of Anne Boleyn in her reaction to the King. Of course, it could be that she was sincere in her words, wanting to protect her virtue, her reputation and honour.
Chapuys went on to write more of Jane Seymour and the King:
"The said Marchioness has sent to me to say that by this the King's love and desire towards the said lady was wonderfully increased, and that he had said she had behaved most virtuously, and to show her that he only loved her honorably, he did not intend henceforth to speak with her except in presence of some of her kin; for which reason the King has caused Cromwell to remove from a chamber to which the King can go by certain galleries without being perceived, and has lodged there the eldest brother of the said lady with his wife, in order to bring thither the same young lady, who has been well taught for the most part by those intimate with the King, who hate the concubine, that she must by no means comply with the King's wishes except by way of marriage; in which she is quite firm. She is also advised to tell the King boldly how his marriage is detested by the people, and none consider it lawful; and on the occasion when she shall bring forward the subject, there ought to be present none but titled persons, who will say the same if the King put them upon their oath of fealty."
Chapuys was of the opinion that Jane was being coached to appeal to the King and to make him think that his people hated Anne and did not accept his marriage to her. This party of plotters – the Seymours and conservatives like the Exeters – then approached Chapuys for his assistance and that of the Emperor, explaining that their plan would help the Princess Mary, stop heresy in England and save the King from his "abominable and incestuous marriage". Chapuys passed all this information on to the Emperor, saying that he would "consult" with the plotters. Chapuys seemed convinced that Anne was out and Jane was in.
Jane and Anne
Thomas Fuller, the 17th century historian, gave an account of an altercation between Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour when Jane first arrived at court:
"It is currently traditioned, that at her first coming to court, queen Anne Boleyn, espying a jewel pendant about her neck, snatched thereat (desirous to see, the other unwilling to show it,) and casually hurt her hand with her own violence; but it grieved her heart more, when she perceived it the king's picture by himself bestowed upon her, who from this day forward dated her own declining, and the other's ascending, in her husband's affection." 2
Fuller does not give a source for this story so it is impossible to know whether it really did happen; even he refers to it as a 'tradition'. Another legend, possibly based on the same source, is a story told in a book about Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria and lady-in-waiting to Mary I. Henry Clifford, who transcribed an ancient manuscript on the life of Jane Dormer, reported "scratching and bye blows between the queen and her maid" 3 when Sir Francis Bryan took Jane to court and placed her with Anne Boleyn. However, Jane Dormer was not born until two years after Anne Boleyn's death, so could hardly have witnessed the event. Even if it was a family story passed down from Jane's grandmother, Jane Newdigate, it has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Chapuys never heard this story; he would have definitely reported it to the Emperor if he had.
2nd April 1536 – A Controversial Passion Sunday Sermon
On the 2nd April 1536, Anne Boleyn's almoner, John Skip, preached an incredibly controversial sermon on the Old Testament story of Queen Esther. This sermon did not help her already troubled relationship with Cromwell.
As well as serving as a clarification of Anne Boleyn's reformist religious stance, the sermon acted as "Anne's call to courtiers and counsellors alike to change the advice they were giving the king and to reject the lure of personal gain." 1 In this sermon, as Eric Ives 2 points out, Henry VIII was
Chapuys went on to write more of Jane Seymour and the King:
"The said Marchioness has sent to me to say that by this the King's love and desire towards the said lady was wonderfully increased, and that he had said she had behaved most virtuously, and to show her that he only loved her honorably, he did not intend henceforth to speak with her except in presence of some of her kin; for which reason the King has caused Cromwell to remove from a chamber to which the King can go by certain galleries without being perceived, and has lodged there the eldest brother of the said lady with his wife, in order to bring thither the same young lady, who has been well taught for the most part by those intimate with the King, who hate the concubine, that she must by no means comply with the King's wishes except by way of marriage; in which she is quite firm. She is also advised to tell the King boldly how his marriage is detested by the people, and none consider it lawful; and on the occasion when she shall bring forward the subject, there ought to be present none but titled persons, who will say the same if the King put them upon their oath of fealty."
Chapuys was of the opinion that Jane was being coached to appeal to the King and to make him think that his people hated Anne and did not accept his marriage to her. This party of plotters – the Seymours and conservatives like the Exeters – then approached Chapuys for his assistance and that of the Emperor, explaining that their plan would help the Princess Mary, stop heresy in England and save the King from his "abominable and incestuous marriage". Chapuys passed all this information on to the Emperor, saying that he would "consult" with the plotters. Chapuys seemed convinced that Anne was out and Jane was in.
Jane and Anne
Thomas Fuller, the 17th century historian, gave an account of an altercation between Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour when Jane first arrived at court:
"It is currently traditioned, that at her first coming to court, queen Anne Boleyn, espying a jewel pendant about her neck, snatched thereat (desirous to see, the other unwilling to show it,) and casually hurt her hand with her own violence; but it grieved her heart more, when she perceived it the king's picture by himself bestowed upon her, who from this day forward dated her own declining, and the other's ascending, in her husband's affection." 2
Fuller does not give a source for this story so it is impossible to know whether it really did happen; even he refers to it as a 'tradition'. Another legend, possibly based on the same source, is a story told in a book about Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria and lady-in-waiting to Mary I. Henry Clifford, who transcribed an ancient manuscript on the life of Jane Dormer, reported "scratching and bye blows between the queen and her maid" 3 when Sir Francis Bryan took Jane to court and placed her with Anne Boleyn. However, Jane Dormer was not born until two years after Anne Boleyn's death, so could hardly have witnessed the event. Even if it was a family story passed down from Jane's grandmother, Jane Newdigate, it has to be taken with a pinch of salt. Chapuys never heard this story; he would have definitely reported it to the Emperor if he had.
2nd April 1536 – A Controversial Passion Sunday Sermon
On the 2nd April 1536, Anne Boleyn's almoner, John Skip, preached an incredibly controversial sermon on the Old Testament story of Queen Esther. This sermon did not help her already troubled relationship with Cromwell.
As well as serving as a clarification of Anne Boleyn's reformist religious stance, the sermon acted as "Anne's call to courtiers and counsellors alike to change the advice they were giving the king and to reject the lure of personal gain." 1 In this sermon, as Eric Ives 2 points out, Henry VIII was
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