Today in 1536 things started heading downhill very quickly for Anne Boleyn. Archbishop Cranmer, and other clergy and nobles were summoned to London for a Parliament in June, for what most historians believe was going to be the question of Henry putting aside Anne Boleyn. Of course, Anne would already have been dead by that point, but it likely shows that no one knew at this point what exactly was going to happen with Anne – just that she needed to go.
Also, on this day, John Stokesley, Bishop of London, was consulted for advice regarding whether the King could end his marriage to Anne Boleyn. Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial Ambassador, wrote to Charles V:
“The brother of lord Montague told me yesterday at dinner that the day before the bishop of London had been asked if the King could abandon the said concubine, and he would not give any opinion to anyone but the King himself, and before doing so he would like to know the King’s own inclination, meaning to intimate that the King might leave the said concubine, but that, knowing his fickleness, he would not put himself in danger. The said Bishop was the principal cause and instrument of the first divorce, of which he heartily repents, and would still more gladly promote this, the said concubine and all her race are such abominable Lutherans. London, 29 April 1536.”
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:
Follow Anne’s downfall thru Watching the Tudors Podcast.
Watching The Tudors: Season 2 Episode 8 – Lady in Waiting
Episode 076: Alison Weir on Anne Boleyn
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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.