Anne Boleyn's Ghost (6 page)

Catherine of Aragon

Later that year, Anne Boleyn accompanied the King on a ship heading for France. Henry wanted to speak with Francis the First, and there were concerns whether Anne could be received with him, once there. The decision was made to stop in Calais
–
then English soil
–
and have her stay there until he returned.

On Henry’s return to Calais, their journey back to England was postponed by a tempest. As they waited for the storm to subside, Anne finally gave in and admitted Henry to her bed
.

*

Back in England, Anne and Henry were in the courtyard of Hever Castle, when Anne whispered in Henry’s ear she was pregnant. There was a twinkle in one of the King’s beetle-like eyes, and a small finch appeared out of nowhere and landed on one of his broad shoulders. Anne laughed as he failed to take notice and was instead looking dreamily into space, like a man lost in wonder.

Unless they were officially married before the child’s birth, the baby would be deemed illegitimate and unable to inherit the throne. Henry quickly began to get everything in to place; and considering what obstacles he had in his way, there was no time to spare.

The Vatican was informed, but the response was taking far too long to reach England. The wedding had
to take place without the pope’s consent; and to do that, it had to take place in secret to avoid any public protest or retaliation from Spain, or Rome.

Early in the day on January 25th 1533, the wedding took place at Whitehall. Members of the Boleyn family attended the secretive wedding, as well as members of the King’s Privy Council. It was not the most glamorous of weddings, both rushed and understated, coming at a time of necessity rather than convenience. However, attempts to keep the marriage a secret were successful, and for nearly a year after not a single person of authority or head of state knew anything about it.

As the months grew and Anne found herself being treated better than she could ever remember, the secrecy of the marriage and pregnancy had been, ever so slightly,
weighing on her
.

The Break from Rome

On October 1st 1532, the letter had finally arrived from the Vatican and the Pope disapproved of Henry’s wish to marry Anne Boleyn. Included in the letter was a written order demanding Henry to stop seeing Anne, and to take back Catherine of Aragon. In an attempt to blackmail Henry, the Pope had then threatened to excommunicate him from the Roman Catholic Church if he failed to conform to the order. In effect, the Vatican had usurped its authority over England; and in turn, Henry would usurp his grip on power with ground-shaking results.

This action and reaction acted like a slingshot: the bands having been tightened could no longer be pulled; all that could happen was for all that energy to be released in one, sudden, violent
snap
.

In the same letter was a confirmation of Thomas Cranmer’s new title as Archbishop of Canterbury. Capitalizing on this confirmation of one of his men in to a position of power, Cranmer was made to give an oath of allegiance to the King, to God, but not to the Pope, if it involved breaking the law of the land, or going against the will of the King.

He was publicly consecrated in St. Stephen’s Church on March 30th 1533.

It became paramount to have Henry’s marriage to Catherine annulled, and, as soon as possible, to have his marriage to Anne Boleyn recognized by all
England. Cranmer was soon granted increased powers by Parliament. Everything was set. Anne Boleyn would be crowned Queen; but the road ahead was far from smooth.

Francis the First was swiftly informed, while Catherine of Aragon was sent a signed order demanding her to give up the royal jewels, cease using the title of ‘Queen’, and to accept her new title as
Dowager Princess of Wales
.

She refused to budge. Adamant all was being wrought by the so called
Concubine
, Catherine continued using her prestigious title and expected those who addressed her to do exactly the same.

Outraged, Henry ordered his footmen to move her to a place where she would be of little annoyance, and restricted her from seeing her daughter, Mary, until she accepted his terms. Nothing dissuaded her; the title of
Queen
would prove too much to part with.

Out in the desolate English country, deprived of her riches and her fame, she became delusional, increasingly sensational, and insisted that her few servants continue to embroider their new cloths with Henry’s and Catherine’s initials.

May 10th 1533, the Blackfriars Court gave its verdict on Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon: they concluded he had never been married to Catherine, and, as a bachelor, he had married Anne Boleyn legally.

Anne was now, in some sense, the Queen, and her child would be the rightful heir to the throne. All the trouble Henry had gone through to be with her, had paid off. And to make up for Anne’s
lackluster
wedding, he promised her coronation was going to be something extraordinary.

The Coronation

May 29th
1533, Anne Boleyn was preparing for her coronation at Greenwich Palace. Five months’ pregnant, a healthy bump was clearly visible on her. Dressed in cloth of gold, her hair fell below her waist, and the royal jewels gleamed brightly over her elegant frame under the enchanting sky.

Gliding down the River Thames, Anne’s barge led the way as an array of other barges drifted close by
–
her symbolic emblem of a white falcon rising from a bed of Tudor rose’s clear to be seen from each side of the River Thames
–
as well as hundreds of smaller, lavishly adorned boats, while musicians crowded the decks to provide a fruitful abundance of joyful music. Each barge was uniquely decorated with wreaths of flowers, colourful ribbons, and had been polished to shine for the occasion.

At five o’clock the cannons boomed, the guns pealed, and the trumpets roared as Anne Boleyn approached the Tower of London. As soon as her barge had docked, Anne was warmly greeted and with many emphatic nods and bows by the Tower’s various staff, before being led directly to the King by the Tower’s constable, William Kingston, and the Mayor of London.

Henry showed fervid affection for Anne when she appeared: her dazzling form producing awe and wonder inside him.

Smiling, Henry got to his feet, approached her enthusiastically, and wrapped his large arms around her in a pincer-like grip. Attempting to be gentle through his excitement, as he kept in mind the delicate child inside her, he loosened his grasp; Anne’s face glowing scarlet by the time he did. What wasn’t there to be happy about? Everything was running smoothly: just like clockwork.

That evening a mighty dinner party was held, which included eighteen specially selected guests, all of whom were about to be anointed Knights, foods that appealed to every taste, and plenty of music.

The following Saturday, on the streets of London, Anne Boleyn was accompanied by a convoy of nobles of the realm, made up of Gentries, Knights, Members of Parliament and dignitaries, on horseback from the Tower of London to Westminster Palace. Everywhere she looked there were large banners inscribed with Henry’s and Anne’s initials
‘HA’
, newly settled coats of paint in lively vibrant colours, flowers of immense variety, and silver and gold ornaments adorned every square foot of the pageant.

Four Knights of the Five Ports held a canopy of estate above her head; the Archbishop of Canterbury later commented on it saying, ‘She sitting in her hair, upon a horse litter.’ Cloth of silver lined the beautiful, well-bred horses.

After Anne, came four magnificent chariots. The first was empty, and the three others had distinguished women in them, called divers; they were followed by a large assembly of yet more women. The whole convoy extended nearly half a mile in length, and wine was made available at various conduits spanning the pageant.

Men, women and children looked on and waved as Anne Boleyn passed; but although every effort had been made to make the day a pleasant one, there was no hiding the deathly silence that followed her as she inched her way along the cobblestone streets of London, masked only by the trotting hooves of the horses and the turning of carriage wheels ... England was falling out with Rome, and if the strings continued to loosen, all that could come of it was decades of uncertainty and rivalry throughout the land
.

The procession ended at Westminster Hall, where a banquet had been prepared for her.

After the feast, Anne exited at the back of the palace which lead out on to the River Thames, entered her barge and was promptly rowed to York Place, which brought an end to the day’s events.

Next day Anne Boleyn was crowned
Queen of England
.

  
Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer

This is a revised version of Thomas Cranmer’s first-hand account of the momentous day, which he wrote in a letter to Mr. Hawkins, English Ambassador at the court of the Emperor, Charles the Fifth:

On Sunday June 1
^st
, Anne left Whitehall, the destination being Westminster Abbey. At Westminster Church the Bishops of Lincoln, London, Bath, York, Winchester, St. Asaph, and I, had all assembled and were preparing for the coronation, along with the Abbot of Westminster and about ten other Abbot’s. The Bishop’s and Abbot’s followed me out of the Abbey, and then we proceeded towards Westminster Hall, carrying the crosses and crosiers. In a procession we entered Westminster Hall, and received the Queen and all the ladies that accompanied her. The Queen was wearing a robe of purple velvet, and the ladies around her were in scarlet robes and gowns. The Bishops of London and Winchester were standing at either side of her; she in her hair; my lord of Suffolk holding the crown in front of her, and two other lords also stood near to him holding a scepter and a white rod. They proceeded up into the High Altar, and the ceremonies took place. I set the crown upon her head, and then we sung Te Duem. After that, a solemn mass took place while her Grace sat crowned upon a scaffold, which was made between the High Altar and the choir in Westminster Church. With the Mass and ceremonies done and finished, all of the assembly of noblemen brought her into Westminster Hall again, where a great solemn feast awaited her; the good dinner was much too long for me to put into words.

Elizabeth Arrives

Anne was approaching eight months’ pregnant and was spending most of her time within the grounds at Greenwich Palace. Henry, meanwhile, was passing the time hunting in Windsor, making short trips there to enjoy his much loved sport
–
or so Anne thought; apparently, there was another ‘sport’ the King was quite fond of.

With Anne being physically less attractive and a stomach larger than a melon, while Henry was away he had an affair with a woman who was all too ready to befriend
‘His Majesty’
.

By the time this news reached Anne, she was starting to go into labour and could worry little about her husband’s unfaithfulness with the anxiety of childbirth hanging over her.

When Henry finally returned from Windsor, Anne gave vent to what she had heard. He casually responded by telling her not to make a fuss
;
that it was all nonsense and
lies.

On September 7th 1533, Anne Boleyn gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. At that moment, the excitement and
ex
pectation for a boy had been all but destroyed, and everybody in the Boleyn family knew how devastated the King would be if Anne could not provide him with a male heir. Nasty looks met her everywhere she went. If Anne failed to give birth to the child the King wished for, it would not only affect his behavior toward her, but would be a detriment to them all. And for this, Anne was already feeling the ill will
from those closest to her.