Anne of Cleves- Unbeloved

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Anne of Cleves- Unbeloved Page 9

by D Lawrence-Young


  Despite his reluctance to correspond with the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry did write to him and was happily surprised to promptly receive a positive reply to his request. The following letter was then sent to Queen Mary of Hungary and the safety of the Cleves travelling party was assured.

  Begging you, most excellent Princess, Our dearest and most beloved sister and good cousin, that, taking into consideration the purport of the Emperor’s letter, as well Our own desire, as expressed in Our last letter – you may be pleased, for the personal security and comfort of the said Lady Anne and suite, to add to her passport such full orders and favourable commendations as may be required and it is in your power to give since such is, as We can see, the good intention of our said brother, the Emperor.

  The next stage was that Henry ordered that ten of his ships were to make ready to bring his bride from Calais to Dover and that all the towns between Dover and London where Anne would rest overnight or pause for refreshment during the day should arrange suitable processions and festivities.

  “Which towns are you thinking of, Your Majesty?” Cromwell asked the king one rainy November evening as they were sitting in his chamber. A map of the south of England was spread out on the table between them.

  “Here, Thomas” and Henry leaned over the table. “Dover, Deal, Canterbury, Sittingbourne and Rochester.”

  “Hmm, a journey of about seventy miles, Sire. I’m sure she will be extremely exhausted after making her way from Cleves to Calais and from there to Dover.”

  Henry smiled. The recent news that his future wife was to be given a safe-conduct pass and that his chief minister was doing his best to ensure that she would be given the best possible reception filled him with pride and joy.

  “So, Thomas, the man with all the answers, what will her first vision of English territory be? It will be Calais, of course. Now what’s to be arranged there in her honour?”

  “Fear not, Your Majesty. I’ve sent orders to have the roads and town walls repaired. Your residence there is to have its gutters replaced and all the cracked and broken windows are to be repaired. I’ve also seen to it that the royal emblems over the Lentern Gate are to be repainted and gilded so that they may appear as they were when they were originally commissioned.”

  Henry smiled appreciatively and Cromwell continued. “In addition, Sire, all the furniture, curtains and carpets are to be replaced where necessary and various parts of the flooring are to be similarly repaired. I can show you a list of what has been done and what still needs to be done.” He passed a list over and Henry smiled at him again.

  “Thomas, you have surpassed yourself. Well done.”

  Cromwell smiled but wondered why could his king not praise him so in front of the other advisors, especially the earls, lords and dukes? They all thought he was nothing but a jumped-up servant, the son of a poor artisan who had risen too far and too fast. And at their expense as well. Many, he thought would be very happy to see him fall or, if not actually fall, taken down a peg or two. He had heard all of them from time to time whisper behind his back or stop whispering the moment he entered the Council chamber.

  “Huh! Son of a blacksmith, or the like and now the king’s chancellor! And telling us what to do.”

  “What were he and his father doing when we first fought for the king or his father? Probably working in his father’s smithy no doubt or grubbing for money.”

  “That’s right. Just like Cardinal Wolsey who came before him. Another jumped-up trader turned chancellor.”

  “Aye, but look what happened to him. Where’s he now?”

  Yes, Cromwell had heard it all. His sombre thoughts were suddenly cut short by his king’s urgent voice.

  “Thomas, who d’you think should first greet the Lady Anne? Have you given any thought to that?”

  “Yes, Sire. I have written to Lord Lisle, your resident-deputy of Calais. In addition to receiving instructions to make the town look as beautiful and well-cared for as possible, he and several other nobles have been charged to pay the lady their respects in your name.”

  “I see. And which nobles are to do this?”

  “Sire, I do not have the complete list with me, but I know that Lord William Howard, the Duke of Norfolk’s brother, and Sir Francis Bryan will be on hand.”

  “Very good, Thomas, and I presume you’ve arranged for a yeoman guard of honour to be present?”

  “Of course, Sire. Here, I’ve a copy of the instructions that I’ve sent to Lord Lisle. Let me read you some of them.”

  Taking a folded page from his pocket, Cromwell began to read:

  …in their best array, to meet and receive her Grace at her Entry into the English pale and, after their due reverence and salutations made to her, they shall conduct her and her train to the town, making all honest and friendly semblance and entertainment, whereby they may perceive themselves most heartily welcome.

  And as for your yeomen guard, Sire, there will be two hundred of them, all wearing coats of blue and red - the colours of the royal arms of England.”

  Henry clapped his hands. “Excellent, Thomas. I ‘m most impressed, and I hope that Lady Anne will be as well. Now, just before you go, do make sure that by tomorrow morning I have a complete list of my courtiers who’ll be on hand to greet the lady. That is, both at Calais and also here in England, at all the towns you mentioned earlier.”

  “Yes, Sire.” Cromwell bowed and hurried out. If the king said he wanted something by tomorrow morning, then it would be delivered tomorrow morning. Past experience had taught him that one did not keep His Majesty waiting. And since Henry had set his sights on marrying Lady Anne of Cleves in the very near future, it had become even more urgent to have her brought over to England as quickly as possible.

  * * * * * * * * *

  If the plans for the forthcoming royal meeting and wedding were taking place at a furious pace in London, then the same could be said for what was happening in Cleves.

  From the moment Anne’s family received the letter saying that she had been selected to become King Henry’s fourth wife and the Queen of England, the mood in Cleves changed from anxiety and anticipation to a frenzy of bustle and activity. This frantic atmosphere was heightened when a second letter of personal congratulations was received, this one being signed by none other than Thomas Cromwell, Chancellor of England.

  “Look, it’s from the king’s chief minister,” an English-speaking official told Anne. “He is wishing you all the best and assures you that everything will be done to make you happy in your new country.”

  Anne looked at her mother, who was trying her hardest to hide her feelings over her being parted from her daughter soon, perhaps even forever.

  “Come over here, my dear, and sit next to me,” she said giving Anne an affectionate hug. “Now,” she continued, wiping her eyes, “let us look through your robes and gowns once again to see which you should take with you and which may need repairing. We don’t want the English to think that just because you come from a small duchy, we’re poor and don’t how to dress in style.”

  “But mother, Amalia and I went through all my clothes, even my underclothes yesterday. None of those that I wish to take with me need repairing. I’m quite sure of that.”

  “Annele,” said Julia, hugging her daughter again. “Your sister is not as thorough as I am. Now let’s go up to your room and we’ll look through your trousseau again.” Of course, Duchess Julia’s sharp eyes found a small tear in the sleeve of a green velvet gown. She held the gown up and Anne could just about see the light peeking through the small hole.

  “You see, my love, what would’ve happened if you’d worn this gown to a ball in London? What would people have said, eh? Don’t you remember all the spiteful remarks people made here last Christmas when one of the ladies wore a gown with a small tear at the back? What was her name? She was a cousin to the Elector. Oh, never mind. But that’s what the people here - at least the women - gossiped about for a good week. We don’t want that happening
to you, now do we?”

  And then there were the horses to be examined and the carriages and wagons to be inspected. One carriage was found to have an ill-fitting door while two of the wagons which were to carry Anne’s trousseau and other supplies had loose wheels which needed to be changed. Several of the guards’ uniforms were handed over to the seamstresses to have various holes, tears and trimmings repaired while the horses were taken to the castle blacksmith to have their shoes examined or changed if necessary. In addition, several servants were given the task of examining all the reins and were also told to polish all the horse buckles and brasses.

  “I do hope it’ll be a sunny day for Lady Anne’s journey,” the chief blacksmith said, looking up at the pale wintry sky. “Not just because of the journey, but I want the carriages and horses to look their best, especially after all the work we’ve done.”

  And while all this frantic activity was taking place, Anne would take herself off from time to time and sit down with Mistress Gilmyn. Cromwell had sent this English gentlewoman over to Cleves to instruct Anne in the ways of England and to try and improve the future Queen of England’s command of the English tongue.

  “Please remember, milady, that the English do not put all their verbs at the end of their sentences - especially in the past tense as you do in German. Therefore, please do not say, ‘I have the horse not seen’ but ‘I have not seen the horse.’ Do you understand? This is very important.”

  Anne nodded. To her this did not seem to be a major problem.

  “And also please remember that English is perhaps easier than German. In my language we have only one word for your der, die and das. And it is the. This means that der Tisch and die Tür in German simply become ‘the table’ and ‘the door’ in English.”

  Again Anne nodded and promised to remember these rudimentary grammatical rules.

  “And of course,” Mistress Gilmyn continued, “the same must be said for the English word, a. In German you have ein, eine and einer, whereas in English we just say a before words when we mean one. We have a man, a woman, a child. But do not worry, we will continue with those words and some others tomorrow.”

  Anne nodded and said she would try and remember but, in truth, she had other and, for her, more pressing thoughts on her mind. She was thinking about her imminent marriage and the reasons it was so important to her and to everyone else. She had been told why this marriage and its success were so important for her brother, Duke William, and the duchy of Cleves. Vice-Chancellor Olisleger had given her a long and boring lecture on the political and religious ramifications of this new personal and international union and why it must not fail. At the same time Anne was also aware of her future groom’s reputation.

  One did not become a thrice-married king without word of it spreading around the continent, especially as many of the European crowned heads and other aristocrats were connected by marriage themselves within a large and extended family group.

  Anne knew of Henry’s reputation. He had had three wives already. The first had been cast aside after fifteen years of marriage and then left to live an isolated life far away from court and her daughter for the rest of her life. The second wife he had had executed after she had been tried for treason after being queen for only three years. Ironically, Anne half-smiled to herself, Henry had declared that he had really loved her, even to the end. Her end, that is. To prove this, he’d had a professional swordsman brought over especially from France to execute her rather than allow an ignorant English axeman to butcher her on the block! This was a sign of love? And the third wife had not had much more luck either. She had died a few days after giving birth to her first child. True, the baby had been the much desired and hoped-for son, but that did not help his poor mother in any way.

  In addition, Anne had heard malicious tales that the king had more or less abandoned his third wife while she was suffering as he could not bear to be near her while she was suffering so much pain. Were all these stories true, or were they just nasty gossip? How could he have rejected his first wife after fifteen years? How could he have had his second wife executed, even by a professional swordsman? And how could he have deserted his third wife in her greatest hour of need? Wasn’t a husband supposed to support his wife in sickness and in health? Anne could not understand how her husband-to-be had acted as he had. What sort of man was he and how would he treat her? Would she be got rid of if, for whatever reason, she failed to please him? And if so, how? Exile? Execution? It didn’t bear thinking about.

  It is true that Henry and his kingdom were far richer and larger than her brother, the duke, and his Rhineland duchy, but were money and lands everything? Here, she had everything she knew and loved. Her mother and sister lived here, and her brother, even if he did not show too much affection and warmth, was kind enough and protected her. She loved the old castle at Düren and the surrounding countryside. She loved the local people and her servants and they all loved her in return. Would life be like this in England? How would she be treated there? Would the English people like her or would they treat her as a foreigner who was there only because King Henry had decided it to be so? Time would tell. Until then she would have to wait.

  At last the great day for farewells arrived. One could feel the tension in the atmosphere that always accompanies the beginning of an important expedition. The horses stamped their feet impatiently on the large flagstones, the reins jingled in the air and the newly-polished horse brasses sparkled in the sun. Masters were giving and servants were receiving orders. Everyone was bustling about moving boxes and trunks from here to there as well as carrying out the last-minute preparations that somehow had been forgotten in the mounting excitement and activity. Packages of all sizes and shapes were wedged in between larger ones in the supply wagons, or were pushed through the windows of the carriages for the passengers to carry on their knees or to be placed on the floor. Ropes were tightened for the hundredth time; knots were untied and retied; hats and bonnets were straightened and the accompanying guards were inspected yet again. Everyone was moving about frantically. Major officials gave orders to minor officials. Minor officials gave orders to the servants and the only one who remained calm was Anne of Cleves herself, the lady in the eye of this storm of activity.

  Anne stood by the door of her carriage with Mistress Gilmyn trying to absorb the fact that this massive undertaking was being carried out for her sake, Anne of Cleves, the sister of Duke William and the future Queen of England.

  After much shouting and the giving of more orders and counter-orders, the train of wagons, carriages and guards was lined up in the castle courtyard. The servants were assembled and Anne, accompanied by Mistress Gilwyn and Lady Keteler, who had just arrived from England to act as another aide and travelling companion settled down in the duke’s own carriage. Another twelve ladies and gentlemen had been chosen to accompany Anne on her first journey beyond the boundaries of her native Cleves. They all settled down comfortably in the carriages that were to travel immediately in front of and behind the more luxurious vehicle of their mistress. The Duke of Cleves may have claimed in his negotiations with King Henry that he was poor, but he did not wish to show any outward signs of poverty as his sister travelled west, especially on this most important of journeys.

  In addition, John Frederick, the Elector of Saxony supplied thirteen trumpeters to proclaim the arrival of the entourage as it passed through all the towns en route. The train was also to include Vice-Chancellor Olisleger and the Earls of Overstein and Nuennare. Anne’s young cousin, Count von Waldeck also travelled with her and, in all, over two hundred and sixty people were to accompany Anne on her historic journey to Calais.

  When the noise and bustle were over, when all the knots and ropes had been adjusted for the last time and all the horses made ready, a certain quiet and semblance of order settled over the courtyard. Her brother, Duke William, left his place at the upper storey window from where he had been watching the last minute preparations and came down to stand
at the top of the flight of the castle steps. There, with his wife, his mother, Julia and Amalia by his side they all waved their final farewells. Eyes were wiped, last minute, hugs and instructions were exchanged and everyone wished Anne well in her new land and rôle in life. It was with great reluctance that Anne finally climbed into her carriage. She did her best to smile as she wiped back the tears from her eyes and waved her white handkerchief to her family and to those who would not be travelling with her. Then the duke raised his hand as a sign to the leading horseman and the long train with its carriages, wagons, mounted guards and foot soldiers made its way under the portcullis and out of the courtyard in the direction of Calais. Anne’s historic journey had begun – the result of an English king, far away over the sea having chosen her to be his fourth queen. And all because he had been so impressed by her portrait.

  Chapter Eight - Calais

  Despite King Henry’s impatience to meet his new bride, the long train of carriages and wagons did not and could not hurry their way over the gently undulating Rhineland plain. Due to its sheer length and the number of people involved, this long column of horsemen and vehicles covered only five miles each day. It was not until 3 December 1539 that it finally rumbled into Antwerp, the crowds along the sides of the streets waving as it passed.

  This old town on the River Scheldt had seen much action since it had first been established over eight hundred years earlier. Norsemen had attacked it a few times before capturing the town and then burning it down to the ground. It was then rebuilt and turned into a German frontier town, a town built to defend the area from various Flemish counts and other nobles.

 

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