The Fall of Anne Boleyn

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

 

On 25th April 1536, King Henry VIII referred to Anne Boleyn as “our most dear and most entirely beloved wife the Queen” in a letter to his ambassadors abroad. He also wrote of their hope for a son and heir.

Do Henry’s words show that he was still 100% committed to Anne and that he was unaware of the plot against her, or was it all part of an act?

Or Henry ordered Cromwell to get rid of Anne and that the adultery charge was also his idea, we will never know.

Here are the main points in support of Henry as instigator of the plot, some of the points are:-

• Cromwell’s own words – In his letter (14th May) to Wallop and Gardiner, Cromwell writes of “the King’s proceeding” and although, according to Chapuys, Cromwell said that he had plotted the whole affair, he also claimed to have been “authorised and commissioned by the king to prosecute and bring to an end the mistress’s trial”. Cromwell’s plotting was due to orders from Henry and not of his own volition. Greg Walker puts forward the argument that Cromwell simply investigated the allegations made against Anne, rather than being the one to initiate them. Cromwell reacted to events rather than causing them, though he may have wished to come across as “a clever Machiavell” to Chapuys, rather than a minister who had not spotted the Queen’s immoral behaviour.
• Cromwell would not have dared risk his life by moving against the Queen without the King’s blessing; he was there to do the King’s bidding. Historian Derek Wilson writes that Henry VIII behaved in an usual manner, giving orders to his ministers and then “retiring into the shadows” so that he could feign surprise when presented with the evidence against Anne.
• The King’s behaviour – In 1541, when Cranmer told Henry VIII of allegations against Catherine Howard, Henry VIII was outraged and upset and ordered a full investigation. When he found out they were true, he wept in front of his council. In May 1536, he spent his time banqueting with ladies and enjoying himself, and a rather cynical Chapuys wrote “You never saw prince nor man who made greater show of his [cuckold's] horns or bore them more pleasantly. I leave you to imagine the cause.”
• John Schofieldi believes Henry’s involvement is proven by the lack of logic in Anne being condemned for adultery even though Henry’s marriage to Anne was annulled. Cromwell, himself a lawyer, would have wanted a logical, “watertight case” and yet the case against Anne made little sense and was overly complicated. If it had all been down to Cromwell then there would have been easier ways to be rid of Anne. Adultery and incest were sins and not punishable by death and those charges bear the stamp of a vengeful husband.
• Henry’s involvement – He interrogated Sir Henry Norris.
• The King’s own words – Henry later warned Jane Seymour against becoming involved in matters to do with the Kingdom. It was reported that “he had often told her not to meddle with his affairs, referring to the late Queen, which was enough to frighten a woman who is not very secure.” In 1546, when the Conservatives were trying to bring down Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Henry warned Cranmer that “false knaves” could be “procured” to stand as witnesses against him and to bring about his condemnation.

This is the case of historical author, Claire Ridgway, that Henry wanted to be rid of Anne and Cromwell was the servant who gave him the legal machinery to do so. That is the logical explanation that explains Henry’s behaviour while Anne was in prison and why Cromwell would have dared to build a case against the Queen.