“Thomas, I must now admit I do not care how this will look abroad. I believe I’m strong enough to be above such gossip and European tittle-tattle. For there is another point to be considered, as well. I am now almost fifty years old and who knows how much longer, er, the sap will still be flowing; the fires will still be burning in my loins, eh?”
Henry looked hard at his chief minister who realized now it was just a question of time before Anne of Cleves would join the list of the king’s previous three wives. The other question, Cromwell asked himself, was how this was to come about? An annulment? An execution? A death by natural or unnatural means? It was clear that his royal master was determined. Anne had to go. All that remained was to see how this business would be brought about and how much he, Thomas Cromwell, would be involved.
Cromwell then fired another shot. If this one failed, then he knew that the price of failure could be his own execution.
“Your Majesty,” he began slowly. “Suppose we let it be known abroad, especially in the queen’s duchy of Cleves, that after a few initial problems with your wife, everything is now going well and you are more than happy that you married the lady.”
“But of course, Thomas. That is exactly what we are going to do. We’re not going to let them hear otherwise. Therefore I’ll continue to appear in public with my queen and soon, when we have a big jousting festival to celebrate May Day, she will be there standing at my side as the good and dutiful wife and queen. But, Thomas, remember, my true feelings towards this lady are to be kept a secret – a secret that is known only by me, you and a few members of the Council. Is that understood?”
Cromwell nodded, even though he knew that this secret was well-known by more people than the king had just mentioned. But now his sharp brain was racing ahead and he was already planning how to bring about the royal couple’s inevitable divorce in the quickest and quietest way possible. And not only that. He had to devise a scheme that he, the newly-appointed vice-regent and chancellor, the instigator of this marriage, would not also fall once the divorce was finalized. But Cromwell still had one last question to ask. After hesitating for several moments he asked, “Your Majesty, is young Catherine Howard involved in anything we have just been discussing?”
Henry’s face lit up for a moment as he thought of the pretty Howard girl and how she had caressed him the night before. Smiling at the memory, he faced his long-serving chief minister.
“Master Cromwell, the Duke of Howard’s niece has nothing to do with any of this. She’s completely irrelevant to my plans so you may forget all about her. Your task, may I remind you, is to obtain a divorce from my wife. And the sooner the better. That is all. Let me deal with everything else.” And from the tone of his master’s voice, Cromwell knew that this meeting had come to an end. He took one more comfit, bowed and made his way out.
As he closed the heavy door behind him he could not help wondering how many more intimate meetings with the king he would be having in the future.
Chapter Fifteen - Cromwell is shocked
The next day Henry called his Council together for a meeting. He was about to address them from a standing position but as he rose he winced as a white-hot needle of pain shot through his leg and he resumed his seat. “My lords and other members of this council,” he began in a quiet and pious tone. “I have recently been informed that what I have been told about the lack of a pre-nuptial agreement between my wife and the Duke of Lorraine’s son is not true. That information was not correct. Such a document does exist.”
He then looked around the table and everyone present looked as shocked as they knew they must. It would not have been wise to do otherwise.
The king continued. “I have called you here to inform you of this new situation and also to tell you that since I have learned about this I have been wrestling with my conscience about what to do. For as you surely must realize, on hearing this, that I, your king and sovereign, am married to a woman who has already been promised; has been betrothed to another. And, as you must realize, this obstacle to my marriage to Queen Anne has given me no peace of mind and no rest. I am sure you all understand what this means, both for me and for the country I serve.”
They all nodded. They all understood. The king was looking to them for their support in ending his latest marriage. There was no other way of understanding His Majesty’s announcement. Since first hearing that their king was not happy with his fourth wife, they all knew it was merely a matter of time before they would be summoned to help him rid himself of the lady. It was only a question of how and when.
Wincing again and leaning heavily on the table, Henry stood up and faced his council. “I will leave you now and await your careful response.” He then took his silver-topped stick and walked slowly and painfully out of the council chamber.
The expected answer did not take long in coming. By the early afternoon his Council told him they understood his problem and fully sympathized with their ruler’s unenviable situation.
A few days after this council meeting Cromwell sought out a meeting with Thomas Wriothesley, the Earl of Southampton, one of the king’s closest advisors. He was feeling desperate and was looking for help from wherever he could find it.
“My lord,” Cromwell said, slightly bowing. “May I speak honestly and openly with you for I am feeling sorely troubled about His Majesty’s marriage.”
“You’re not the only one,” the earl replied, “but probably not as troubled as His Majesty himself.”
“Of that I am in no doubt, but since I was responsible for His Majesty’s involvement with this woman, I’m now charged with getting him out of this marriage.”
The earl said nothing but indicated that Cromwell should continue.
“The king does not like the queen. This we all know. In fact, he has never liked her since he first set eyes on her a few months ago. I also believe she’s still as much a maid as she was when she first came to England.”
“Yes, sir, I’ve also heard this. This news is not new,” the earl commented as he took a sweetmeat without offering one to Cromwell. “So what do you plan to do about this situation?”
“I’m not sure yet. I was hoping that you might have an idea.”
“I don’t and as far as I’m concerned this is your problem. All I know is this: the rest of the Council and I are expecting you to find a solution very quickly because we were not for this marriage and we do not wish to be tainted with it now. Is that understood?”
Cromwell nodded, bowed and left the room. He could see quite clearly that the earl and the other Council members could not be counted for support. He would have to find the solution on his own.
The May Day celebrations came and went. The king and his wife stood there together, waved and smiled, and an outsider would naturally have assumed that all was well. Of course this was not so. May turned into June and a solution had not been found. The king continued to smile and to appear kind and loving to his wife but in the privacy of his chamber he continued to berate his Earl of Essex for not succeeding in finding a way to bring this marriage to an end.
Ten days into June found Queen Anne, despite the grey skies and threat of rain, walking in the palace gardens with the Earl of Rutland and his wife. Just as they were about to change the subject of their conversation from discussing the queen’s new wardrobe to what else she could do to please her husband, a messenger appeared. He was wearing the Duke of Norfolk’s colours and it was clear that he had rushed over to the garden with his news. Quickly bowing, he stopped to catch his breath.
“Slowly, lad,” the earl said. “Surely your message cannot be that important. We’re not at war with France or Spain, are we?”
“No, my lord,” he panted. “It’s about the chancellor, er, the Earl of Essex.”
“You mean, Master Cromwell?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“So tell us, what happened to the Earl of Essex,” Lady Rutland said, forgetting herself and pushing herself in front of the queen. “
Is he dead?”
“No, milady. But he will be soon.”
“Why? What do you mean?”
“Well, you know milady, that when the wind blows a gentleman’s hat off, any other gentleman who is nearby, doffs his own hat as a sign of respect?”
“Yes. Please continue.”
“Well, my lord,” the messenger said, now facing the earl. “When the wind blew the chancellor’s hat off this morning, none of the other gentlemen present did so. He looked around and said that it must have been a strange wind to blow his hat off and yet leave all their own hats on.”
“And then what happened? Did the other gentlemen then doff their hats?”
“No, milady. They just ignored him and went into dinner.”
“Strange,” the earl remarked. “But not necessarily deadly.”
“Ah, but I’m not sure of that, my lord,” the messenger said. “For during the meal no-one spoke to the Earl of Essex, not even about affairs of state. I was standing at the side watching and it was as if he were not there at all. They ignored him completely. I tell you, my lord, I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
“And did they kill him afterwards?” the queen asked, not used to English customs and politics.
“Oh, no, Your Majesty,” the messenger bowed. “After the meal was over they all walked over to the council chamber to deal with the affairs of state.”
“Including the chancellor?”
“No, my lord. He waited outside as usual in order to receive some of the day’s petitioners.”
“And did any of them stab him, or do anything like that?”
“Oh, no, milady. Nothing like that happened. No, I think what happened may have been even worse than that.”
“Warum? Was ist passiert? Er, what happened?” the queen asked, momentarily forgetting her English.
The duke’s messenger bowed again. “The chancellor then entered the council chamber but when he did so, none of the lords stood up. They merely looked at him and remained seated.”
“Is that very strange?” Anne asked the earl.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The newly promoted Earl of Essex is the most important member of the Council and by tradition all the other members stand up when he enters or leaves.” He then turned to face the messenger and asked, “And so what happened next?”
“The earl remained very calm, my lord, and just said that the lords must have been in a great hurry to take their places and he began to walk over to his seat at the top end of the table. But he never got there.”
“Why not?”
“Because the Duke of Norfolk, my master, called out, ‘Cromwell, do not sit there! That is no place for you! Traitors do not sit among gentlemen.’“
Rutland looked straight at the messenger’s face and then holding a thin finger under the young man’s chin, demanded, “This is not gossip? Are you sure that this is what he said? Now tell me true, for I know your master cannot abide the Earl of Essex.”
“Yes, yes, my lord, every word I’m telling you is Bible true. You know I would not lie to you.”
The earl ignored this last comment and told the young man to complete his report.
“Well, after this, my lord, Cromwell, I mean the Earl of Essex faced my master and told him he was no traitor. He was about to say something else when Sir Anthony Wingfield, the Captain of the Guard, walked into the chamber with six of his men and arrested him.”
“Didn’t anyone do or say anything?” Lady Rutland asked.
“Yes, milady. The earl asked on what grounds he was being arrested and Sir Anthony laughed and said that he’d learn that somewhere else. Then the chancellor protested that he demanded to see the king but either Sir Anthony or the Duke of Norfolk, one of them, I cannot remember exactly who, replied that this was not an appropriate time and that he must accompany them to the Tower.”
“Cromwell? To the Tower? Oh, how are the mighty fallen,” the Earl of Rutland said half-aloud. “And was he indeed taken to the Tower?”
“Yes, my lord, but not before he had torn his hat off and hurled it to the floor. I’m telling you, the minister acted like a fox surrounded by the hounds. When he saw that there was no-one there who’d support him, he cried out, ‘This, then, is the reward for all my services?’ Nobody said anything and so he called out to anyone who’d listen, ‘On your consciences, I ask you, am I a traitor?’ And then all pandemonium broke out, my lord, there in the Council chamber.”
“What happened?” the queen asked. She had understood most of this report and now wanted to know more about this powerful man who had arranged her wedding. “Did they kill him then?”
“Oh, no, Your Majesty,” the messenger answered. “We don’t do things like that in this country. Some of the councillors shouted that the earl was a traitor and others started shouting all sorts of things and beating the table with their fists. I’m telling you, I’ve never witnessed a scene or heard such a noise in a Council meeting. Then the noise died down a little and one of the councillors, I don’t know who it was, cried out from the back of the chamber, ‘Let him be judged by the bloody laws he has made. Under them many an innocent word has become treason.’“
“And did they take him out after that?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, but not before he had pulled his hands away from the guards and pointed to all of the members present. Then he said that he had never wished to offend anyone there, but if they were to treat him like this, he renounced all his claims to pardon. He also said that he hoped the king wouldn’t let him languish for a long time in prison.”
No-one said anything for a moment. They were all thinking how suddenly the king’s most powerful minister had been laid so low. And so suddenly.
“And what happened after that?” Lady Rutland asked, fearing what she would be told but still wanting to hear more.
“As Sir Anthony and his men turned to escort the earl out of the chamber, the Duke of Norfolk stepped forward. ‘Stop!’ he shouted to the captain. ‘Traitors must not wear the Order of the Garter,’ and he ripped the order off from the earl’s his neck and one or two of the other members, including the Earl of Southampton, ripped the other insignia off from the earl’s gown as well. I am telling you, my lord, in the end I must admit I was feeling quite sorry for Cromwell. I don’t like him, but it must have been most humiliating to be attacked like that and especially by those who were supposed to be under his authority. And, if I may say so, sir, the chancellor had once thought that the Earl of Southampton was his friend.”
“And then what happened?”
“They took him to the Tower, Your Majesty.”
“Tell me, young man, before you go, how did the other members of the Council act? Were they all against the Minister, or did some of them step forward to protest?”
“Oh, no, my lord. No-one came forward to protest. Most of them cheered and some of them shouted, ‘Revenge’ and things like that. A few clapped and cheered but, as I said, no-one supported him. And after Sir Anthony had taken him out of the chamber, many of the members came over to my master and clapped him on the back or shook his hand. Especially the Catholic lords. ‘Well done!’ they kept saying to the duke. They said he’d done a good job and they were very happy he’d dared to stand up to the king’s chancellor.”
“Well, I’m not really surprised,” said Rutland. “To me it smacks of Catholic revenge, especially after what he’d done to their abbeys and monasteries a few years ago.”
“And what’ll happen to him now?” the queen asked, looking at her chamberlain. “How long will he be in your Gefängnis, er, your prison?”
“I cannot tell you that, Your Majesty. That’ll be for the king and perhaps my master, the duke to decide. But I can tell you this. After Cromwell was taken out of the chamber through the back door, some of the members were calling for a Bill of Attainder to be drawn up against him.”
“What is this Bill of Attainder?” Anne asked, stumbling over this new legal term.
“Your Majesty,�
�� Rutland explained. “It’s a bill, a law passed in parliament against an accused man. If he’s found guilty, then he can lose his titles, his property and even his life.”
“So that means the parliament can kill him?”
“That’s right, Your Majesty, but the king has to give the final order; to sign the death warrant.”
Anne was silent. She never remembered her father or her brother doing such a thing. She knew that they had sent robbers and other criminals to be locked up, but they had never ordered anyone to be killed.
As they were standing there, the messenger started fidgeting. “Excuse me, my lord, may I go now? I’ve delivered my message and now I must return to the duke.”
“Yes, you may go, but take a word of advice from me. In future, do not express your opinion to anyone who you don’t know well. That’s a way of making enemies in the future.”
It was clear that the messenger did not understand. “What do you mean, my lord?”
“Do not say whether you like someone as a lord or not, like you said about Cromwell. It’s not always a good idea, especially in these times.”
“Yes, my lord, I’ll remember that.” And so saying, he turned and quickly left the garden to report back to the now exultant Duke of Norfolk.
“May we sit down on that bench over there?” Lady Rutland asked, looking at the queen. “That news has quite shocked me and I must sit down for a few minutes.”
“Ja, ja,” Anne said and they all moved over to sit on the bench in the sun.
“What will happen to him now?” the queen asked. “How long will he be in the Tower?”
“I cannot tell you that, Your Majesty. It all depends on your husband and parliament. He could be there for a very short time or he could rot there for years. There are no laws about this.”
Again Anne was silent and then asked, “But what has he done to make the king and the Duke of Norfolk so angry? After all, he was the king’s chief minister, wasn’t he?”
Rutland shrugged. Even though he had a shrewd idea of what lay behind Cromwell’s arrest, he was not willing to voice his opinion to the queen. “I don’t know exactly, Your Majesty. You will have to ask your husband yourself. But you know, my dear,” he said, turning to his wife, “there is a certain irony here. For from what that young messenger said, it was Cromwell himself who brought in this law allowing people to be arrested as he himself was. But leaving that aside, it looks as though he is finished. I wonder who’ll take his place now - one person or several? For after all, Cromwell as Chancellor certainly filled many rôles for His Majesty.”
Anne of Cleves- Unbeloved Page 18
