lover, as he later reminded her in a letter. 35 It was only thirty-four days since the death of the old king. *4 Necessarily, the ceremony was conducted in the strictest secrecy. The couple went to bed together immediately – so soon, in fact, that they placed the royal succession in jeopardy. For, as it was later alleged, ‘if she had conceived straight after it should have been a great doubt whether the child born should have been accounted the late king’s or his’. 36 Although a bachelor, Thomas Seymour was no sexual novice. *5 He had so debauched an earlier conquest that she became known as ‘a lewd woman that had lived an unclean life’. 37 In her fourth marriage, the queen now finally had her young and vigorous husband; but she was not thereby prepared to jeopardize her position or reputation. She swore Thomas to secrecy.
The Protector’s brother slipped quietly back to Westminster following his wedding and attended a Council meeting the next day. The agenda was dominated by fear of conflict with France. Somerset granted a commission to Lord Russell, the Earl of Warwick, Thomas Seymour and William Paget to enter negotiations for a defensive league with the French ambassadors, 38 with whom they went to dine on 5 March 1547. 39 They failed to do this discreetly for, as they walked together, the Imperial ambassador’s spies noted that Paget was carrying a great packet of papers with which to negotiate a treaty. Although very much a junior partner in the discussions, Seymour could congratulate himself, as he made merry at dinner, that – even before his marriage to the queen was known – this was a sign that he was far from being out in the cold.
His was a starkly different situation from that of others who had displeased the Protector. Stephen Gardiner, who had already been excluded from the Council, had so little credit left that – as he noted – he could not even succeed in banning a play in Southwark scheduled to be performed at the same time as a solemn requiem mass for Henry VIII in the cathedral there. 40 As Somerset established himself, the balance of power on the Council was constantly shifting. The day after Thomas’s ambassadorial dinner, the Protector struck against Wriothesley, requiring him to resign his office and placing him under house arrest. 41 He went quietly.
Somerset hid his insatiable desire for power and his absolute conviction in his own righteousness beneath a cloak of benignity; but some believed him capable even of murder. 42 In large part, his ‘sabling’ as Protector had been due to his fine personage, the eloquence of his speech and his learning, all of which were noted, even by his detractors, as the means by which he forged goodwill. 43 By March 1547, he considered himself to be secure. Even Warwick, whose ‘liberality and splendour’ made him more popular than the ‘dry, sour, opinionated’ Somerset, appeared to submit to second place willingly enough, in spite of predictions at court that he would never countenance his colleague’s dominance. 44 The Earl of Warwick, with his ‘high courage,’ was very good at dissembling.
With the coronation out of the way, Somerset set himself the task of organizing the king’s household, as well as considering future provision for the dowager queen. 45 Catherine, along with her stepdaughters Mary and Elizabeth, were still in London in early March. They paid at least one visit to the court at Westminster that month. 46 But Catherine was already considering a move out of London to her fine manor house at Chelsea. She busied herself with her council of receivers, surveyors, attorneys and solicitors, and took steps to put her financial affairs in order. 47 In the eyes of everyone, Catherine continued to appear the grieving widow – although she did permit her troupe of Italian viol players to play for her mourning household. 48
Princess Mary, who continued to grieve openly, left London before the end of March, travelling to
The Protector’s brother slipped quietly back to Westminster following his wedding and attended a Council meeting the next day. The agenda was dominated by fear of conflict with France. Somerset granted a commission to Lord Russell, the Earl of Warwick, Thomas Seymour and William Paget to enter negotiations for a defensive league with the French ambassadors, 38 with whom they went to dine on 5 March 1547. 39 They failed to do this discreetly for, as they walked together, the Imperial ambassador’s spies noted that Paget was carrying a great packet of papers with which to negotiate a treaty. Although very much a junior partner in the discussions, Seymour could congratulate himself, as he made merry at dinner, that – even before his marriage to the queen was known – this was a sign that he was far from being out in the cold.
His was a starkly different situation from that of others who had displeased the Protector. Stephen Gardiner, who had already been excluded from the Council, had so little credit left that – as he noted – he could not even succeed in banning a play in Southwark scheduled to be performed at the same time as a solemn requiem mass for Henry VIII in the cathedral there. 40 As Somerset established himself, the balance of power on the Council was constantly shifting. The day after Thomas’s ambassadorial dinner, the Protector struck against Wriothesley, requiring him to resign his office and placing him under house arrest. 41 He went quietly.
Somerset hid his insatiable desire for power and his absolute conviction in his own righteousness beneath a cloak of benignity; but some believed him capable even of murder. 42 In large part, his ‘sabling’ as Protector had been due to his fine personage, the eloquence of his speech and his learning, all of which were noted, even by his detractors, as the means by which he forged goodwill. 43 By March 1547, he considered himself to be secure. Even Warwick, whose ‘liberality and splendour’ made him more popular than the ‘dry, sour, opinionated’ Somerset, appeared to submit to second place willingly enough, in spite of predictions at court that he would never countenance his colleague’s dominance. 44 The Earl of Warwick, with his ‘high courage,’ was very good at dissembling.
With the coronation out of the way, Somerset set himself the task of organizing the king’s household, as well as considering future provision for the dowager queen. 45 Catherine, along with her stepdaughters Mary and Elizabeth, were still in London in early March. They paid at least one visit to the court at Westminster that month. 46 But Catherine was already considering a move out of London to her fine manor house at Chelsea. She busied herself with her council of receivers, surveyors, attorneys and solicitors, and took steps to put her financial affairs in order. 47 In the eyes of everyone, Catherine continued to appear the grieving widow – although she did permit her troupe of Italian viol players to play for her mourning household. 48
Princess Mary, who continued to grieve openly, left London before the end of March, travelling to
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