SPEAKING THE SILENCES: WRITING, ADVOCACY AND ENABLING VOICE –An extract from Wendy’s paper for the refereed proceedings of the 16th annual AAWP conference, Ethical Imaginations: Writing World.

The full paper can be found here:

Biographical note:

Dear Heart, How Like You This?

Wendy J. Dunn is obsessed with Tudor History. Her first published novel, the award-winning Dear Heart, How Like You This? is described as ‘one of the best novels ever written about Anne Boleyn’s life’. After completing her Masters in Writing at Swinburne University in 2009, Wendy took up a position as a sessional tutor in the same course and became a PhD Candidate.  Her own writing journey continues.

Historical Fiction and Advocacy

Historical fiction is a multifaceted and demanding genre with complex ethical considerations for the writer to surmount. As Jonathan Nield writes in his 1902 Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales,

The spirit of a period is like the selfhood of a human being – something that cannot be handed on; try as we may, it is impossible for us to breathe the atmosphere of a bygone time, since all those thousand-and-one details which went to the building up of both individual and general experience, can never be reproduced’ (Nield 1902: 41).

Continue reading here.

Had the Queen Lived: An Alternate History of Anne Boleyn by Raven A. Nuckols.

A guest post by Raven A. Nuckols, author of Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn.

In October 2011, I published my first historical novel entitled “Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn.” I set out to write my novel with what I thought was an interesting idea for a story that might appeal to fans of Queen Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. I also thought that there could be many such fans because in recent years the popularity of the Tudor reign, particularly as portrayed on television and in film, has brought her story once more to the spotlight for a new generation to enjoy. The premise of the book is exploring the question of what might have happened had Queen Anne lived past her tragic execution in May 1536 on false charges of treason, adultery, and incest with her brother. With this idea as a starting point I created an entirely new universe for Henry & Anne, developing a history of England with possible events that Anne might have influenced. Using the actual history of the reign of Henry VIII as a foundation, I was able to select those specific events that I thought would have realistically been altered based on the continuing presence of Anne on the scene, as well as entirely fictional events that I believed Anne would have been responsible for making come to pass.

Creating a successful and believable storyline weaving together actual and fictional events and characters is challenging; however, it can be done and is wonderfully exciting. For example, in my novel I used the Pilgrimage of Grace as a key event leading to the downfall of Lady Mary Tudor. I spent months researching every piece of original material I could find as well as consulting the works of historians who wrote at length on the subject to ensure I fully understood not only the broad, actual history, but also key, in-depth details. I chose this event specifically to bring down Lady Mary because its history linked well with her deep loyalty to Catholicism.  The principal cause of the rebellion in actual history was to cease the Crown’s dissolution of the monasteries and to reinstate mass and other Catholic practices that had been stripped away with England’s breaking away from the Catholic Church. As Lady Mary was royalty and viewed as a figurehead behind the inspiration for the rebel movement, it was critical in establishing my story that I use this event to bring about her end. To make this happen, I had to exaggerate the number of deaths during the rebellion (790 from 330), but I made this alteration of history deliberately so as to show the influence Anne’s continued presence would have on the King’s state of mind, and dramatize how his desire for unquestioned authority would lead to bloodier actions to reinforce his decisions. Even so, I wanted to keep the inflated casualty number from being too excessive, to preserve historical believability, consistent with illustrating the power dynamics in Henry and Anne’s relationship.

It truly has been a rewarding artistic experience to create these wonderful plots with characters that changed the shape of British (and thus world) history. I look forward to writing future alternate histories and am working on finishing a trilogy set within the universe of Had the Queen Lived. There will be plenty more weaving of actual history and fictional events in the period of 1551-1601 for the first sequel, which I am currently in the research phase for and will cover the reign of King Henry IX, the fictional son had by Anne and Henry in the first book. I am also researching for works of actual history in the Twentieth Century on far different events of great personal interest to me, but nothing will take the place of my passion for writing about the Tudors and, in particular, Queen Anne.

By Raven A. Nuckols

Knights of the Order of the Garter

On 23 April 1536, the annual meeting of the Order of the Garter took place at Greenwich attended by the King and many Lords. It was expected that George Boleyn would be preferred but instead Henry chose Sir Nicholas Carew, ‘Anne’s known enemy and the man who had been mentoring Jane Seymour’ (Weir, pg. 88).

The entry from Letters & Papers reads,

On St. George’s Day, 23 April 28 Hen. VIII., a chapter of the Order of the Garter was held at Greenwich, at which were present the King, the dukes of Richmond and Norfolk, the earls of Northumberland, Westmoreland, Wiltshire, Sussex, Rutland, and Oxford, lord Sandys, and Sir Wm. Fitzwilliam. It was determined to hold the feast on May 21, the earl of Northumberland taking the Sovereign’s place, assisted by the earls of Rutland, Westmoreland, and Oxford, and Sir Wm. Fitzwilliam. Votes were taken for the election of a knight; and the next day, after mass for the dead, the King declared Sir Nic. Carew elected. He was installed when the feast was kept, on May 21. On this occasion the earl of Northumberland was seized with vertigo and weakness, so that it was feared he would not be able to take his part as deputy, but he recovered. The next day the hatchments of the deceased were offered up.

On April 29, Chapuys wrote to Charles V,

The Grand Ecuyer, Mr. Caro, had on St. George’s day the Order of the Garter in the place of the deceased M. de Burgain (lord Abergavenny), to the great disappointment of Rochford, who was seeking for it, and all the more because the Concubine has not had sufficient influence to get it for her brother; and it will not be the fault of the said Ecuyer if the Concubine, although his cousin (quelque, qu. quoique? cousine) be not dismounted. He continually counsels Mrs. Semel and other conspirators “pour luy faire une venue,” and only four days ago he and some persons of the chamber sent to tell the Princess to be of good cheer, for shortly the opposite party would put water in their wine, for the King was already as sick and tired of the concubine as could be; and the brother of lord Montague told me yesterday at dinner that the day before the bishop of London had been asked if the King could abandon the said concubine, and he would not give any opinion to anyone but the King himself, and before doing so he would like to know the King’s own inclination, meaning to intimate that the King might leave the said concubine, but that, knowing his fickleness, he would not put himself in danger. The said Bishop was the principal cause and instrument of the first divorce, of which he heartily repents, and would still more gladly promote this, the said concubine and all her race are such abominable Lutherans. London, 29 April 1536.

Some ominous signs for Anne and the Boleyn faction but as Weir points out in The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, five days later, on April 28, Henry Lord Stafford wrote to the Earl of Westmoreland to thank him for ‘furthering my suit with the Queen.’ Although Chapuys believed that Anne was falling from favour, clearly others still felt her influence intact.

Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn by Arthur Hopkins

On Saturday 12 April 1533, the chapel royal at Greenwich was the setting for Anne Boleyn’s first public appearance as queen.

Anne attended mass with great pomp, resplendent in a pleated gown of cloth of gold, and adorned with sumptuous jewels. Sixty ladies accompanied her, and her cousin, Lady Mary Howard, soon to become Duchess of Richmond and Somerset, carried her train.

One can only imagine how Anne’s dark eyes must have glistened and how secure she must have felt with a crown on her head, a baby cradled deep within her belly and the adoring looks of her husband.

Both the Spanish and Venetian ambassadors reported the event to their masters. Charles Wriothesley, herald and chronicler, also noted the event.

The Spanish Ambassador

On Saturday, Easter Eve, dame Anne went to mass in Royal state, loaded with jewels, clothed in a robe of cloth of gold friese. The daughter of the duke of Norfolk, who is affianced to the duke of Richmond, carried her train; and she had in her suite 60 young ladies, and was brought to church, and brought back with the solemnities, or even more, which were used to the Queen. She has changed her name from Marchioness to Queen, and the preachers offered prayers for her by name. All the world is astonished at it for it looks like a dream, and even those who take her part know not whether to laugh or to cry. The King is very watchful of the countenance of the people, and begs the lords to go and visit and make their court to the new Queen, whom he intends to have solemnly crowned after Easter, when he will have feastings and tournaments ; and some think that Clarencieux went four days ago to France to invite gentlemen at arms to the tourney, after the example of Francis, who did so at his nuptials. I know not whether this will be before or after, but the King has secretly appointed with the archbishop of Canterbury that of his office, without any other pressure, he shall cite the King as having two wives ; and upon this, without summoning the Queen, he will declare that he was at liberty to marry as he has done without waiting for a dispensation or sentence of any kind.

The Venetian Ambassador

This morning of Easter Eve, the Marchioness Anne went with the King to high mass, as Queen, and with all the pomp of a Queen, clad in cloth of gold, and loaded (carga) with the richest jewels; and she dined in public; although they have not yet proclaimed the decision of the Parliament [Convocation ?].

Wriothesley’s Chronicle number 17

Memorandum: the 12th day of Aprill, Anno Domini 1533, beinge [A.D. 1533.]
Easter eaven, Anne Bulleine, Marques of Pembroke, 11 was pro-
claymed Queene at Greenewych, and offred that daie in the Kinges
Chappell as Queene of Englande. 6

Eustace Chapuys

After hearing of the passing of the Act of Appeals, Chapuys requested an audience with King Henry VIII.

The act, engineered by Thomas Cromwell,

‘removed English religious rule from the authority of Rome, ultimately restricting appeals to Rome on legal matters, endowing Thomas Cranmer with the right to grant Henry a divorce from Catherine of Aragon and enabling him to marry Anne Boleyn.’ (The Literary Encyclopedia)

On April 10 1533, Chapuys was granted this audience and had a long discussion with the king, ‘to whom he represented the injustice done to the queen.’ (Friedmann, pg. 90)

Katherine of Aragon by Wenceslaus Hollar

Chapuys’ efforts were all in vain, as the day before, unbeknownst to the ambassador, Catherine of Aragon had been informed that the king had married Anne Boleyn and that she should now refrain from calling herself queen – or being addressed as such.

Catherine would now be known as Princess of Wales.

Read a detailed description of Chapuys’ encounter with the king in the ambassador’s own words. Click here and scroll down to Chapuys’ letter to Charles V, entry 351.

Emily very kindly agreed to talk to me about her wonderful project, one that I am very much looking forward to seeing at Hever Castle in May.

Click here to read the interview.

(Photos published here © Emily Pooley)

Keeper of the King's Secrets by Michelle Diener

By Michelle Diener

Thank you again to Natalie for having me back as a guest blogger. I know Natalie’s particular interest is Anne Boleyn, and while Anne plays an off-stage role in my Tudor-set Susanna Horenbout and John Parker series in the current books, Thomas Wyatt is a prominent secondary character in Keeper of the King’s Secrets, the second book in the series (released 3 April). Because Wyatt’s history is entwined with Anne Boleyn’s, I thought it might be fun to talk about Thomas a bit, and how I’ve portrayed him in Keeper of the King’s Secrets.

Wyatt is well-known for his poetry, and for the apparent unrequited love he had for Anne Boleyn. Their Kent family estates were close to one another, and it seems they grew up together. Wyatt is said to have behaved jealously in front of Henry VIII when Henry was pursuing her, making it obvious he was very interested in her, as well. My favorite story regarding this is the incident, recounted by Wyatt’s grandson, that Wyatt stole one of Anne’s lockets and refused to return it, no matter how often she asked. In retaliation, Henry took one of her rings. A few days later, Henry, Suffolk, Bryan and Wyatt were playing bowls and a dispute arose between Henry and Wyatt as to who was the winner. Henry pointed to Anne’s ring on his finger and said ‘I tell you, it is mine.’ Wyatt took off the locket, and used the chain to measure the balls, and said, ‘I hope it will be mine.’

Thomas Wyatt

Anne denied any feelings for Wyatt when Henry questioned her, and that does seem to be the case. Or in any event, there is no evidence she ever encouraged him.

The interpretation I’ve used in Keeper of the King’s Secrets is that while Anne and Wyatt are long-time friends, and Wyatt does have strong feelings for her, Anne has made it clear she will not be a married man’s mistress. And yes, the irony of Wyatt recounting Anne’s standpoint to Susanna and Parker, my main characters, given this is 1525 and really just months before Henry starts pursuing Anne, was delicious to write.

Wyatt was married (hence Anne not being interested), very unhappily, and had one son. His wife was apparently very promiscuous, and in Keeper of the King’s Secrets, I’ve created the backstory of Wyatt being forced into a marriage he didn’t want, to a woman who had some feelings for him. As her handsome husband takes mistress after mistress, she retaliates in kind, until there is no hope of a reconciliation. His father was very distressed by Wyatt’s habitual infidelity, and I’ve used that in Keeper of the King’s Secrets to affect the job Wyatt has at court.

Wyatt’s father was Master of the King’s Jewels, and Wyatt was Clerk of the King’s Jewels. They would have been the keepers of the Mirror of Naples, the magnificent jewel Mary Tudor illegally took from the French Crown Jewels and gave to Henry as part of her apology for marrying Charles Brandon without his permission. As a large part of the plot of Keeper of the King’s Secrets hangs on the disappearance of the Mirror of Naples, this puts Wyatt firmly in the frame, and his rocky relationship with his father is part of the problem. I also use his infatuation with Anne as part of the plot.

Another reason Wyatt was a perfect secondary character from my point of view was his connection to the Duke of Norfolk. Norfolk is one of the antagonists in Keeper of the King’s Secrets (and in the first book in the series, In a Treacherous Court), but he also happened to be Wyatt’s sponsor at court, and the godfather to Wyatt’s son. Poor old Wyatt is caught between a rock and a very hard place, being played by men far more ruthless than he.

He seems to have much preferred country life and spoke very disparagingly of court politics and dramas. He obviously also thought Henry’s infatuation with Anne was a passing fancy, and when, in 1527, it became clear Henry was very serious indeed, Wyatt actually asked the King for permission to leave the country for a bit, and laid very, very low at court when he finally returned. He was probably seriously regretting teasing the King with Anne’s locket at that point.

It was a gift for me, as a writer, to have a beautiful, blond poet, all brooding with unrequited love, whose carelessness and self-indulgence, as well as his misplaced trust, put him in an incredibly tight corner. He is a wonderful foil to Parker, one of my main characters, who is dark, straightforward and has never been careless in his life.

I’d like to end with one of Wyatt’s poems, which is thought to be about Anne Boleyn, entitled “Of His Love, Called Anna”:

What word is it that changeth not,
Tho’ it be turned and made in twain?
It is mine Anna, God it wot,
And eke the causer of my pain,
Who love rewarded with disdain.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, whether you have an opinion on Wyatt, or not, and will be giving away a copy of Keeper of the King’s Secrets to a lucky commenter.

Michelle Diener

Conditions of Entry

For your chance to win  you must be subscribed to On the Tudor Trail’s newsletter (if you are not already, sign up on our homepage).

Then simply leave a comment after Michelle’s guest post between now and April 11.

Don’t forget to leave your name and a contact email.

Good luck!

Hever Castle

Today the Boleyns are usually associated with Hever Castle in Kent but they were in fact a Norfolk family firmly established at Blickling. They traced their origins to Geoffrey Boleyn of Salle and Alice, daughter of Sir John Bracton (Griffiths, pg. 454).

The couple had several children, including Geoffrey Boleyn who was born c. 1405 in Blickling. According to David Loades, he was ‘the founder of the family fortune’ (pg. 9).

Geoffrey married as his second wife Anne, daughter and co-heir of Lord Hoo and Hastings. This was a beneficial match, as now the Boleyns were mixing with local gentry and the lesser nobility. Geoffrey became an alderman of the City of London in 1452, Lord Mayor in 1457-8 and was knighted by Henry VI (Weir, pg. 145).

Blickling Hall, Norfolk (Built on the site of the Boleyn home)

In 1452, Geoffrey Boleyn purchased Sir John Fastolf’s Manor of Blickling and in 1462 he purchased Hever Castle in Kent.

Sir Geoffrey and Anne’s son, William, continued the trend of advantageous marriages by taking as his wife Margaret Butler, daughter of Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormond (Loades, pg. 7).

Lady Margaret and Sir Geoffrey had four sons that survived infancy and four daughters (Griffiths, pg. 454). Of their sons – Thomas, James, William and Edward – Thomas Boleyn is the most famous and earned his place in history as the father of Anne Boleyn who in 1533 married King Henry VIII.

Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk

Thomas continued the tradition of impressive unions by marrying Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey and his first wife, Elizabeth Tilney. She was the eldest of two daughters and was descended from King Edward I (Fraser, pg. 116).

Weir writes of how the Howard fortunes had suffered after the Battle of Bosworth where Surrey’s father had fought on the losing side. This was fortunate for Thomas who otherwise might have found Elizabeth ‘too grand for him’ (Weir, pg. 146).

Elizabeth’s brother, Lord Thomas, was at the time married to Queen Elizabeth’s sister, Anne, who was the daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville.

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

It was Thomas’ marriage to Elizabeth that brought the Boleyns ‘into the ranks of the higher Tudor nobility’ (Loades, pg 7).

Sir James Boleyn

William Boleyn owned property in Kent and Norfolk, dividing much of his time between Hever Castle and Blickling. According to Loades, it is at the latter that James Boleyn was born in 1480 (pg. 12).

For most of his life, Sir James lived in the shadow of his older brother but perhaps he deserves more of our attention. He outlived Thomas by 22 years and it was because of James that the Boleyns survived as a gentry family at Blickling until the 1560s and, ‘through the female line, survived into the seventeenth century’ (Griffiths, pg. 453).

Had he produced a male heir before his death in 1561, the Boleyns might still be at Blickling today.

What do we know about him?

-       May have received legal training in his youth

-       Served on the commission of the peace for Norfolk from 1511 until 1561

-       He was knighted in 1520 for reasons unknown

-       At some time before 1520, James married Elizabeth, the daughter of John Wood of East Barsham in Norfolk

-       In 1529 he sat for Norfolk in the Reformation parliament

-       He was a Knight of the Body by 1533. This position did not involve regular attendance at court and was ‘largely honorific’.

-       From 1533-36 he served as chancellor in the household of his niece, Queen Anne Boleyn and his wife, Elizabeth Wood, Lady Boleyn, ‘served’ Anne during her imprisonment in the Tower and was one of the ladies that accompanied her to her trial and death in May 1536 (According to Ives, Lady Boleyn was not one of Anne’s favourite attendants)

-       James survived the destruction of his niece and nephew (Anne and George Boleyn) in 1536

-       In 1539 his brother, Thomas Boleyn, died

-       In January 1540 he attended the third Duke of Norfolk (his kinsman by marriage) at the reception of Anne of Cleves

-       In February 1540 he was granted livery of Thomas Boleyn’s lands although he was not permitted to claim the earldom of Wiltshire

-       In March 1540 he exchanged newly acquired lands in Kent with the Crown for six manors and other land in Norfolk

-       In 1542 he received a grant of all of Jane Rochford’s moveable property that had been left at Blickling

-       In 1546 James served on the jury which indicted his kinsman Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey for high treason

-       James served as custos rotulorum (“keeper of the rolls”) for Norfolk from 1558-60

-       In November 1558 he saw his great-niece ascend the throne

-       In 1561 he made his will, requesting to be buried at Blickling

The "Hampden" portrait, by Steven van der Meulen, ca. 1563.

Sir James Boleyn died in 1561 and was buried with ‘great Pomp at Blickling’ (Blomefield, pg. 627) on September 6. He left various things to Queen Elizabeth in his will, including ‘a basin and gilt ewer’ and small bequests to various nieces and nephews.

He also left Elizabeth ‘my written book of the revelations of Saint Bridget’, and Roger Virgoe, author of James’ biography published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558, concludes that there is no evidence to suggest that Sir James Boleyn shared the reformist beliefs of other members of his family. Although, Eric Ives states that

‘Her chancellor was her uncle, James Boleyn, with whom, as with Cromwell, she shared some sympathies’ (pg. 211).

Since he and his wife, Elizabeth, had no surviving children ‘with him the direct male line of the Boleyns became extinct’ (Loades, pg. 18).

Read part 1 of this series of posts here.

References

Natalie Dormer as Queen Anne Boleyn

Calling all Anne Boleyn fans! I’m Charli and I’m a broadcast journalist based in London, England. I’m making a television documentary about Anne’s status as a modern day heroine and I’m looking for Anne Boleyn fans to interview. If Anne is your idol, if you buy the merchandise, watch all the films, read all the books and visit all the palaces, then we would love for you to get in contact. We’re looking to arrange a meeting of Anne Boleyn fans in London to chat about why you love her. It will be very informal meeting and as an Anne Boleyn fan myself, I’d be really interested to meet others in real life! Historians Alison Weir and Susan Bordo have already agreed to be in the film as well as Natalie Grueninger, Sarah Morris and Claire Ridgway. We are also hoping to get interviews with Philippa Gregory and Natalie Dormer. The film is being made by myself and a colleague so we’re a small team and not at all intimidating! If this is something that you would like to be involved with, please contact me at Charlotte.Burden.1@city.ac.uk. Thank you!

Leadenhall

I am so excited to share today’s guest post by Zoe Bramley from London History Walks. Zoe has written a guide intended to help you retrace Anne Boleyn’s progress through the City of London. Walking the same streets that Anne once travelled, you will get an idea of what it is Anne saw on that momentous occasion.

Sit back and enjoy the tour!

Walking the Route of Anne Boleyn’s Coronation Procession

At around 17:00 on Saturday 31st May, a fine spring evening, Anne Boleyn emerged from the Tower of London where she had been comfortably lodged since Thursday. She was dressed in the French fashion, ‘filmy white, with a coronet of gold’ (Ives, p177) and her loose dark hair flowed luxuriously down to waist length. She rode in a litter drawn by two palfreys – small dainty horses – draped in white damask.

For the citizens of London, this was their first glimpse of the woman who had changed everything, from the succession to the way they worshipped. For Anne, the coronation procession was her first glimpse of the City and her citizens. Some reports say she had a lukewarm reception with sullen crowds failing to remove their caps and Anne complaining to Henry with the words, ‘Sir, I liked the city well enough but I saw a great many caps on heads, and heard but few tongues.’ Ives believes the crowds were ‘more curious than either welcoming or hostile’ (p 178) and he gives little credit to hostile reports. Whatever the truth, one can only imagine how Anne felt that May evening as she began her journey through the crowded, noisome streets. Was she nervous, joyful, defiant, or proud? A mixture of emotions is likely.  But it’s not within the realms of fantasy to imagine her breathing a sigh of relief as the procession cleared the City boundaries at Temple Bar and continued on its way to Westminster where she would finally be crowned.

Continue reading here.