Six Wives of Henry VIII
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Campeggio's delayed arrival, and his coming to London are related by Hall and Cavendish, who both describe the legate's discussions with Henry, Wolsey and Katherinc. The brief produced by Queen Katherine is discussed inL & P,the Spanish Calendar and the State Papers, and the Council's advice to her is contained in a document in the Public Record Office. William Tynedale, inThe Practice of Prelates(1530), avers that Katherine's women were made to spy on her. Henry's address to the Londoners at Bridewell Palace is recorded by Hall, du Bellay and Foxe. Du Bellay refers to Anne Boleyn's unpopularity. For the Nun of Kent, seeRotuli Parliamentorum, L& P,and Alan Neame'sThe Holy Maid of Kent(Hodder and Stoughton, 1971). Anne's growing power is documented by du Bellay, Cavendish and the Venetian Calendar. Her reformist sympathies, and her reading of forbidden books are described by George Wyatt and Foxe. For Henry's piety seeL & P.
Both Hall and du Bellay describe the preparations for the legatine hearing. Henry's gifts to Anne Boleyn are listed inL & P.The account of the proceedings of the legatine court is drawn from those given by Cavendish, Hall, du Bellay, Foxe, Stow'sLondon,Holinshed and Herbert. Du Bellay reports rumours of Anne Boleyn's pregnancy. Wolsey's fall from favour is related by Cavendish, Hall and Roper. Campeggio's return to Rome is recorded by Foxe. Roper records Henry's sounding out of Sir Thomas More's views. For the arrival of Chapuys and his early dispatches, see the Spanish Calendar. For Thomas Cranmer, see Foxe, Cranmer's Miscellaneous Writings (see above), and the following modern works: A. F. Pollard,Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation, 1489-1556(2nd edn, Cassell, 1965), Jasper Ridley,Thomas Cranmer(Oxford University Press, 1962) and Edward Carpenter,Cantuar: The Archbishops in their Office(Baker,1971).
The Spanish Calendar is a major source as before for relations between England and the Emperor, the fortunes of Queen Katherine, and correspondence with the Vatican. The dispatches of Eustache Chapuys are one of the major sources for this period of Henry VIII's reign. For the fall and death of Wolsey, see Cavendish, Hall,L & P,the Milanese Calendar, du Bellay and Holinshed. Anne Boleyn's growing power is charted in the dispatches of du Bellay, the Milanese Calendar andL & P;for York Place see the Spanish Calendar and Stow'sLondon.For the Reformation Parliament, seeRotuli Parliamentorum,Hall, and Stow'sAnnals.The Venetian Calendar describes relations between Henry and Katherine and Katherine's appearance and demeanour. The ennoblement of the Boleyns is noted by Hall, who is again the chief source for court festivities for this period.
The English embassy to Bologna is related by Hall and Foxe. For the Vatican's stand on the nullity suit, seeAda Curiae Romana in cause matrimoniale Regis cum Katherina Regina(1531). In the same year John Stokesley, Bishop of London, Edward Foxe and Nicholas de Burgo publishedThe Determination of the most Famous and most Excellent Universities of Italy and France that it is unlawful for a man to marry his brother's wife, that the Pope hath no power to dispense therewith;Hall gives details of each individual determination. For the petition of the nobility of England to the Pope, see Cavendish; Lord Herbert provides the transcript. Foxe describes Cromwell's role in the origins of the English Reformation. For Anne Boleyn's books, see William Latimer'sTreatise on Anne Boleyn(MS. in the Bodleian Library, Oxford), a contemporary reformist source of great value.
For Katherine's confrontation with the lords of the Council in 15 31, see the Spanish Calendar, Hall andL & P.The Princess Mary's appearance and accomplishments are described in the Venetian Calendar. Thomas Abell's book,Invicta Veritas: an answer that by no manner of law it may be lawful for King Henry the Eight to be divorced(Luneberg, 1532) is referred to by Hall and Foxe. Katherine's life in exile from the court is described by Hall and the Venetian Calendar.
The Venetian Calendar gives details of the banquet at Ely Place, as does Stow'sLondon.The near lynching of Anne Boleyn is recorded only in the Venetian Calendar, which, withL&P,gives details of opposition to the King. The resignation of More from the office of Lord Chancellor is related by Roper. For the Calais trip, see Hall, theMemoiresof Guillaume du Bellay (see above), and the Milanese Calendar. Descriptions of Anne Boleyn's appearance are to be found in the Venetian Calendar and Marino Sanuto'sDiarii.Her creation as Marquess of Pembroke is described by Hall and Milles'sCatalogue of HonourL&P.
10
The dispatches of Chapuys are again one of the chief sources consulted. The Spanish Calendar records Anne Boleyn's first appearance as queen, as does Hall. Anne's coronation is described by several authorities, viz. the Spanish Calendar, Hall,L&P,Holinshed, Stow'sLondonandAnnals,Wriothesley's Chronicle, and Wynkyn de Worde'sThe Noble Triumphant Coronation of Queen Anne, wife upon the most noble King Henry the VIII(printed 1533). Evidence of Anne's unpopularity manifested on the day is given only in the Spanish Chronicle, but is hinted at by Chapuys. For Norfolk's row with Anne, see the Spanish Calendar. For Katherine of Aragon's effects, seeInventories of the Wardrobes of Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond, and of the Wardrobe Stuff at Baynard's Castle of Katherine, Princess Dowager(ed. J. G. Nichols, Camden Society, old series, LXI, 1854). See also W. Loke'sAn Account of Materials furnished for the use of Queen Anne Boleyn(Miscellanies of the Philibiblon Society, vol. VII, 1862-3). Public opposition to the King's second marriage is detailed inL & P.
Cranmer's ecclesiastical court and its proceedings are described inL&P,Hall's Chronicle, Harpsfield'sPretended Divorce,and Holinshed's Chronicle. See alsoArticles devised by the whole consent of the King's most honourable Council, His Grace's license obtained thereto, not only to exhort, but also to inform his loving subjects of the Truth(1533).The Lady Mary's obstinacy is described in the State Papers. Anne's befriending of Protestants and her reformist literature are detailed by William Latimer and Foxe. The help she gave Thomas Winter is mentioned inL & P;Nicholas de Bourbon records his debt to her inNugarum Libri Octo(Lyons, 1538).
For Katherine's confrontation with the Council, July 1533, see the report of her chamberlain, Lord Mountjoy, in the State Papers. The King's progress is recounted by Hall; the Lisle Letters refer to the good health and high spirits of the King and Queen. Henry's adultery with an unknown mistress, with Margaret Shelton, and later his affair with Jane Seymour, are all mentioned in the Spanish Calendar. Harpsfield records that Katherine pitied Anne. Letters announcing the birth of a prince, and their alteration, are referred to inL & P.The birth of Elizabeth is recorded in the Spanish Calendar and Hall's Chronicle. The comment of John Erley and other disparaging remarks about Anne's child are inL & P.The Milanese Calendar records foreign reaction to the birth. For Elizabeth's christening, seeL & P,Hall and Holinshed. The Spanish Chronicle mentions Anne's intense love for her child. The dispatches of Jean de Dinteville, the French ambassador, give details of Anne's unpopularity and her diminishing power. Elizabeth's household at Hatfield is described in the State Papers.
Katherine's defiance of Suffolk is recounted in the Spanish Calendar,L & Pand Hall. Henry's New Year's gifts to Anne's ladies, including Jane Seymour, are listed inL & P.The order to Hugh Latimer to keep his sermons short also appears inL &P; for Hugh Latimer, see Harold S. Darby'sHugh Latimer(1953). The Lisle Letters record Lady Lisle's gifts to Anne Boleyn, details of Katherine's jointure conferred upon Anne, the execution of the Nun of Kent, and Little Purkoy's death. The involvement of Fisher and Katherine with the Nun is referred to inL & P.For Katherine's life at Kimbolton, seeThe Kimbolton Papers in the Collection of the Duke of Manchester(1864).
The text of the Act of Succession 1534 is given inThe StatutesandRotuli Parliamentorum.Anne's second pregnancy is documented in the Spanish Calendar andL & P.The oath of succession is printed in Wriothesley's Chronicle, and Fisher's and More's refusal to take it is related by Hall, Roper, and Chapuys in the Spanish Calendar. For Reginald Pole's views on the King's marriages, seePro Ecclesiasticae Unitatis Defensione(1536). Katherine's defiance of Tunstall is recorded in the State Papers and the Spanish Calendar. The gifts of a peacock and a pelican are noted inL & P.
The Spanish Caendar, the Venetian Calendar, George Wyatt and William Roper
all describe Henry's growing disillusionment with Anne. His stable of girls at Farnham and Webbe's tale are noted inL & P.Lancelot de Carles et al. mention Anne being blamed for the executions of 1535. Roper is the best source for More's sojourn in the Tower. Hall records the executions of the monks of the Charterhouse and Bishop Fisher. The bad harvest is mentioned inL & P,where there is also the sole reference to Anne's third pregnancy. Katherine's letter to Forrest, and the search of her house for incriminating evidence are related by Pollino; Hall gives a grim description of Forrest's ultimate fate. The allegation (unauthenticated) that Henry blamed Anne for More's death comes fromThe Life of Jane Dormer.
Anne's visit to Syon Abbey is described by William Latimer. Her charities, needlework, and interest in education are recorded by George Wyatt and Foxe. Her fear of being cast off as Katherine had been is noted inL & P.The Spanish Calendar is the chief source for Katherine's death. Pollino records Anne's jealousy of public interest in Katherine's 'good end'.
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The tale of Anne catching Henry with Jane Seymour on his knee comes fromThe Life of Jane Dormerand Sanders, and may well have some basis in fact. Wriothesley's Chronical says that Anne's fright at the King's fall caused her to miscarry of a son. Anne's miscarriage is documented by the Spanish Calendar, Hall, George Wyatt,The Life of Jane Dormerand Sanders, and her comment to her ladies afterwards comes fromL & P.The Spanish Calendar, in particular the dispatches of Chapuys, is a major source for the fall of Anne Boleyn. Jane Seymour's rise to prominence is noted in the Bodleian MSS. Jesus College, Oxford. Henry's courtship and the jealousy between Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour is recorded in the Spanish Calendar andThe Life of Jane Dormer.For Sir Nicholas Carew, see R. Michell'sThe Carews of Beddington(London Borough of Sutton Libraries and Arts Services, 1981), which also gives details of Beddington Park, where Jane stayed before her marriage. The plot against Anne Boleyn is described by Lancelot de Carles et al. and by Milherve in his Metrical History. Coverdale's Bible, with its inscription to Anne, is in the British Library.L & Pmentions Cromwell sounding out the Bishop of London on the subject of a royal divorce. Henry's letter to Pace on the likelihood of his having male heirs is in the State Papers. The proposed trip to Calais is mentioned in the State Papers and the Lisle Letters. For Matthew Parker, see his Correspondence (mentioned above) and V. J. K. Brook'sA Life of Archbishop Parker(1962). The Spanish Chronicle refers to Smeaton's newly acquired wealth. The torturing of Smeaton is hinted at by George Constantine, body servant to Sir Henry Norris in the Tower, in his Memorial (in Archaeologia),and the Spanish Chronicle gives unauthenticated details. For the May Day jousts, see Hall and Wriothesley.
Anne Boleyn's committal to the Tower is described in Sir John Hay ward'sLife of King Edward the Sixth(1630), but the best contemporary source for this and her imprisonment are the dispatches of Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower, to Thomas Cromwell, which give a day-by-day account of Anne's stay there. They are to be found in the Cotton MSS. in the British Library. Henry's nocturnal jaunts are described in the Lisle Letters. The arrests and imprisonment in the Tower of Rochford, Weston, Brereton, Norris, Wyatt and Page are described in theHistoire de la Royne Anne de Boullant,an almost contemporary French manuscript (Bibliotheque Nationalc, Paris; before 1550). Wyatt's spurious confession is related by the Spanish Chronicle and Sanders. The information given by the Spanish Chronicle about these events is notoriously untrustworthy. George Boleyn's distress is noted inL & P.George Constantine avers Brereton's innocence. The King's new hairstyle is recorded in Stow'sAnnals.
The trial of Anne's so-called lovers is described by Hall and Wriothesley, and the Lisle Letters record public speculation as to the fate of the accused. Wriothesley records the breaking up of Anne's household. Anne's trial is documented by the Spanish Calendar, George Wyatt, Wriothesley, the Harleian MSS. in the British Library, theBaga de Secretisin the Public Record Office (in which are preserved all the surviving documents relating to the trials of Anne and her brother), Cobbett'sState Trials,and theReports of Sir John Spelman(ed. J. A. Baker, Sclden Society, 93, 94, 1977-8) - Spelman attended Anne's trial. The belief of the people in Anne's innocence is attested to by Chapuys in the Spanish Calendar, George Wyatt, George Constantine, William Camden and Sir John Spelman, all of whom refer to the unfairness of the trial. For Rochford's trial, see Spelman, Wriothesley, the Spanish Calendar, George Wyatt, George Constantine,Excerpta Historica,Lancelot de Carles et al., Cobbett, and theBaga de Secretis.The sentence on Rochford is recorded inL & P.Thomas Fuller names Lady Rochford as a principal witness for the Crown.
Henry's announcement that he foresaw Anne's downfall is quoted inL & P.The execution of the male prisoners is described by Hall, Wriothesley, the Spanish Calendar, George Constantine, theHistoire de la Royne Anne de Boullant,the Lisle Letters, and Milherve's Metrical History. Rochford's scaffold speech appears in three versions: quoted; variously by George Constantine, Wriothesley, and the Spanish Chronicle. Anne's reaction to Smeaton's confession is related by Lancelot de Carles et al. and Milherve. The case papers for the annulment of Anne's marriage to Henry have disappeared, but see Wriothesley's Chronicle and Ives'sAnne Boleyn.The cost of erecting the scaffold and Anne's expenses in the Tower are listed inL & P.For Anne's execution, see the Spanish Calendar, the Lisle Letters,L & P,theHistoire de la Royne Anne de Boullant,Lancelot de Carles et al., Milherve, George Wyatt, Sir John Spelman, Hall, the Harleian MSS. in the British Library, Wriothesley, the Spanish Chronicle, Foxe. andThe Chronicle of Calais in the Reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII, to the year 1540(attributed to Richard Turpin; ed. J. G. Nichols, Camden Society, XXXV, 1846).
For the tomb of Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire, see the guidebook to St Peter's Church, Hever, Kent. For Elizabeth Howard's tomb in the Howard Aisle of Lambeth Church, seeThe History of the Parish of Lambethbyj. Nichols (1786).
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The Spanish Calendar, chiefly the dispatches of Chapuys, is a major source for this chapter. Jane Seymour's former service as maid of honour to both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn is recorded by Chapuys and Wriothesley. Hall notes that Henry wore mourning for Anne Boleyn. For the marriage of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, see Wriothesley's Chronicle and the Lisle Letters. Wriothesley incorrectly gives the date as 20 May and the place as Chelsea; the Lisle Letters have the correct date and place. Wriothesley describes Jane's first appearance as queen. Chapuys and Lord Herbert describe how she looked and dressed. The Act of Succession 1536 is reproduced inThe StatutesandRotuli Parliamentorum.For John Hill seeL & P.Stow'sLondondescribes the King and Queen attending the marching-watch ceremony. Henry's reconciliation with Mary is documented by the Spanish Calendar,L & Pand Wriothesley; Wriothesley describes their meeting at Hackney. For Holbein's portraits of Jane Seymour, seeHolbein and the Court of Henry VIII(Exhibition Catalogue, The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, 1978). Hall describes the King and Queen's trip on the ice. Mary's reception at court is recounted in the Belvoir MSS. (Historical MSS. Commission, report XII, appendix IV, vol. I, the Duke of Rutland's Papers). For Jane's patronage of the Royal Hospital of St Katherineby-the-Tower, see Hall, and Catherinejamison,The History of the Royal Hospital of St Katherine by the Tower of London(1952).
Confirmation of the Queen's pregnancy is recorded in the State Papers, and the thanksgiving services for it inL & P.The Lisle Letters give details of the pregnancy, Jane's fancy for quails, and details of her household and the dress of her maids of honour. The prayers for Jane when in labour are mentioned by Wriothesley. For the birth of Prince Edward, see Hall,The Chronicle and Political Papers of King Edward VI(ed. W. K. Jordan, Allen and Unwin, 1966), and Jack Dewhurst'sRoyal Confinements(Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980), which explodes once and for all the theory - quoted by Harpsfield and Sanders - that Edward was born by Caesarean section. Wriothesley describes the celebrations in London in honour of the birth, and Hall describes the christening. Both chroniclers mention the ennoblement of Jane's brothers. Prayers of intercession for the Queen's life are refer
red to by Wriothesley. Her death is recorded inL & P,Wriothesley, Hall, the journal of Edward VI, and Foxe, and her obsequies are described in the State Papers and Hall's Chronicle.
13 I like her not!
For Henry VIII's search for a fourth wife and abortive negotiations in this connection, seeL & P.From 1537 onwards, the dispatches of the French ambassador, Marillac, are a rich source of information on the period, especially with regard to Henry's wives, but Marillac is not always a reliable source. There are few dispatches from Chapuys relating to this period: he had been recalled to Spain when relations between England and the Empire deteriorated after the Pilgrimage of Grace. The Lisle Letters offer some fascinating information about the domestic life of the court at this time: Henry's piety, his friendship with Anne Bassett, courtly festivities, Prince Edward, and the selection of ladies for the new Queen's household. For further details of the childhood of Prince Edward, seeL & Pand the Cotton MS. Vitellius in the British Library. For the Exeter conspiracy, see Horatia Durant'sSorrowful Captives(Griffin Press, 1960).
For the embassy to Cleves, see Hall, Foxe and the Cotton MS. Vitellius in the British Library. TheAllgemeine Deutsche Biography vols 1 and 14(Duncker and Humbolt, Berlin, 1967-71) provides good genealogical details of the family of Anne of Cleves. Anne's journey to England is described in the State Papers, the dispatches of Marillac, and the Lisle Letters. Thomas Wriothesley's opinion of Anne is inL & P.Anne's reception in Calais is described in Hall's Chronicle and the Lisle Letters, and her arrival in Dover by Hall and William Lambard inA Perambulation of Kent(1576); her progress through Kent is described by Hall. Henry's visit to Rochester is related inL & P,the State Papers, and Hall's Chronicle, and his displeasure and attempts to get out of his marriage contract are chronicled in the State Papers. Marillac describes the preparations for Anne's reception on Shooter's Hill, which event is detailed by Hall, the Lisle Letters, Lambard, and the Cotton MS. Vespasian in the British Library. For the banquet afterwards, see Hall.