Further contributing to the poverty rate was the difficulty families had in providing for their large numbers of children. Large families were the norm due to lack of understanding of contraceptive methods, and the heavily religious Catholics favored many children in the home. Orphanages had been in operation around the realm, again run by mostly clergy and nuns who took pity on these children. Without revenue, these children were forced onto the streets to beg, steal, and commit petty theft. Many were arrested on charges of petty theft for stealing food, and in some harsh districts put to death to be made an example of to the others.
Henry, for the duration of the crisis, dismissed his court, ordering all courtiers in residence to return immediately to their own estates to feed themselves. Only the Ambassadors, doctors, and preferred clergy such as Archbishop Cranmer (and Henry’s servants) remained in residence. Anne also begged Henry to provide some meager rations to the people if they could at all afford it. Henry, for a time at least, ordered his kitchens to prepare daily feasts of leftover mutton for distribution at the gates, which kept the kitchen busy all day. He refused to see his people starving. This generous gesture used all the mutton the court had, but Henry was seen to have done right by his people, who chanted praise to their King at nighttime vigils, along with prayers thanking God for Henry’s mercy in helping feed them. His response to the crisis, guided by an insistent Queen Anne, helped turn the tide of public opinion.
The following harvest season was blessed with significant rains that overcame the drought, leading to the suspension of rationing; at the order of Queen Anne, any and all prisoners arrested for having stolen wheat were released. Henry was livid when he found out and once more the two argued. Eventually he came to understand her cause and the two reconciled.
While dining one evening with the family, including both children, Anne thanked Henry for his generosity and gratitude in the kindness he had shown his subjects during the wheat shortage. She told him this was one of the many reasons she had fallen in love with him, and felt he really knew his people well, and they too loved him. She highlighted their candlelight vigil that evening praising his name and recounted to Elizabeth how her father had been the brave hero of the day, comparing Henry to his own favorite hero, King Arthur. The ploy worked and Henry was in a very loving and generous mood with both of his children and with Anne. After dinner he dismissed the children with their Governess and spent the evening with Anne. While no official documentation exists regarding the conversation between Henry and Anne that night, the following day, Henry had notified Cromwell that, beginning immediately, only twenty percent of the smallest houses would be diverted to religious, educational and philanthropic causes.
The following day, while walking in the gardens with her father, Anne privately declared war on Cromwell and committed to bringing him down. She asked Lord Rochford to keep aware of his movements and affairs in the Privy Council. She had long felt Cromwell was out to usurp her position, but it was more than that. She felt he was hiding something and she did not know what. She feared that his loyalty had swayed, but could not tell in what direction, which is why she tasked her father to find out, albeit discreetly. He advised his daughter to appear as if all were normal and to continue to get on with the Minister, at least in front of Henry, so as not to arouse any suspicion; she would have her chance later to reveal her real feelings, but now was not the time. Rochford would provide the best intelligence he could on Cromwell’s dealings, which for a while at least, were nothing spectacular and only routine official state business. They would have to wait until a time came to bring him down and replace him with someone far more suited to their interests. A candidate such as this would be hard to find, but it could be done.
On other matters, Cranmer and the Queen met several times over the summer and came up with a pre-planning strategy for formal re-indoctrination. This would include dedicating some houses strictly for educational teaching, providing basic services such as reading and writing, and teaching the Bible, services to be free for all people, regardless of station. They discussed and debated how tutoring services would be carried out, the cost, and the source of these funds. Anne was preparing to set in motion the largest change to education Britain had ever known.
In August Cromwell followed up Cranmer’s work with enforcement of the Ten Articles. He issued injunctions to the clergy that they were to have the English Bible in every religious house. Anne fully agreed with the measure and even thanked the minister for his diligence in ensuring their reforms were coming full force. All appeared well, at least for a time.
This small meeting of the minds between Anne and Cromwell was to be short lived. Despite his previous generosity, Cromwell convinced the King to sign an official decree that any persons caught stealing food would be immediately put to death. The Queen would not find out about this policy until much later; it was intentionally kept from her as a vain attempt by Cromwell to usurp her cherished authority with the King. It was now more obvious than ever that the two competed on matters large and small for the King’s ear.
4.3 Domestic Bliss
By late August Anne had lost the baby weight from earlier in the year and went back to the slender frame she was known for. She continued to dance with her ladies, and even created two new dances that she planned on showcasing for the French Ambassador’s visit later that year in September. Henry and Anne continued to lie together, and by the end of summer she began showing signs that she was once again with child. She would wait to tell Henry, just in case the symptoms were false or should she suffer a miscarriage.
The summer sessions of the Privy Council, in addition to the religious reforms underway, had two other matters of state to be discussed. The Prince’s household management, including the topics of servant wages and rank and recognition of the Prince’s jointure estate payments, were all to be discussed. The other agenda item was the marriage ceremony of Sir Henry Norris and Lady Madge Shelton. With the King’s blessing, the two courted for quite some time, and were finally betrothed in 1535. The King cherished Norris as a dear friend. They had hunted together many years previously, and he had planned to personally give a sumptuous gift to the new couple, as well as personally attend the ceremony, which he decided should be held at Hampton Court, one of his more magnificent palaces.
The councilors worked tirelessly for the next week until the council met again, with the clerks doing their due diligence to provide Henry the list of palaces to choose from for the Prince’s dignity, and to announce the status of the wedding proceedings. Archbishop Cranmer, a close friend of the couple, was selected to officiate at the ceremony. The Shelton and Norris families were en route to Hampton Court, and would be lodged there for four days to enjoy the ceremony and festivities. All other attendants would have to find lodgings and the number of servants allowed to court was limited, to make room for the nobles themselves, their retinues and all their baggage. The palace had its own staff of servants to wait on the every whim of the families. The couple was delighted by the King’s bounty, and thanked him for his graciousness.
The ceremony was to take place September 13th, 1536 at 2 P.M. The clerks had determined that this would be the best date for the wedding, to allow the proper time to prepare. Any time a wedding is held at a royal palace, it presents a load of opportunities for merchants in a variety of expertise. Wine merchants, fabric and textile traders, tailors, florists, stablemen, etiquette coaches, lawyers for the marriage contracts and land divisions, clerks to track the dowry and other wedding gifts, chefs and other cooks, butchers, fisherman, gardeners and various other roles showed a high increase in demand for several weeks leading up to the event, and the increased commerce greatly benefited the royal exchequer, which received taxes on those goods and services. Cromwell was indeed pleased to inform his majesty of such welcoming news.
Madge and Anne almost daily reviewed wedding fabrics, designs, floral arrangements, discussed housing arrange
ments, attendants, and generally relished in the wedding planning. Madge was not only her cousin, but Anne’s closest friend among her ladies-in-waiting. The two women sat for hours through the night talking about how far they had come together, reminisced on happier times, and discussed Madge’s fears and joy about the next phase of life she was about to enter. Anne gave her the best advice she could, without overstepping the bounds of royal marriage, and expressed adulation at the match, noting Sir Henry’s worthy qualities and that he was a good man.
Hampton Court was a circus of people scurrying about on the day of the ceremony. The Bride dressed in the Queen’s privy closet with the rest of the ladies-in-waiting, and Anne herself attending to her every whim. The dress was of white damask, with a square neckline, and a string of pearls sown into the top connecting both sides of the dress. The back laced up, the laces containing the arms of the Tudor crown on the fabric. Anne’s account books show that she paid for the fabric and her personal tailor had custom made the dress, one of the highest signs of royal favor. The Queen had the royal jeweler create a golden ring of rubies and diamond clusters for the bride’s right hand, as a sign of affection. The guests were seated by 1:45 P.M., with the King arriving a few minutes late to stand as the best man, an honor he insisted upon.
Archbishop Cranmer, Sir Henry and the King were joined by the ladies and the Queen to welcome Madge down the aisle. Walking with the utmost grace, she joined her fiancé and the entire court knelt for a prayer of blessing in English, another reformation ritual. The couple exchanged vows written by Archbishop Cranmer, praising their majesties and God for the blessing of this union, placed the rings upon one another, and kissed nervously to seal the deal. Cranmer pronounced them man and wife and the happy couple then made their way back to the palace to await the feast inside. The King and Queen shared an embrace before making their way as the guests of honor to the feast and toasting the couple. The happy couple retired back to Norris’ estate to spend a joyous honeymoon. With Madge’s departure, there was a now an opening in the Queen’s household, a competitive spot. Anne would also make an announcement of her own; she was indeed pregnant once again.
4.4 Reforming Education
William Tyndale had been hiding for years in Germany after fleeing from England after his arrest, fearing for his life. To make a life for himself, he continued his scholarly and translation work, and took to mentoring pupils to earn wages, but his true passion remained reversing centuries of religious ignorance. Archbishop Cranmer had been careful to bring up Tyndale’s plight during a private audience with her majesty towards the end of September. Cranmer greatly sympathized with the author, and felt that his talents would best serve the reforms. Now that the changes had begun in England, and royal attitudes were more tolerant and favorable, he advised Anne to summon Tyndale home. Anne had her reservations, but decided it was best to listen to the Archbishop. It was certainly true that Henry’s changes in the kingdom had brought about not only tolerance of Protestant beliefs, but the enforcement of their principles. Perhaps now would be the perfect time to bring Tyndale back and encourage his works at home, where they were needed most.
By allowing Tyndale back into the kingdom, his influence and work could truly provide the catalyst for change the reformers had been seeking. After much deliberation and further meetings with her chaplain, Matthew Fox, and with Cranmer, the Queen put in motion the summons that would be presented to the King. Cranmer shared his reservations with Anne about the possibility of rioting or further upheaval, especially in the north. Anne thanked the minister for his discretion and caution, but ordered him to proceed ahead with Tyndale’s recall, albeit discreetly. At some point over the next few days, Henry signed the order to bring Tyndale back. Before the summons was to be delivered however, Anne and Henry wrote a personal letter to Tyndale, assuring him of his safety and praising his honor, virtue and courage. The letter, dated September 30th, 1536 also went on to express many thanks for his bravery in adapting the Bible to their native tongue so that all Englishmen might better learn of God. They also promised him a post at Oxford as a royal agent and co-chair of the theology department, with a handsome salary of 2,000 pounds per annum. Enclosed with the letter was 1,000 pounds, as assurance of their intentions, and a miniature portrait of their majesties. A copy of the letter has survived and still resides in a private collection.
Several weeks later Tyndale received the letter. In his diary entries he recorded a mix of both anguish and excitement that it had taken his banishment abroad to be summoned back with such gifts. The monies he received eased his discomfort and also paid for his travel back home. He was able to buy his fare on a German sea vessel headed to Calais, which agreed to drop him off at Dover where he would have to make further arrangements before heading to London. Tyndale notified his pupils he would be returning to England, and finished his affairs in Germany before setting for home in mid October.
He was most looking forward to the post at Oxford. It was there that he would go on to create some of England’s most magnificent works. As co-chair he would be able to set lesson plans for the students and shape some of the brightest minds in the country. From this prominent post his influence would spread across all realms in the kingdom, through government, economics, philosophy, and the arts. It would also provide the perfect venue for him to distribute his completed translations and introduce them into his unique teaching style. He would finally have the opportunity to enhance real change, not only in the monarchy directly, but with the future generations of leaders. He could not resist such an offer of safety, with such a lucrative and influential post.
When Tyndale and Anne met face to face for the first time it was an awkward encounter. Sitting in the Great Room at Hampton Court, Tyndale was out of touch with customary royal greetings, which had seemed only to get more elaborate with this Queen. Cranmer did his best to brief him before he met Anne, but he became so nervous in her presence that he forgot most of what he had been told. Mostly he remained nervous that this homecoming was some sort of setup, and he was preparing himself for the worse. Just the opposite occurred. Anne made him feel as welcome as possible, even offering to share tea with her, a rare honor, before they got down to business.
Anne made it clear that she expected Tyndale to draft up a plan for spreading the English Bible across the land and also for establishing a curriculum for children and adults, regardless of their station, to learn it. Tyndale had not expected such a large task, but he embraced it with honor. She had expressly given him permission to stay at court so he might be available at any notice. Few practical matters were discussed, as this was only the initial meeting; he thanked her majesty and parted. After retiring for some personal reflection, Tyndale set about the task at hand. During this period, he and the Queen would continue to develop their plans for religious and education reform; the King would find his time occupied by a far more immediate danger.
Chapter 5
“And the Heads Did Roll…”
Strong, competing senses of nationalism, and what it meant to be both English and Christian were brewing both on the part of loyalists to the crown and those staunchly opposed to the new religious order. The rebels viewed the Reformation as a period of disgrace, seeing their beloved churches and relics destroyed and the King’s ministers profiting from their plight. The commons had a regimented and harsh life. The church was one of the few comforts available to them and when it was taken away, simmering complaints began to rise to the surface. The grievances forced upon the people by the crown were becoming more than enough to bear silently anymore. The new and ever increasing tax rates, lack of proper, nutritious food, lands being taken away from the gentry by the rich, and now the plundering of church treasures, had pushed the people to their breaking point.
5.1 The Rebellion of the North
On October 1st, 1536, just after mass in Louth, a town in the Lincolnshire province, a group of commoners gathered together to rebel again
st Tudor rule. Lincolnshire was the first town to rebel against the crown. They placed blame, for the persecution of the church directly on Anne, Cromwell, Archbishop Cranmer and the rest of the King’s councilors. In the month of August alone, 27 houses were suppressed, with their clergy being harassed, beaten, and in some cases arrested without cause. There were also two incidents where monks were reported missing after an alleged altercation with one of the commissioners. This made for the perfect storm and it was not long before a much heavier, more orchestrated threat was to emerge.
The King sent commissioners to Lincolnshire, one of the poorest regions in the north, to investigate abbies and monasteries and validate their conformance to the recent reforms; this mission would be mislabeled and turned into a provocation. Agitators spread the word among the commons that the men sent by his majesty intended to take their jewels, destroy their relics to the Saints, and take their silver crosses of Christ, replacing them with cheap tin. They were angry and had every reason to be on edge. A majority of the corrupt, land owning nobility took severe advantage of the people whenever possible. In addition, the north had been one of the most put upon in the whole of the realm. Because it shared a border with Scotland, it was often on security alert in case of an attack, and such an invasion was often a constant possibility. The people also paid high taxes to fund the King’s massive court, and its frivolous spending, although these taxes also paid for the King’s domestic agenda. Additionally, the nobility were appropriating more farm land from the gentry and turning it into grazing land—exacerbating the region’s poverty and lack of food—to maximize their profits from the prosperous wool industry. The commons bore the brunt of those seizures by lacking land to work.
Had the Queen Lived: Page 12
