Today was a day for Pyrrhic Victories in our Henrician court. Today in 1536 Henry VIII tricked the Imperial Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, into recognizing Anne Boleyn as Queen. Chapuys had gone for years without having to acknowledge her, probably doing some fast maneuvering to avoid coming face to face with her.
But on this day, George Boleyn met Chapuys and led him into Mass, placing him behind the door where Anne would enter. When she entered, she turned and bowed to Chapuys, and he had to acknowledge her, which must have felt very good for Anne indeed. Of course, just a month and a day later, Anne would be beheaded.
Similarly, today in 1540 Henry VIII made Thomas Cromwell the Earl of Essex. Which must have been quite a relief to Cromwell, who was stressing after the disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves. But again, just a few months later Cromwell was found guilty of treason, and executed.
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:
David Crowther of The History of England Podcast on Thomas Cromwell: Satan or Servant?
Episode 010: A Tale of Two Thomases Part 2 (Cromwell & Cranmer)
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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.