Read Online Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII's Obsession by Elizabeth Norton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Elizabeth Norton
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furious with Wyatt and stormed away to speak to Anne who, according to George Wyatt, managed to reassure the king of her innocence. This may have been the first moment that Henry came to realise how seriously he felt for Anne Boleyn.
Following the game of bowls, Wyatt was sent away for a time to ensure that the way was clear for the king to make his advances. Wyatt’s appointment as Marshall of Calais in 1528 also suggests that the king wanted him out of the way and the poet was only permitted to return in 1532 when the king was, for the first time, sure that his marriage to Anne was a certainty. Wyatt was certainly not in disgrace and the appointment in Calais was a prestigious one. It is likely that Henry wanted to ensure that there was no rival for Anne’s affections at his court. Anne retained an affection for Wyatt throughout her life and he played a prominent role at her coronation in 1533. He was also involved in her fall and was perhaps saved only by his enforced exile from Anne.
Anne Boleyn and Thomas Wyatt enjoyed a flirtation that could never lead to anything more due to the fact of Wyatt’s marriage. By the middle of 1526 Anne found herself in a very similar relationship and one that would ultimately be much more significant for both her and England as a whole. Although Henry VIII would originally have considered Anne as a potential mistress, his relationship with her quickly turned to a deep obsession and the most serious love affair he was ever to have.
CHAPTER 6
FOR CAESAR’S I AM
In 1526 Henry VIII was thirty-five years old and in his prime. Handsome, cultured and athletic, the king was well known for his affairs with women of the court and, at the beginning of the year, he found himself without a mistress. Henry always drew his mistresses and English wives from the selection of women at his court and the incident of his game of bowls with Thomas Wyatt demonstrates that his eye quickly turned to Anne following her return to court.
Henry VIII would have at first considered only a flirtation with Anne when she came to his attention through Wyatt. Henry wanted a casual mistress and, after Anne’s sister, Mary, had already filled that role, he may well have thought that Anne was the perfect candidate. It is unclear when Henry first began to look more seriously at his friend Wyatt’s exotic mistress, but in February 1526 he arrived at a joust wearing the motto ‘Declare I dare not’. This may be the first external sign of his love for Anne and the confusion he felt over his relationship with her. Henry also very clearly wanted to warn Wyatt away from Anne with his display of her ring during the game of bowls and he probably also ensured that her other suitors abandoned their suits. While it was Wyatt that first brought Anne to Henry’s attention, the king quickly became fascinated with her and he was determined to ensure that he was her only suitor. The king rarely needed to warn anyone twice and, with Henry’s interest declared, Wyatt and Anne’s other suitors quietly abandoned their chase of her noting that, as Wyatt suggested, Anne was off limits and marked ‘for Caesar’s I am’.
In his early days as king, Henry had been described as the most handsome man in Europe and Anne, who clearly had an eye for a handsome man, cannot but have been flattered by Henry’s attentions towards her. Snaring Henry Percy and Thomas Wyatt greatly increased Anne’s sense of her own self-worth and this was further enhanced when she first noticed the king’s attentions. Anne quickly joined in the flirtation with Henry but she also attempted to keep her distance. Anne was looking to arrange a grand marriage for herself and she may well have seen the king’s favour as a way of attracting a high ranking and unmarried suitor. The strength of the king’s feelings would have caught her by surprise.
By 1526, Henry had been married to Catherine of Aragon for nearly seventeen years. Although he had
Following the game of bowls, Wyatt was sent away for a time to ensure that the way was clear for the king to make his advances. Wyatt’s appointment as Marshall of Calais in 1528 also suggests that the king wanted him out of the way and the poet was only permitted to return in 1532 when the king was, for the first time, sure that his marriage to Anne was a certainty. Wyatt was certainly not in disgrace and the appointment in Calais was a prestigious one. It is likely that Henry wanted to ensure that there was no rival for Anne’s affections at his court. Anne retained an affection for Wyatt throughout her life and he played a prominent role at her coronation in 1533. He was also involved in her fall and was perhaps saved only by his enforced exile from Anne.
Anne Boleyn and Thomas Wyatt enjoyed a flirtation that could never lead to anything more due to the fact of Wyatt’s marriage. By the middle of 1526 Anne found herself in a very similar relationship and one that would ultimately be much more significant for both her and England as a whole. Although Henry VIII would originally have considered Anne as a potential mistress, his relationship with her quickly turned to a deep obsession and the most serious love affair he was ever to have.
CHAPTER 6
FOR CAESAR’S I AM
In 1526 Henry VIII was thirty-five years old and in his prime. Handsome, cultured and athletic, the king was well known for his affairs with women of the court and, at the beginning of the year, he found himself without a mistress. Henry always drew his mistresses and English wives from the selection of women at his court and the incident of his game of bowls with Thomas Wyatt demonstrates that his eye quickly turned to Anne following her return to court.
Henry VIII would have at first considered only a flirtation with Anne when she came to his attention through Wyatt. Henry wanted a casual mistress and, after Anne’s sister, Mary, had already filled that role, he may well have thought that Anne was the perfect candidate. It is unclear when Henry first began to look more seriously at his friend Wyatt’s exotic mistress, but in February 1526 he arrived at a joust wearing the motto ‘Declare I dare not’. This may be the first external sign of his love for Anne and the confusion he felt over his relationship with her. Henry also very clearly wanted to warn Wyatt away from Anne with his display of her ring during the game of bowls and he probably also ensured that her other suitors abandoned their suits. While it was Wyatt that first brought Anne to Henry’s attention, the king quickly became fascinated with her and he was determined to ensure that he was her only suitor. The king rarely needed to warn anyone twice and, with Henry’s interest declared, Wyatt and Anne’s other suitors quietly abandoned their chase of her noting that, as Wyatt suggested, Anne was off limits and marked ‘for Caesar’s I am’.
In his early days as king, Henry had been described as the most handsome man in Europe and Anne, who clearly had an eye for a handsome man, cannot but have been flattered by Henry’s attentions towards her. Snaring Henry Percy and Thomas Wyatt greatly increased Anne’s sense of her own self-worth and this was further enhanced when she first noticed the king’s attentions. Anne quickly joined in the flirtation with Henry but she also attempted to keep her distance. Anne was looking to arrange a grand marriage for herself and she may well have seen the king’s favour as a way of attracting a high ranking and unmarried suitor. The strength of the king’s feelings would have caught her by surprise.
By 1526, Henry had been married to Catherine of Aragon for nearly seventeen years. Although he had
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