Katherine of Aragon Informed that Henry had Married Anne Boleyn

Katherine of Aragon by Lucas Hornebolte

On 10 April 1533, Eustace Chapuys wrote to Charles V to inform him, among other things, that the previous day (9 April), the king had sent a delegation of Councillors, including the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, to inform Katherine that the king had married Anne Boleyn and that she should now refrain from calling herself queen and instead adopt the title of ‘duchess’, (Dowager Princess of Wales).

The following is an extract from Chapuys’ letter:

Notwithstanding the remonstrances heretofore made by the Estates of the danger to which the King exposes himself and the kingdom, they have done the very contrary as much as they could, and there was no remedy that the King by his absolute will should not have constrained them to conclude and pass what he had put forward against the Pope’s authority, viz., to declare that all processes, even in the case of marriage, ought to be settled in this kingdom, without recourse to the Pope, under pain of high treason ; and that if any one in such a case bring in excommunication into this kingdom, he shall be considered as a traitor, and without any further process be sent to an ignominious death. This is only aimed at the Queen ; which some of the Parliament seeing, one of whom sat for the city of London, who had formerly been in Spain, and is my very good friend, they proposed that if the King would agree to remit the decision of the affair of the Queen and of the Pope to a General Council, they would provide among the people 200,000l. But there is no chance that the King will listen that the affair be determined otherwise than by the Archbishop, of whom he is perfectly assured, as he has performed the office of espousal (de l’esposement), as I have formerly written to you ; and he is fully resolved, as he has told many, and those of his Council publish, that immediately after Easter he will solemnize his marriage and the coronation of the Lady. The better to prepare the way, he sent yesterday the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, the marquis and the earl of Ausburg (?) to the Queen, to tell her that she must not trouble herself any more, nor attempt to return to him, seeing that he is married, and that henceforth she abstain from the title of Queen, and assume the title of duchess (princess), leaving her the entire enjoyment of the goods she formerly had, and offering her more, if she needed more. The Queen would not fail to advertise me of the interview. I know not whether they are in any doubt as to the Queen’s willingness to dislodge or not; but about eight days ago, the King’s council commanded my lord Mountjoy to rejoin her with all diligence, and keep watch upon her, and not leave her.

Only two days later, Anne Boleyn would make her first public appearance as queen.

Source

‘Henry VIII: April 1533, 1-10’, Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 6: 1533 (1882), pp. 144-151. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=77545 Date accessed: 10 April 2013.