Anne Boleyn: From Queen to History - May 17th 1536: Part 2: A Marriage Over
May 17th 1536: Part 2: A Marriage Over
It has been suggested that when Archbishop Cranmer visited Anne the day before her marriage to Henry was annulled, he did not go to provide her with comfort in her final hours, but to offer her some sort of bargain. If she would agree to the annulment of her marriage with the King then perhaps the King would show leniency on her or their daughter, Elizabeth Tudor. There is no way to assess if this was the purpose of Cranmer’s visit to Anne or not as no records exist of the conversation that transpired between the two. What we do know is that on May 17th Archbishop Cranmer declared the annulment of the marriage between Anne Boleyn and Henry Tudor. There was no official reason for why the marriage was annulled.
What does not add up is that if Anne’s marriage to Henry was annulled, and thus meaning they were never legally married, how could she have committed adultery? How can you commit adultery if you are not married? And how could she still be the Queen of England without being married to the King? For us in modern times this stands out as a huge error of judgement, and yet nothing of this confusion was said during Anne’s last days. It seems as though this was just another loop hole that was glossed over in the rush to see Anne executed.
Whatever the confusing details regarding Henry and Anne’s annulment of marriage were, one thing was certainly clear - Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of Henry and Anne was no longer a Princess but was now a bastard. This must have come as a huge blow to Anne for she loved her daughter and spoiled her with many gifts and as any mother I am sure only wanted the best for her. Now with Elizabeth’s mother to be executed on grounds of adultery, treason and incest and the annulment of her parents’ marriage affectively making her a bastard; the young girl’s fate, only two years and eight months of age, was left hanging. History tells us of what happened to young Elizabeth Tudor, that she after much adversity became Queen of England in her own right, ruling for 44 years in an era that is fondly referred to as the ‘Golden Age’. But that is a story for another time. Right now the little girl’s life had just been turned upside down.
For Henry the news of the annulment of his marriage must have come as great news to his ears. Now he was finally free of the woman whom he had seen as adulterous, a lair and unable to provide him with the son he longed for. He was finally free of Anne Boleyn and could now legally marry Jane Seymour and make her his new Queen. What Anne thought of all of this I do not know, but it certainly must have come as another crushing blow to her already turbulent final days.
Despite being declared a bastard in 1536, Elizabeth was restored to the line of succession in 1543. After the death of her half brother Edward VI and her sister Mary, Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558 and ruled for 44 years. Her rule is said to have been a golden age in England. This portrait was painted by George Gower in 1588 to commemorate Elizabeth and England’s defeat of the Spanish armada. It hands in the National Portrait Gallery in London and I have been fortunate enough to see it in person.
It has been suggested that when Archbishop Cranmer visited Anne the day before her marriage to Henry was annulled, he did not go to provide her with comfort in her final hours, but to offer her some sort of bargain. If she would agree to the annulment of her marriage with the King then perhaps the King would show leniency on her or their daughter, Elizabeth Tudor. There is no way to assess if this was the purpose of Cranmer’s visit to Anne or not as no records exist of the conversation that transpired between the two. What we do know is that on May 17th Archbishop Cranmer declared the annulment of the marriage between Anne Boleyn and Henry Tudor. There was no official reason for why the marriage was annulled.
What does not add up is that if Anne’s marriage to Henry was annulled, and thus meaning they were never legally married, how could she have committed adultery? How can you commit adultery if you are not married? And how could she still be the Queen of England without being married to the King? For us in modern times this stands out as a huge error of judgement, and yet nothing of this confusion was said during Anne’s last days. It seems as though this was just another loop hole that was glossed over in the rush to see Anne executed.
Whatever the confusing details regarding Henry and Anne’s annulment of marriage were, one thing was certainly clear - Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of Henry and Anne was no longer a Princess but was now a bastard. This must have come as a huge blow to Anne for she loved her daughter and spoiled her with many gifts and as any mother I am sure only wanted the best for her. Now with Elizabeth’s mother to be executed on grounds of adultery, treason and incest and the annulment of her parents’ marriage affectively making her a bastard; the young girl’s fate, only two years and eight months of age, was left hanging. History tells us of what happened to young Elizabeth Tudor, that she after much adversity became Queen of England in her own right, ruling for 44 years in an era that is fondly referred to as the ‘Golden Age’. But that is a story for another time. Right now the little girl’s life had just been turned upside down.
For Henry the news of the annulment of his marriage must have come as great news to his ears. Now he was finally free of the woman whom he had seen as adulterous, a lair and unable to provide him with the son he longed for. He was finally free of Anne Boleyn and could now legally marry Jane Seymour and make her his new Queen. What Anne thought of all of this I do not know, but it certainly must have come as another crushing blow to her already turbulent final days.
Despite being declared a bastard in 1536, Elizabeth was restored to the line of succession in 1543. After the death of her half brother Edward VI and her sister Mary, Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558 and ruled for 44 years. Her rule is said to have been a golden age in England. This portrait was painted by George Gower in 1588 to commemorate Elizabeth and England’s defeat of the Spanish armada. It hands in the National Portrait Gallery in London and I have been fortunate enough to see it in person.