Giveaway Time! Leave a comment after my article to be in the running to win one of two paperback copies of ‘In Bed with the Tudors’ by Amy Licence. Conditions of Entry below. Good luck!
Competition now closed!
The Mystery of Queen Anne Boleyn’s Second Pregnancy
By Natalie Grueninger
In most recent biographies, Anne Boleyn’s second pregnancy, at the most, occupies a couple of paragraphs. Eric Ives and David Loades conclude that it ended in a miscarriage, Alison Weir in The Six Wives of Henry VIII states that ‘it was either stillborn, or died very soon after birth’ (pg. 271), Antonia Fraser suggests that ‘the most likely end was a stillbirth: probably a month or so early’ (pg. 218), David Starkey sums it all up by stating that it ‘ended in miscarriage or still birth’ (pg. 553) and Paul Friedmann, writing in the late nineteenth century, concluded that ‘Anne had been mistaken about her condition’ (pg. 151) and had never been pregnant. Only in The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn, does the author, historian Retha Warnicke, go into some detail in her attempt to unravel the tapestry of secrecy shrouding the events of the summer of 1534.
While researching my debut book, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn, my co-author, Sarah Morris, and I examined what contemporary evidence exists and pieced together a tragic story.
Greenwich Palace
Christmas 1533 at Greenwich was a jovial and lively affair. John Husee informed Lord Lisle that, ‘The King has kept a great court and is as merry and lusty as ever I see.’ On New Year’s Day there was the customary exchange of gifts, Queen Anne presented the king with:
A goodly gilt bason, having a rail or board of gold in the midst of the brim, garnished with rubies and pearls, wherein standeth a fountain, also having a rail of gold about it garnished with diamonds; out thereof issueth water, at the teats of three naked women standing at the foot of the same fountain.
Retha Warnicke believes that Anne’s gift ‘must be characterised as a fertility symbol.’ (pg.173) If Anne was in fact already hinting at her condition then we can assume that she became pregnant sometime around November 1533.
On 5 January, in the instructions to Nicholas Heath and Christopher Mont, who were being sent on embassy to the German princes, Henry praised his wife:
‘whose approved and excellent virtues, that is to say, the purity of her life, her constant virginity, her maidenly and womanly pudicity, her soberness, her chasteness, her meekness, her wisdom, her descent of right noble and high parentage, her education in all good and laudable thewes and manners, her aptness to procreation of children, with other infinite good qualities, more to be regarded and esteemed than the only progeny, be of such approved excellency as cannot be but most acceptable unto Almighty God, and deserve His high grace and favour, to the singular weal and benefit of the King’s realm and subjects.’
It seems that Henry was already aware that his wife was again pregnant, inspiring the reference to her ‘aptness’ to procreate children.
By 23 January 1534, imperial sources had been informed that Queen Anne was ‘again in the family way’ allegedly by a letter from the newly arrived English ambassador in France. Eric Ives postulates that if the ambassador was Lord William Howard, ‘the date of arrival must have been the beginning of December, suggesting that Anne became pregnant in November 1533.’ (Pg. 394) By 28 January, Eustace Chapuys was aware of Anne’s condition and on 29 January, it was observed that, ‘The King and Queen are merry.’
In February, Henry VIII met with Chapuys and confirmed the rumours of Anne’s pregnancy by saying that he believed he’d shortly have a son.
On 27 April, Anne’s receiver-general, George Taylor, wrote to Lady Lisle of the king and queen’s good health and of Anne’s ‘goodly belly’.
By April 1534, the pregnancy was common knowledge. The king, confident and beaming, expected a prince and ordered from his goldsmith, Cornelius Hayes, an elaborate silver cradle:
A silver cradle, price 16l. For making a silver plate, altering the images, making the roses underneath the cradle, the roses about the pillars, and new burnishing, 13s. 4d. For the stones that were set in gold in the cradle, 15s.; for fringes, the gold about the cushions, tassels, white satin, cloth of gold, lining, sypars and swadylbands, 13s. 6d. Total, 18l. 1s. 10d. The silver that went to the dressing of the Adam and Eve, the making of all the apples, the gilding of the foot and setting of the currall, 33s. 4d.
At around the same time, a portrait medal was struck to commemorate the anticipated birth of a son, it was inscribed with Queen Anne’s motto, The Moost Happi, Anno 1534 and A. R for Anna Regina. Since the baby did not survive, multiple copies were not commissioned, however, the prototype survives and is today stored in the British Museum.
Replica of Anne Boleyn’s Portrait Medal by Lucy Churchill
In early June, Henry was in the midst of planning a trip to Calais to meet with Francis I. It was scheduled to take place on 20 August or soon after, presumably after Anne’s lying-in, again corroborating the argument that the queen had become pregnant sometime around November 1533.
On 26 June Sir Edward Ryngeley reports that the ‘King and Queen are merry’ at Hampton Court Palace. However, quite suddenly, on 2 July Henry leaves Anne behind and moves to The More, where he summoned Thomas Cromwell and Anne’s uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, to meet him on 5 July. At around this time the decision was made to send the queen’s brother, George Boleyn, ‘with all speed’ on a special embassy to France, in order to delay the planned meeting between Henry and Francis on account of the queen’s advanced pregnancy and her desire to have her husband, the king, by her side at this time.
Lord Rochford’s instructions were as follows:
1.Rochford is to repair to the French king with all speed, and in passing by Paris to make the King’s and Queen’s hearty recommendations to the queen of Navarre, if she be there, and say that the Queen his mistress much rejoices in the deeply-rooted amity of the two kings, but wishes her to get the interview deferred, as the time would be very inconvenient to her, and the King is so anxious to see his good brother that he will not put it off on her account. Her reasons are, that being so far gone with child, she could not cross the sea with the King, and she would be deprived of his Highness’s presence when it was most necessary, unless the interview can be deferred till April next. Rochford is to press this matter very earnestly, and say that the King having at this time appointed another personage to go to his good brother, the Queen, with much suit, got leave for Rochford to go in his place, principally on this account.
2. That there was nothing she regretted at the last interview so much as not having an interview with the said queen of Navarre ; and she hopes she may be able to come to Calais with her brother in April next, if the interview be deferred till then.
Hampton Court Palace. © Gemma Higgin Sears, Iris Creations
It seems very likely that the proposed meeting was cancelled because sometime between 26 June and 2 July, disaster struck – Anne was delivered of a stillborn baby, after which the king, no doubt crushed by his wife’s failure to provide him with a living heir, left her behind at Hampton Court and commenced his already delayed summer progress.
In our book, Sarah Morris and I suggest that:
‘No longer able to face Francis, who was already the father of three healthy sons, a cover story was created to save face and the whole event swept under the carpet.’ (Pg. 167)
On 18 July we hear from John Husee that ‘The King is now at Oking [Woking Palace Surrey], and comes hither on Tuesday, and will tarry here and at Eltham till Friday, when he will meet with the Queen at Guildford. Southwark, 18 July.’
The king was planning to visit the Princess Elizabeth at Eltham Palace before joining the queen at Guildford, where they were reunited sometime toward the end of July or the beginning of August. The king and queen had been apart for more than a month, their longest period of separation since 1528, when Anne had retired from court in anticipation of the arrival of Cardinal Campeggio.
It is not until the end of September 1534, that Chapuys reports that ‘the lady’ (Anne Boleyn) was not going to have a baby after all. At the same time we hear through Chapuys that rumour had it, Henry doubted whether the queen had ever been pregnant, an idea explored by J. Dewhurst in Medical History.
Dewhurst suggested that Anne might have suffered from a case of pseudocyesis or false pregnancy, a rare condition where a woman believes that she is carrying a baby and shows pregnancy-like symptoms when she is not pregnant. The condition is yet to be fully explained, however, psychologists believe that most women who experience false pregnancy are often experiencing stress and anxiety, along with an extremely strong desire to be pregnant.
Having only just given birth to a healthy daughter in September 1533, I don’t believe this to be a reasonable argument. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that Anne was under any stress around the time of her alleged second pregnancy. On the contrary, the reports we have paint the picture of a healthy and happy couple.
In the notes section of his biography of Anne Boleyn, Eric Ives states:
“That it was a miscarriage and not a stillbirth or neonatal death is indicated by the queen not having ‘taken her chamber’” (pg. 394)
That there is no record of the queen having ‘taken her chamber’ is indisputable, however, does this prove that Anne did not suffer a stillbirth? Not necessarily.
Ives himself stated that it’s likely Anne was pregnant by November 1533, in which case by the beginning of July, when it’s generally accepted that she lost the baby, she would have been around 8 months pregnant.
In modern terms, a miscarriage is generally defined as the loss of a baby before 20-24 weeks; the death of a fetus at 8 months gestation is referred to as a stillbirth. In this case the mother still needs to go through labour and delivery in the same manner as mothers delivering a live baby.
Miniature of Anne Boleyn attributed to John Hoskins
In light of the evidence, it seems likely that Anne went into labour prematurely sometime between 26 June and 2 July, explaining why no records survive of the queen’s confinement. This leaves open the possibility that the loss was so devastating, so damaging, especially considering that Henry was still trying to prove to the world the righteousness of his marriage, that all present were sworn to secrecy and the whole incident erased from history.
Unless one has experienced such heartbreak, it’s difficult to imagine the overwhelming emotional and physical pain that Anne must have felt. The baby would have been well formed and the sex determinable, although, the details were not recorded. The king left Hampton Court in all haste and abandoned his grieving wife. Was the loss of an heir the reason for their extended and uncharacteristic separation? The silence of the royal nursery and the empty silver cradle, perhaps, too much for even a hardened king —and one well-versed in loss— to bear.
This event must have brought memories of Katherine of Aragon’s tragic obstetric history flooding back and sowed a seed of doubt in the king’s mind that would eventually grow to consume him. Anne had promised Henry sons and heirs but had only delivered a daughter and a stillborn baby. In the king’s eyes, she’d failed him; with Henry’s insecurities awakened, there would be no room for further disappointments.
References & Sources Calendar of State Papers, Spain, Volume 5 Part 1 – 1534-1535 Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 6 – 1533. Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 7 – 1534. Fraser, A. The Six Wives of Henry VIII, 1992. Friedmann, P. Anne Boleyn, trans. J. Wilkinson, 2013. Grueninger, N. & Morris, S. In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn, 2013. Ives, E. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, 2004. Loades, D. The Six Wives of Henry VIII, 2010. Starkey, D. Six Wives, 2003. Warnicke, R. The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn, 1989. Weir, A. The Six Wives of Henry VIII, 2007. The Mystery of Queen Anne Boleyn’s Second Pregnancy Good luck!
In Bed With the Tudors by Amy Licence
I’ve been a fan of Tudor England, particularly of Anne Boleyn, for over 30 years. I loved your article and would love to read your book.
Kathy Lutz
kllutz1956@yahoo.com
Such a devastation for any couple, but to have so much more at stake… your heart just breaks for them.
I am drawn in – would love to read your book….
I love the Tudor History
Great article about this tragic event for Anne Boleyn. Since neither his baby son by KOA, nor Henry Fitzroy, nor Edward (3 sons by 3 different women) survived to adulthood, I wonder if any son of Henry’s would have lived long enough to rule effectively!
Poor Anne! All she put her body through, just to have a male heir and save her marriage! Poor Henry, in a way too, especially if he felt like the laughing stock of the world, when no wife could have healthy male children and all the other monarchs had male heirs. It’s too bad, that he could not see into the future and realize Anne gave him an heir, that any monarch would be proud to have, even if she was a female!
denannduvall(at)gmail(dot)com
I am very moved by all the books., movies.,posts eft about Ann Boleyn.I pick up everybook I see about Ann.I just recently. Started buying jewrley. With her picture on it. So needless. To say I devour. Any thing I can read about her.this article was interesting. Because I heard so many theories. In the books I read.gteat article cant wait to read your book
It makes me wonder, if the king had stayed with Anne and eventually a son was born, how different History would be!
my country with history of our great king and Queens , the. book of all books .
How different things would have been for England and Anne if only that second child had survived. I too find it hard to believe that this 2nd pregnancy was a false one, perhaps her body just had not recovered enough from her previous pregnancy? What an awful time for them both. I’ve been a Tudor history fan ever since my Mum showed me Anne of the Thousand Days nearly 30 years ago. Anne Boleyn will always fascinate me. What a shame that not more information was recorded on this 2nd pregnancy by those around. Again great article.
Very interesting read. Thank you 🙂
I’ve always been fascinated by all things Tudor, and your article made me really want to read your book 🙂
Have always had big interest in the Tudor era, especially marriage between Henry & Anne. There are so many questions to be answered. The article above peaked my interest even more. Thanks for sharing all of this wonderful information.
I can understand why Henry would have left court and why he would have commanded that the event be (not-quite) erased. All of those who did not support his marriage to Anne would have been given leverage, “proving” that Anne was not able to provide him the son and heir he was so sure would arrive after he left Katherine.
I am also not inclined to believe the rumor that Chapuys repeated saying the King doubted Anne’s pregnancy had existed. This was, after all, the Spanish Ambassador who despised Anne, referred to her as “The Concubine,” and told people she had an extra finger and a large mole.
Love this site!
The fact Henry VIII was all consumed in producing a male heir when in fact he fathered one of the Britain’s great queens (Elizabeth I) with Anne Boleyn is ironic. I look forward to your book with great anticipation in reading additional facts discovered in your extensive research.
I think it was indeed a case of swearing everyone to secrecy and erasing the matter from history. I can’t even begin to imagine how the couple felt; she not only at the loss of her child but how much it mattered in the great scheme of things and he because he was hugely let down after all he’d been through. BHe must have been furious witb God.
I have been reading your first novel very recently and am only half way through so all this conjecture is lost on me at the moment I am looking forward to learning more so this will help me enormously I do feel the love between them so much the more I read How sad the story is
Thanks for that interesting and clearly written account, it’s a very poignant story indeed.
When I examined the Moost Happi medal at the British Museum I was struck by Anne’s beautifully modeled breasts – the artist had placed careful emphasis on their becoming fullness. One of the few contemporary accounts of Anne states that her breasts were ‘not much raised’, but this portrait records the contrary. Anne was clearly most happy to flaunt her fertility in this commemorative medal of 1534.
The article seems very well researched and is informative. It is also well written and does make me quite interested in reading your book.
Thank you for sharing this.
That was a fantastic read!! I’ve not been a fan of Tudor history long, 8-9 years or so, but Anne has always been my favorite wife! I’m looking forward to learning more about Anne!!!!
Since I am not a professional historian, I will postulate further. Even a stillborn infant may not have been cause for a complete expungement of the birth from history, if it had been male and otherwise perfect in appearance. It could have been spun as proof that Henry was capable of producing a male child. I’m guessing the stillborn infant was female, had severe physical malformations, or both.
If Anne would have her son, her great daughter would had never been the queen she was. Unfortunately, Henry was so obsessed with this male heir (and it wasn´t his fault) that he forgot to love his both daughters Mary and Elizabeth.
I have been a big fan of British History for the last couple of years, I would love to tour England to discover all of its hidden gems!!
This book looks SO interesting! From the moment I heard about it I’ve been itching to get my hands on it! I think learning about historical figures’ personal lives is just as much, if not more interesting than learning about their politics and reasons that they’re notable! The Tudors, especially, are known for their promiscuity and scandal, so I can imagine this is a VERY fun and interesting read.
Thanks Natalie for this giveaway!!
Only recently, we have been able to unearth so many secrets of the past that not only opens our minds to what is and what is not, but also liberates the “ghosts” of the past–giving them justice–those that has been good and true. The truth will set us free! Thanks Natalie for your work!
Exciting to see what promises this book has to offer! I´m crossing my fingers… 😉
I find the personal lives of historical figures just as fascinating as the history around them, their families, etc. I haven’t seen much on the topic…and when I originally saw that this book was being published, I knew I had to have it for my collection! I would love a shot at winning the book!
Their real lives are better than any soap opera writer could dream of!!! Sounds very very juicy!!!!!! Always love to learn more about the Tudor family!!!
Thanks Natalie!!! and excellent post as always!
That sounds like an incredibly interesting, especially considering the usual attitude towards the subject. The book also seems to cover a wide range of areas of the subject. Sounds like something I would find INCREDIBLY interesting to read!
I have often tried to imagine the stress Anne was under to produce that all important male heir. After all, she promised the King she could deliver for so many long years only to disappoint. Certainly she was well aware what the King was capable of doing to those who displeased him. She may have put on a happy face during this pregnancy, but it is inconceivable to believe that this intelligent woman did not fear the repercussions if she were to fail King Henry again. Her stress levels certainly could have played part in the stillbirth.
Thank you for this lovely article on a subject which continues to fascinate and captivate me for many years.
I Love it when someone writes a book about a part of the the Tudor era that no one has really addressed before and Amys book sounds as though it does this. When you read Tudor books, childbirth and sex is hardly ever mention in any depth and yet they changes everything in womens lives.
I’ll look forward to this!!!!
Thank you Natalie for this giveaway!
Thank you for such an illuminating article. I have long thought that this event was the turning point that triggered Henry’s final chapter in his mental behavior. He took great trouble to wipe Anne of the face of the earth after her execution. I have believed for some time that he had Kells syndrome, a condition that causes the pregnancies to result in fetal death. It certainly would explain the many miscarriages and stillborn births KOA and Anne experienced. The fact that Jane Seymour was able conceive and deliver a live boy was proof of Henry’s devotion to her and his decision to be buried next to her. However, Edward was also a fragile child and died young so since neither Mary or Elizabeth had children it marked the end of the Tudor line. Henry was swamped in guilt thinking G-d had cursed him. He wasn’t wrong. It is very sad that he could not have seen the success of his daughter Elizabeth’s reign. I think he deeply loved Anne, and that’s why he killed her. He just couldn’t think of how else to erase the deep emotional scars of that 2nd pregnancy ruining his happiness. TY for this wonderful article. You know me well from the The Tudor wiki where I posted as Tudorcrazy (1000 posts). I have a facebook page called Marie Queen of Scots which has been my primary focus for years. But Anne is the one who sparked the succession dilemma which resulted in the horrible regicide by Elizabeth on Marie Queen of Scots. Had Elizabeth bore children I think all would have gone well, but who knows if she could. She had many good reasons not to, and Her father executing Anne was certainly one of those reasons.
I would love to win this book..I have often wondered how I would have fared way back then, my first birthing was pretty bad and I think I would have been one of those who didn’t make it..Thank god for modern medicine which helped me with my first born, a boy…I then continued to go on and have another 4 healthy boys..This brings me to another question..If I were Queen and managed to have 5 healthy boys how wonderful would my life have been. LOL
I really enjoyed the article and will definitely read the book. It is fascinating how the childbirth experience has changed so much in terms of medical procedures and practices but each labor and delivery is still unique. It is sad that basic handwashing could have made such a difference for the health and survival of the mother and baby.
I enjoyed the interview and can’t wait to devour the book!!! Thanks Natalie, I appreciate all the information and resources.
This is a fantastic approach for a Tudor history book; The 16th century/Tudor England was a fascinating time for women, which is one of the many reasons why I love to study it!
I am very much looking forward to reading this book; It sounds like Ms. Licence is covering every notable Tudor in the bedroom, a topic that must have been hard to research with some, and very easy with others!
Excellent post!!! thank you Natalie!
An excellent written piece on AB and the second pregnancy. The “what if’s” that come to mind had this child survived , would probably make a good essay too. Would AB have secured her position on the throne,? Excellent thoughtful article.
Great article, I always find myself reading anything I can get my hands on when it comes to the Tudors. The intrigue and the passion that if you take the time to read about can teach us so much about history and the lives and loves of all the individuals.
Excellent post Natalie! thank you for keeping us updated with this wonderfull information!
Your article is really interesting, it’s a shame more about her second pregnancy isn’t documented, however, as you suggests, the silence may speak for itself. You cannot help but feel for Anne who probably lost a baby at more or less full term, especially knowing the events that to we’re ensue shortly afterwards.
Very fascinating, would enjoy reading more. Love the blog, always learning new things and looking forward to the next interesting post
Perhaps overwhelming stress and anxity was partly to blame for this tragic event in Annes life. The pressure must have been immense.
Thank you for sharing this insight Natalie, very thought provoking
Very interesting read! From what I’ve read, I’ve always felt that Henry wouldn’t have acted as he did if Anne had a false pregnancy or early miscarriage.
I’m interested to read the book and see another viewpoint!… Thank you so much Natalie and Amy to share with us this book!. I´m crossing my fingers for a chance to win!!!! 🙂
I’m so glad I stumbled across your site. It’s been intriguing reading more deeply into the Tudor reign. I’ve been deeply interested for years, and have a nightstand full of books to confirm it! Thanks for sharing with us.
This is such an excellent read. The Tudor time has always interested me. Thank you for this article… Hope I could win!
Great article! I’ve always been fascinated by Anne’s second pregnancy. I think it will remain one of the great mysteries about her, unless new information is found.
I’ve not heard of In Bed With The Tudors, sounds like a great read!
Excellent post! You have done a wonderful job of exploring this confusing subject. There is so much information written out there on Anne and some of it can be misleading.
You take that information and analyze it in such a way as to make it clearer to us. Thanks Natalie!! By the way, I´m finishing your book and I´m trully loving it!! 🙂
Extremely interesting piece. Wonderful to read a more in depth take on something which is usually given a few lines. Definatly learn something new! Thats why i love your blog!! 😉
Wonderful article! Being a mum and reading this article does make me sad. I couldn’t imagine losing a child in the way Anne did having the pressure of the world on your shoulders. You would want to mourn in your own way and privately, but as queen and in such a pressured situation she couldn’t. It’s heartbreaking.
Great article. What a terrible time to be a woman!! I love the time period and all thing Tudor but how terrible it must have been to be a woman. To be blamed for the sex of the baby like you had a say. What a strong woman Anne must truly have been…which is probably where Elizabeth got it from!! Thank you for the article
The fact Henry VIII was all consumed in producing a male heir when in fact he fathered one of the Britain’s great queens (Elizabeth I) with Anne Boleyn is ironic.
I look forward to Amy´s book with great anticipation!! Thanks!