Had the Queen Lived:

by Raven A. Nuckols

  June 1st, 1533 was an historic day. The actual wedding ceremony had already secretly taken place six months previously on January 25th, 1533, with Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, and George Boleyn standing as witnesses. Anne had a bridesmaid attendant as a witness for her as well, the Lady Berkeley. The ceremony took place in Dover after the couple returned from a successful diplomatic venture at Calais with Francis I of France. The desire for an expedient marriage was due to Anne’s delicate condition, as she was now with child and needed for her potential son to be made legitimate. The King was thrilled at last to have a potential heir by Anne; however, the court erupted in scandal since Queen Katherine was still officially recognized by European powers and the Vatican. Paying no mind to these foes of his new union, he dispatched his Lord Privy Seal and newly created Secretary of State, Thomas Cromwell, to making arrangements for the official ceremony and coronation proceedings. Cromwell had succeeded More when he resigned over the elevation of Anne to replace the Queen.

  The official announcement of Anne‘s new position came with the Easter Service on April 12th, 1533. The coronation was to be held June 1st. Preparations for the ceremony had been underway for only a short time. Two weeks in May 1533 was all the time the King’s subjects had to make ready the route. The Mayor of London was in charge of the proceedings and it was his responsibility to ensure security so that all would go well. This was a large responsibility given that there was both a waterway procession and one within the city. The Tower of London had housed monarchs before their coronation proceedings for the last several centuries. Rooms were specially prepared for the new Queen at a large expense to the crown. Renovations were under the direction of Thomas Cromwell. Within the Tower several rooms had to be completely rebuilt for the festivities, as they had not been used in many years and had fallen into a state of complete disrepair. According to Professor Eric Ives, the Queen’s rooms were held within the inner ward and contained a dining room, great chamber, and a great gallery.

  On May 29th, 1533, at 1 P.M., the official proceedings got underway. For three magnificent days the court followed from her residence at Greenwich Palace to the Tower of London. Anne was taken by a large fleet of over 300 ships marked with Anne’s badge that carried the entire court from Greenwich. As the ships made their way down river, the coast line was littered with gun bearers saluting Anne with both gun and cannon fire. Henry thanked the people for their magnificent reception of his new bride, and the couple made their way to spend the next two days enjoying festivities at the Tower. The finest tapestries, liveries, jewelry, horses, wine, and meats were all prepared for her arrival.

  On June 1st Anne awoke early for the festivities. According to a contemporary account, her long dark hair was fixed to flow loosely down her back. The royal treasurer brought the Queen’s jewels from the Tower to adorn her on her journey. Anne must have been about five months pregnant. On the day of the ceremony participants were ready by 7 A.M. as Anne was still preparing. It took her close to two hours before the ceremony got underway. The court’s fleet was late to leave the Tower to head down river to Westminster Abbey, where the actual coronation rites would be performed. The Abbey had been a pivotal place of worship and official functions since the original building was dedicated in 1065 A.D. Its rich history has seen many coronations, funerals, baptisms, and other royal events.

  The waterway procession was astonishing. Many barges released gunfire saluting Anne and her retinue as she traveled to the city. The crowds lining the river banks were large, though their shouts were limited. The main streets in London that Anne would go down would be Gracechurch Street and Cornhill, which were lined with the finest fabrics of the day and, where possible, with the Queen’s badge as well. Gracechurch Street still exists today and, although it is now lined with businesses, tourists can take the route Anne walked during the ceremony and proves to be a popular tourist attraction. Among the attendants were the Mayor of London, servants in the Chapel Royal, the Abbot of Westminster along with other monks and clergy, and of course the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, who would perform the rites of coronation.

  Anne had chosen the French Ambassador to England, Jean de Dinteville, along with twelve servants dressed in blue, yellow, and white to accompany her through the streets of London. Her selection of the Ambassador itself evoked reaction. The English people of the time were not fond of the French for a variety of reasons; mainly the excellent propaganda campaign the English monarchs had used for centuries to claim the right to the French throne. They viewed the French as haughty usurpers who were too focused on pleasures of the flesh. By the time the Queen’s barge had reached the city, the fanfare of the waterway procession would radically change. Unlike at previous coronation processions through the cities, where the crowds lining the streets were plenty and cheering loudly, for Anne’s procession, the number of people in the city was relatively small and without much applause. It could be viewed that those who attended did so more out of curiosity at the new Queen than to pledge their allegiance to her.

  Upon entering Westminster Abbey, it is most likely that Anne made her way through the main entrance, the North Transept, proceeding with her retinue to the nave of the chapel where the ceremony would be performed. It is not known how many people were waiting inside the church to greet or glimpse the new Queen, but most likely only the nobility and those persons authorized by Henry or Anne were in attendance. According to Professor Eric Ives, Anne walked down the aisle wearing a robe of purple velvet, signifying royalty, trimmed with ermine. Her ladies proceeded thereafter, according to their rank in the nobility, with the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, Anne of York, carrying Boleyn’s beautiful train.

  The right of coronation itself was short but solemn. When she arrived at the high altar Anne was greeted by Archbishop Cranmer and other senior members of the clergy. Henry was not in official attendance, in accordance with custom of the time; but he did watch his bride from the gallery above. After mass she was seated and the rite of coronation was spoken in Latin, during which she was crowned and then given the scepter and orb of the monarchy. Anne was to be the first Queen to wear St. Edward’s crown at her coronation, a rite previously only allowed for male monarchs. This was the highest honor anyone in England could win, especially so for a female in that time. She was also the last monarch to be crowned apart from their spouse. It was now official, she was the Queen, divinely ordained.

  Once the procession was over, a great feast was arranged where Anne presided over the highest ranks of the English elite, sitting at a marble table. She was attended during the meal by two prominent ladies, the Countess of Worcester and the Dowager Countess of Oxford. A few hundred people participated in the meal, which was a grand affair. The court was known for consuming huge quantities of food, so much so that a single meal’s provisions could have fed entire villages for days. Musicians would announce the arrival of each course, an astonishing twenty eight for the Queen alone. Following that was another twenty four courses at a second meal, followed by a third feast with twenty three dishes. Excessive overindulgence was definitively at work for this feast, and the cooks and kitchen servants worked around the clock for weeks to prepare.

  The following day a great jousting tournament was held to honor the new Queen. Allies of Katherine remarked that the entire affair was without luster and left much to be desired. Cromwell, at Henry’s direction, was already preparing a declaration for Parliament honoring Anne—and only Anne—as Queen. Anyone found to be paying homage to the former Queen Katherine would suffer stiff penalties. There was no reason initially to suspect that beyond this Act there would be any further dramatic changes to daily life for the people, but all that they knew was about to come undone. Henry and Anne continued to enjoy their newfound marriage and entered into a period of relative bliss as preparations approached for the birth of their child.

  1.5 The First Heir

  At the end of August 1533, the couple
was in residence at Greenwich Palace to prepare her “lying in” for the birth. Labor pains had been ongoing only a short while. Princess Elizabeth was born shortly after three in the afternoon and was named after both Henry and Anne’s mothers on September 7th, 1533. Henry met the news of the Princess’ birth with mixed reaction. He was very pleased to see that Anne was capable of producing a healthy, living heir, but he had so desperately longed for a son and was privately devastated. A girl was viewed as useless in dynastic succession. Regardless, he loved Elizabeth and held an extravagant christening for her three days after her birth at the Church of the Observant Friars.

  There were a total of twenty-one attendants in the church, many of whom were from the conservative faction at court and had favored Queen Katherine. It is interesting to note that the Duke of Suffolk carried the Princess to the altar. According to Professor Ives, Anne’s other enemies, including Gertrude Courtenay Marchioness of Exeter, and Catherine Willoughby Duchess of Suffolk, were both made partial Godmothers. Both presented lavish gifts, while angered and shamed at having to recognize Anne and the new bastard Princess. Both women were loyal to Queen Katherine and resented their posts at the christening. Upon further review of the contemporary documents, it appears these appointments were intentional slights, perhaps at Anne’s direction, although this cannot be proven.

  Archbishop Cranmer of Canterbury was made Godfather to the child. The traditional royal te deum was sung throughout churches in London, along with the ringing of the church bells. At the closing of the ceremony, Elizabeth was brought back to her mother’s chambers, accompanied by a retinue of over 500 torchbearers. The magnificent display was meant to reinforce the new regime, although it did little to sway public opinion, especially those maintaining their allegiance to the Pope.

  The printers were notified of the change from Prince to Princess that day and announcements reached London before spreading throughout the realm and then Europe. Spain and the Vatican viewed the birth of Elizabeth as a proof positive that Henry was wrong in the eyes of God and they were relishing in it; for overthrowing Katherine for a harlot, his efforts would bear no son. This news was a welcome relief to the Catholic faithful, who hoped that soon Henry would recognize Anne for what she was and return to Katherine. The former Queen’s following still believed her capable of providing a son, although the reality was that she was well into menopause.

  Over the next years, the new Princess Elizabeth was given title to the palace at Hatfield, servants, and the Lady Bryan was appointed as her Governess; however, despite the many favors bestowed upon her daughter, Anne‘s insecurity about the Lady Mary worried her constantly. She recognized that Henry had great love for his first daughter, although he often would deny it, inspiring Anne’s sometimes erratic behavior. She greatly feared that the King would change his mind and make Mary once again heir apparent instead of Elizabeth.

  To help alleviate his Queen’s fears, Henry next assigned Mary to serve the new Princess in a position he hoped would force her to accept her new place; however, Katherine’s and Mary’s supporters laid sole blame for this purposeful and vindictive slight at the feet of Anne. The Princess Mary’s entire way of life had been reduced to one of a lowly servant, far removed from her previous station. She not only had to bear witness to an infant Princess outranking her and replacing her in the line of succession, she had to serve the infant. This serious slight made her supporters at court furious, but most kept their views to themselves. They were well aware that Anne was incredibly powerful and moving against her would only be to their own detriment.

  Elizabeth was never meant to rule, at least not in her father’s eyes. Women at that point, especially royal women, were only prizes to be traded in the European marriage market to cement alliances between powers. The expected male heir that would eventually, hopefully come was to be the official ruler; the Princess’ place would be in learning and devotion. Elizabeth would be expected to follow in the same traditions of demonstrating obedience and subservience that were expected of women of her time. In fact, royal women had those duties amplified since their every action was conducted in the spotlight of the royal court. Royalty would be a heavy burden to bear.

  1.6 Acts of Succession

  The first submission of the clergy recognizing King Henry VIII as Supreme Head of the Church of England came about in 1531. It would be only two more years before the next phase of reforms under which Henry sought to truly free England from Rome. On February 6th, 1533, Parliament passed the Act of Restraint of Appeals. It stated that all legal appeals on matters touching English rights were forbidden to be heard in any other territory but England. This Act was made in reaction to the former Queen Katherine’s pleas to Rome to interfere in her marital disputes. Henry wanted none of it. Written entirely by Cromwell at the King’s behest, the Act also made it illegal to appeal to any other nation.

  Clever and deliberate, Cromwell tied the language of the Act to the praemunire policy, making violations of the Act treasonous. Reaction to the Act sent out shock waves to the religious and legal communities. When Rome was notified of the law, Pope Clement VII drafted a Bull of Excommunication to damn Henry and expel him from the community of Christian believers. Nevertheless, the Bull was not officially issued and was used more to maintain pressure on the King and try to extort him by threatening his base of support with still largely Catholic England. Under the Bull, the Pope would give Henry until September 1533 to return to Queen Katherine or see the Bull carried out. Defiant in the face of papal authority, Henry continued on his course.

  Archbishop Cranmer was a cleric who came to Henry’s attentions at Cromwell’s behest and was responsible for resolving the King’s Great Matter as a theological problem. As a result of this he earned Henry and Anne’s trust and, at the death of Archbishop Warham Henry, in March 1533 the King appointed him to the prestigious office of Archbishop of Canterbury. Interestingly enough, while Henry was trying to free his kingdom from the shackles of Rome, he insisted that Cranmer’s appointment be confirmed by the Pope. In a desperate attempt to placate the King and keep him from withdrawing England from the Catholic Church, the Pope authorized the appointment, not realizing how much harm he had just done.

  Once officially appointed to the post, Cranmer set right to work. After weeks of agonizing research on Henry’s divorce case, on May 23rd, 1533, Archbishop Cranmer pronounced judgment that the marriage between Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon was officially null and void. Only five days after issuing the divorce decree to Katherine, Cranmer proclaimed Henry’s marriage to Anne as valid and binding in the eyes of the law and God. Until she died, Katherine never accepted Cranmer’s verdict and the Lady Mary never forgave him; both of these issues would be of little consequence. In alliance with the King, despite his office, Cranmer spoke out boldly and publicly against the practices and abuses of the Catholic Church. He had written pamphlets and preached sermons on the divine justice of Henry’s actions and how he had freed the English people from a corrupt and abominable Pope.

  When word reached the Pope of Cranmer’s verdict, after years of stalling, Rome on March 23rd, 1534, issued the papal edict pronouncing Henry and Katherine’s marriage valid. Katherine and her supporters clung on to hope, believing that the Pope’s declaration would cause Henry to change course; it did just the opposite. His advisors continued preparing the country for the new reforms taking place. Even though Henry’s personal feelings for his state minister were not warm, he was wise to reward Cromwell in April of 1534 for the part he had played by granting him the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State.

  The First Act of Succession of January 1534 declared the Lady Mary Tudor a bastard and removed her from the succession entirely; it called the Princess Elizabeth Tudor the heir presumptive. It also required that all subjects were to swear their allegiance to the new Queen and Princess, vowing that they recognize their divine right to rule. Further, Parliament also passed
the Ecclesiastical Appointments Act of 1534, stating that nominations for bishopric offices would come directly from the King, and then be voted upon by the clergy. At no point in English history had a monarch ever enjoyed such absolute authority over the church. The clerical appointments were a sure sign that the King could now control the church in his realm, and thus wield absolute influence over his people. To deny his majesty these rights was treason, meaning instant torture and death. Political prisoners were subjected to cruel and horrifying fates for denying a duty due the crown. While Anne had every reason to celebrate, she was deeply insecure about the overwhelming upset of the people. She convinced Henry that, following the Act of Succession, all who were so asked should need to swear the oath of allegiance, recognizing her and Princess Elizabeth’s legitimacy. Cromwell set about drawing up the oath and began distributing it to the people by Easter of that year.

  A year later Parliament passed the Treasons Act of 1535, making it a treasonous offense against the crown for any subject to deny taking any oath his majesty required. The Treasons Act was used as catch-all to capture anyone speaking out against the King’s new marriage or his new place as head of the church. It was written in such a way that traditional processes, such as Bills of Attainder authorizing arrests, would not have to be sought before a person could be tried. A Bill of Attainder was a legal device used to arrest accused criminals without the crown first proving the deeds alleged. The most important provision of the bill was that it denied the accused a right to trial, to legal representation, or to speak in one’s own defense at a trial. It was by far the most expeditious means for the crown to secure political enemies in prison. The Act also made it treason for any person to speak or act out against their majesties in any way that would deprive them of the crown or bring them harm. These Acts had been a direct result of his breaking with the Church of Rome.