Documentary Notes – ‘Henry VIII and his Six Wives’ with Suzannah Lipscomb & Dan Jones – Episode 3, Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves

Jane Seymour often overlooked – Henry called her his true love
Taught Henry the importance of family, battled to reunite him with his daughter and gave him a son and heir
Cruel twist of fate – Jane was snatched from him
Death and betrayal turned Henry into a bitter and cruel man
Made his most disastrous marriage to Anne of Cleves
1536 Henry VIII was aged 44, divorced one wife and other in the Tower awaiting execution for adultery and incest
Anne’s infidelity humiliated Henry and cast doubt over his sexual prowess
While Anne was in the Tower Henry tried to find her replacement
Jane Seymour caught the king’s eye, age 24 and had served both Katherine of Aragon anf Anne Boleyn
Virtuous, unassuming and honest
Henry sent Jane a letter but she sent it back unopened – wanted to make an honourable marriage
Henry’s chivalrous side and aroused his desire
Once Henry set his mind on having something he would do anything to get it
Henry courted Jane in earnest – before Anne Boleyn was executed Jane was in sight as wife number 3
19 May 1536 Anne Boleyn beheaded on Tower Green
Anne still hoped for a last minute reprieve and mercy from Henry who had loved her but Henry had already switched his affections to Jane
Henry and Jane were planning their future together
Less than 24 hours after Anne’s death Henry and Jane were engaged
No record of how Jane reacted to Anne’s beheading but didn’t hesitate to step over Anne to the throne
Far steelier than anyone realised
11 days after Anne’s beheading Henry and Jane married, Henry in love
Not everyone shared Henry’s affection for Jane
Chapuys reported that Jane was of middling stature and no great beauty, proud and haughty, of no great wit
Why did Henry marry Jane? Had previously been married to 2 attractive and intelligent women
Henry liked Jane because she was so different – compassionate, loyal and do what he told her without question

May 1536 Henry and Jane married – sweet-natured and mild-mannered
Henry was in for a surprise – submissive exterior with core of steel
Planned to use her influence to advance the cause of Princess Mary, daughter of Katherine of Aragon, who was bastardised
Mary was aged 20 and waiting on Princess Elizabeth
Jane fought for Mary to be restored as a princess, challenging Henry was dangerous, especially a woman questioning him
Jane knew how risky voicing opinions could be – Henry ruthlessly dealt with previous wives
Jane put herself in jeopardy for a child not her own
Shows Jane’s true character – kind, good-natured and compassionate
Jane had supported Katherine of Aragon
Believed she was doing the right thing
6 July 1536 Henry did as Jane had asked and met with Mary – the first time Henry had seen Mary in 5 years
Jane welcomed Mary into the royal family treating her as her own daughter
Jane brought Henry the greatest gift and he had never been so happy
Henry’s good fortune wouldn’t last
Within a month Henry VIII lost his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy – terrible blow as king thought of him as a possible successor
27 years and 3 wives Henry had no male heir – began to lose hope
Henry confided his anxieties to Cromwell “I feel myself growing old. I doubt if Jane and myself will ever have children”
Henry feeling fragile and his health was failing, masculinity discredited
Beginning to sound like a bitter and angry old man
All seemed lost but fortunes changed as Jane fell pregnant
September 1537 Jane moved to Hampton Court for her lying in
Her rooms were in the centre of the palace, now closed to the public and known as apartment 33
Thick carpets covered the floor with tapestries on the walls, fresh air considered dangerous
Jane had a small army of people to serve her – Henry would do anything to protect Jane and the child
Astrologers predicted the child would be a boy
Henry VIII by Hans Holbein 1540

Plenty of danger still to come
9 October 1537 Jane went into labour but after 2 days there was still no baby
Henry grew more anxious and the whole kingdom prayed
Henry feared that history was repeating itself and that the child wouldn’t survive the birth
12 October 2am Jane gave birth to a son – birth gave Jane security, safety and power and ask for anything
Henry called Jane his true love and true wife
Upheaval and slaughter led to this moment – birth of a male heir
If Jane could have one son she could have more, looked like the dynasty was secure
Plans were drawn up for Jane to return to London
15 October Jane fell seriously ill as she caught an infection, probably due to poor hygiene
For 9 days Jane fought for her life but died around midnight on 24 October 1537
Jane’s reign lasted 17 months, but incredibly successful
Proved herself to be compassionate queen and loving wife
Tudor court underestimated Jane but she gave Henry a son and reunited him with his daughter
Henry had done some terrible things and endured rotten luck
In his moment of greatest triumph Henry lost Jane – feel a pang of sympathy
Henry was inconsolable after Jane’s death and locked himself away to mourn
For 2 years Henry did little exercise, eating and praying instead
For the first time Henry was alone without a future wife waiting in the wings, and reluctant to ever marry again
Henry’s unwillingness to take another bride was of huge concern to the council who advised him to remarry days after Jane’s death
Not just about producing new heirs – England needed a new ally
Marriage was a political necessity
Cromwell had to convince the king to marry again – needed an ally
Henry reluctantly agreed but it wasn’t an easy task
3 years earlier Henry had a jousting accident and the fall nearly killed him, leaving him with a deep open wound on his leg now infected and smelly
No longer a great catch, aged 48, fat and lame with a bad temper
Wives didn’t have a great record for staying alive
Cromwell settled on the small and influential duchy of Cleves
Duke of Cleves had a 24 year old sister called Anne – Cromwell believed Cleves was the strong ally England needed
What Henry cared about most was how Anne looked
Cromwell needed to convince Henry that Anne was attractive
Wrote to Henry describing Anne as beautiful of face and body – aroused Henry’s interest
Sent Holbein to Cleves to paint her portrait
To the modern eye Anne looks perfectly pleasant
Rumours that Holbein painted her from the front due to a large nose – this painting convinced Henry to marry Anne of Cleves
4 October 1539 Cromwell’s agents negotiated the marriage contract
New Year’s Eve 1539 Anne of Cleves arrived at Rochester Castle in Kent to rest for a few days before entering London
Henry was desperate to see Anne so rode to Rochester to surprise her
This was to be a big mistake
New Year’s Day 1540 castle lively but Anne alone looking out of a window
Henry was a diehard romantic and planned to appear in disguise – lived and breathed chivalry
Henry believed if Anne was his true love she would see straight through his disguise and a kiss from his lips would make her fall into his arms
Anne had no clue who Henry was
The women of Henry’s court would have known how to react to Henry’s gesture but Anne was simple and led a sheltered life
Anne of Cleves by Hans Holbein 1539

Anne failed Henry’s test and he was furious, rejecting Anne as fat and ugly
Henry believed he had been duped and turned on Cromwell
“She is not as well as she was spoken of or as fair as you reported”
Henry wanted a way out of the marriage by any means necessary just a week before the ceremony was due to take place
Contract was legally binding
Needed to avoid offending the Duke of Cleves – England didn’t need more enemies
Anne had no idea how Henry felt about her, but the court loved scandal
The only person who wasn’t in on the joke was Anne herself
Anne didn’t speak English
Cromwell couldn’t find a legitimate reason to break the marriage contract so Henry would have to marry Anne
Cromwell had failed but hoped Henry would change his mind and the marriage would work out
6 January 1540 Henry married Anne of Cleves in Greenwich Palace – Anne was 2 hours late for a ceremony
For Anne the wedding was a moment of great triumph – Henry was still one of the greatest monarchs and Anne would be queen of a modern court
“I didn’t like her much before but now I like her even less”
“I have left her as good a maid as I found her”
The marriage wouldn’t work and Anne had to go but how?
Just 6 months into his marriage with Anne rumours circulated that Henry had recovered his vigour and fallen for Katherine Howard
Katherine was maid-in-waiting to Anne and Henry planned to marry her
Henry wanted out of his marriage
Henry found a way to end his marriage in law and not with the sword
Anne had been betrothed to the duke of Lorraine aged 12 but this had been cancelled
The papers proving the engagement was null had gone missing
Henry claimed the marriage was invalid and any future children would be illegitimate
Anne was oblivious until July 1540 when Henry informed her of his concerns
Anne argued that there was no deception and she had been free to marry Henry
There was little that she could do – Anne was offered a deal as his sister taking precedence over any apart from the queen, wealth, and property
Anne wasn’t humiliated by being sent home the rejected wife of a king
Anne also knew that this settlement was better than what had happened to Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn
11 July 1540 Anne wrote to the king about the annulment of the marriage and accepted it
“The pretended matrimony between us is void”
Anne signed the letter “your majesty’s most humble sister and servant”
Sad tone to the letter, talking of sorrow and love
The marriage brought Anne purpose and prestige but her best future meant accepting Henry’s wishes
Anne sent the letter along with a purse containing her wedding ring, asking Henry to break it into pieces as a thing of no value
For Henry Anne’s submission was surprising
Probably expected Anne to put up more of a fight – he got rid of her in 3 weeks
Henry sought revenge against Cromwell for the marriage
Henry believed Cromwell had failed him and must suffer the consequences – he was arrested on 10 June 1540 and put in the Tower
Cromwell was found guilty of treason and heresy and appropriating money, sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered
Cromwell wrote to Henry pleading for mercy
“Most gracious prince I cry for mercy mercy mercy”
Thomas Cromwell by Hans Holbein.

28 July 1540 Cromwell was taken to Tower Hill where the sentenced was commuted to beheading – Henry showed some mercy
Some reports claim that Cromwell’s death wasn’t quick or painless
It is thought the executioner botched his first attempt and had to take a second swing to finish the job
With Cromwell dead and Anne’s settlement paid Henry’s fourth marriage died
Henry’s marriages to Jane and Anne combined lasted less than 2 years
Both had a profound effect on the king
Jane Seymour gave Henry a son and heir, Anne of Cleves’s marriage brought about Cromwell’s execution
Henry’s reaction to this fiasco drove him to make his worst decision yet