacon of Brecon, by Queen Elizabeth I. Despite causing the death of men at the stake, time seems to have expunged his guilt, and he too died in bed, aged sixty.
Stephen Vaughan, though betrayed by Constantine, was able to escape death, thanks to Cromwell’s direct involvement. He was sent abroad, and apart from becoming a successful merchant, he acted as a diplomat for the king, and as an agent for Thomas Cromwell - demonstrating the truth of the old saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Rafe Sadler married his Mistress Barre, only for the dead husband to turn up, some years later. It took an act of parliament to resolve the issue, and legitimise their children.
Tom Howard’s married life was turbulent, after he tried to throw over his loyal wife, and take on a younger lover. The duchess refused to go quietly, and gave her wayward husband plenty of grief. Both remained staunch Catholics, and Elizabeth was a close friend of Queen Katherine. She did, indeed, smuggle letters to the queen inside oranges.
The debasing of coinage was rife in Europe during this period, as was coin clipping - the art of paring slivers of silver or gold from coins. A currency survived on its reputation, and coins with short weight could damage an economy, if produced in great numbers. A later Master of the Mint, Sir Isaac Newton fought a running battle with counterfeiters, and introduced many safeguards to keep England’s currency safe.
The Manor of the More really existed, and was thought to rival the greatest palaces in France and England for beauty, and opulence. Built by Cardinal Wolsey, it found its way into King Henry’s hands after his fall, and was used for various things from treaty signings, to incarceration of the king’s enemies. Eventually, it became to expensive to keep up, and fell into disrepair. Nothing now remains of this once great edifice.
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This book is dedicated to my life partner who acts as adviser, editor, proof reader, and supporter. My unending thanks, for your selflessness.
© TightCircle Publications. First published 2015.
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