Of Six Wives

Lisa and Shawn have been blogging about reading habits, causing me to examine my own.  I do read a lot of fiction, and much of that is historical.  With good historical fiction, you get a good read, along with a dose of education.

I tend to gravitate towards novels about Henry VIII, and his equally notable offspring, Elizabeth I. Lately more about Henry, and his hapless wives, particularly Anne Boleyn.

Undoubtedly beautiful, smart and conniving, she may have fallen victim to her own shrewish temper, or to underestimation of the powers of her enemies (most of whom she invited to that arena herself).  Certainly, her lack of a male heir gave Henry the excuse he needed to jettison her when sweet little (uh huh) Jane Seymour, backed by her powerful clan, came to his attention.  Ironically, Anne gave birth to Elizabeth, who was certainly the most enlightened monarch of the time, and arguably, of all time. Had girl babies had any value in the succession at that time, Anne's head might have been saved.  I don't think so, though.  She had too many issues.

Henry VIII was one of the richest, most powerful monarchs in history.  He was educated, handsome, athletic and enlightened.  The sad fact is that almost the only thing anyone remembers about him today is that he had six wives and was instrumental in their sorry demises (actually only two were beheaded). He became prey to his own corruptive power and strong appetites--and the law of male primogeniture.

Henry's own place as rightful king was not as solid as it may have appeared, and he was surrounded by courtiers whose claims to the throne were as solid as his own. Henry's grandfather was Edmund Tudor, made 1st Earl of Richmond by Henry VI, in spite of the fact that he was likely a bastard.  Edmunds parents were Catherine of Valois (widow of Henry V) and  a gentleman of her chamber, Owen Tudor with whom she had a long affair, and whom she may have later married.

In any case, Henry's claim was tenuous, and in order to assure the succession, he required a son. Anne bore him Elizabeth, but also had a couple of miscarriages, one of which appears to have had gross congenital anomalies.  In those days, this led to accusations of witchcraft.  These claims, along with Henry's tiring of the harpy in Anne, and his roving eye probably all played a part in her downfall.

Jane Seymour, wife number 3, the sweet thing who caught that roving eye, died in childbirth.  Her son, Edward VI succeeded Henry on his death, but he only lived to age 15.  His death led to the battle for the throne that led ultimately to Elizabeth I's reign.

Anne of Cleves was wife number four.  Henry became betrothed to her based on a flattering portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger, who may have failed to include her smallpox scars.  When he met her in person, Henry was repulsed, and while he did marry her to prevent political retaliation from her Saxon relatives, it is unlikely the marriage was consummated, and it was annulled about six months later.  Anne, intelligent woman that she was, did not fight her fate, and was named a Princess of the Realm, given a generous settlement, and allowed to live her years out in England and die an natural death.  She outlived Henry and all his other wives.

The hapless Catherine Howard, cousin of Anne Boleyn, followed.  It might be testimony to Henry's failing looks and potency that she had an affair with a courtier.  She was beheaded.

Catherine Parr, his sixth wife, was embattled, but was shrewd enough to be subservient, and managed to outlive Henry.

The most fascinating, to my mind, was his first wife, Catherine of Aragon (you thought I overlooked her, didn't you?).  She had wed Henry's older brother Arthur, who had physical ailments and died shortly after their marriage.  She was several years older than Henry, but quite beautiful, and it is likely that he sincerely loved her at the time.  They were able to marry because she testified that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated.

Catherine surrounded herself with Spanish courtiers, and stayed apart from much of the intrigue of the court.  She was very devoutly Catholic.  She had several pregnancies, which led to the destruction of her figure.  Only one child, Mary, survived.  So again, Henry's search for a male heir, combined with his lusty appetite and the machinations of Ms. Anne Boleyn led to Henry's desire to set Catherine aside.  In addition, his religious conscience played a role as he began to question whether his lack of success in the heir department may have been evidence of God's displeasure at his having married his brother's wife. (Interesting that his conscience should trouble him on this issue, but not on his many other heinous acts.)

While married to Catherine, Henry had several affairs, one with Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne.  Catherine was wise enough to keep her own counsel on the subject.

Catherine refused to grant Henry a divorce, and his search for an annulment from the Pope dragged on for many years. At the time, the Pope was virtually prisoner of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V (also Charles I of Spain, and Catherine's nephew).  One can see where this put the Pope between Scylla and Charybdis. 

Ultimately, Henry split from the Catholic church, and established the Church of England with himself at head.  Thomas Cranmer the Archbishop of Canterbury annulled the marriage between Catherine and Henry, and Catherine spent her days in exile, protesting her devotion and the legitimacy of her marriage.

What I find fascinating about Catherine is her unique place in the march of history.  She was not only the wife of one of the most powerful monarchs in history, she was the daughter of a remarkable ruling couple:  Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.  The sponsored Columbus's voyage to the New World, and I always think of that as the transition between the High Middle Ages and the Renaissance, though it is hard to put concrete dates to that transition.

Ferdinand and Isabella were also responsible for the Spanish Inquisition, which I associate with the Dark ages. Somewhere, during the time of Catherine of Aragon, I envision that subtle sea change from late feudalism to renaissance, the height of which was the reign of Elizabeth I.

Some of the good books I've read on these topics:

Elizabeth and Mary:  Cousins, Rivals, Queens by Jane Dunn.  This book is based on letter exchanged between Elizabeth and her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.  The two women never met, but exchanged letters and called each other "sister", even as they jockeyed to imprison each other and steal one another's thrones.  This is a fascinating read.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Allison Weir. This scholarly work is one of many by historian Weir about the British monarchy.  This is a fascinating book giving a great deal of insight into the politics and life of the times, as well as breathing life into the characters.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory.  Little historical fact is known about Mary Boleyn.  She was Anne's older sister and was Henry's mistress for several years while he was married to Catherine of Aragon. This book conveys wonderfully the flavor and intrigue of the court.  It should be remembered that this is heavily fictionalized regarding Mary, but much historically sound detail about Anne is included as well.

The Queen of Subtleties by Suzannah Dunn. This tells the story of Anne Boleyn in her own (fictionalized, of course) words as she sits in the Tower of London awaiting her execution.  Every other chapter is told by Lucy Cornwallis, the king's confectioner.  Thus Anne's story is seen from her point of view and that of one of the almost invisible menials working to support the court. I confess I am only about half done with this book, as it keeps getting bumped by library books that have to be read by a certain date.  It is good enought, though, that I don't mind going through it slowly and savoring every bite.

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Late addendum:  Heard an interview on NPR with James Reston this afternoon.  He has a book coming out in two weeks called Dogs of God:Columbus, the Inquisition and the Defeat of the Moors  about Ferdinand, Isabella and the influences on and impact of the Spanish inquisition.  Available from Amazon.

Comments

[much ado about nothing]

Add to your list: Will of London by Stephen Greenblatt, just out in paperback, a wonderful reconstruction of the life of William Shakespeare. Awesome reading, riveting and believable.

[Laurel Whitney]

I found your blog in a search for pictures of Anne Boelyn. I'm an avid reader of historical fiction as well and have a love of the Tudors. I totally agree with your view that historical fiction is a good read and, if it's good, a dose of education as well. It's helped me in the past to get an idea of a certain period and the main players, and from there I'll go on to read biographies and more academic writings. Philippa Gregory is among my favourite authors. 'The Other Boelyn Girl' is what introduced me to Mary Boelyn. It's nice to find someone who shares my love of history, the Tudors, and a good read.