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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
Anne Boleyn was a woman born before her time. She was erudite, strong and passionate with a hot temper. Traits that Henry at first loved but which turned to hate. Anne made the mistake of underestimating Henry thinking his love would last forever but Henry was a spoilt, fickle child when it came to having his own way. Maybe if Anne had tempered her opinions and accepted his penchant for having a mistress as Catherine of Aragon had done, she may have survived and given him a son instead of Jane Seymour. I do not however think she was unfaithful or guilty of any of the crimes she was accused of. It will be very interesting to read Amy´s book!
I too believe Anne was sabotaged.
Please enter me in the contest to win the book. Terrrialllen@aol.com. Thank you.
Great article.
Kyla Kramer explores the possibility that Henry was suffering from a rare condition called McLeod’s Syndrome, which is a congenital blood problem. One of the problems of someone suffering from this syndrome is that they are have great difficulty siring healthy children and and those that do survive may inherit the problem. Also, according to Kramer, victims of this syndrome develop paranoia as they age, which Henry certainly did.
Anyone who has seen Helen Castor’s series on medieval marriage, birth and death, will know just how fraught childbirth was for those of elevated social status. A queen’s confinement was well watched and documented, which suggests that in Anne’s case there was either a) a cover up, or b) perhaps Anne went into labour early and it was so fast that it was perhaps seen as unnatural and the child did not survive, which caused Henry to absent himself.
You have certainly broadened the debate. Great Stuff.
I also believe he had what you call McLeod’s syndrome, which I have read is also Kell’s syndrome. It is entirely probable he had this, and that his dementia was a symptom in later life. Certainly this would explain his sparse progeny. It would be interesting if they could DNA test Mary and Elizabeth and Edward to see if they carried this defect. The death of Qe1 was certainly the end of the Tudor line, which was only carried on through Marie Queen of Scots and her son James. How ironic.
I think Anne must have lived in fear after she married Henry and even after Elizabeth was born. After all she could be replaced as easily as Catherine was. I don’t believe that she was as bad as many reports give. I think being a strong willed woman she did whatever she had to in order to keep what she had and to protect the future of her daughter.
I am so happy to have found this site. It gives me much relief that I can find out as much information as I can digest about the Tudors. I have been fascinated with them and their lives for years. I would so love to have this book to add to my slowly growing library.
I believe the struggle between the reformed religion and the “true religion” created such a divide at court and Anne, many new enemies. The time in which she became queene was so turbulent and was not helped by her modern views as regards the woman’s role. She was indeed hundreds of years before her time and was the helpless victim, due in part to her inability to determine the sex via chromosomes, and the immense amount of pressure to produce male issue.
I really love the article, here in Argentina is really difficult to find this kind of good books! Looking foward to have it on my hands! 😉 in the mean time I print it, like the others excellents articles of this page!
thank you so much On the Tudor trail, to give us this posibility. The best news on my twitter page!
A big hug and kisses from Argentina!!
Great article!
A much aligned Lady,she was very harshly treated just because she didn’t give him a son.
What a great article, and a fascinating subject to discuss! It’s true that just about every biography I’ve read about Anne Boleyn makes almost no mention of her second pregancy – in fact, some just say that there “may have been” at least one failed pregnancy between the birth of Elizabeth and her final miscarriage in January 1536, without giving any specific or confident details. I, like you, believe that she was pregnant and lost the baby. I don’t believe there is enough evidence to suggest that she suffered a “false pregnancy” – after all, after just giving birth to Princess Elizabeth two months prior, I highly doubt she would have been under enough stress or anxiety to warrant a false pregnancy. She was not yet in a crisis mode, as she would be a few years later. I think, in hers and in Henry’s mind, there was still plenty of time to concieve and bear a healthy son, so I don’t believe she was in the state of mind to experience such a rare situation. I do think it is a huge tragedy – and one that would remain with her and add to her stress up until the point of her final miscarriage in 1536. This was another example of why she was a “failure” to Henry, despite his humorous use of words in the phrase, “[her] aptness to procreate children” – (that made me chuckle)!
Great article! I love contemplating Anne Boleyn controversies. Thanks for the opportunity to win “In Bed with the Tudors” – I’ve wanted to read this book since it first came out! Hoping I win!!
Very interesting read for the day. Would love a chance to get the book!
I would love to win the book! =)
Thanks for a great article. I can’t wait to read your book. I also want to thank you for the email updates and reminders. Often I get so busy with kids and work that I don’t have time to check websites for fun or research. Your emails and links are an easy reminder to take some time for myself and research an area I have been interested in since childhood. Keep up the great work and good luck on future research.
Thanks so much for wading through all the historical evidence to help us all understand Anne better! I greatly enjoy your articles and would love to own “In Bed with the Tudors”!
Excellent article….please enroll me in the contest, this made me order the On the Trail book for my kindle app!
What a great opportunity to win this interesting book and be apart of a great Tudor site. Thank you!
Thanks for adding so many new information to a fascinating topic, though not strange to us, Tudors lovers. Awesome article !
A very interesting article!!!! I think Ana was a woman who was born in the wrong era, she was too smart for the time that she lived, I would have liked to know her at this time, I think she would have been a great leader!!!!
I’m going with a stillborn son. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been concerned about meeting with Francis.
Natalie, what a great article. I found it to be an informative and enjoyable read. I love reading new books or articles on Anne, especially since finding out she is a relative. I hope I am a winner for the book.
Great article. Learning more about Anne which is interesting . Would love to win a copy of the book by Amy as I have all her others . Thanks
GREAT read!! Well written, too! I would love to be able to read more in the book!!
I have just started a Henry VIII website to look in to all things Tudor. This book would be a great help. I will be buying it even if I don’t win one. Great site found it very useful.
Gripping read, well written. I have loved anything to do with the Tudors since I was 6 when my grandad gave me a book on them (I still have it). I love on the Tudors Trail and when I come back to the UK in April I plan to visit many of the places meantioned. If I win the book I will be very happy regards Amanda
A lovely analysis. So many questions to which we’ll never know the answer!
I had never (for some reason) stopped to think, before, that the gender would have been evident. Either way, it must have been an emotional revelation.
I too believe Anne was sabotaged.
Awesome article. Would love to win a copy of the book.
I just wonder how different history would have been if that little boy had lived.
Poor Anne, poor Henry. So sad.
I cannot explain how much I love this era of history!! Any information or books I can read is fantastic! I am just so fascinated with their way of life – I often think I was born in the wrong time. Henry & the Tudors are my passion & I love this article!
I love reading about Anne…wonderful article.
Very informative as always
What a great article! I love the Tudor’s and I think Anne was definitely my favorite of the wives.
Always enjoy a good and informative article on Anne 🙂
Great article, I have just read all the Philippa Gregory Tudor books which I enjoyed immensely. I hope I win the book as I have recently discovered the Tudors and find this period extremely interesting and Anne Boleyn especially. Thanks!
I Need one of those! : )
Great article. I just love learning about any of Henry’s wives and what they went through.
Very enjoyable article, and a fascinating period in history!
An intriguing article, but what could possibly be the truth.
Its so long ago now and and stories were re told and re written to suit the situation at the time.
Anne was under so much pressure to provide an heir, and as we now know her life depended on it. I don’t believe she ever thought that Henry would have her executed for not producing a boy, but I do think she realised she would be cast aside. This in its self was very fearsome for her and her family.
She knew a boy child must be created. Therefore a cover up is very possible.
Anne’s status was everything to her, especially to safeguard her daughter Elizabeth. She must have been very frightened of what the future held.
I would imagine that Anne was still very much a pawn in the game her family was playing, and unfortunately they lost that game and so did Anne.
I real do enjoy your article on the Tudors You bring each story to life
I always thought that their was the possibility that Anne had rhesus negative blood……….
I love everything about the Tudor history. Thanks for the very interesting artible!
Very interesting article. Poor Anne, she walked a tightrope-a pawn in a much bigger game than even she anticipated. Would love a copy of the book!
Absolutely fascinating excerpt that makes me yearn for more to fill myself with Tudor history. I can only dream to win!
I have always been fascinated by Anne. I couldn’t imagine the fear she felt being the queen. I really enjoyed the article! Thanks for sharing!!
Excellent article. I’ve wondered what part Henry played in the difficulty his queens had with bearing healthy children.
Such a lovely article! Anne had so much weight on her shoulders, not only to give Henry a son but to also prove herself worthy of the title queen to the people. While they might have been happy during that time, there were still so many stresses day to day to contend with. She was such a strong woman and while I’m a Henry lover, it’s still a shame that he did what he did to her.
Love your page enjoy looking at all your pics I m from Dublin and visited a few castles and love the colourful history of the monarchy ,especially the Tudors very interesting stuff keep it up regards Irene
fascinating read always enjoy your posts and pictures on fb and these have inspired me as a person who has always had a love of history esp the tudor period to read more in depth articles about the individuals aswell as general history
Great article! I LOVE this stuff. I love everything about the era.
I have just found your wonderful site via British Period Drama’s FB page!
What gorgeous wallpaper! Indeed, inspired by the lady herself!
As an Australian – I would be chuffed to WIN a copy of “In bed with the Tudors” as I possess little knowledge of her this very rich part of English history.
The book would indeed help me become more acquainted with Ann Boleyn and her life with the larger than life King Henry VIII.
Although at the age of 21 I did backpack England and indeed I did visit Hampton Court Palace – I seemed back then rather naive about the “full picture” of the deeper historical accounts and layers of unknown facts which of course have presented themselves over time.
AND! I cannot wait order the note cards they are delightful!
A home without a tudor book is just a house,…..
So, it is absolutely necesarry for me, to win this interesting book to make myself at home!!!!
🙂
Very interesting!! What a devastating loss. How different would our history be if the baby was a boy and survived
Interesting article, just finished reading it for a second time. Think I could really new with a book to read.
Very informative article!
Would LOVE to win your book 🙂