Anne Boleyn Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London Anne's Early Years For a woman who played such an important part in English history, we know remarkably little about her earliest years. Antonia Fraser puts Anne's birth at 1500 or 1501, probably at Blickling (Norfolk) and the date of birth seems to be at the end of May or early June. Other historians put Anne's birth as late as 1507 or 1509. Anne spent part of her childhood at the court of the Archduchess Margaret. Fraser puts her age at 12-13, as that was the minimum age for a 'fille d'honneur'. It was from there that she was transferred to the household of Mary, Henry VIII's sister, who was married to Louis XII of France. Anne's sister Mary was already in 'the French Queen's' attendance. However, when Louis died, Mary Boleyn returned to England with Mary Tudor, while Anne remained in France to attend Claude, the new French queen. Anne remained in France for the next 6 or 7 years.

Because of her position, it is possible that she was at the Field of Cloth of Gold, the famous meeting between Henry VIII and the French king, Francis I. During her stay in France she learned to speak French fluently and developed a taste for French clothes, poetry and music. Anne's Appearance The legend of Anne Boleyn always includes a sixth finger and a large mole or goiter on her neck. However, one would have to wonder if a woman with these oddities (not to mention the numerous other moles and warts she was said to have) would be so captivating to the king. She may have had some small moles, as most people do, but they would be more like the attractive 'beauty marks'. A quote from the Venetian Ambassador said she was 'not one of the handsomest women in the world...'. She was considered moderately pretty. But, one must consider what 'pretty' was in the 16th century. Anne was the opposite of the pale, blonde-haired, blue-eyed image of beauty. She had dark, olive-colored skin, thick dark brown hair and dark brown eyes which often appeared black. Those large dark eyes were often singled out in descriptions of Anne.

She clearly used them, and the fascination they aroused, to her advantage whenever possible. She was of average height, had small breasts and a long, elegant neck. The argument continues as to whether or not she really had an extra finger on one of her hands, but it seems to be unlikely. Life in England and the Attentions of the King Anne returned to England around 1521 for details for her marriage were being worked out. Meanwhile she went to court to attend Queen Catherine. Her first recorded appearance at Court was March 1, 1522 at a masque. After her marriage to the heir of Ormonde fell through, she began an affair with Henry Percy, also a rich heir. Cardinal Wolsey put a stop to the romance, which could be why Anne engendered such a hatred of him later in life. It has been suggested that Wolsey stepped in on behalf of the King to remove Percy from the scene because he had already noticed Anne and wanted her for himself. Fraser asserts that this is not the case since the romance between Anne and Percy ended in 1522 and the King didn't notice Anne until 1526. It is possible that Anne had a precontract with Percy.

Somewhere in this time, Anne also had a relationship of some sort with the poet Sir Thomas Wyatt. Wyatt was married in 1520, so the timing of the supposed affair is uncertain. Wyatt was separated from his wife, but there could be little suggestion of his eventual marriage to Anne. Theirs appears to be more of a courtly love. Exactly when and where Henry VIII first noticed Anne is not known. It is likely that Henry sought to make Anne his mistress, as he had her sister Mary years before. Maybe drawing on the example of Elizabeth Woodville, Queen to Edward IV (and maternal grandmother to Henry VIII) who was said to have told King Edward that she would only be his wife, not his mistress, Anne denied Henry VIII sexual favors. We don't know who first had the idea of marriage, but eventually it evolved into "Queen or nothing" for Anne. At first, the court probably thought that Anne would just end up as another one of Henry's mistresses. But, in 1527 we see that Henry began to seek an annulment of his marriage to Catherine, making him free to marry again.

King Henry's passion for Anne can be attested to in the love letters he wrote to her when she was away from court. Henry hated writing letters, and very few documents in his own hand survive. However, 17 love letters to Anne remain and are preserved in the Vatican library. The Rise of Anne Boleyn In 1528, Anne's emergence at Court began. Anne also showed real interest in religious reform and may have introduced some of the 'new ideas' to Henry, and gaining the hatred of some members of the Court. When the court spent Christmas at Greenwich that year, Anne was lodged in nice apartments near those of the King. The legal debates on the marriage of Henry and Catherine of Aragon continued on. Anne was no doubt frustrated by the lack of progress. Her famous temper and tongue showed themselves at times in famous arguments between her and Henry for all the court to see. Anne feared that Henry might go back to Catherine if the marriage could not be annulled and Anne would have wasted time that she could have used to make an advantageous marriage. Anne was not popular with the people of England.

They were upset to learn that at the Christmas celebrations of 1529, Anne was given precedence over the Duchesses of Norfolk and Suffolk, the latter of which was the King's own sister, Mary. In this period, records show that Henry began to spend more and more on Anne, buying her clothes, jewelry, and things for her amusement such as playing cards and bows and arrows. The waiting continued and Anne's position continued to rise. On the first day of September 1532, she was created Marquess of Pembroke, a title she held in her own right. In October, she held a position of honor at meetings between Henry and the French King in Calais. Queen Anne Sometime near the end of 1532, Anne finally gave way and by December she was pregnant. To avoid any questions of the legitimacy of the child, Henry was forced into action. Sometime near St. Paul's Day (January 25) 1533, Anne and Henry were secretly married. Although the King's marriage to Catherine was not dissolved, in the King's mind it had never existed in the first place, so he was free to marry whomever he wanted.

On May 23, the Archbishop officially proclaimed that the marriage of Henry and Catherine was invalid. Plans for Anne's coronation began. In preparation, she had been brought by water from Greenwich to the Tower of London dressed in cloth of gold. The barges following her were said to stretch for four miles down the Thames. On the 1st of June, she left the Tower in procession to Westminster Abbey, where she became a crowned and anointed Queen in a ceremony led by Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury. [ Read an account of her coronation ] By August, preparations were being made for the birth of Anne's child, which was sure to be a boy. Names were being chosen, with Edward and Henry the top choices. The proclamation of the child's birth had already been written with 'prince' used to refer to the child. Anne took to her chamber, according to custom, on August 26, 1533 and on September 7, at about 3:00 in the afternoon, the Princess Elizabeth was born. Her christening service was scaled down, but still a pleasant affair. The princess' white christening robes can currently be seen on display at Sudeley Castle in England.

Anne now knew that it was imperative that she produce a son. By January of 1534, she was pregnant again, but the child was either miscarried or stillborn. In 1535, she became pregnant again but miscarried by the end of January. The child was reported to have been a boy. The Queen was quite upset, and blamed the miscarriage on her state of mind after hearing that Henry had taken a fall in jousting. She had to have known at this point that her failure to produce a living male heir was a threat to her own life, especially since the King's fancy for one of her ladies-in-waiting, Jane Seymour, began to grow. The Fall of Anne Boleyn Anne's enemies at court began to plot against her using the King's attentions to Jane Seymour as the catalyst for action. Cromwell began to move in action to bring down the Queen. He persuaded the King to sign a document calling for an investigation that would possibly result in charges of treason. On April 30, 1536, Anne's musician and friend for several years, Mark Smeaton, was arrested and probably tortured into making 'revelations' about the Queen.

Next, Sir Henry Norris was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. Then the Queen's own brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford was arrested. On May 2, the Queen herself was arrested at Greenwich and was informed of the charges against her: adultery, incest and plotting to murder the King. She was then taken to the Tower by barge along the same path she had traveled to prepare for her coronation just three years earlier. In fact, she was lodged in the same rooms she had held on that occasion. There were several more arrests. Sir Francis Weston and William Brereton were charged with adultery with the Queen. Sir Thomas Wyatt was also arrested, but later released. They were put on trial with Smeaton and Norris at Westminster Hall on May 12, 1536. The men were not allowed to defend themselves, as was the case in charges of treason. They were found guilty and received the required punishment: they were to be hanged at Tyburn, cut down while still living and then disemboweled and quartered. On Monday the 15th, the Queen and her brother were put on trial at the Great Hall of the Tower of London.

It is estimated that some 2000 people attended. Anne conducted herself in a calm and dignified manner, denying all the charges against her. Her brother was tried next, with his own wife testifying against him (she got her due later in the scandal of Kathryn Howard). Even though the evidence against them was scant, they were both found guilty, with the sentence being read by their uncle, Thomas Howard , the Duke of Norfolk. They were to be either burnt at the stake (which was the punishment for incest) or beheaded, at the discretion of the King. The Executions On May 17, George Boleyn was executed on Tower Hill. The other four men condemned with the Queen had their sentences commuted from the grisly fate at Tyburn to a simple beheading at the Tower with Lord Rochford. Anne knew that her time would soon come and started to become hysterical, her behavior swinging from great levity to body- wracking sobs. She received news that an expert swordsman from Calais had been summoned, who would no doubt deliver a cleaner blow with a sharp sword than the traditional axe. It was then that she made the famous comment about her 'little neck'.

Interestingly, shortly before her execution on charges of adultery, the Queen's marriage to the King was dissolved and declared invalid. One would wonder then how she could have committed adultery if she had in fact never been married to the King, but this was overlooked, as were so many other lapses of logic in the charges against Anne. They came for Anne on the morning of May 19 to take her to the Tower Green, where she was to be afforded the dignity of a private execution. [ Read the Constable's recollection of this morning ]. She made a short speech [ read the text of Anne's speech ] before kneeling on the scaffold. She removed her headdress (which was an English gable hood and not her usual French hood, according to contemporary reports) and her ladies tied a blindfold over her eyes. The sword itself had been hidden under the straw. The swordsman cut off her head with one swift stroke. Anne's body and head were put into an arrow chest and buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula which adjoined the Tower Green.

Her body was one that was identified in renovations of the chapel under the reign of Queen Victoria, so Anne's final resting place is now marked in the marble floor. Field of Cloth of Gold For two and a half weeks in June 1520, a meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France occurred near Calais that was to become known to history as the Field of Cloth of Gold. Although the political purpose of the meeting didn’t amount to much in the over-all scheme of things in early 16th century Europe, the glamour and extravagance of the meeting give us a picture of two Renaissance princes and their times. In 1518, through the work of Cardinal Wolsey , the Treaty of London was signed as a non-aggression pact between the major European powers of the time. But less than a year later, the pact was already in danger of falling apart. To preserve the peace, Wolsey arranged a meeting between Henry VIII and Charles V , the new Holy Roman Emperor, and a meeting of Henry VIII and Francis I of France. This second meeting was to be in France, near the English-held town of Calais .

Francis I and Henry VIII were close in age, with Henry being just three years older than his French counterpart. Henry had been king of England for 11 years at the time of the meeting while Francis had been on the French throne for five-and-a-half years. Both Kings had been hailed as great Renaissance princes, which no doubt raised curiosity for each man about the other. This meeting was also a chance for each to display the grandeur and wealth of their courts. Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon and their large retinue left from Dover on about the first of June and stayed in Calais for six days before riding out to meet the French King. One of the more spectacular parts of the meeting was a temporary palace of timber and canvas brought by the English court to go with the pavilions and tents. Excerpts from Hall’s Chronicle describing the meeting: “Thursday 8 June being Corpus Christi day, Henry and the French king Francis I, met in a valley called the Golden Dale which lay midway between Guisnes and Arde where the French king had been staying. In this valley Henry pitched his marquee made of cloth of gold near where a banquet had been prepared.

His Grace was accompanied by 500 horsemen and 3,000 foot soldiers, and the French King had a similar number of each. When the two great princes met proclamations were made by the heralds and officers-of-arms of both parties, to the effect that everyone should stand absolutely still  the king of England and his company on one side of the valley and the king of France with his retinue on the other. They were commanded to stand thus, completely still, on pain of death whilst the two kings rode down the valley. At the bottom of the valley they embraced each other in great friendship and then, dismounting, embraced each other again, taking off their hats. Henry’s sword was held, unsheathed, by the marquess of Dorset whilst the duc de Bourbon bore the French king’s sword similarly all the while. On Friday 9 June the two kings met up at the camp where a tiltyard had been set up with a pretty green tree with damask leaves nearby.

On Saturday two shields bearing the arms of the two kings were hung upon this tree and a proclamation made to the effect that anyone who intended to attend the royal jousts and compete in feats of arms  such as the running at the tilt, fighting tourneys on horseback and fighting on foot at the barriers with swords should bring their shields of arms and have their names entered into the records kept by Clarencieux and Lancaster, officers-at-arms. On Sunday 11 June the French king came to Guisnes to dine with the Queen of England and was graciously received by the Lord Cardinal, the Duke of Buckingham , the Duke of Suffolk , the Earl of Northumberland and various other noblemen, together with a large number of ladies and gentlemen all richly dressed in cloth of gold, velvet and silks. That day too the French king was himself magnificently dressed in tissue-cloth set with precious stones and pearls. When dinner was over, some time was spent dancing in the banqueting hall. Before he started to dance, the French king went from one end of the room to the other, carrying his hat in his hand and kissing all the ladies on both sides  except for four or five who were too old and ugly.

He then returned to the Queen and spoke with her for a while before spending the rest of the day dancing. At the same moment King Henry was dining with the French Queen at Arde where he spent the time in a similar manner until seven o’clock in the evening when he returned to Guisnes and the French king likewise returned to Arde. On Monday 12 June both kings and their men-at-arms met at the aforementioned camp. Also present were the Queen of England and the Queen of France, wife of Francis I with her ladies-in-waiting  all riding in litters and sedan chairs covered in sumptuous embroidery. Some other ladies also arrived mounted on richly decorated palfreys. Then the two kings with their teams of challengers and their sides entered the field, every one fully armed and magnificently dressed. The French king started the jousts and did extremely well, even though the first lance was broken by King Henry, who managed to break one on each charge. The French king broke a good number of lances but not as many as Henry. Thursday 15 June saw Henry in the field again, fully armoured and challenging all comers.

Opponents that day included two French noblemen with their men-at-arms, all well-mounted and finely dressed, who acquitted themselves well. On Friday 16 June there was no contest at the camp because of a tremendous gale. On Saturday both kings entered the field and king Henry’s armour-skirt and horse-trapper were decorated with 2,000 ounces of gold and 1,100 huge pearls, the price of which was incalculable, the Earl of Devonshire also appeared that day wearing cloth of gold, tissue-cloth and cloth of silver, all elaborately embroidered, with his retinue wearing the same uniform. When the French king and the Earl of Devonshire charged at each other, so fierce was their encounter that both their lances broke. In all they ran off eight times, during which the French king broke three lances while the earl broke two lances and the French king’s nose. On Saturday 23 June a large and well-appointed chapel was set up on the grounds, decorated with ornate hangings and filled with statues of saints and holy relics. Later the lord cardinal said mass in the chapel  which had been built and fitted out entirely at king Henry’s expense.

During the service the chaplains of both kings took it in turns to sing the refrains, which was heavenly to listen to. The mass completed, the kings and queens, together with their noble retinues, proceeded to the gallery beside the chapel to dine in great style.” The celebrations concluded the next day, on the 24th. The meeting really did not do much in the way of improving the relations between the two countries and in just a couple of years, England and France were once again, as they had been many times in the previous centuries, at war. Battle Royal: When England's Henry VIII Wrestled France's King Francis | FIGHTLAND Battle Royal: When England's Henry VIII Wrestled France's King Francis Tweet ​Field of the Cloth of Gold, 1545​ (Wikimedia Commons) Wrestling, even more than boxing, became a source of entertainment and spectacle in Britain and in the United States in the twentieth century, but it had a rather grand history. In 1520, the twenty-nine-year-old King Henry the VIII of England challenged fellow monarch King Francis the first of France to a wrestling match at the historic “Field of the Cloth of Gold” meeting.

Although Francis was able to throw the older and larger Henry to win the match, the two were said to have left the meeting as friends, despite Henry’s historic bad temper and the ever-present enmity between England and France. Europe was run by three young men in 1520: Henry VIII of England, Charles V of Spain, and Francis of France. Two years earlier, Henry, Charles, Francis, and other princes of major European countries signed a peace treaty in which they agreed to join each other to battle the growing Ottoman-Turkish empire and end fighting in the constantly waring European nations. In 1519, nineteen-year-old Charles was elected Holy Roman Emperor, and in an effort to maintain a balance of power in Europe, Henry (29 years old), and Francis (23 years old) agreed to meet in a neutral location to pledge their friendship and brotherhood, as only young, ludicrously rich men knew how. The illustrious meeting, organized by the ever-conniving Cardinal Wolsley, was to be a spectacle of epic proportions, celebrating the signing of the Treaty of Universal Peace two years prior.

Charles lingered in the background, conferring with Wolsley, who assured the new Holy Roman Emperor that the event was more a show of friendship than an alliance against Spain. Meanwhile, Henry and Francis worked to outdo each other, each demonstrating his own power, wealth, and virility. The event nearly bankrupted the two countries, unsurprising given that Henry commissioned a temporary palace built for him, ostentatiously filled with the trappings of a royal Christian court. Golden statues of the saints stood next to a crucifix festooned with pearls. Henry, still married to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, ensured that his quarters were suitable to his queen, with real glass in the windows and fully-outfitted kitchens to cook decadent feasts. Francis quarters were as luxurious as his fellow monarch’s, with rich blue velvet walls embroidered with France’s gold fleur-de-lis. Throughout the meeting of the monarchs, which took place over three weeks, tents of gold fabric populated the area, thus engendering the name “The Field of the Cloth of Gold;” a rather clunky moniker for what was essentially a royal pissing contest.

Fountains erupted in wine and servants scrambled everywhere to serve the royals, their noble constituents, and sizable armies. According to Historian Glenn Richard, over 3,000 sheep and lambs, 800 calves, and 300 oxen were slaughtered by the engorged horde. At the heart of the Field of the Cloth of Gold was an attempt, by both men, to simultaneously express their kingly kinship and to more implicitly demonstrate to the other the might of his fighting force. Ten days of sporting events ensued and knights competed for both country and honor. Not to be eclipsed by their men, Francis and Henry also participated in the games, culminating in the wrestling match that was no mere kerfuffle, for it was not just a bout between two men, but rather, a harbinger of hostility between England and France. Henry was a huge man—in the 16th century, the average height of European men was 5’4 and Henry stood a towering 6’1. Although he is often portrayed as fleshy and even obese by popular culture, it was only near the end of his life that Henry became corpulent and sickly.

An avid athlete, Henry Tudor jousted and hunted, threw the javelin and excelled in archery. He was skilled at double-axe fighting and played bowls. And Henry practiced, and apparently excelled, in a style of wrestling indigenous to the Cornwall region of England, known as Cornish Wrestling. The practitioners wear short jackets, which can be grabbed, held, and manipulated by their opponents in an attempt to throw each other to the ground, where the match ends. There is no ground work, only a series of highly dynamic flips, sweeps, wrenches, and trips to take an opponent off his or her feet. Francis, like Henry, was highly-educated in a wide range of academic disciplines, and showed particular skill in the military strategy and combat. He hunted, played tennis, and wrestled in his country’s style, known as Breton Wrestling. Breton Wrestling (sometimes known as Gouren Wrestling) is similar in approach to Cornish wrestling—according to Martial Arts Historian Thomas Green, the primary difference between the two styles is how tight the jacket is worn. The Breton wrestler wears a tight jacket and the Cornish wrestler wears it loose.

Accounts of the actual match vary, but it seems definitive that the match did indeed take place and was not just apocryphal. The Field of the Cloth of Gold contained elements of bromance, as each king gave the other a bracelet, and declarations of undying love and fealty. The event, held under the auspices of peace and friendship, focused on the efforts of the French and English knights as they sought to best each other in the numerous tournaments and contests. On the third day, Henry defeated Francis in an archery contest, and by all accounts, Francis good-naturedly congratulated him. As the day (and the drinks) wore on, Henry challenged Francis to a wrestling match—a true hand-to-hand competition. Again, by all accounts, Francis initially demurred, not wanting to risk his friendship with Henry, who was an egoist at best and a narcissist at his worst. But Henry persuaded Francis and the two men set out to a flat, grassy area for the match to endure. Wrestling, unlike boxing, has a reputation as being the provincial fighting sport.

Mostly practiced in rural areas, wrestling was the activity of farm-workers and day-laborers, who, after a hard day in the fields, may unwind by attempting to throw each other to the ground. Boxing would not have been a viable option for many of these groups simply because they needed to be able to wake up and work the next day without dealing with the aftermath of a boxing match. Henry and Francis, while the epitome of aristocratic upbringing and epicurean style, also embraced the more ‘country’ pursuits of falconing, hunting, and wrestling. Thus these two men, reportedly outfitted in rich velvets and silks, faced each other on the Field of the Cloth of Gold, determined to add grass-stains to the sumptuous garments of his rival. Details of the bout are not available, and those sources that claim specifics read as spurious imaginings of Victorian fan-boys. What is known is that Francis eventually managed to out maneuver Henry and using a technique known as the Breton trip, the King of France tossed the King of England to the ground. The Field of the Cloth of Gold was a monumental display of wealth and power that, in the years that followed, appeared to have accomplished nothing.

Within two years of the event, Henry and the Holy Roman Emperor joined forces and declared war on Francis. Years later, Francis and Henry would again align when the French monarch agreed to support Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn. And yet again, France and England would go to war, this perpetual machine of war and peace, treaties and broken promises. The wrestling between the two men signified a larger, enduring struggle between the monarch’s ceaseless struggle for power. So many things were at stake for France and England in the 16th century—territory, wealth, power, and religion. On the Field of the Cloth of Gold, when Henry and Francis grappled to take each other to the ground, a microcosm of that tension revealed itself in that skirmish. There never was a rematch for Francis and Henry—at least, not as wrestlers. Instead, the two men continued to fight for dominance, in royal chambers, in sealed letters, and in public displays of aggression. Would Francis have been able to best Henry twice on that grass field? Perhaps Henry would have been the winner in a second match.

Regardless, the Field of the Cloth of Gold provided the monarchs, and history, with the opportunity to do something that, otherwise, would never have occurred in the gilded chambers of imperial palaces. Henry VIII, King of England and his six wives By Ben Johnson | Comments Henry VIII is best known for his six wives. Most school children learn the following rhyme to help them remember the fate of each wife: "Divorced, Beheaded, Died: Divorced, Beheaded, Survived". Everyone recognises his portrait: a fat, larger-than-life individual, wearing clothes set with jewels and sporting a neat red beard. This is Henry in later life: in his youth he was handsome and athletic, the most eligible prince inEurope. Henry was also a complex man: intelligent, boisterous, flamboyant, extravagant. Athletic, musical, a poet. Ruthless, arrogant, passionate. Henry's driving desire for a male heir was to lead him to divorce two wives and have two wives beheaded: it led to religious revolution and the creation of the Church of England, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the Reformation. The decisions that Henry made during his reign were to shape modern Britain.

The second son of Henry VII, Henry was only 17 years of age when he became king in 1509. He was 6 feet 2 inches tall, with a pale skin and auburn hair. He was athletic, a man of action and enjoyed all kinds of sport: hunting, jousting, real tennis, riding. He was also a musician; he played the flute, the lute and the organ. He wrote poetry. An avid reader, he owned a library of almost a thousand books. He wrote a treatise against the Protestant Martin Luther and was rewarded by Pope Leo X who gave him the title, "Defender of the Faith", which the British monarch retains to this day. In 1546, Henry founded Trinity College, Cambridge. It can be argued that Henry founded the modern English nation. In 1536, the Act of Union between England and Wales brought Wales into union with England. The unification of Irelandwas also achieved during his reign. Henry increased the role of the Parliament, particularly regarding taxation. It was important for a 16th century king to appear all-powerful but this was costly.

In 1520 with King Francis I of France, Henry co-hosted the legendary "Field of the Cloth of Gold", an outrageously extravagant event in Calais. The event was meant to show a united front between the kingdoms of England and France in the face of the Holy Roman Emperor. Each king tried to outdo the other in tournaments, feasting, clothes and jewels during a celebration that lasted for weeks and cost a fortune. Thomas Wolsey was Henry's trusted advisor and friend. Wolsey was the son of an Ipswich butcher, a highly intelligent man who became rich and powerful, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor and Cardinal in 1515. Henry VIII had not expected to become king: his elder brother Arthur had died. Henry had therefore received little tutoring in politics and government, and was happy to rely on his friend Wolsey to advise him. Constantly changing alliances between nations dominated Europe in the 16th century. Henry VIII and Wolsey sought to make England as significant a power as the two greatest European nations of the time, France and Spain. However foreign policy was not Henry's strong point. His wars against France were on the whole unsuccessful and costly.

Victory against the Scots at the Battle of Flodden served only to strengthen the alliance between the Scots and the French. Catherine of Aragon Ann Boleyn The annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon was the breaking point in Henry and Wolsey's friendship. Henry was infatuated with Anne Bolelyn, one of the ladies-in-waiting to the Queen, and marriage to Anne would hopefully give Henry the male heir he so desperately wanted. The daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, Anne had spent part of her youth with her sister Mary at the French Court. Mary was sent back toEnglandin 1519 (some say in disgrace for her promiscuous behaviour) and became one of Catherine's ladies-in-waiting. Mary caught Henry's eye and briefly became his mistress. Anne returned to England in 1522 and became a popular figure at court. By 1526 Henry was deeply in love with her. The bloody Wars of the Roses, which had ended in Henry's father Henry VII becoming king, were still within living memory. Henry was desperate for an heir to continue the Tudor dynasty and to avoid any future civil war.

Twenty years of marriage to Catherine had resulted in just one surviving child, Mary, and now at the age of 40, Catherine was unlikely to bear any more children. Catherine's inability to give him a male heir tortured Henry and he began to question whether their marriage was legal and valid. Catherine was his brother Arthur's widow. She had married Arthur in 1501, but was widowed aged just 16. It took a further seven years before Henry and Catherine were married in 1509. At the time of their marriage, Henry was 18 and very much in love with the 23 year old Catherine. The dispensation for his marriage to Catherine from the Pope was based on the presumption that Catherine was still a virgin on her first husband's death. However Henry now wanted a divorce so he could marry Anne. Catherine insisted that she had been a virgin when she married Henry and refused to accept an annulment of the marriage. Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, became involved, threatening the Pope if his aunt's marriage to Henry was annulled. Pope Clement VII was put in a difficult position as any decision he made would anger one or the other.

He delayed announcing a decision for as long as possible before refusing to grant the divorce. Wolsey had failed to secure the divorce for Henry and was deposed from office. Even Wolsey's gift of his magnificent new palace at Hampton Court to Henry could not save him: Wolsey died before he could be brought to trial for treason. Thomas More was brought in to replace Wolsey as Chancellor. Henry took matters into his own hands and broke from Rome and the Roman Catholic Church. Excommunicated by the Pope, in 1533 Henry divorced Catherine and married Anne, who was now pregnant. Catherine, now Princess Dowager of Wales, was forced to leave court. For the next three years she lived in seclusion in a series of dank castles and manors with just a few servants. On January 7 1536, Catherine died at Kimbolton Castle and was buried at Peterborough Abbey. Taking advantage of the spread of the Protestant doctrine sweeping Northern Europe, and envious of the Church's wealth, Parliament passed The Act of Supremacy in 1534 which made Henry the Supreme Head of the Church of England.

The new Church was guided by the Archbishop of Canterbury , Thomas Cranmer (who had helped Henry with his divorce from Catherine). Prior to the break with Rome, for centuries Mass had been said in Latin. Cranmer believed it was important for the people to worship in English and so was responsible for the first English Bible authorized for public use which was distributed to every church in the land. Revolts against the new Church of England and the new service were put down. Sir Thomas More , the Lord Chancellor, was executed for refusing to acknowledge Henry as head of the Church. Thomas Cromwell became Vicar-General and later Chancellor and was instrumental in the Dissolution of the Monasteries from 1536 to 1540. Ironically after all this upheaval, the longed-for child was a girl, Elizabeth , and Henry was bitterly disappointed. Two more of Anne's pregnancies ended in miscarriage, in the summer of 1534 and in January 1536, when the baby was a boy. Henry became convinced the marriage was cursed and Anne's arrogant manner didn't help her cause. On 2nd May 1536, Anne was arrested.

She was accused of adultery with her own brother and four commoners - they were all tried and convicted of treason by Anne's uncle, the Duke of Norfolk. On 19th May Anne was beheaded at the Tower of London- the first English queen to be publicly executed. Henry married his mistress Jane Seymour just over a week later. The ruins of Glastonbury Abbey Jane, a committed Catholic, begged Henry to abandon the Dissolution of the Monasteries. However when she gave birth to the long awaited male heir, Edward in 1637, all was forgiven and Henry was ecstatic. Unfortunately following the birth Jane contracted puerpural fever and died: Henry was distraught. The Dissolution of the Monasteries began in 1536 and ended in 1540. Monastic lands, works of art and buildings were sold off. Monks, abbots and others who resisted were executed. Henry's lifestyle, along with his wars, led to a lack of money throughout his reign. Taxation and the wealth taken from the monasteries allowed him to establish a modern navy.

Henry's flagship the Mary Rose and the 'Great Harry', the largest ship of its time at a weight of 1,000 tons, were built. 80 ships were added to the English navy and the first dockyard at Portsmouth was built. Jane Seymour Anne of Cleves Cromwell arranged a fourth marriage for Henry to Anne of Cleves, a German Protestant princess. This was a political match, an alliance between two non-Catholic countries. A portrait of Anne was painted by Hans Holbein, probably the most famous of the Tudor court painters, and Henry agreed to the match. However on meeting Anne, he took an immediate dislike to her; he infamously referred to her as a 'Flanders mare' and told courtiers and ambassadors that he could not perform his husbandly duties because of Anne's appearance. Both parties were happy for the marriage to be annulled after just 6 months and Anne was granted a generous income and several homes including Hever Castle. Anne remained in England and was a frequent visitor to Court as an honoured guest. She enjoyed an independent lifestyle, very different from that of Henry's other divorced wife, Catherine.

Cromwell however was not forgiven for arranging the disastrous match and was executed on a trumpted-up charge of treason. Henry was now no longer the athletic sportsman he once was. A disastrous accident at the age of 44, when his horse rolled on him in a tournament, had left him with a crippled leg. Unable to exercise, Henry nevertheless continued with his lavish lifestyle, gaining so much weight that by the end of his life he measured 4.5 feet around the waist. Overweight and plagued by leg ulcers, Henry still yearned for a second male heir to secure the succession. The young Catherine Howard, pretty and petite, took Henry's eye and he feel deeply in love with her. Despite rumours of love affairs before she came to Court, Henry married Catherine in 1540. Catherine Howard Catherine Parr Catherine was a member of the powerful Howard family; her father was younger brother to the Duke of Norfolk. She was also a cousin of Anne Boleyn, and like Anne, she too would die on the scaffold at Tower Green. Henry was besotted with her, calling her his 'Rose without a Thorn'.

What Catherine thought of her aging, crippled, obese husband is not known, however it appears that after the marriage she made the mistake of resuming her relationship with a former lover, Thomas Culpepper. After just seventeen months of marriage to the king, she was arrested for adultery. She was executed for treason on 13th February 1542. Henry was inconsolable: he is said to have wept openly. The execution of Catherine Howard had sunk the king into a deep depression. Catherine Parr, twice widowed, was entering a relationship with Thomas Seymour, brother of Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife, when Henry noticed her. She was 31 years old, well educated and very intelligent. Fluent in French, she learnt Italian, could read and write in Latin and was competent in Greek. Catherine was a reformist and loved to debate religious questions. This nearly led to her downfall: a particularly vigorous religious argument between king and queen so angered Henry, it led to his signing a warrant for Catherine's arrest on grounds of heresy. On receiving the warrant, Catherine at first panicked but then drew on all her reserves of courage and intelligence.

Ordering her ladies to discard all banned books on religion, she hastened to the king, claiming that she had argued with him purely to take his mind off the pain of his ulcerated legs. Catherine provided the closest thing to a stable family life that Henry's three children had known. She proved an effective nurse to Henry VIII, now weakened by oozing leg ulcers. She could speak intelligently with visiting ambassadors and scholars. As proof of his faith in her, Henry named her regent when he departed in July 1544 on yet another invasion of France. It was a role held by only one other of the king's wives, Catherine of Aragon. Henry died at Whitehall, England, on January 28, 1547, aged 55. He was buried next to his third wife, Jane Seymour, in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Tweet If you enjoyed this article, you might also like... Queen Elizabeth I - She gave her name to a golden age of poets, statesmen and adventurers. Known as the Virgin Queen, or Gloriana, her union with her people became a substitute for the marriage she never made ...

A Tudor Christmas - All work would stop, restarting again on Plough Monday ... Living History Events Diary - Try our events diary to meet with some Tudors ... The Palace of Placentia - The long lost Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, South East London, was once the favourite royal residence of the Tudors. It was also the location where Sir Walter Raleigh placed his coat over the puddle to stop Queen Elizabeth's feet from getting wet! Advertising Field of Cloth of Gold Field of Cloth of Gold June 7, 2011 by Natalie Leave a Comment The Field of Cloth of Gold is the name given to a place between Guines and Ardres in France, near Calais. This was the site of the historic meeting between King Henry VIII and Francis I that commenced on this day in 1520. A short video about the magnificent palace that Henry VIII had constructed at the Field of Cloth of Gold. Fast Tube by Casper A very detailed look at Henry VIII’s foot combat armour for the Field of Cloth of Gold tournament in 1520.

Fast Tube by Casper Portraits of King Henry VIII: Born 1491, Ruled 1509 to 1547 There are two reasons for King Henry VIII's persistent fame - the fascinating history of his reign, and the artistic genius of Hans Holbein the Younger. If Henry had been immortalized by a lesser artist, it is likely that even six wives and the Reformation would not have ensured his place as the most recognizable monarch in world history. Henry was born in 1491 and was crowned king at the age of 18. He immediately married his brother's widow and entered into the tangled web of European politics. Despite vast sums of money, much diplomatic wrangling, and several battles, his foreign policy was mostly inconsequential. His domestic policies, however, changed the course of English history. Determined to annul his first marriage, Henry eventually rejected papal authority in England. In 1535, he declared himself Supreme Head of a new English church; the Reformation had arrived in England. He proceeded to marry five more times; two of those wives were executed.

When this 'serene and invincible prince' died in 1547, he bequeathed a bankrupt and bitterly-divided nation to his three heirs. If I know the current location of a portrait, it is listed within the commentary. The National Portrait Gallery in London has the most comprehensive selection of Tudor portraits. You may visit their website to learn of special exhibitions, or purchase prints. I certainly recommend viewing the original portraits if you have the opportunity. Henry VIII, c1509 , unknown artist. This is the earliest surviving portrait of Henry as king of England. It can be viewed at the Denver Art Museum. Henry VIII, c1520 , unknown artist. This beautiful portrait shows the king placing a ring upon his right hand, a symbol of his devout piety. Click here to view another version of the same portrait. Henry VIII, c1535 , attributed to Joos van Cleve. This is my favorite portrait of the king. It was painted during his brief marriage to his second wife, Anne Boleyn. The king is physically more attractive than in the later Holbein portraits.

Henry holds a scroll inscribed 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature' (Mark 16.15). This portrait is part of the Royal Collection. Henry VIII, c1536 , by Hans Holbein the Younger. This is the quintessential portrait of Henry VIII. It is perhaps the earliest image of the king by Holbein. It is so beautifully detailed that close inspection is necessary. The cloth of gold sleeve and the intricate pattern of the cloth of silver doublet are perfectly done. Real gold was used to detail the sleeve and the king's jewelry. The portrait was done around the time of Anne Boleyn's execution, in the midst of the dissolution of the monasteries and before Henry's long-awaited son was born. The king's figure and magnificent apparel are proof of his authority. But Holbein's portrait is not flattering; Henry appears guarded and suspicious, and quite unapproachable. This portrait is part of the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection. Henry VIII, c1536 , after Hans Holbein the Younger. This portrait is a copy of the Holbein portrait above.

It is held by the NPG, London but I don't know if it is currently displayed. Dynastic Portrait: The Whitehall Mural , by Remigius van Leemput after Hans Holbein the Younger, c1667. In 1537, Henry commissioned Hans Holbein the Younger to create a mural of the Tudor dynasty to commemorate the birth of his son and heir, Edward. It was the only mural which Holbein made in England. It originally occupied an entire wall in Whitehall Palace, which had been designated the official residence of the monarch just a year earlier. The mural was destroyed during a palace fire in 1698. Luckily, King Charles II had already commissioned a small copy thirty years before by the Flemish artist van Leemput. One of Holbein's preparatory sketches for the mural has also survived; click here to view it . I have also provided a black-and-white scan . This ink and watercolor cartoon can be viewed at the NPG, London. It gives some insight into the overpowering experience of viewing the mural. The mural features Henry standing before (and dwarfing) the figure of his father, King Henry VII.

On the other side, Jane Seymour, Henry's third wife and the mother of his son, stands before Elizabeth of York. If we accept Leemput's copy as a faithful reproduction, the main alteration Holbein made from the sketch to the mural is making Henry VIII face the viewer directly. In the sketch, he is shown three-quarter face, like the other figures. The alteration to full-face gives Henry an even more commanding presence. The influence of the mural upon subsequent portraits of Henry cannot be overestimated. Later artists essentially copied Holbein's work. Art historians are able to differentiate between Holbein and his copyists based upon subtle weaknesses in details, poor foreshortening, etc Henry VIII and the Barber-Surgeons, 1540 , by Hans Holbein the Younger. This painting was commissioned by the Barber-surgeons and has since been damaged and altered. I have cropped the figure of Henry VIII from the painting. Henry VIII, c1540 , after Hans Holbein the Younger. This portrait is often mistakenly attributed to Holbein. There are actually very few portraits of Henry VIII which can be attributed to Holbein with complete certainty.

Those portraits, however, were impressive enough to influence all other artists who painted the king. And so most of Henry VIII's portraits appear Holbein-esque even when they were not actually painted by Holbein. Consider this portrait - the figure of Henry is clearly derivative of the Holbein mural above. The king faces us directly, one hand clutching a glove and the other resting above a jeweled sword. The rings on his fingers are similar as well; the most obvious difference is the color of his sleeves. This portrait can be viewed at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in Rome. When I first visited that museum, the last thing I expected to see was a portrait of Henry VIII; it was a pleasant surprise. Henry VIII, c1540 , after Hans Holbein the Younger. This full-length portrait of the king (once again, we have the familiar Holbein pose of one hand clutching a glove and the other resting above a jeweled sword) is part of the Royal Collection. Henry VIII, c1540 , after Hans Holbein the Younger. This is another anonymous portrait clearly inspired by Holbein's work.

Henry VIII, c1542 , unknown artist. This portrait is most remarkable, I think, in its depiction of Henry's apparel. It is quite different from most portraits of the king. The jewelry, lavish embroidery, and fur are proof of Henry's great wealth and authority. It was painted during his brief marriage to his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. It can be viewed at the NPG, London. Henry VIII, c1545 , by Hans Eworth. This full-length portrait borrows much from Holbein's iconic portrayal of Henry; the king stands in the familiar pose (yet again, we have one hand clutching a glove and the other resting above a jeweled sword.) Eworth was the favorite court painter of Henry's daughter, Queen Mary I . Note: The source for this portrait identifies it as by Eworth; it currently resides in Merseyside. I know it looks remarkably like the Walker Art Gallery's Holbein full-length portrait of Henry. Either the source is incorrect, or Eworth copied his portrait directly from the Holbein work. The latter is perfectly possible. As written above, Holbein's work was very popular and influential.

And you have already seen the number of anonymous portraits inspired by the Whitehall mural. You can click here to visit the Walker's website dedicated to their Holbein portrait. It was created as support for their 'Henry VIII Revealed' exhibit in winter 2003. Henry VIII in old age . This anonymous engraving is an unattractive but accurate portrayal of Henry in his mid-50s. Panoramic Paintings: The Battle of the Spurs , 1513. This is a cropped detail from the painting which commemorates an English victory against France. It was during this campaign that Henry's close friendship with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey began. Henry's figure is in the center, accepting the surrender of a French lord. The Field of the Cloth of Gold , 1520. This painting commemorates the historic meeting between Henry and King Francis I of France. Henry's figure can be seen riding to the left, wearing a vivid red and gold outfit.

Question: What name is given to the historical meeting site of King Henry VIII and King Francis I in 1520?
Answer: The Field of the Cloth of Gold