2. That there was nothing she regretted at the last interview so much as not having an interview with the said queen of Navarre; and she hopes she may be able to come to Calais with her brother in April next, if the interview be deferred till then."27
In September 1535, another message was sent to Marguerite saying that, "The Queen[Anne Boleyn] said that her greatest wish, next to having a son, is to see you again."28
These words could simply be flattery and good diplomacy, but they sound like Anne was intimate with Marguerite, that they shared a friendship and that Anne was saddened to miss seeing Marguerite in 1534 and was really missing her in 1535.
Renée of France
Renée of France was Queen Claude's younger sister and a woman known for her heretical beliefs. Millicent Garret Fawcett writes that Renée "partly through the influence of her cousin, Margaret of Angoulême, afterwards Queen of Navarre, and partly through that of her friend and governess, Madam de Soubise, was very favourable inclined to the reformed religion"29 and that when she became the Duchess of Ferrara she gathered around her famous scholars like Bernardo Tasso, Clément Marot, John Calvin, Rabelais, Vittorio Colonna (a friend of Michelangelo), Lavinia della Rovere (great niece of Pope Julius II) the great Capuchin preacher Bernardino Ochino, and many more. Renée also used her power and status to protect Reformers from persecution.
Figure 7 - Renée of France
During her time in Ferrara, Renée was actually arrested as a heretic, although she escaped with her life after recanting and receiving the Eucharist at mass. However, after the death of her husband, the Duke of Ferrara, in 1559, Renée was able to return to her home country of France. In December 1560, her nephew, Francis II, died and the power of the Catholic Francis, Duke of Guise, was broken, enabling Renée to provide Protestant worship at her estate in Montargis. Her castle became a refuge for Protestants and she earned the praise of John Calvin himself for her efforts for the cause. Renée died at her home in Montargis on 12th June 1574, aged sixty-three.
As the sister of Anne Boleyn's mistress, Queen Claude, she is bound to have come into contact with Anne, and Retha Warnicke writes that Claude's constant pregnancies meant that she, and therefore Anne, were "frequently in residence near Renée."30 Warnicke is also of the opinion that Anne shared Renée's schoolroom lessons, but if we believe that Anne was one of Claude's ladies then she certainly would not have shared lessons with a princess. Notwithstanding, Renée was intimate enough with Anne to refer to their childhood friendship with Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, the English ambassador to France, during the reign of Anne's daughter, Elizabeth I.
Diane de Poitiers
Diane de Poitiers was the daughter of Jean de Poitiers, Seigneur de Saint Vallier and Jeanne de Batarnay, and was an intelligent girl who was given a Renaissance Humanist education. She served Anne de Beaujeu, the eldest sister of Charles VIII of France, and while she was married to Louis de Brézé, seigneur d'Anet, she served Queen Claude and then Louise of Savoy. She was known for her beauty, intellect and wit, and also, later for being Henry II's mistress. It is not known whether she and Anne Boleyn were close, but it is possible; they both shared a love of learning and music, and they both served Queen Claude.
The Effect on Anne
When you look at the education and experiences Anne had on the continent, and the women she mixed with from 1513 to 1522, you can understand why she had strong Reformist views, why she stood out at the English Court, why she caught Henry VIII's eye and why he deemed her a worthy consort and mother of his children. Anne Boleyn had received a princess's education, she had mixed with royalty and met Renaissance men and women, and she was an intelligent and ambitious woman. She was on Henry VIII's wavelength, they understood each other and had shared interests and passions. I don't believe that Anne seduced Henry or that she cast some kind of spell on him. I believe that their relationship was a true meeting of minds and that they fell in love.
Notes and Sources
1 Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, 18.
2 Paget, "The Youth of Anne Boleyn," quoting Ghislaine de Boom, "Marguerite d'Autriche–Sauoie et la Pré–Renaissance" (Paris and Brussels).
3 Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, 68.
4 Paget, "The Youth of Anne Boleyn."
5 Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, 24.
6 Ibid., 23.
7 Paget, "The Youth of Anne Boleyn."
8 The Manuscripts of J. Eliot Hodgkin, Fifteenth Report: Appendix, Part II:30.
9 Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, 28.
10 "Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 1: 1509-1514," n. 3357.
11 "Tour d'Anne Boleyn."
12 Warnicke, The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII, 246.
13 Sander, Rise and Growth of the Anglican Schism, 25–26.
14 Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, 32.
15 Sander, Rise and Growth of the Anglican Schism, 25.
16 "The Prayer Book of Claude de France."
17 Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme, Illustrious Dames of the Court of the Valois Kings, 24.
18 Ibid., 30.
19 Garrett Fawcett, Five Famous French Women, 58.
20 Wellman, Queens and Mistresses of Renaissance France, 120.
21 Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme, Illustrious Dames of the Court of the Valois Kings, 166.
22 Garrett Fawcett, Five Famous French Women, 70.
23 Cholakian and Skemp, Marguerite (Queen, Consort of Henry II, King of Navarre): Selected Writings (Bilingual Edition), 73.
24 Garrett Fawcett, Five Famous French Women, 81.
25 Ibid., 84.
26 Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, 32.
27 "Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 7," n. 958.
28 "Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 9 : August-December 1535," n. 378.
29 Garrett Fawcett, Five Famous French Women, 251–252.
30 Warnicke, The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII, 21.
5. Did Anne Boleyn actually go to Mechelen and France?
That Anne Boleyn spent time at the courts of Margaret of Austria and Queen Claude of France (wife of Francis I) has never before been disputed. Historians argue over how old Anne was when she was sent to Mechelen - whether she was six or twelve years of age – and whether she served as a maid of honour there or whether she was simply being educated in Margaret's household, but the general consensus is that she was in Mechelen (in the Low Countries) from 1513-1514 and in France from late 1514 to late 1521. However, one author, Sylwia Zupanec, has recently challenged this belief, saying "Anne Boleyn simply could not have had [sic] served Margaret of Austria [or] the Queen Claude" and that "the assertions about Anne Boleyn's early years are based on rather shaky references."1
In this chapter I will share those "shaky references" and the reasons why I am convinced that Anne did serve both women.
Evidence for Anne Boleyn being sent to Margaret of Austria's Court
The first piece of evidence is an extract from Margaret of Austria's letter to Thomas Boleyn in which she thanks him for entrusting her with his daughter:
"J'ai reçeu vostre lettre par l'escuyer Bouton qui m'a présenté vostre fille que m'a esté la très bien-venue, et espère la traicter de sorte que aurez cause vous en contenter; du moings tiens que à vostre retour ne fauldra aultre truchement entre vous et moi que elle; et la treuvc si bien adressée et si plaisante suivant son josne eaige, que je suis plus tenu à vous de la m'avoir envoyée que vous à moi."2
Translation from Eric Ives' The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn:
"I have received your letter by the Esquire [Claude] Bouton who has presented your daughter to me, who is very welcome, and I am confident of being able to deal with her in a way which will give you satisfaction, so that on your return the two of us will need no intermediary other than
she. I find her so bright and pleasant for her young age that I am more beholden to you for sending her to me than you are to me."3
This extract appears in the notes section of Correspondance de l'empereur Maximilien Ier et de Marguerite d'Autriche, sa fille, Gouvernante de Pays-Bas, de 1507 à 1519, Tome Second and is an extract from a letter written by Margaret of Austria to Thomas Boleyn. Margaret mentions "votre fille" ("your daughter"), so is quite clearly referring to a daughter of Thomas Boleyn. Although, as Hugh Paget4 points out, the full letter is now not traceable in the Lille Archives, the editor of the 1839 edition of Correspondance quite clearly refers to the extract being part of a letter from Margaret to Thomas Boleyn. He does not cast any doubt on to whom the letter was written, so the original letter must have been clearly marked and it must have been obvious from the rest of the content that the letter was from Margaret to Thomas. Zupanec dismisses the letter entirely, believing that it could have been written to any courtier about any daughter.
The editor of Correspondance refers to Anne Boleyn's name being mentioned on a list of eighteen "filles d'honneur" who served Margaret. The reference given is Chronique métrique de Chastellain et de Molinet: avec des notices sur ces auteurs et des remarques sur le texte corrigé. The name "Bullan" does indeed appear on this list, although there is no first name given:
"Aultre plat pour les filles d'honneur et aultres femmes ordonnés par Madame de manger avec elles que sont XVIII, assavoir:-
Mesdames de Verneul, Waldich, Reynenebourg, Bréderode, d'Aultroy, Hallewyn, Rosimbos, Longueval, Bullan, les II filles Neufville, Saillant, Middelbourg, Cerf, Barbe Lallemand et la mère."5
Another piece of evidence to support the theory that Anne Boleyn was sent to Margaret's court is Anne's letter to her father. The original French can be read in the appendix of Philip W. Sergeant's The Life of Anne Boleyn;6 here is Sergeant's translation:
"Sir, – I understand by your letter that you desire that I shall be a worthy woman when I come to the Court and you inform me that the Queen will take the trouble to converse with me, which rejoices me much to think of talking with a person so wise and worthy. This will make me have greater desire to continue to speak French well and also spell, especially because you have so enjoined it on me, and with my own hand I inform you that I will observe it the best I can. Sir, I beg you to excuse me if my letter is badly written, for I assure you that the orthography is from my own understanding alone, while the others were only written by my hand, and Semmonet tells me the letter but waits so that I may do it myself, for fear that it shall not be known unless I acquaint you, and I pray you that the light of [?] may not be allowed to drive away the will which you say you have to help me, for it seems to me that you are sure [??] you can, if you please, make me a declaration of your word, and concerning me be certain that there shall be neither [??] nor ingratitude which might check or efface my affection, which is determined to [?] as much unless it shall please you to order me, and I promise you that my love is based on such great strength that it will never grow less, and I will make an end to my [?] after having commended myself right humbly to your good grace.
Written at [?Veure] by
Your very humble and very obedient daughter,
Anna de Boullan."
There have been various theories as to where Anne was writing the letter from, with some historians arguing that the word "Veure" was actually Hever, or that it meant the fifth hour (5 o'clock). However, Hugh Paget argued that it was "the French version of the name of the royal park at Brussels", the place where Margaret of Austria visited during the summer months. Sylwia Zupanec dismisses this idea, saying that there was no residence with that name. However, Margaret's father, Maximilian I, signed various letters from "au Château de la Veuren" and referred to "nostre chasteaul de La Veuren"; "our castle of La Veuren", in a letter written to Margaret in June 1512. In a time with no standardized spelling, Anne could well have been referring to "Veuren" when she wrote "Veure", or may simply have missed the "n" off the end. The letter was full of such errors and "no intelligible English translation can give the flavour of the phonetic and idiosyncratic original."7
In her letter, Anne also referred to "Semmonet", who was quite clearly helping her with her French, and a "Symmonet" was a member of Margaret's household. We know this because there are various mentions of "Symmonet" in the correspondence of Emperor Maximilian and Margaret of Austria – for example, a letter written by Maximilian to Margaret on 25th May 1510.8 I can't believe that this is a coincidence.
The final piece of evidence for Anne Boleyn being at the court of Margaret of Austria is Thomas Boleyn's letter to Margaret of Austria recalling his daughter, written from Greenwich on 14th August 1514:
"Ma treschiere et tres redoubtee dame dans sy humble cuer quil mest possible a votre bonne grace me recommande. II vous playra a savoir comment la seur du Roy mon maistre madame marie Reyne fyancee de France ma requyse davoir avecques elle ma fille la petitte Boulain laquelle ma tresredoubtee dame est a present avecques vous en votre court a laquelle requeste je nay peult ne sceut refuzer nullement sy est ma tresredoubtee dame que je vous supplie treshumblement quil vous plaise de donner et octroyer congiet a ma fille de povoir retourner pardevers moy avecques mes gens lesquelz jay envoyet devers vous a ceste cause ma tresredoubte dame je me tiens fort obligiet envers votre bonne grace a cause de la grant honneur que fait aves a ma fille et que ne mest possible a desservir devers votre bonne grace non obstant que je ne dezire aultre chose synon queje vous puisse faire auleun service agreable ce que jespere de faire encores cy en apros au plaisir de dieu auquel je prie ma tresredoubtee dame quil vous doinst lentier accomplissement de vos nobles et bon dcsirs escript desoubz mon signe manuel a la court royalle de Grynewiths en engleterre, le xiiii jour daoust anno xv et xiiii.
Votre treshumble serviteur, Sr Thomas Boleyn."9
In this letter, Thomas Boleyn is asking Margaret to release his daughter, "la petitte Boulain", into the care of the escort he had sent across, so that Anne could return to England. Anne needed to do this because she had been chosen to accompany Mary Tudor, the sister of Henry VIII, who was due to leave for France to marry Louis XII. I cannot see to whom else Thomas Boleyn could have been referring when he writes of "ma fille la petitte Boulain", "my daughter the little Boleyn". Contrary to Zupanec's claim that the letter is undated, Thomas has written the date at the end: "le xiiii jour daoust anno xv et xiiii", meaning the 14th August 1514. Furthermore, there has never been any doubt cast on the authenticity of the letter, so it cannot be dismissed.
Another thing that suggests that Anne Boleyn knew Margaret of Austria was Anne's use of the motto "Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne" (Let them grumble, that is how it is going to be). This, as Eric Ives and Joanna Denny point out, was a play on Margaret of Austria's motto "Groigne qui groigne, Vive Bourgogne!" (Grudge who Grudges, Long Live Burgundy!). Why would Anne make use of a motto of a woman she'd never met and whose court she had never attended?
Evidence for Anne Boleyn serving Queen Claude of France
It has been argued that Anne did not serve Queen Claude because the household lists of Queen Claude make no mention of either Boleyn girl, Anne or Mary, and that "the Boleyn sisters were probably confused with "Anne de Boulogne" and "Magdaleine de Boulogne" who were in the Queen Claude's household from 1509". Zupanec even doubts that Anne served Mary Tudor. She believes, instead, that Anne was sent by Thomas Boleyn to relatives in Briis-sous-Forges because "she may have indeed been guilty of some kind of a scandal", as Nicholas Sander, the 16th century Catholic recusant, believed.
Regardless of whether or not Anne's name appears in Queen Claude's household lists and whether or not she has been confused with other women, there is plenty of other evidence to back up the view that Anne served Mary Tudor then Queen Claude:
• A "Madamoyselle Boleyne" is in the list of "gentlemen and ladies retained by the King (Louis XII.) to do service to the Queen": "Le conte de Nonshere," Dr. Denton, almoner, Mr. Richard B
lounte, "escuyer descuyerie," the sons of Lord Roos, Lord Cobham, and Mr. Seymour, "enfans d'honneur"; Evrard, brother of the Marquis, Arthur Polle, brother of Lord Montague, Le Poulayn, "pannetiers échansons et valetz trenchans"; Francis Buddis, usher of the chamber, Maistre Guillaume, physician, Henry Calays, "varlet des robes," Rob. Wast. Mesdemoiselles Grey (sister of the Marquis), Mary Finis (daughter of Lord Dacres), Elizabeth (sister of Lord Grey), Madamoyselle Boleyne, Maistres Anne Jenyngham, "femme de chambre," and Jeanne Barnesse, "chamberiere." Signed by Louis XII."10 This obviously could have been Mary Boleyn, Anne's sister, so is not complete evidence.
• King Francis I reported on 22nd January 1522 that "Mr. Boullan"'s daughter had been recalled from the French court:"I think it very strange that this treaty of Bruges was concealed from me, and also the powder and balls which are going to Antwerp;—that his subjects go and take the Emperor's pay;—that the English scholars at Paris have returned home, and also the daughter of Mr. Boullan, while ships were being made at Dover, and musters taken in England, the rumor being that it was to make war on France."11 This must have been Anne because Mary was already in England at this time, having married William Carey in 1520.
• The imperial ambassadors reported to Charles V in January 1522 "that Boleyn's daughter, who was in the service of the French queen, had been called home" and that "The cardinal said that he himself was responsible for her recall, because he intended, by her marriage, to pacify certain quarrels and litigation between Boleyn and other English nobles."12 It is clear that they are referring to Anne being recalled from France to marry James Butler. We know that the Boleyns and St Legers were, at this time, arguing with Sir Piers Butler over the title Earl of Ormonde, and that Cardinal Wolsey was attempting to broker a marriage between Piers's son and Anne to solve the problem.
The Anne Boleyn Collection II: Anne Boleyn & the Boleyn Family Page 5
