6 May 1536 A.D. Anne Boleyn’s Letter to Henry VIII from the Tower
6 May 1536 A.D. Anne Boleyn’s Letter to Henry VIII from the
Tower
Mann, Claire. “6 May
1536—Anne Boleyn’s Letter to Henry VIII from the Tower.” Tudor History Since 2009. 6 May 2015. http://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/6-may-1536-anne-boleyns-letter-to-henry-viii-from-the-tower/. Accessed 6 May 2015.
6 May 1536 – Anne Boleyn’s Letter to Henry VIII from the Tower
Thank you so much to Sandra Vasoli, author of Je Anne Boleyn: Struck with the
Dart of Love for sharing some of her thoughts and research on “The
Lady in the Tower” letter. Over to Sandi…
Today, 6 May, marks 479 years since the origination of a
compelling and mysterious letter, written according to some by Queen Anne
Boleyn to her husband Henry VIII. Ostensibly produced while she was imprisoned
in the Tower after having been accused of abominable crimes, the letter is
poignant, courageous, noble and masterfully composed.
And for the past 475 years, its authenticity has been hotly
debated.
I am captivated by its story. As I researched my second book Je Anne Boleyn: Truth Endures,
I became preoccupied with the many tales surrounding this letter. I wondered
what it might have meant in the due course of history if it had, in fact, been
authored by Anne. And I couldn’t help but consider what Henry’s reaction to it
might have been, if he were to have read it. So I determined to discover
everything I possibly could about it. I hoped that I might be able to find a
clue which had perhaps been previously overlooked, or a series of leads which
would indicate its veracity. In the process of searching, I discovered much –
enough to cast a bright light on the riddle of the letter; and a shocking,
previously overlooked original notation which may change the way we view the
tragic story of Anne and Henry.
While watching a tennis match, Queen Anne was interrupted by a
messenger on 2 May 1536. He delivered a command that she was to meet members of
the King’s Privy Council immediately. Confronted by her uncle, the Duke of
Norfolk, and two others, she was charged with adultery – thereby treason – and
subsequently arrested and taken as a prisoner to the Tower, where she was
closely guarded. Her warden was Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower.
Kingston had been host to Anne during her stay at the Tower prior to her
coronation, so he was familiar to her. She may have taken some small comfort in
that knowledge, but it was to serve her no purpose. Kingston was required,
along with the women who were assigned as Anne’s sentinels both night and day,
to observe, listen, and record any and everything the Queen said and did. These
reports were to be delivered to Thomas Cromwell, the King’s Chief Minister.
It was chronicled by Bishop Gilbert Burnet, a mid 17th century
antiquarian and a collector and preserver of records and documents, in his The History of the Reformation of
the Church of England, that once locked in the Tower, Anne made
“deep protestations of her innocence, and begged to see the King, but that was
not to be expected.”1 This fact had been recorded by Constable
Kingston, in one of five letters he wrote to Cromwell documenting Anne’s
captivity; Burnet viewed those letters.
Having been refused the chance to see her husband to try and
convince him of her innocence (whether or not Henry would have agreed to see
Anne is another question), Anne wavered, over the following days, between deep
despair and staunch resolution. It was her great desire to communicate with
Henry and it follows naturally that, in the absence of a personal meeting, she
would demand the privilege of writing to him. While her jailers may have been
able to refuse her an audience, still, Anne was the Queen. It would have been
an extraordinary act of defiance to forbid her the right to compose a letter to
her husband the King. Yet Kingston was responsible for maintaining control of
the desperate situation and was under orders to dispatch all information about
her behaviors, her conversations, any single utterance to Cromwell, in
anticipation that she would surely incriminate herself. He may not have thought
it wise to allow Anne to privately correspond with the King without his knowing
(and reporting) exactly what had been said. It makes sense, then, that Anne
would have been permitted to dictate a letter, which was written for her either
by Kingston himself, one of the ladies in attendance, or a scribe.
The letter’s content is as follows:
“To the King from the Lady in the Tower” [Heading said to have
been added by Thomas Cromwell]
Sir, your Grace’s displeasure, and my Imprisonment are Things so
strange unto me, as what to Write, or what to Excuse, I am altogether ignorant;
whereas you sent unto me (willing me to confess a Truth, and so obtain your
Favour) by such a one, whom you know to be my ancient and professed Enemy; I no
sooner received the Message by him, than I rightly conceived your Meaning; and
if, as you say, confessing Truth indeed may procure my safety, I shall with all
Willingness and Duty perform your Command.
But let not your Grace ever imagine that your poor Wife will ever
be brought to acknowledge a Fault, where not so much as Thought thereof
proceeded. And to speak a truth, never Prince had Wife more Loyal in all Duty,
and in all true Affection, than you have found in Anne Boleyn, with which Name
and Place could willingly have contented my self, as if God, and your Grace’s
Pleasure had been so pleased. Neither did I at any time so far forge my self in
my Exaltation, or received Queenship, but that I always looked for such an
Alteration as now I find; for the ground of my preferment being on no surer
Foundation than your Grace’s Fancy, the least Alteration, I knew, was fit and
sufficient to draw that Fancy to some other subject.
You have chosen me, from a low Estate, to be your Queen and
Companion, far beyond my Desert or Desire. If then you found me worthy of such
Honour, Good your Grace, let not any light Fancy, or bad Counsel of mine
Enemies, withdraw your Princely Favour from me; neither let that Stain, that
unworthy Stain of a Disloyal Heart towards your good Grace, ever cast so foul a
Blot on your most Dutiful Wife, and the Infant Princess your Daughter.
Try me, good King, but let me have a Lawful Trial, and let not my
sworn Enemies sit as my Accusers and Judges; yes, let me receive an open Trial,
for my Truth shall fear no open shame; then shall you see, either mine
Innocency cleared, your Suspicion and Conscience satisfied, the Ignominy and
Slander of the World stopped, or my Guilt openly declared. So that whatsoever
God or you may determine of me, your Grace may be freed from an open Censure;
and mine Offence being so lawfully proved, your Grace is at liberty, both
before God and Man, not only to execute worthy Punishment on me as an unlawful
Wife, but to follow your Affection already settled on that party, for whose
sake I am now as I am, whose Name I could some good while since have pointed
unto: Your Grace being not ignorant of my Suspicion therein.
But if you have already determined of me, and that not only my
Death, but an Infamous Slander must bring you the enjoying of your desired
Happiness; then I desire of God, that he will pardon your great Sin therein,
and likewise mine Enemies, the Instruments thereof; that he will not call you
to a strict Account for your unprincely and cruel usage of me, at his General
Judgement-Seat, where both you and my self must shortly appear, and in whose
Judgement, I doubt not, (whatsover the World may think of me) mine Innocence
shall be openly known, and sufficiently cleared.
My last and only Request shall be, That my self may only bear the
Burthen of your Grace’s Displeasure, and that it may not touch the Innocent
Souls of those poor Gentlemen, who (as I understand) are likewise in strait
Imprisonment for my sake. If ever I have found favour in your Sight; if ever
the Name of Anne Boleyn hath been pleasing to your Ears, then let me obtain
this Request; and I will so leave to trouble your Grace any further, with mine
earnest Prayers to the Trinity to have your Grace in his good keeping, and to
direct you in all your Actions.
Your most Loyal and ever Faithful Wife, Anne Bullen.
From my doleful Prison the Tower, this 6th of May.
Upon reading this missive, one is struck by its tenor of
familiarity; that which, even in the direst of circumstances, is emblematic of
the close relationship between husband and wife. Her opening line… “Sir, Your
Grace’s Displeasure and my Imprisonment are things so strange unto me, as what
to write, or what to excuse, I am altogether ignorant” is reminiscent of
arguments known to couples throughout the ages. She then chastises him for
allowing her to be confronted by her uncle, Norfolk, who by that time was her
open enemy (and had a great deal to do with the construction of the plot
against her). In the second paragraph she delivers a blow by telling him she is
well aware that his “Fancy” has turned to “some other subject.” But she then
carefully expresses her humility, telling him she is well aware that he raised
her from “a low estate”. She pointedly refers to herself as “Anne Boleyn, with
which name and place I could willingly have contented myself…”
Further on, Anne is true to the piquant nature for which she was
well known. She tells him that if he has already decided of her that she is
guilty of his “Infamous Slander”, and that her death will “bring you the
enjoying of your desired happiness”, then she hopes for Henry’s sake that God
will pardon him for his “unprincely and cruel usage”, for, as she reminds him –
they will both shortly appear before God and be subject to His judgement. She
adds the final jolt: she is confident God will know her to be innocent and she
will be sufficiently cleared. Her implication is strong: as for Henry? She
worries for the salvation of his eternal soul due to his Great Sin.
Anne then agonizes for the men she knows have been unjustly
imprisoned on her behalf. In this paragraph one can feel her anguish: she begs
Henry to be lenient with them if ever he loved her, just as a woman would do
when imploring a man with whom she had been intimate. Finally, she ends by
reminding him – not that she is Queen – but that she is simply his loyal and
ever faithful wife, Anne Boleyn.
The provenance of the letter is convoluted. Numerous early
historians have included references to it in their collections, or treatises
about the history of England. These include Lord Herbert of Cherbury
(1583-1648), John Strype (1643 – 1737), Gilbert Burnet (1643 – 1715), Bishop
White Kennett (1660 – 1728), Sir Henry Ellis (1777 – 1869), Agnes Strickland
(1796 – 1874), and James Froude (1818 – 1894). Only a few of these state that
they actually saw the letter which they considered to be the ‘original’. It is
reported by the earliest historians that the letter was “said to be found among
the papers of Cromwell then Secretary”.2 Anne’s letter, according to
the accounts of several of these historians, was found along with the five
letters Kingston had written to Cromwell, in his personal papers some time
after his own beheading in 1540 at the hands of Henry.
Thomas Cromwell, after Hans Holbein the
Younger
There are several early versions of the letter extant. What makes
this mystery even more difficult to solve is the fact that none of them, though
all are written in an early (16th century) script, appear to be in handwriting
identifiable as Anne’s. Therefore when one refers to the ‘original’ letter: the
one which was found in the deceased Cromwell’s belongings, it is, in fact, a
transcription and not a document actually penned by Anne. My research leads me
to firmly believe that this letter, which was kept by Thomas Cromwell along
with the other records of Anne’s imprisonment, was scribed. That, for some
specific reason, it was written by someone other than Anne, while being
dictated by Anne herself. This document – the scribed letter, the one which was
in Cromwell’s papers – is held carefully at the British Library in the Cotton
Manuscripts. It now remains as just a portion of the original, the sides having
been scorched and burned away in a fire at the Ashburnam House Library in 1731,
where this document, among many others, was being stored. So after 1731, only a
part of this particular letter would have been readable.
Prior to 1731, then, at least two copies were made of the
complete, scribed, original letter. One is headed with the words ‘Queen Anne
Bullen to King Henry the 8 found among T. Cromwells papers’ (the one in the
photo above). The other copy exists in an ancient volume in the British
Library: ‘Collection of Letters of Noble Personages’, which is part of the
Stowe manuscripts. This copy was almost certainly written by an enigmatic
figure in London in the early 1600s, known only as The Feathery Scribe. This
scrivener transcribed hundreds of documents, thousands of words, for such
patrons as Sir Robert Cotton, Sir Francis Bacon, John Donne, Henry King, the
Earl of Leicester, William Lord Burghley, and John Fisher. The Stowe collection
containing this version of the letter was completed prior to 1628,3
making it the earliest known reproduction of the ‘original’.
As a part of the ‘History in a Nutshell’ series, my forthcoming
book Anne Boleyn’s
Tower Letter: In a Nutshell will detail all of my findings along with
images of the early copies of the letter. There are intriguing questions to
consider: who was first to find the letters – Kingston’s and Anne’s – in
Cromwell’s private papers after his death? And why was Anne’s with Kingston’s?
Why did Cromwell keep it? It seems obvious that it was never delivered to
Henry, else why would it have remained in his possession? What would Henry’s
reaction to it have been had he read it? Might it have swayed him? We will
never know. What evidence can be pieced together today to demonstrate
convincingly that Anne authored this composition, and what facts refute claims
by some historians that it is a forgery?
The implications of the genuineness of such a heartrending,
personal letter, and the fact that it never reached its intended reader, are
actually quite dramatic as one considers Anne’s cruel fate. Read the details
resulting from exhaustive research in my book early this summer, and learn why
I believe without any doubt that Anne’s appeal to Henry is completely
authentic.
Coupled with the text of such a heartbreaking letter is a finding
which left me completely astounded. In the course of my search I uncovered a
contemporary notation within the Stowe collection of manuscripts which refers
to Henry’s great grief, on his deathbed, for his fatal decision concerning
Anne. The legitimacy of this notation is certain: its significance is stunning.
I will provide the complete text, along with an image of the notation, and a
discussion of its interpretation in the Nutshell series book.
These recordings, expressed by two people whose entwined lives had
such a profound fate, add to the pathos of events which haunt us today, almost
five centuries since their occurrence.
Click here to read Sandi’s article about her visit to the Vatican archives
to see Henry VIII’s love letters to Anne Boleyn.
Sandra Vasoli earned a bachelor’s degree in English and biology
from Villanova University before embarking on a thirty-five-year career in
human resources for a large international company.
Having written essays, stories, and articles all her life, Vasoli
was prompted by her overwhelming fascination with the Tudor dynasty to try her
hand at writing fiction. While researching what would eventually become her Je
Anne Boleyn series, Vasoli was granted access to the Papal Library. There she
was able to read the original love letters from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn—an
event that contributed greatly to the creation of her fictional memoir.
Vasoli currently lives in Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania, with her
husband and two greyhounds. She is currently working on Je Anne Boleyn: Truth Endures and Anne
Boleyn’s Tower Letter: In a Nutshell which will be published by MadeGlobal Publishing.
Notes
1.
The History of the
Reformation of the Church of England, Gilbert Burnet, Vol I Book III, p 198.
2.
Lord Herbert of Cherbury;
The Life and Raigne of King Henry the Eighth; 1649; Thomas Whitaker, London; p
382.
Sources
- British Library Catalogue of
English Manuscripts http://www.celm-ms.org.uk/
- British Library Cotton MS Otho CX
fol. 232r
- British Library Stowe MS 151
- British Library Lansdowne MS 979
- Burnet, Gilbert; The Historie of
the Reformation of the Church of England; Richard Chiswell, London
- Ives, Eric; The Life and Death of
Anne Boleyn; Blackwell Publishing; 2004
- Lord Herbert of Cherbury; The Life
and Raigne of King Henry the Eighth; 1649; Thomas Whitaker, London
- Ridgway, Claire; The Fall of Anne
Boleyn; MadeGlobal Publishing; 2012
- Weir, Alison; The Lady in the Tower; Ballantine Books; 2010
Read more: http://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/6-may-1536-anne-boleyns-letter-to-henry-viii-from-the-tower/#ixzz3ZNOeIJwE
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