Anne of Cleves- Unbeloved

by D Lawrence-Young

  “Yes, that’s true,” Lady Rutland said. “But you know, even though I didn’t particularly care for the man - I mean, he was somewhat rough and uncouth and he always used to dress in those dreary black caps and gowns - he did carry out a lot of good work for the king. And I’m sure His Majesty could always count on him for his support. I’m not sure that that could be said for many of his other ministers and advisers.”

  Rutland nodded slightly in agreement. He did not want to say too much in the presence of the queen. One never knew what she might say to her husband in the privacy of their chamber.

  “But tell me, my dear,” Lady Rutland said to her husband. “If the Duke of Norfolk arrested the chancellor, he must’ve known that the king would support him, don’t you think?”

  “Of course. So what’s your question?”

  “If the king was planning to send him to the Tower, then why did he recently promote him to be the vice-regent and also give him all those other honours?”

  Rutland looked around and saw that the queen had moved away and was busy looking at some flowers behind some of the taller rose bushes. Keeping his voice low and pulling his wife next to him he said, “I think our king likes playing with people. Do you remember how he entertained Robert Aske?”

  “The leader of the Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion?”

  “Yes, before he imprisoned and executed him? Then that’s what I think he’s doing to Cromwell. Raising him up and then cutting him down, but hush now, not another word. Her Majesty is coming back.”

  A minute after the queen had rejoined them she suddenly sneezed and pulled her shawl more closely around her shoulders. “I’m feeling rather cold. I’d like to go inside.”

  Silently, they walked back across the lawn to the palace. All of them were thinking about the sudden turn of events and how it might affect them personally.

  Chapter Sixteen - Annulment

  While an ousted and most apprehensive chancellor was languishing in the Tower, thinking about his probable execution, events were moving very quickly in other parts of London.

  At the beginning of June 1540, the king could be seen in his barge on the river being rowed to Lambeth where he would be entertained by Catherine Howard. His daily journeys down the Thames did not go unobserved by his curious subjects.

  “Wonder where ‘e goes every day, Ned? I tell you, it’s about this time every evening ‘e passes this spot by London Bridge.”

  “Don’t you know, Tom? He goes to visit that Howard girl at Lambeth Palace.”

  “Do you mean ‘e’s doing with this queen what ‘e did with his first one?”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning ‘e sent Catherine of Aragon away so’s ‘e could be with Anne Boleyn.”

  “That’s right, Tom. Except that this time it’s not Catherine of Aragon, but Catherine Howard.”

  “Catherine Howard? But she’s only fifteen years old, or so they say.”

  “So what? You know our king likes ‘em young. Our present queen was half his age when he married her back in January.”

  “Yes, I know that, Ned, but my wife told me that ‘e was going to Lambeth so’s ‘e could pay ‘is respects to the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk.”

  “Oh, Tom, you and your wife are really green. If you believe that, you’ll believe anything. No, my friend, our king has already had enough of his present wife and is looking for elsewhere to sow his oats.”

  “So those rumours are true what I ‘eard, y’know, about the king not sleeping with ‘is wife?”

  “Of course they’re true. But come on, Tom. Let’s be off to the ‘Dog and Duck.’ Standing ‘ere and gossiping ‘as made me quite thirsty.”

  Another person who was thirsty that evening was the queen herself. Not for a bottle of cheap ale, but for information. A few miles up the river at Richmond, she was trying very hard to understand the new situation in which she had found herself.

  “Lady Browne,” asked Anne, pacing up and down clasping and unclasping her hands . “I don’t understand why we had to leave the king’s palace at Hampton Court and move to Richmond? this one. He told me when I asked him that it was because of the plague but I find that very hard to believe. There isn’t any plague in London, is there?”

  “No, Your Majesty,” Lady Browne shrugged and looked to Lady Rutland and Lady Edgecombe for a satisfactory answer, but they both just shrugged and looked away.

  “And,” Anne continued, biting into an apple. “If there is a plague in London, why is my husband still there? Everyone knows that he’s scared of the plague. Look how he protects young Edward. One of my servants told me yesterday that once His Majesty even moved to Windsor when there were only a few vague rumours of the plague. Ach so, I don’t understand that man or what he’s doing, at all. Do you?”

  “No, Your Majesty,” lied Lady Rutland, “All I know is that you and your household have been moved here to Richmond and…”

  “Is it because of Catherine Howard?” asked Anne, to the surprise and discomfort of her three ladies.

  This was the last question they wanted to hear. They knew the answer, but how do you tell a newly-married queen, a lady whom they had learned to love and respect over the past few months, that her husband had already cast her aside in favour of a younger and more vivacious woman? They had even heard their royal master referring to Catherine Howard as ‘a rose without a thorn.’

  “Your Majesty,” Lady Edgecombe said, laying a hand on the queen’s shoulder. “Sometimes men feel the need to be separated from their wives for a while and that may be the reason we’ve seen sent here to Richmond. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re all called back in a week or two.”

  “Lady Edgecombe is right, Your Majesty. I don’t know if you have this saying in Cleves but here in England we say, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder.’“

  “Ja, back home in Cleves we say Durch die ferne wächst die Liebe. Not being there makes your heart want more.”

  Lady Browne smiled at Anne. “That’s right, Your Majesty. I know that when my husband has had to go away on various missions for the king, and sometimes for well over a month at a time, when he comes back, he is much more loving than before he left.” And her eyes sparkled as she remembered the last time, just a week earlier when they had spent nearly three whole days in bed making up for lost time. Oh, the passion of it all! Oh, the fun and the heat! It had been almost worth not having him around for three weeks. And now he was so gentle and considerate. Maybe, she thought mischievously for a second, I should ask His Majesty to send him away on another mission. Not for too long, just for two or three weeks.

  Lady Browne’s delicious thoughts were suddenly shattered as she became aware of the queen speaking German.

  “Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn.”

  “Pardon me, Your Majesty, did you say something?”

  “Yes, Lady Browne. In Cleves we also say, ‘Not in the eyes, not in the brain’.”

  “Ah, you mean, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ Yes, we say that here, too. But I’m sure that is not what His Majesty is thinking of. No, he probably wants some peace and quiet, that is, without us ladies about, to plan what he wants to do about the questions of religion and…”

  “What to do about France and Spain,” Lady Edgecombe added. “So yes, Your Majesty, I wouldn’t be too worried that we’ve been sent here to Richmond. And besides, this palace is very comfortable and the gardens here are so pretty.”

  Anne cocked her head to one side and considered what her ladies had just told her. Then she said, “That’s all true, ladies, but remember, you’ve all been married for several years, I’ve been married only since January, just five months. Not even half of a year.”

  “That’s true,” Lady Rutland replied quickly. “But remember, just as we women are all different, the same may be said of our menfolk. They are all different, too.”

  Anne did not look convinced and started pacing up and down again. “But are you sure the king hasn’t sent us here because he wants
to get rid of me? I know he’s not pleased with me in bed and now maybe he wants to do with me what he did to his first wives: chop of their heads or just send me away. I tell you, I don’t know what is happening, truly I don’t.” And she began to dab at her eyes with a handkerchief as the tears began to flow down her cheeks.

  Lady Browne was the first to react. She walked quickly over to the queen and held her face gently in her hands. “Please, Your Majesty, please don’t cry. I’m sure the king will come to visit you here soon or call you back to court. He’s probably thinking about what he should be doing about the French king or the Holy Roman Emperor and he doesn’t want us women about. Come, let’s continue with our embroidery.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” added Lady Rutland, . “Please show us how you sew those little red and yellow flowers and make them look so real.”

  A few days later, at the end of June, the Earl of Rutland returned to Anne’s palace at Richmond to organize the proceedings for His Majesty’s forthcoming divorce. He found his queen inspecting the flower beds in the palace grounds. After acknowledging his presence, she handed him a knife and asked him which colour roses he preferred: the red or the pink.

  “The red ones, Your Majesty. They are of a much more positive shade.”

  “Oh, my lord, there I must disagree with you,” she smiled. “I find the pink ones are so much more gentle and suitable for a queen’s palace. So please, can you cut me off a few, but please be careful of the thorns. Thank you. But I’m sure you have not ridden over from London just to answer my questions about the colour of flowers in the garden.”

  “That’s true, Your Majesty,” smiled Rutland. . “I’ve come here to tell you that His Majesty would like you to know that he would do everything that should be seen as right according to the law of God.”

  “Excuse me, my lord,” asked Anne, looking puzzled. “But what does it mean ‘according to the law of God’? What is he going to do?”

  “It means, Your Majesty, that to use your husband’s words, he must discharge his conscience and yours in order to maintain the peace of the realm.”

  “And does this mean that he wishes to use my past betrothal to the Duke of Lorraine’s son as a reason to divorce me?”

  Rutland made a small bow. “Yes, Your Majesty. That’s what the king told me yesterday. He said that he has reached this decision in order to keep his lords and the whole country content.”

  Anne smiled cynically. She realized now that her husband would use any excuse to divorce her. Perhaps this one would be the safest one for her, especially as it did not hint at any treasonous action. She knew that the official reasons for Anne Boleyn’s execution included treason, incest and adultery. Anne realized that she could not be charged with these last two crimes, but she did not want His Majesty to have any excuse for invoking a charge of treason.

  “Tell me,” she said a few moments later. “What will happen now? It’s clear that my husband really wants to get rid of me at any price but what’ll happen to me? Will I have to leave this palace, to leave England and return to Cleves?”

  Rutland looked uncomfortable. He could not answer that question. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I have no idea. All I know is that the king is going to meet with his advisor tomorrow in order to discuss this matter. Please believe me, Your Majesty, that when I say I do not know what will be the result of this meeting and that is the Lord’s truth. All I know is that your husband wants this divorce to be carried out as quickly and as quietly as possible.”

  “I’m sure of that,” Anne nodded and then added, “Because of Catherine Howard?”

  Rutland started fidgeting. He had not known how much his queen had known of her husband’s flirting with the Duke of Norfolk’s niece. He coughed apologetically. “Er, that was not mentioned, Your Majesty. All I was told was that you and the king were no longer living as man and wife and therefore it would be best for both of you if this divorce were carried out as speedily as possible.”

  “Ach so,” Anne said. “And so he’ll get his advisors to agree to this?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must leave now if I’m to catch the tide back to Greenwich.” Rutland then looked around cautiously to check that he was not being overheard before continuing. “But please let me say, Your Majesty, I must say I’m truly sorry about what has happened. To have come here from a foreign country and to learn our ways and then to be divorced, this is truly a… a very sad and unfortunate situation.”

  “Thank you, my lord. That is very kind of you.” And this time it was Anne’s turn to make a small bow. “I must tell you that the support I have received from you and your dear wife these past few weeks has been most appreciated. Please tell her that.”

  Rutland nodded and turned to leave when Anne said, “Before you go, my lord, please remember to keep me informed about the king’s plans. Sometimes I feel so cut off here in Richmond when all sorts of things are happening behind my back. As it is, it’s very hard hearing all these reports, especially when they are not in my own language. Sometimes, you know, one of my German ladies has to translate them for me.”

  “I’m sure that’s true, Your Majesty, but please permit me to say that your English has really improved in the time you’ve spent here in England. You’re now speaking it most fluently.”

  Anne blushed. She was not used to receiving compliments from English noblemen. “It’s most kind of you to say so, my lord. But you should go now or you’ll miss your boat. I just hope to see you or one of your messengers soon.”

  The earl bowed and hurried away leaving the queen wondering what the results of the forthcoming divorce would be. Where will I be this time next year? she thought. Will I be still be in England and, if so, where? In London? In Richmond? Or will the king send me away with hardly any money to a distant castle such as Kimbolton as he did with his first wife? But then, I may not be in this country at all. I might be back in Cleves with my family. Do I want that? No, I’m not sure I do any more. Life there was so quiet, even boring. Here I have my ladies, fine clothes and entertainment. And what will my rank be? If I am not the queen, what will I be? A duchess? A marchioness? What? But whatever I do and whatever happens to me, I will do anything I have to in order to stop myself being pushed aside and abandoned in a country house or castle with no money or support.

  The next day went as the king had planned. The lords were assembled and presented a petition to the king asking him to have the legality of his marriage to Lady Anne of Cleves investigated. On receiving His Majesty’s permission, this would be carried out by a clerical and legal convocation of twelve clergymen and lawyers. Included among the charges they were to look into would be the question of examining the queen to see if she had any chance of bearing children, especially a son.

  Under the king’s orders, the convocation’s experts produced a solution to his problem within three days.

  “Your Majesty,” their spokesman said, rising from his chair and facing the king at the next Council meeting. “After much thought and deliberation, we have indeed arrived at a solution to your problem,” he began pompously, aware that all eyes were upon him, “and this is our conclusion. If the son of the Duke of Lorraine had stood by his alleged prenuptial contract and we have not found or received any evidence of this contract being annulled, then your marriage to the Lady Anne of Cleves earlier this year is null and void.”

  Hearing this, His Majesty smiled and indicated that the red-gowned spokesman should continue. He did.

  “If, however, Your Majesty is married to the queen in name only, then the Church, the holy institution that we all believe in and which guides our thoughts and actions throughout our lives, has the power to annul this union, especially if, as claimed by Your Majesty, you were espoused against your will.”

  Henry smiled again. He was hearing what he had intended to hear. Sitting higher in his chair, he thanked the spokesman for ‘his kind words and learned opinion’ and continued. “Members of this Council, please
believe me when I say that I have no other aim but for the glory of God, the welfare of my realm and the triumph of truth.” As he said this, he knew that the European political situation had changed in the past six months. He knew that owing to the current political situation on the continent, Charles the Fifth, the Holy Roman Emperor would not argue with him. He also knew that the queen’s brother in Cleves would not be able to count on the Emperor’s support if he decided to declare war on England in order to defend the honour of his sister and his country.

  So while the king’s divorce was being discussed by his loyal clergymen, his House of Lords had come to a similar conclusion.

  “Your Majesty,” they informed him later that morning. “We have agreed to the dissolution of your marriage to the queen, and we base our answer on three very sound reasons,” their spokesman declared. “The first one is based on your wife’s probable prenuptial contract to the son of the Duke of Lorraine. The second concerns your clear lack of consent to this marriage and lastly, the state of non-consummation of this marriage renders the whole situation completely null and void.”

  An hour after hearing this Henry summoned his closest advisors to meet him in the chamber where until recently he had held so many meetings and private conversations with Chancellor Cromwell. After they had sat down around the oval table, the king opened the meeting.

  Trying not to smile too broadly, Henry began. “My lords, we now have a solution to my marital problems, a solution which also carries the blessings of our holy Church and which allows me to divorce my wife, the queen. The question before us now is this: what shall be done with her? Shall she be permitted to remain here in London or in Richmond or shall we send her off to a distant part of the country, say to Cambridge or even Lincoln, so that she will not be able to have any influence over what happens here in London? However, if you think that these suggestions are not acceptable, then would it be a good idea if we dispatched her back to her home in Cleves where her brother, the duke, will be able to do whatever he wishes to with her? There she will be with her own family and they will be responsible for her. She may even find herself a husband there and if so, may I be permitted to add, that if that does happen, she will have to improve her bedtime behaviour.”