138-413: Catherine Howard ( c. 1523 – 13 February 1542) was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII . She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper , a cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second wife of Henry VIII), and the niece of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk . Thomas Howard was a prominent politician at Henry's court. He secured her
276-731: A bastard , posed a threat to Elizabeth's position. Henry soothed his wife's fears by separating Mary from her many servants and sending her to live at Hatfield House , where Elizabeth would also reside with her own sizeable staff of servants as the country air was thought better for the baby's health. Anne frequently visited her daughter at Hatfield and other residences. The new queen had a larger staff of servants than Catherine. There were more than 250 servants to tend to her personal needs, from priests to stable boys, and more than 60 maids-of-honour who served her and accompanied her to social events. She also employed several priests to act as her confessors , chaplains and religious advisers. One of these
414-482: A bill of attainder , which was passed on 7 February 1542. The Royal Assent by Commission Act 1541 made it treason, and punishable by death, for a queen consort to fail to disclose her sexual history to the King within 20 days of their marriage, or to incite someone to commit adultery with her. This measure retroactively solved the matter of Catherine's supposed pre-contract and made her unequivocally guilty. No formal trial
552-424: A dispensation for their marriage on the grounds that Catherine was "perchance" ( forsum ) still a virgin. Catherine and Henry married in 1509 but eventually he became dubious about the marriage's validity, claiming that Catherine's inability to provide an heir was a sign of God's displeasure. His feelings for Anne, and her refusals to become his mistress, probably contributed to Henry's decision that no pope had
690-412: A " juvenile delinquent ", as did Francis Hackett in his 1929 biography of Henry. Weir had much the same judgement, describing her as an "empty-headed wanton". Other writers, especially those studying historical trends larger than Catherine's life, have been much more critical towards her. In his book Tudor Queens of England , which profiles 14 consorts and sovereigns, David Loades described Catherine as
828-622: A "stupid and oversexed adolescent" who "certainly behaved like a whore", and wrote that her denial of a precontract was "a measure of her stupidity"; however, he also said that she died when she was "just 20 years old, a mere child". In her book Elizabeth's Women , profiling the rise of Queen Elizabeth I (Catherine's stepdaughter), Tracy Borman wrote that Catherine was "as much a sexual predator as [Francis] Dereham" and blamed Catherine almost entirely for her own fate. Loades's and Borman's characterizations are unusually harsh, however. The general trend has been more fair to Catherine, particularly in
966-546: A boy. All but one of the royal physicians and astrologers had predicted a son and the French king had been asked to stand as his godfather. Now the prepared letters announcing the birth of a prince had an s hastily added to them to read princes[s] and the traditional jousting tournament for the birth of an heir was cancelled. The infant princess was given a splendid christening, but Anne feared that Catherine's daughter Mary , now stripped of her title of princess and labelled
1104-523: A conditional dispensation, which Wolsey insisted was technically insufficient. Henry then had no choice but to put his great matter into Wolsey's hands, who did all he could to secure a decision in Henry's favour, even going so far as to convene an ecclesiastical court in England, with a special emissary, Lorenzo Campeggio , from Clement to decide the matter. But Clement had not empowered his deputy to make
1242-408: A court within the royal household. She spent lavish amounts of money on gowns, jewels, head-dresses, ostrich-feather fans, riding equipment, furniture and upholstery, maintaining the ostentatious display required by her status. Numerous palaces were renovated to suit the extravagant tastes she and Henry shared. Her motto was "The most happy", and she chose a white falcon as her personal device . Anne
1380-453: A dark and depressed March, his mood lifted at Easter. Preparations were in place for any signs of a royal pregnancy, reported by Marillac on 15 April as "if it be found true, to have her crowned at Whitsuntide ." King Henry VIII and all six of his wives were related through a common ancestor, King Edward I of England . Catherine may have been involved during her marriage to the King with Henry's favourite male courtier, Thomas Culpeper ,
1518-672: A date of roughly 1540, based on the details of her dress and the technique of the miniature. She is wearing a pendant jewel that is similar to that shown in Holbein's portrait of Jane Seymour at the Kunsthistorisches Museum , Vienna. It is also identical to that worn in two other portraits of Henry VIII's Queens, one being the Hastings portrait of Queen Catherine Parr and the other being a Workshop of Hans Holbein portrait of Queen Jane Seymour . If this identification
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#17327798689141656-515: A decision. He was still Charles V's hostage, and Charles V was loyal to his aunt Catherine. The Pope forbade Henry to contract a new marriage until a decision was reached in Rome, not in England. Convinced that Wolsey's loyalties lay with the Pope, not England, Anne, as well as Wolsey's many enemies, ensured his dismissal from public office in 1529. Cavendish, Wolsey's chamberlain, records that
1794-414: A dog". After a stillbirth or miscarriage as early as Christmas 1534, Henry was discussing with Cranmer and Cromwell the possibility of divorcing her without having to return to Catherine. Nothing came of the matter as the royal couple reconciled and spent the summer of 1535 on progress , visiting Gloucester and hunting in the local countryside. By October, she was again pregnant. Anne presided over
1932-439: A frank confession of her relationship with Dereham, but subsequently she steadfastly denied any pre-contract, maintaining that Dereham had raped her. Catherine was stripped of her title as queen on 23 November 1541 and imprisoned in the new Syon Abbey , Middlesex , formerly a convent, where she remained throughout the winter of 1541. She was obliged by a Privy Councillor to return the ring previously owned by Anne of Cleves, which
2070-506: A gambling addiction that meant the ever constant threat of debtors' prison, and he went into hiding on multiple occasions. In his desperate 1527 letter to Thomas Wolsey he states, "Humbly I beseech your grace to be my good lord, for without your gracious help I am utterly undone. Sir, so it is that I am so far in danger of the King's Laws by reason of the debt that I am in, that I dare not go abroad, nor come in mine own house, and am fain to absent me from my wife and my poor children... Sir there
2208-463: A good start in life, mostly due to the routinely poor decisions of her father, Edmund Howard . Being the third son of a prominent family, Edmund's opportunities were limited to relying on the generosity of his wealthier family members and his own ability to pave his way. Sadly, he was both overly proud and a spendthrift. His insult to the King and further events would continue to devolve and slowly ensnare him, and by extension, his family. Edmund developed
2346-656: A heretical pamphlet, perhaps William Tyndale 's The Obedience of a Christian Man or one by Simon Fish called A Supplication for the Beggars , which cried out to monarchs to rein in the evil excesses of the Catholic Church. She was sympathetic to those seeking further reformation of the Church, and actively protected scholars working on English translations of the scriptures. According to Maria Dowling , "Anne tried to educate her waiting-women in scriptural piety" and
2484-478: A lavish spending spree to celebrate his marriage, with extensive refurbishments and developments at the Palace of Whitehall . This was followed by more expensive gifts for Christmas at Hampton Court Palace. That winter the King's bad moods deepened and grew more furious, caused in part by the pain from his ulcerous legs. He accused councillors of being "lying time-servers", and began to regret executing Cromwell. After
2622-475: A letter to Henry regretting the "lewd and naughty [evil] behaviour of the Queen" and advising him that "the lightness of women cannot bend the honour of men". Lady Rochford was executed immediately thereafter on Tower Green. Both bodies were buried in an unmarked grave in the nearby Church of St Peter ad Vincula , where the bodies of Catherine's cousins, Anne and George Boleyn, also lay. Other cousins were also in
2760-436: A locket containing a portrait miniature of himself. While wearing this locket in the presence of Anne, Jane began opening and closing it. Anne responded by ripping the locket off Jane's neck with such force that her fingers bled. Later that month, the King was unhorsed in a tournament and knocked unconscious for two hours, a worrying incident that Anne believed led to her miscarriage five days later. Another possible cause of
2898-519: A man several years older than her, who was living at the English court. The marriage was intended to settle a dispute over the title and estates of the Earldom of Ormond . Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond died in 1515, leaving his daughters, Margaret Boleyn and Anne St Leger, as co-heiresses. In Ireland , the great-great-grandson of the third earl, Sir Piers Butler , contested the will and claimed
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#17327798689143036-679: A member of the merchant adventurers in Antwerp and no longer persecuted simply because he had helped in "setting forth of the New testament in English". Before and after her coronation, Anne protected and promoted evangelicals and those wishing to study the scriptures of William Tyndale . She had a decisive role in influencing the Protestant reformer Matthew Parker to attend court as her chaplain, and before her death entrusted her daughter to Parker's care. After her coronation, Anne settled into
3174-622: A number of acts, including the Supplication against the Ordinaries and Submission of the Clergy , which recognised royal supremacy over the church, thus finalising the break with Rome. Following these acts, Thomas More resigned as Lord Chancellor , leaving Cromwell as Henry's chief minister. Even before her marriage, Anne Boleyn was able to grant petitions, receive diplomats and give patronage, and had an influence over Henry to plead
3312-564: A part of Queen Catherine's household, stating that she had witnessed the "light" ways of Queen Catherine while they were living together at Lambeth. Cranmer then interrogated Mary Lassells, who alleged that Catherine had had sexual relations while under the Duchess of Norfolk's care, before her relationship with the King. Cranmer immediately took up the case to topple his rivals, the Roman Catholic Norfolk family. Lady Rochford
3450-539: A place in the household of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves , where Howard caught the King's interest. She married him on 28 July 1540 at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, just 19 days after the annulment of his marriage to Anne. He was 49, and it is widely accepted that she was about 17 at the time of her marriage to Henry VIII. Catherine was stripped of her title as queen in November 1541 and beheaded three months later on
3588-492: A portrait of his [Cromwell's] daughter-in-law." The painting was in the possession of the Cromwell family for centuries. According to Hans Holbein's most recent biographer, Franny Moyle , "One of the most striking portraits of a woman Holbein ever delivered was of Cromwell's daughter-in-law, painted probably in 1539 as she turned twenty-one." List of English royal consorts Too Many Requests If you report this error to
3726-511: A quasi-relationship and one that was not sexual – although, from later testimony, Culpeper expected it to soon become so, also telling Catherine that he loved her (likely more lust than actual love). Catherine rejected this, and in response he moved onto another woman within the Queen's household. This deeply upset Catherine, who does appear to have had some level of feelings for him at this time, for on one occasion she broke down in tears in front of her fellow maids of honor. Prior to this instance, it
3864-408: A quiet routine at the King's favourite residence, Greenwich Palace , to prepare for the birth of her baby. The child was a girl, born slightly prematurely on 7 September 1533. She was christened Elizabeth, probably in honour of either Anne's mother Elizabeth Howard or Henry's mother Elizabeth of York , or both. The birth of a girl was a heavy blow to her parents, who had confidently expected
4002-524: A result of the marriage and excommunications, the first break between the Church of England and the Catholic Church took place, and the King took control of the Church of England. Anne was crowned queen on 1 June 1533. On 7 September, she gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I . Henry was disappointed to have a daughter, but hoped a son would follow and professed to love Elizabeth. Anne subsequently had three miscarriages and by March 1536, Henry
4140-479: A right to overrule the Bible. This meant that he had been living in sin with Catherine, although Catherine hotly contested this and refused to concede that her marriage to Arthur had been consummated. It also meant that his daughter Mary was a bastard, and that the new pope ( Clement VII ) would have to admit the previous pope's mistake and annul the marriage. Henry's quest for an annulment became euphemistically known as
4278-466: A sexual relationship until very shortly before their marriage; Henry's love letters to Anne suggest that their love affair remained unconsummated for much of their seven-year courtship. It is probable that Henry had thought of the idea of annulment (not divorce as commonly assumed) much earlier than this as he strongly desired a male heir to secure the Tudor claim to the crown. Before Henry VII ascended
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4416-423: A sitter who was still a connection to be commemorated over a century later (unlike Catherine). Historians Antonia Fraser , Diarmaid MacCulloch and Derek Wilson believe that the portrait is likely to depict Elizabeth Seymour . Antonia Fraser has argued that the sitter is Jane Seymour's sister, Elizabeth, the widow of Sir Anthony Ughtred , on the grounds that the lady bears a resemblance to Jane, especially around
4554-454: A symbol of joy and celebration in England but of mourning in Spain, from head to toe, and celebrated Catherine's death with festivities. With Catherine dead, Anne attempted to make peace with Mary. Mary rebuffed Anne's overtures, perhaps because of rumours circulating that Catherine had been poisoned by Anne or Henry. These began after the discovery during her embalming that Catherine's heart
4692-575: A young auburn-haired girl with a characteristically hooked Howard nose; Catherine was said to have a "gentle, earnest face", while Elisabeth and Agnes Strickland, who co-authored the Victorian-era biography of Catherine Howard in "The Lives of the Queens of England: Volume IV", where she is described as petite in stature, but of a full frame. King Henry and Catherine were married by Edmund Bonner Bishop of London at Oatlands Palace on 28 July 1540,
4830-479: A young man who "had succeeded [him] in the Queen's affections", according to Dereham's later testimony. She had considered marrying Culpeper during her time as a maid-of-honour to Anne of Cleves . Culpeper called Catherine "my little, sweet fool" in a love letter. It has been alleged that in spring 1541 the pair were meeting secretly. Their meetings were allegedly arranged by one of Catherine's older ladies-in-waiting, Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford (Lady Rochford),
4968-479: Is a depiction of Anne of Cleves , who also married the King in 1540 (making the dating by David Starkey still accurate and confirmed with a potential re-identification). Instead, Moyle was "struck by the sitter's uncanny likeness" to Holbein's 1539 miniature of Anne , now in the Victoria & Albert Museum . She also makes note of the fact that Holbein, who is known for using symbolism in subtle ways, chose to mount
5106-517: Is also traditionally identified as being of Catherine Howard, but this also appears to be without foundation. A contemporary portrait of a lady in black, by Hans Holbein the Younger , was identified by art historian, Sir Lionel Cust , in 1909, as Catherine Howard. The portrait (below), dated c. 1535–1540, is exhibited at the Toledo Museum of Art as Portrait of a Lady, probably a Member of
5244-593: Is believed to have reproved her cousin, Mary Shelton , for "having 'idle poesies' written in her prayer book." In 1528, sweating sickness broke out with great severity. In London, the mortality rate was great and the court was dispersed. Henry left London, frequently changing his residence; Anne Boleyn retreated to the Boleyn residence at Hever Castle, but contracted the illness; her brother-in-law, William Carey, died. Henry sent his own physician to Hever Castle to care for Anne, and shortly afterwards she recovered. Henry
5382-516: Is correct, then the necklace and pendant may have been given to Catherine by Henry VIII on their marriage in 1540. To further bolster that these portraits are of a Tudor queen, and potentially Catherine Howard, it is also by the fact that, for female sitters, duplicate versions of miniatures do not generally exist, with the exception of royalty. Unfortunately, there are no confirmed likenesses of her to compare these portraits with. Both versions have long been documented as of Catherine Howard, since 1736 for
5520-437: Is expanded upon in detail by Conor Byrne. Other biographers, like Gareth Russell, believe that Mannox's interactions with Catherine took place over a much shorter time, that Mannox was roughly the same age as her, but that "their relationship was nonetheless inappropriate, on several levels." He believes Catherine was increasingly repulsed by Mannox's pressure to have sex with her and was angered by his gossiping with servants about
5658-701: Is more or less sympathetic, though they disagree on various important points involving Catherine's motivations, date of birth and overall character. Her life has also been described in the five collective studies of Henry's queens that have appeared since the publication of Alison Weir 's The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1991)—such as David Starkey 's The Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII (2003). Several of these writers have been highly critical of Catherine's conduct, if sympathetic to her eventual fate and regarding her punishment as excessive. Baldwin Smith described Catherine's life as one of hedonism and characterized her as
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5796-448: Is no authenticated contemporary likeness of Catherine Howard, and there is no documentary evidence that she ever had her portrait painted. "[T]here is a good chance that any image of Catherine would have been destroyed" after her execution, or "ignored, until their identity became a subject of debate to later generations." Debate continues about the identity of the sitter(s) for potential portraits. Two portrait miniatures by Hans Holbein
5934-425: Is no help but, through your grace and your good mediation to the King's Grace." If Cardinal Wolsey did assist the family in response to the letter written in 1527, which there is little evidence of, the funds arrived piecemeal and were probably not enough. The lowest point for the family came between 1524 and 1531, the period which roughly corresponds with Catherine Howard's birth and early years. The image this paints
6072-452: Is of a girl likely neglected and potentially unwanted, as her birth meant a future dowry to come up with money for. Generally, Catherine's young life was filled with uncertainty and instability, so it is understandable as to why she has been often described as barely literate and generally unlearned. She clearly was not a high priority for her father, still less her education and future prospects. In 1531, help came to Catherine indirectly through
6210-489: Is uncertain when her two siblings were born, but the evidence indicates that her sister Mary was older than Anne. Mary's children believed their mother was the elder sister, and her grandson claimed the Ormond title in 1596 on the basis that she was the elder daughter, which Elizabeth I accepted. Anne's brother George was born around 1504, and Thomas Boleyn, writing in the 1530s, stated that his children were born before
6348-853: The Ecclesiastical Appeals Act 1532 ( 24 Hen. 8 c. 12). It was only then that Pope Clement, at last, took the step of announcing a provisional excommunication of Henry and Cranmer. He condemned the marriage to Anne, and in March 1534 declared the marriage to Catherine legal and again ordered Henry to return to her. Henry now required his subjects to swear an oath attached to the First Succession Act , which effectively rejected papal authority in legal matters and recognised Anne Boleyn as queen. Those who refused, such as Sir Thomas More , who had resigned as Lord Chancellor , and John Fisher , Bishop of Rochester, were placed in
6486-482: The Howards , one of the preeminent families in England; and Anne's ancestors included King Edward I of England . According to Eric Ives, she was certainly of more noble birth than Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr , Henry VIII's other English wives. The spelling of the Boleyn name was variable, as common at the time. Sometimes it was written as Bullen , hence the bull's heads which formed part of her family arms. At
6624-452: The Tower of London . In late 1534 parliament declared Henry "the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England ". The Church in England was now under Henry's control, not Rome's. On 14 May 1534, in one of the realm's first official acts protecting Protestant Reformers , Anne wrote a letter to Thomas Cromwell seeking his aid in ensuring that English merchant Richard Herman be reinstated
6762-519: The scaffold . According to popular folklore her last words were, "I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper", but no eyewitness accounts support this, instead reporting that she stuck to traditional final words, asking for forgiveness for her sins and acknowledging that she deserved to die "a thousand deaths" for betraying the King, who had always treated her so graciously. She described her punishment as "worthy and just" and asked for mercy for her family and prayers for her soul. This
6900-669: The second wife of King Henry VIII . The circumstances of her marriage and execution, by beheading for treason, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that marked the start of the English Reformation . Anne was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn (later Earl of Wiltshire) , and his wife, Elizabeth Howard , and was educated in the Netherlands and France . Anne returned to England in early 1522, to marry her cousin James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond ;
7038-464: The " King's Great Matter ". Anne saw an opportunity in Henry's infatuation and the convenient moral quandary. She determined that she would yield to his embraces only as his acknowledged queen. She began to take her place at his side in policy and in state, but not yet in his bed. Scholars and historians hold various opinions as to how deep Anne's commitment to the Reformation was, how much she
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#17327798689147176-578: The 1507 date: William Camden wrote a history of the reign of Elizabeth I and was granted access to the private papers of Lord Burghley and to the state archives. In that history, in the chapter dealing with Elizabeth's early life, he records that Anne was born in 1507. Anne's paternal ancestor, Geoffrey Boleyn , had been a mercer and wool merchant before becoming Lord Mayor . The Boleyn family originally came from Blickling in Norfolk, 15 miles (24 km) north of Norwich . Anne's relatives included
7314-662: The Buccleuch version and 1739 (or at least the 1840s) for the Windsor version. However, in more recent years, the traditional assumptions about these portraits are being challenged, and with reasonable evidence. The art historian, Franny Moyle , in The King's Painter: The Life and Times of Hans Holbein (2021), argues that the Royal Collection miniature is not a likeness of Catherine Howard. Instead, she argues that it
7452-590: The Chapel Royal. There he received a letter describing the allegations against Catherine. On 7 November 1541, Archbishop Cranmer led a delegation of councillors to Winchester Palace in Southwark, to question her. Even the staunch Cranmer found the teenaged Catherine's frantic, incoherent state pitiable, saying, "I found her in such lamentation and heaviness as I never saw no creature, so that it would have pitied any man's heart to have looked upon her." He ordered
7590-543: The Cromwell Family . Two copies are extant: a 16th-century version at Hever Castle is exhibited as Portrait of a Lady, thought to be Catherine Howard ; the National Portrait Gallery exhibits a similar painting, Unknown woman, formerly known as Catherine Howard , dating from the late 17th century. Inscribed ETATIS SVÆ 21 , indicating that the lady was depicted at the age of twenty-one,
7728-566: The Cromwell family. He argued that the portrait in the Toledo Museum of Art, "should by rights depict a lady of the Cromwell family aged 21 c. 1535–40" and suggested that the lady might be Elizabeth Seymour , wife of Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell , son of Thomas Cromwell , Earl of Essex. He stated that a "dated parallel for costume, notably the distinctive cut of the sleeves, is Holbein's Christina of Denmark of 1538." John Rowlands agreed that "the portrait could certainly belong to
7866-618: The Dowager Duchess of Norfolk . The duchess managed large households at Chesworth House in Horsham , Sussex , and at Norfolk House in Lambeth where dozens of attendants, along with her many wards—usually the children of aristocratic but poor relatives—resided. While sending young children to be educated and trained in aristocratic households was common among European nobles at the time, supervision at both Chesworth House and Lambeth
8004-400: The French court, and the new title was a necessary mark of her new status before she and Henry attended a meeting with the French king Francis I at Calais in winter 1532. Henry hoped to enlist Francis's public support for the intended marriage. Henry performed the investiture himself, with de la Pommeraie as guest of honour. The conference at Calais was a political triumph, but even though
8142-424: The French government gave implicit support for Henry's remarriage and Francis I had a private conference with Anne, the French king maintained alliances with the Pope that he could not explicitly defy. Anne's family also profited from the relationship. Her father, already Viscount Rochford, was created Earl of Wiltshire . Henry also came to an arrangement with Anne's Irish cousin and created him Earl of Ormond . At
8280-602: The French king and his courtiers. She married William Carey , a minor noble, in February 1520, at Greenwich , with Henry VIII in attendance. Soon after, Mary became the English king's mistress. Historians dispute Henry VIII's paternity of one or both of Mary Boleyn's children born during this marriage. Henry VIII: The King and His Court , by Alison Weir , questions the paternity of Henry Carey ; Dr G. W. Bernard ( The King's Reformation ) and Joanna Denny ( Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen ) argue that Henry VIII
8418-418: The King and Catherine has been little remarked upon. He seems to have found her attractive, and whenever they happened to be in each other's company they publicly flirted, but little else appears to have happened. As Anne arrived and the King came to show little interest in her, an opportunity for Catherine slowly began to present itself. Prior to this point, Catherine and Thomas Culpeper had slowly entered into
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#17327798689148556-629: The King had given her; it was a symbol of removal of her regal and lawful rights. The King would be at Hampton Court, but she would not see him again. Despite these actions, her marriage to Henry was never formally annulled. Culpeper and Dereham were arraigned at the Guildhall on 1 December 1541 for high treason . They were executed at Tyburn on 10 December 1541, Culpeper being beheaded and Dereham being hanged, drawn and quartered . According to custom, their heads were placed on spikes on London Bridge . Many of Catherine's relatives were also detained in
8694-434: The King, as unconvincing. After her daughter, Elizabeth, became queen in 1558, Anne became venerated as a martyr and heroine of the English Reformation , particularly through the works of George Wyatt . She has inspired, or been mentioned in, many cultural works and retained her hold on the popular imagination. She has been called "the most influential and important queen consort England has ever had", as she provided
8832-502: The Netherlands on her nephew Charles 's behalf and was so impressed with Thomas Boleyn that she offered his daughter Anne a place in her household. Ordinarily, a girl had to be 12 years old to have such an honour, but Anne may have been younger, as Margaret affectionately called her la petite Boulin [ sic ]. Anne made a good impression in the Netherlands with her manners and studiousness; Margaret reported that she
8970-805: The Stool , came to her chamber to report on the King's well-being. No plans were made for a coronation, yet she still travelled downriver in the royal barge into the City of London to a gun salute and some acclamation. She was settled by jointure at Baynard Castle . Little changed at court, other than the arrival of many Howards. Every day she dressed with new clothes in the French fashion bedecked with precious jewels, decorated in gold around her sleeves. The Queen escaped plague-ridden London in August 1540 when on progress . The royal couple's entourage travelled on honeymoon through Reading and Buckingham . The King embarked on
9108-648: The Tower, tried, found guilty of concealing treason and sentenced to life imprisonment and forfeiture of goods. Her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, distanced himself from the scandal by retreating to Kenninghall to write a letter of apology, laying all the blame on his niece and stepmother. His son Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey , a poet, remained a favourite of the King. Meanwhile, the King sank further into morbidity and indulged his appetite for food and women. Catherine remained in limbo until Parliament introduced on 29 January 1542
9246-495: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 923638111 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:44:28 GMT Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn ( / ˈ b ʊ l ɪ n , b ʊ ˈ l ɪ n / ; c. 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as
9384-470: The Younger , one in the Royal Collection and another in the Buccleuch Collection , have been traditionally considered to be contemporary portraits of the ill fated queen. The Royal Collection version at Windsor Castle , if confirmed to be her depiction, would be the only surviving painting from life and roughly dated to the time of her queenship. The historian David Starkey has confirmed
9522-423: The antechambers. This may have been how she caught the eye of Henry, who was also an experienced player. Anne resisted Henry's attempts to seduce her, refusing to become his mistress, and often leaving court for the seclusion of Hever Castle. But within a year, he proposed marriage to her, and she accepted. Both assumed an annulment could be obtained within months. There is no evidence to suggest that they engaged in
9660-503: The attention she received from her admirers. During this time, Anne was courted by Henry Percy , son of the Earl of Northumberland , and entered into a secret betrothal with him. Thomas Wolsey 's gentleman usher , George Cavendish , maintained the two had not been lovers. The romance was broken off when Percy's father refused to support their engagement. Wolsey refused the match for several conjectured reasons. According to Cavendish, Anne
9798-505: The bible and the Pauline epistles . She also acquired knowledge of French culture, dance, etiquette, literature, music and poetry; and gained experience in flirtation and courtly love . Though all knowledge of Anne's experiences in the French court is conjecture, even Ives suggests that she was likely to have made the acquaintance of King Francis I 's sister, Marguerite de Navarre , a patron of humanists and reformers. Marguerite de Navarre
9936-502: The bill of attainder received Royal Assent and her execution was scheduled for 7:00 a.m. on Monday 13 February 1542. Arrangements for the execution were supervised by Sir John Gage in his role as Constable of the Tower . The night before her execution, Catherine is believed to have spent many hours practising how to lay her head upon the block, which had been brought to her at her request. She died with relative composure but looked pale and terrified; she required assistance to climb
10074-472: The cause of foreign diplomats. During this period, Anne played an important role in England's international position by solidifying an alliance with France. She established an excellent rapport with the French ambassador, Gilles de la Pommeraie . On 1 September 1532, Henry granted Anne the Marquessate of Pembroke , an appropriate peerage for a future queen. Anne was a former lady-in-waiting at
10212-419: The court of Margaret of Austria in the Netherlands, Anne is listed as Boullan . From there she signed the letter to her father as Anna de Boullan . She was also called "Anna Bolina"; this Latinised form is used in most portraits of her. Anne's early education was typical for women of her class. In 1513, she was invited to join the schoolroom of Margaret of Austria and her four wards. Her academic education
10350-653: The crowd, including the Earl of Surrey. King Henry did not attend. Catherine's body was not one of those identified during restorations of the chapel during Queen Victoria 's reign. She is commemorated on a plaque on the west wall dedicated to all those who died in the Tower. Catherine has been the subject of contention for modern biographies, A Tudor Tragedy by Lacey Baldwin Smith (1967), Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy by Joanna Denny (2006), Katherine Howard: Henry VIII's Slandered Queen by Conor Byrne (2019), and Young and Damned and Fair by Gareth Russell (2017). Each
10488-419: The dancers in the spectacle, third in precedence behind Henry's sister Mary , and Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter ). All wore gowns of white satin embroidered with gold thread. She quickly established herself as one of the most stylish and accomplished women at the court, and soon a number of young men were competing for her. Warnicke writes that Anne was "the perfect woman courtier ... her carriage
10626-464: The death of his father, William Boleyn , in 1505. The academic debate about Anne's birth date focuses on two key dates: c. 1501 and c. 1507 . Eric Ives , a British historian and legal expert, advocates 1501, while Retha Warnicke , an American scholar who has also written a biography of Anne, prefers 1507. The key piece of surviving written evidence is a letter Anne wrote sometime in 1514. She wrote it in French to her father, who
10764-544: The details of what had gone on between them. Mannox and Catherine both confessed during her adultery inquisitions as the wife of King Henry that they had engaged in sexual contact, but not actual coitus . When questioned, Catherine was quoted as saying, "At the flattering and fair persuasions of Mannox, being but a young girl, I suffered him at sundry times to handle and touch the secret parts of my body, which neither became me with honesty to permit nor him to require." Catherine severed contact with Mannox in 1538, most likely in
10902-484: The dispute. The plan ended in failure, perhaps because Sir Thomas hoped for a grander marriage for his daughter or because he himself coveted the titles. Whatever the reason, the marriage negotiations came to a complete halt. James Butler later married Lady Joan Fitzgerald , daughter and heiress of James FitzGerald, 10th Earl of Desmond and Amy O'Brien. Mary Boleyn , Anne Boleyn's older sister, had been recalled from France in late 1519, ostensibly to end her affairs with
11040-627: The earldom himself. He was already in possession of Kilkenny Castle , the earls' ancestral seat. Sir Thomas Boleyn, being the son of the eldest daughter, believed the title properly belonged to him and protested to his brother-in-law, the Duke of Norfolk , who spoke to the King about the matter. Henry, fearful the dispute could ignite civil war in Ireland, sought to resolve the matter by arranging an alliance between Piers's son, James and Anne Boleyn. She would bring her Ormond inheritance as dowry and thus end
11178-595: The event of his becoming free, a dispensation to contract a new marriage with any woman even in the first degree of affinity, whether the affinity was contracted by lawful or unlawful connection. This referred to Anne. As Clement was at that time a prisoner of Charles V , the Holy Roman Emperor , as a result of the Sack of Rome in May 1527, Knight had some difficulty obtaining access. In the end he had to return with
11316-404: The eyes of the Church. Catherine's uncle, the Duke of Norfolk , found her a place at Court in the household of the King's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves . As a young and attractive lady-in-waiting , Catherine quickly caught the eye of multiple men, including the King and Thomas Culpeper . In the early stages of her time at court, and prior to the arrival of Anne of Cleves, the relationship between
11454-424: The family, her father often had to beg for the help of his more affluent relatives. Her father's sister, Elizabeth Howard , was the mother of Anne Boleyn . Therefore, Catherine Howard was the first cousin of Anne Boleyn, and the first cousin once removed of Lady Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I ), Anne's daughter by Henry VIII. She also was the second cousin of Jane Seymour , as her grandmother Elizabeth Tilney
11592-590: The ground in white damask, while the barons of the Cinque Ports held a canopy of cloth of gold over her head. In accordance with tradition, she wore white, and on her head, a gold coronet beneath which her long dark hair hung down freely. The public's response to her appearance was lukewarm. Meanwhile, the House of Commons had forbidden all appeals to Rome and exacted the penalties of praemunire against all who introduced papal bulls into England, by introducing
11730-655: The grounds of treason for committing adultery with her distant cousin, Thomas Culpeper . Catherine had an aristocratic ancestry as a granddaughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1443–1524), but her father, Lord Edmund Howard , was not wealthy, being the third son of his father – under the rules of primogeniture , the eldest son inherited all of the father's estate. Catherine's mother, Joyce Culpeper , already had five children from her first husband, Ralph Leigh ( c. 1476 – 1509) when she married Lord Edmund Howard, and they had another six together, Catherine being about her mother's tenth child. With little to sustain
11868-463: The guards to remove any objects she might use to commit suicide. Establishing the existence of a pre-contract between Catherine and Dereham would have had the effect of terminating Catherine's marriage to Henry, but it would also have allowed Henry to annul their marriage and banish her from court to live in poverty and disgrace instead of executing her, although there is no indication that Henry would have chosen that alternative. Initially Catherine made
12006-553: The household, including his cousin Edward Waldegrave, who was in his late teens or early twenties between 1536 and 1538. This evidence indicates that Mannox too was in his early to mid-twenties in 1536. The details and dates of this relationship are debated among modern historians. The most popular theory, first put forward in 2004 by Retha Warnicke , was that the relationship between them was abusive, with Mannox grooming and preying on Catherine between 1536 and 1538; this
12144-595: The intervention of her cousin and soon-to-be queen, Anne Boleyn , whom Edmund approached regarding a position; he was assigned to be the Comptroller at Calais. Whether due to her mother Joyce's death in about 1528, her family's financial problems, or Catherine nearing the age suitable for wardship, Catherine's family was broken up in 1531, when she was about 8 years of age. Two of her older half-sisters were married off, and both Catherine and her brother Henry were sent to be wards of Agnes Howard , her step-grandmother and
12282-454: The ladies and courtiers of England. It may have been instrumental in pressing their King toward England's break with the Papacy. William Forrest , author of a contemporary poem about Catherine of Aragon, complimented Anne's "passing excellent" skill as a dancer. "Here", he wrote, "was [a] fresh young damsel, that could trip and go." Anne was recalled to marry her Irish cousin, James Butler ,
12420-460: The magnificent banquet to celebrate her father's elevation, Anne took precedence over the Duchesses of Suffolk and Norfolk , seated in the place of honour beside the King that was usually occupied by the Queen. Thanks to Anne's intervention, her widowed sister Mary received an annual pension of £100 (although later, when Mary remarried, Anne was to countermand this) and Mary's son, Henry Carey ,
12558-491: The marriage of Henry and Anne good and valid. King Henry VIII and all six of his wives were related through a common ancestor, King Edward I of England . Catherine was formally stripped of her title as queen and Anne was consequently crowned queen consort on 1 June 1533 in a magnificent ceremony at Westminster Abbey with a banquet afterwards. She was the last queen consort of England to be crowned separately from her husband. Unlike any other queen consort, Anne
12696-795: The marriage plans were broken off, and instead, she secured a post at court as maid of honour to Henry VIII's wife, Catherine of Aragon . Early in 1523, Anne was secretly betrothed to Henry Percy , son of Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland , but the betrothal was broken off when the Earl refused to support it. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey refused the match in January 1524. In February or March 1526, Henry VIII began his pursuit of Anne. She resisted his attempts to seduce her, refusing to become his mistress, as her sister Mary had previously been. Henry focused on annulling his marriage to Catherine, so he would be free to marry Anne. After Wolsey failed to obtain an annulment from Pope Clement VII , it became clear
12834-604: The marriage would not be annulled by the Catholic Church . As a result, Henry and his advisers, such as Thomas Cromwell , began breaking the Church's power in England and closing the monasteries . Henry and Anne formally married on 25 January 1533, after a secret wedding on 14 November 1532. On 23 May 1533, the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer declared Henry and Catherine's marriage null and void. Five days later, he declared Henry and Anne's marriage valid. Clement excommunicated Henry and Cranmer. As
12972-474: The middle-aged sovereign, who claimed he had never known "the like to any woman". Within months of her arrival at court, Henry bestowed gifts of land and expensive cloth upon Catherine. The first administrative evidence of this was a grant made on 24 April 1540. Henry called her his 'very jewel of womanhood' (that he called her his 'rose without a thorn' is likely a myth). The French ambassador, Charles de Marillac , thought her "delightful". Holbein's portrait showed
13110-486: The miniature on a Four of Diamonds playing card and by doing so, it is speculated, was referring to the miniature as being Anne of Cleves, the Fourth Wife of Henry VIII. Finally, Moyle notes that, royal jewelry of the Queens of England, then and now, is property of the crown and current titleholder. As such, individual pieces would have been passed down and worn by multiple of Henry's queens. A Holbein drawing (below)
13248-415: The minimum age that a girl could be a maid of honour, as Anne was to the regent, Margaret of Austria . This is supported by claims of a chronicler from the late 16th century, who wrote that Anne was 20 when she returned from France. These findings are contested by Warnicke in several books and articles, and the evidence does not conclusively support either date. An independent contemporary source supports
13386-543: The miscarriage was an incident in which, upon entering a room, Anne saw Jane Seymour sitting on Henry's lap and flew into a rage. Whatever the cause, on the day that Catherine of Aragon was buried at Peterborough Abbey , Anne miscarried a baby which, according to the Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys , she had borne for about three and a half months, and which "seemed to be a male child". Chapuys commented "She has miscarried of her saviour." In Chapuys's opinion, this loss
13524-425: The nose and chin, and wears widow's black. The lady's sumptuous black clothing, an indication of wealth and status, did not necessarily signify mourning; her jewellery suggests otherwise. Derek Wilson observed that "In August 1537 Cromwell succeeded in marrying his son, Gregory, to Elizabeth Seymour", the queen's younger sister. He was therefore related by marriage to the King, "an event worth recording for posterity, by
13662-523: The occasion for Henry to declare the English Church's independence from the Vatican . Anne was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn , later Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormond , and his wife, Elizabeth Howard , who was the eldest daughter of Thomas Howard , then Earl of Surrey and future 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and his first wife Elizabeth Tilney . Anne's date of birth is unknown. As with Anne, it
13800-500: The period c. 1535–40, but the headdress suggests a date towards its end." Herbert Norris claimed that the sitter is wearing a sleeve that follows a style set by Anne of Cleves, which would date the portrait to after 6 January 1540, when Anne's marriage to Henry VIII took place. The original Holbein is dated to 1535–1540, but the National Portrait Gallery dates their copy to the late 1600s. This would seem to indicate
13938-604: The portrait has long been associated with Henry VIII's young queen, but she is now thought to be a member of the Cromwell family . In 1967 art historian Sir Roy Strong noted that both the Toledo portrait and the National Portrait Gallery version appear in the context of a series of portraits of members of the family of the Protector 's uncle, Sir Oliver Cromwell ( c. 1562 –1655), and have provenances linking them with
14076-572: The precedents established in The Royal Book , took place in London on 25 January 1533. On 23 May 1533, Cranmer (who had been hastened, with the Pope's assent, into the position of Archbishop of Canterbury recently vacated by the death of Warham ) sat in judgement at a special court convened at Dunstable Priory to rule on the validity of Henry's marriage to Catherine. He declared it null and void. Five days later, on 28 May 1533, Cranmer declared
14214-521: The religiously conservative Howard family may have seen Catherine as a figurehead for their fight by expressed determination to restore Roman Catholicism to England. Catholic bishop Stephen Gardiner entertained the couple at Winchester Palace with "feastings". However, Russell does not accept this interpretation. As the King's interest in Catherine grew, so did the house of Norfolk's influence. Her youth, prettiness and vivacity were captivating for
14352-509: The same day Cromwell was executed. She was a teenager and he was 49. Catherine adopted the French motto "Non autre volonté que la sienne" , meaning "No other will but his". The marriage was made public on 8 August, and prayers were said in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace . Henry "indulged her every whim" thanks to her "caprice". Catherine was young, joyous and carefree. She was too young to take part in administrative matters of State. Nevertheless, every night Sir Thomas Heneage, Groom of
14490-608: The servants who waited on the King and Anne at dinner in 1529 in Grafton heard her say that the dishonour Wolsey had brought upon the realm would have cost any other Englishman his head. Henry replied, "Why then I perceive ... you are not the Cardinal's friend.". Henry finally agreed to Wolsey's arrest on grounds of praemunire . Had it not been for his death from illness in 1530, Wolsey might have been executed for treason. In 1531 (two years before Henry's marriage to Anne), Catherine
14628-665: The spring. It is not true, as is sometimes stated, that this was because she began to spend more time at the Dowager Duchess's mansion in Lambeth, as Lambeth was Mannox's home parish and he also married here, perhaps in 1538 or 1539. He was still living in Lambeth in 1541. Shortly afterward, Catherine was pursued by Francis Dereham , a secretary of the Dowager Duchess. They allegedly became lovers, addressing each other as "husband" and "wife". Dereham also entrusted Catherine with various wifely duties, such as keeping his money when he
14766-453: The throne, England was beset by civil warfare over rival claims to the crown, and Henry VIII wanted to avoid similar uncertainty over the succession. He and Catherine had no living sons: all Catherine's children except Mary died in infancy. Catherine had first come to England to be bride to Henry's brother Arthur, Prince of Wales , who died soon after their marriage. Since Spain and England still wanted an alliance, Pope Julius II granted
14904-536: The widow of Catherine's executed cousin, George Boleyn , Anne Boleyn 's brother. People who claimed to have witnessed her earlier sexual behaviour while she lived at Lambeth reportedly contacted her for favours in return for their silence, and some of these blackmailers may have been appointed to her royal household. John Lassells , a supporter of Cromwell, approached the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer , telling him that his sister Mary refused to become
15042-449: The works of Antonia Fraser , Karen Lindsey, Joanna Denny , Conor Byrne, Josephine Wilkinson, and Gareth Russell. Lucy Worsley also takes a kinder, modern view of the accusations against Catherine and their relation to the men who took advantage of her in her youth. In her BBC miniseries Six Wives she states that today, instead of the "good-time girl" some historians accuse her of having been, we would call her an "abused child." There
15180-459: Was Matthew Parker , who became one of the chief architects of Anglican thought during the reign of Anne's daughter, Elizabeth I . The King and his new queen enjoyed a reasonably happy accord with periods of calm and affection. Anne's sharp intelligence, political acumen and forward manner, although desirable in a mistress, were at the time unacceptable in a wife. She was once reported to have spoken to her uncle in words that "shouldn't be used to
15318-465: Was a maid of honour to Queen Mary , and then to Mary's 15-year-old stepdaughter Queen Claude , with whom she stayed for nearly seven years. In the Queen's household, she completed her study of French and developed interests in art, fashion, illuminated manuscripts , literature, music, poetry and religious philosophy . Ives asserts that she "owed her evangelicalism to France", studying "reformist books", and Jacques Lefevre 's translations into French of
15456-457: Was also an author in her own right, and her works include elements of Christian mysticism and reform that verged on heresy, though she was protected by her status as the French king's beloved sister. She or her circle may have encouraged Anne's interest in religious reform, as well as in poetry and literature. Anne's education in France proved itself in later years, inspiring many new trends among
15594-412: Was apparently lax. The Dowager Duchess was often at Court and seems to have had little direct involvement in the upbringing of her wards and young female attendants. In the Duchess's household at Horsham, in around 1536, Catherine began music lessons with two teachers, one of whom was Henry Mannox, and they began a relationship. Mannox's exact age at the time is unknown. It has recently been stated that he
15732-458: Was away on business. Many of Catherine's roommates among the Dowager Duchess's maids of honour and attendants knew of the relationship, which apparently ended in 1539 when the Dowager Duchess found out. Despite this, Catherine and Dereham may have parted with intentions to marry upon his return from Ireland , agreeing to a precontract of marriage. If indeed they exchanged vows before having sexual intercourse, they would have been considered married in
15870-536: Was banished from court and her rooms given to Anne. Public support remained with Catherine. One evening, in the autumn of 1531, Anne was dining at a manor house on the River Thames and was almost seized by a crowd of angry women. Anne just managed to escape by boat. When Archbishop of Canterbury William Warham died in 1532, the Boleyn family chaplain, Thomas Cranmer , was appointed, with papal approval. In 1532, Thomas Cromwell brought before Parliament
16008-503: Was blackened. Modern medical experts are in agreement that this was not the result of poisoning, but from heart cancer , the cause of her death and an extremely rare condition that was not understood at the time. Queen Anne, pregnant again, was aware of the dangers if she failed to give birth to a son. With Catherine dead, Henry would be free to marry without any taint of illegality. At this time, Henry began paying court to one of Anne's maids-of-honour, Jane Seymour , and allegedly gave her
16146-422: Was blamed for Henry's tyranny and called by some of her subjects "the king's whore" or a "naughty paike [prostitute]". Public opinion turned further against her after the marriage produced no male heir. It sank even lower after the executions of her enemies More and Fisher . On 8 January 1536, news of Catherine of Aragon's death reached Anne and the King, who was overjoyed. The following day, Henry wore yellow,
16284-540: Was born in Lambeth in or about 1523, although the exact date is unknown. An estimated date has been determined from the wills of family members, the known birth order of her and her siblings in various dated records, and the age range of her ladies-in-waiting, being in the same age group and often, same past household of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk , where Catherine would spend a large portion of her childhood and adolescence. Unfortunately Catherine did not have
16422-510: Was courting Jane Seymour . Henry had Anne investigated for high treason in April 1536. On 2 May, she was arrested and sent to the Tower of London , where she was tried before a jury, including Henry Percy, her former betrothed, and her uncle Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk . She was convicted on 15 May and beheaded four days later. Historians view the charges, which included adultery, incest with her brother George , and plotting to kill
16560-414: Was crowned with St Edward's Crown , which had previously been used to crown only monarchs. Historian Alice Hunt suggests that this was done because Anne's pregnancy was visible by then and the child was presumed to be male. On the previous day, Anne had taken part in an elaborate procession through the streets of London seated in a litter of "white cloth of gold" that rested on two palfreys clothed to
16698-444: Was educated at the prestigious Brigettine nunnery of Syon Abbey . Anne arranged for Nicholas Bourbon , exiled from France for his support for religious reform, to be Henry's tutor there. Soon after returning to Dover , Henry and Anne married in a secret ceremony on 14 November 1532. She soon became pregnant and as the first wedding was considered to be unlawful at the time, a second wedding service, also private in accordance with
16836-522: Was graceful and her French clothes were pleasing and stylish; she danced with ease, had a pleasant singing voice, played the lute and several other musical instruments well, and spoke French fluently ... A remarkable, intelligent, quick-witted young noblewoman ... that first drew people into conversation with her and then amused and entertained them. In short, her energy and vitality made her the center of attention in any social gathering". Henry VIII's biographer J. J. Scarisbrick adds that Anne "revelled in"
16974-570: Was held. When the Lords of the Council came for her, she allegedly panicked and screamed as they manhandled her into the barge that would escort her to the Tower on Friday 10 February 1542, her flotilla passing under London Bridge where the heads of Culpeper and Dereham were impaled (and where they remained until 1546). Entering through the Traitors' Gate , she was led to her prison cell. The next day
17112-402: Was in his late thirties, perhaps 36, but this is not supported by Catherine's biographers. Evidence exists that Mannox was not yet married, and it would have been highly unusual for someone from his background at the time to not be married by his mid-thirties. He married sometime in the late 1530s, perhaps in 1539, and there is also some evidence that he was the same age as two other men serving in
17250-480: Was interrogated, and confessed that she had watched for Catherine backstairs as Culpeper had made his escapes from the Queen's room. During the investigation a love letter written in the Queen's distinctive handwriting was found in Culpeper's chambers. This is the only letter of hers that has survived (other than her later "confession"). On All Saints' Day , 1 November 1541, the King arranged to be found praying in
17388-590: Was limited to arithmetic, her family genealogy, grammar, history, reading, spelling and writing. She also developed domestic skills such as dancing, embroidery, good manners, household management, music, needlework and singing. Anne learned to play games, such as cards, chess and dice. She was also taught archery, falconry , horseback riding and hunting. Anne's father, Thomas, continued his diplomatic career under Henry VIII. In Europe, his charm won many admirers, including Margaret of Austria , daughter of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor . During this period, Margaret ruled
17526-461: Was not a wife of his choosing. In 1525, Wyatt charged his wife with adultery and separated from her; coincidentally, historians believe that it was also the year when his interest in Anne intensified. In 1532, Wyatt accompanied the royal couple to Calais. In 1526, Henry VIII became enamoured of Anne and began his pursuit. Anne was a skilful player at the game of courtly love, which was often played in
17664-519: Was perhaps only personally ambitious, and how much she had to do with Henry's defiance of papal power: Ives, Maria Dowling and Joseph S. Block (California State Polytechnic University ) are among those who believe that she was a "devout evangelical, eager for reform", whereas Warnicke and George Bernard hold that her religious beliefs were "conventional". There is anecdotal evidence, related to biographer George Wyatt by her former lady-in-waiting Anne Gainsford , that Anne brought to Henry's attention
17802-444: Was sent from court to her family's countryside estates, but it is not known for how long. Upon her return to court, she again entered the service of Catherine of Aragon. Percy was married to Lady Mary Talbot , to whom he had been betrothed since adolescence. Before marrying Henry VIII, Anne had befriended Sir Thomas Wyatt , one of the greatest poets of the Tudor period . In 1520, Wyatt married Elizabeth Cobham, who by many accounts
17940-422: Was she who controlled how long her relationships lasted and when they ended. During this time, word reached back to Francis Dereham of the rumored soon-to-be marriage between the pair, and he arrived at court to dispute this with them both. After being, again, told off by Catherine, he returned to the dowager duchess's household, which he requested to leave, as Catherine was no longer there. Believing this desperation
18078-574: Was soon absorbed in securing an annulment from Catherine. He set his hopes upon a direct appeal to the Holy See , acting independently of Wolsey, to whom he at first communicated nothing of his plans. In 1527 William Knight , the King's secretary, was sent to Pope Clement VII to sue for the annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine, on the grounds that the dispensing bull of Julius II permitting him to marry his brother's widow, Catherine, had been obtained under false pretences. Henry also petitioned, in
18216-552: Was still living in England while Anne was completing her education at Mechelen , in the Habsburg Netherlands , now Belgium. Ives argues that the style of the letter and its mature handwriting prove that Anne must have been about 13 at the time of its composition, while Warnicke argues that the numerous misspellings and grammar errors show that the letter was written by a child. In Ives's view, this would also be around
18354-401: Was temporary and soon to blow over, Agnes Howard denied this request. The King had displayed little interest in Anne from the beginning, but some historians have argued that, with Thomas Cromwell failing to find a new match, Norfolk saw an opportunity. The Howards may have sought to recreate the influence gained during Anne Boleyn 's reign as queen consort . According to Nicholas Sander ,
18492-512: Was the beginning of the end of the royal marriage. Given Henry's desperate desire for a son, the sequence of Anne's pregnancies has attracted much interest. Mike Ashley speculated that Anne had two stillborn children after Elizabeth's birth and before the male child she miscarried in 1536. Gynaecologist John Dewhurst studied the sequence of the birth of Elizabeth in September 1533 and the series of reported miscarriages that followed, including
18630-442: Was the sister of Seymour's grandmother, Anne Say . After Catherine's mother died in 1528, her father married two more times. In 1531, he was appointed Controller of Calais . He was dismissed from his post in 1539, and died in March 1539. Catherine was the third of Henry VIII's wives to have been a member of the English nobility or gentry ; Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves were royalty from continental Europe. Catherine
18768-595: Was their father. Henry did not acknowledge either child, but he did recognise his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy , by Elizabeth Blount , Lady Talboys. As the daughter of courtier Thomas Boleyn, by New Year 1522 Anne had gained a position at the royal court, as lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine. Her public début at a court event was at the Château Vert (Green Castle) pageant in honour of the Imperial ambassadors on 4 March 1522, playing "Perseverance" (one of
18906-513: Was typical of the speeches given by people executed during that period, most likely in an effort to protect their families, since the condemned's last words would be relayed to the King. Catherine was then beheaded with the executioner's axe. Francis I , when told by Sir William Paget how the Queen had "wonderfully abused the King", laid his hand on his heart and announced by his faith as a gentleman that "She hath done wonderous naughtly". Upon hearing news of Catherine's execution, King Francis wrote
19044-601: Was well spoken and pleasant for her young age, and told Thomas that his daughter was "so presentable and so pleasant, considering her youthful age, that I am more beholden to you for sending her to me, than you to me". Anne stayed at the Court of Savoy in Mechelen from spring 1513 until her father arranged for her to attend Henry VIII's sister Mary , who was about to marry Louis XII of France in October 1514. In France, Anne
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