In 1528, Du Bellay, the French ambassador, wondered if Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s relationship was strong enough to survive an extended period of separation. The ambassador’s question was soon answered when on 16 June 1528, one of Anne’s ladies in waiting fell ill with the dreaded sweating sickness, ‘a highly contagious and frequently fatal disease’ that Eric Ives believes was probably a virus infection similar to the Spanish flu of 1918 (Pg. 100).
When there was any sign of disease, Henry VIII fled from house to house seeking refuge from the killer epidemic. Anne Boleyn returned to the family home at Hever and the King, accompanied by Queen Katherine, ‘began a most meticulous round of religious observances’ (Ives, Pg. 100).
This did not stop Henry from writing to his beloved Anne and on hearing of her sudden illness the king wrote that he ‘would gladly bear half of your illness to make you well’ (Love Letters to Anne Boleyn, Pg. 22).
He also wrote to her to reassure her that ‘few women or none have this malady’ but despite the King’s words of encouragement, Anne Boleyn fell ill with the disease whilst at Hever Castle. Her father, Thomas Boleyn too came down with the sweat during this epidemic (Starkey, Pg. 331).
William Carey attributed to Hans Holbein the Younger
On 22 June Anne Boleyn took to her bed, William Carey, Mary Boleyn’s husband, succumbed to the disease (Weir, Pg. 186).
The King responded by sending his second-best doctor, William Butts, ‘the physician in whom I put most trust is now at this time absent when he could most do me pleasure’ (Ives, Pg. 101).
Butts carried a letter of ‘sympathy and support’ from Henry and signed with the initials ‘H’ and ‘R’ flanking a heart and ‘AB’ (Ives, Pg. 101). Henry urged Anne to ‘to be guided by his (Dr. Butts’) advice in your illness’ so that they might be together again soon, which to the king would be ‘greater comfort than all the precious jewels in the world’ (Love Letters to Anne Boleyn, Pg. 23).
Luckily for Butts, both Anne and her father recovered and Butts’ endeavours did not go unrewarded. By Christmas 1528, he had been appointed Royal Physician and enjoyed a very healthy salary of 100 pounds per year (Starkey, Pg. 332).
He also went on to forge a close relationship with Anne, looking after both her physical health and spiritual welfare (Starkey, Pg. 332).
Cardinal Wolsey advised the king and council on what precautions to take while the sweating sickness ran its course. Brian Tuke, a counselor, reported that the king,
“thanked your grace: and showing me, first, a great process of the manner of that infection; how folks were taken; how little danger was in it, if good order be observed; how few were dead of it; how Mistress Anne, and my lord of Rochford, both have had it; what jeopardy they have been in, by returning in of the sweat before the time; of the endeavour of Mr. Butts, who hath been with them, and is returned; with many other things touching those matters, and, finally, of their perfect recovery.” (Ives, Pg. 101)
The King was so overjoyed by Anne’s full recovery that he sent her letters and gifts, as did Cardinal Wolsey.
Within about a month, after an imposed period of quarantine, Anne Boleyn was back at court and Du Bellay had a clear answer to his earlier question. The separation had no negative effect on Anne and Henry’s relationship. On the contrary, on Anne’s return, Du Bellay noted ‘the king is in so deeply that God alone can get him out of it’ (Ives, Pg. 101).
The time Henry and Anne had spent apart had not abated Henry’s passion for Anne; instead it had fuelled the fire within his heart.
It seems that in this case, absence did make the heart grow fonder.
Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk
The ‘sweating sickness’ claimed the lives of most that contracted it, including both of Charles Brandon and Catherine Willoughby’s sons, Henry and Charles, within hours of each other in 1551.
When did the Tudor sweating sickness appear?
The sweating sickness, one of the most feared and deadly diseases of the Tudor period, first appeared in 1485. It struck with great ferocity and left many dead.
From 1485 until 1507 when a less widespread outbreak occurred, the disease in England lay virtually dormant.
In 1517 it resurfaced again, this time resulting in a more deadly epidemic. In Oxford and Cambridge the disease was frequently fatal and in some towns, claimed half of the cities population.
In 1528 the sweating sickness returned with full force, breaking out in London and quickly spreading over the whole of England. The high mortality rate in London forced the court to break up, abandon the summer progress and flee in search of safety.
Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk
On this occasion, the epidemic crossed the English Channel and spread through Europe with many succumbing to the disease within a few weeks.
There were reported cases in Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway also emerging in Antwerp and Amsterdam.
By the end of the year, the epidemic had all but disappeared never to return again to mainland Europe.
England though was not so lucky and in 1551, the last major reported outbreak of the disease took place.
What were the symptoms of the sweating sickness?
The symptoms started very suddenly and were typical of a viral infection or the flu: a sense of apprehension, headaches, cold shivers, muscle aches and great exhaustion.
This was followed by a hot and sweating stage that was accompanied by headaches and delirium. The patient would also suffer chest pains and encounter difficulty breathing.
Death usually occurred within 24 hours of the first symptom although in some cases the patient died within a few hours of contracting the disease.
What was the cause of this frightening disease?
Some suggest that the sweating sickness was brought from France with Henry VII armies in 1485.
Unfortunately, the exact origin and cause is unknown although many historians concur that it was probably related to the modern disease known as Hantavirus. The problem with this theory is that Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome is a ‘deadly disease transmitted by infected rodents through urine, droppings, or saliva’ and the sweating sickness was thought to have been transmitted from human to human.
Also, the disease for the most part targeted healthy men of status although women were not immune. One would imagine that the poorer Tudors would have come into contact more frequently with rodents and rodent droppings than the wealthy Tudors. Standards of hygiene were not the greatest in Tudor England regardless of your status but Henry VIII was terrified of disease and maintained a better standard of hygiene than what he is generally given credit for.
Another proposed theory is Relapsing Fever transmitted through the bites of lice or ticks although again this does not explain why the sweating sickness was more prevalent in wealthy societies.
In addition, this infection leaves a black scab at the site of the bite and those nursing those afflicted with the Tudor disease made no such reports.
So it seems that the sweating sickness is another Tudor mystery that will continue to intrigue and perplex for many years to come.
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