Today in 1532 Henry VIII made Anne Boleyn Marquess of Pembroke. It was the first hereditary peerage title granted to a woman.
The then extinct title of Earl of Pembroke had been very significant for the House of Tudor. It was held by Henry VIII’s grand-uncle, Jasper Tudor, and it referred to the birthplace of King Henry VII. Henry VIII decided to raise his secret lover to the dignity of a marquess prior to finally marrying her and he chose to grant her the Marquessate of Pembroke.
On Sunday, 1 September 1532, Anne Boleyn was granted the Marquessate of Pembroke and land, mostly in Wales, worth over ₤1,000. The investiture ceremony was performed by Henry VIII himself in Windsor Castle. The ceremony was an elaborate affair, witnessed by the highest-ranking peers and clergy in the kingdom, including Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Anne’s father and uncle respectively; Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk (Henry’s brother-in-law); Edward Lee, Archbishop of York; John Stokesley, Bishop of London; and Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester. The French ambassador was also present. The Bishop of Winchester read the patent of creation while Anne knelt before the King who then invested her with the coronet, the robe of estate and the charters of creation and of the lands.
The sixteenth-century spelling of her title was often Marquesse or Marquess of Pembroke, sometimes Lady marquesse; a feminine, like Duchess, of the relatively rare title Marquys.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested links:
Episode 076: Alison Weir on Anne Boleyn
Spring 2018 Tudor Summit: Claire Ridgway on the Boleyns
From the shop:
To celebrate Elizabeth I’s birthday month, here is the Celebrations of Elizabeth I Collection.
Featuring Elizabeth I “But first Coffee” Mug
Ps. All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.