Anne Boleyn Queen of England
This lady would rise
to become Queen of England and the second wife of King Henry VIII.
She refused the King's advances but eventually gave
in, their marriage sealed, Henry had what he wanted.
The scene was set, it was now time for the coronation of Anne Boleyn
Henry was determined to make Anne's coronation
the most spectacular event in history, surpassing the triumphs of her predecessors.
When Cranmer finally delivered his verdict, Anne boarded the royal barge that would take her
all the way down the River Thames to the Tower of London.
She was escorted by a large number of lords, nobles, and bishops,
all of whom were accompanied by music, fireworks, and the sound of guns saluting her.
Henry would be waiting, and he approached his new Queen-to-be with great excitement.
Just two days later, on Saturday, March 31
Anne wore clothes of gold, and ermine, something she had made herself.
Her hair was loose beneath a headpiece embellished with a jewelled circlet,
which she wore with a smile.
It was now time for her to begin making her ceremonial entrance into the capital.
She would also be accompanied by two horses that were identically decorated.
The procession,
which stretched for half a mile between Cheapside and Temple Bar, was quite a spectacle.
Her path was followed by a parade of dignitaries, including lords and ladies,
ambassadors, judges, and bishops.
Suffolk, who was dressed in a crimson velvet robe, stood at the back of the line.
He had been appointed High Constable of England and was required to attend,
despite the fact that his wife was in critical condition at the time.
Norfolk was not present, but his son Henry, Earl of Surrey, had travelled
from France to represent him.
Cleaning and repaving the streets of the capital had been completed, and decorations
adorned the route, with tapestries and Anne's falcon badges gracing every building.
In terms of the journey itself, it was a stop-start affair;
Anne would pause at various locations to listen to Latin orations and singing choirs.
But with this extravagant show,
no expense was spared, and the audience was treated to a day to remember.
As we all know, Henry wanted the entire world to know about Anne,
and as we also know, he didn't do things half-heartedly.
In the end, Anne made it to the Palace of Westminster.
She would take wine and spices on her own before changing her clothes and secretly departing
by barge to York Place, where her new husband and the King awaited her arrival.
According to tradition, the parade was solely for the benefit of the new Queen,
and Henry did not participate.
The most concerning aspect for Anne, which she expressed emphatically,
was her dissatisfaction with the overall reception she had received from the people.
The Spanish ambassador, Chapuys, observed
that the entire event was more akin to a funeral than a traditional pageant.
The proportion of people who raised their hats to welcome Anne were few and far between, yet
even less shouted: "God save the Queen." When the crowds assembled, it was Anne's fool
who would yell at them, "Do you all have scurvy heads that you dare not uncover?"
The day of the coronation had finally arrived, on Sunday, June 1, 1533.
Anne was resplendent in crimson velvet, with a robe of purple velvet overlaid
with ermine fur at the neck and sleeves.
She adorned her head with pearls, which were hidden beneath a coronet.
She would be escorted by the dowager
Duchess of Norfolk, who would be carrying her train under a canopy of gold cloth.
Her procession was to take her from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
There were 13 mitred abbots, the monks of Westminster, bishops, and clergy in attendance.
Lords decked out in their finest regalia.
It was a breathtaking sight for everyone to see.
Archbishop Cranmer crowned Anne, who was seated in St Edward's chair, at the cathedral.
The St Edwards crown would be placed on her head, but it would later
be replaced by a smaller, better-fitting crown that was made specifically for her.
The choir sang the Te Deum in celebration, which means "thee, o god, we praise."
After that, it was time for the most extravagant of banquets;
approximately 800 people would be in attendance, and 30 dishes would be served at each course,
all of which would be heralded by the sound of trumpets.
The Duke of Suffolk would ride his horse
up and down between the tables, keeping an eye on anything and everything.
Simultaneously, Sir Nicholas Carew acted as the Queen's champion.
Anne, on the other hand, would be seated on the throne of the King.
The twelve-step marble table with a high pedestal elevated her above the rest of the guests.
Eight nobles and the Countesses of Oxford and Worcester were present to serve at this table.
They would occasionally place
a handkerchief in front of the Queen's face, allowing her to spit into it whenever she pleased!
Henry remained quiet
in the cloisters of St Stephen's chapel, where he kept an eye on everything that happened.
A gold cup of wine, offered by the Lord Mayor, would be the Queen's last
drink of the afternoon before she headed to York Place for the night.
On the occasion of a new coronation,
jousting tournaments were held; Henry did not participate in any of them.
Following the events there was yet another banquet this time held in the Queen's chamber.
The celebrations continued for the next few days, with more hunting, dancing,
and, of course, more feasting.
It would be approximately at this time that the King and Queen would relocate to Greenwich.
After a few weeks, Anne began to get a feel for her new way of life.
Even though Anne should seek the high ground, her court
would be subject to the whims and pleasures of those in attendance.
A year had passed by the time Margaret Roper spoke to her father, Sir
Thomas More, about the ongoing pleasantries in the presence of Anne,
which were usually limited to sporting and dancing activities.
Margaret noted the fact that Anne would dance not only for the King
but also for her ladies and well-to-do gentlemen within her bed-chamber even at this early stage.
The men were all members of the privy council, which was a group of elected officials.
But despite this, she enjoyed their witty and stimulating conversational company.
Anne would openly flirt with men and even exchange gifts and trinkets with them.
However, because all of this occurred within the conventions of courtly love,
nothing untoward was ever reported, as the King was fully aware of this close familiarity.
Sir Henry Norris, who served as Black Rod in Parliament, Chamberlain of North Wales, and High
Steward of Oxford University, was one of the men who came close to Anne.
However, he also served the King
as groom of the stool, which was a very prestigious position at the time.
Francis Weston was another of Anne's close friends who was accepted into her inner circle.
In addition, he was a member of the privy chamber and was well-known
for his lute playing and his frequent tennis matches, partnering with King Henry.
William Brereton was another rising star.
Who'd been promoted to the position of page to the King by Anne.
To show his appreciation for William, Henry promoted him
to the rank of Gentleman of the privy chamber and granted him land.
So when Henry and Anne went on hunting trips, it was common to see William
accompanying the two of them.
The royal family experienced a challenging day on June 25.
It was reported that Mary Tudor, the King's sister and wife
to the Duke of Suffolk who had been ill for some time, had died.
Mary was laid to rest in the Abbey of St Edmonds in Suffolk, where she was accorded
the honours due to a queen.
The celebrations would continue for Anne and Henry A carriage and three mules would be delivered
to the newly crowned Queen on June 28 by Francis I of France;
she then insisted on being taken for a ride in the carriage immediately.
However, whenever one person's fortune improves,
there is always a negative impact on someone else's.
This was Catherine of Aragon, a woman who had been a pillar of support
for Henry VIII for a long time.
However, she was no longer considered of any use
to the King, who discarded her with little fanfare or forethought.
It took an enormous amount of effort to remove Catherine's once-proud decorations from
most of the royal households and replace them with her successor's arms,
initials, and falcon badges; this was accomplished but at great expense.
Henry, on the other hand, was unconcerned.
At Hampton Court, progress was being made on a new luxurious first-floor
residence for the King and Queen.
Rooms were connected to one another through private galleries.
A new staircase led to a privy garden, as well as a balcony
from which her ladies could watch the hunting in the park below them.
Several of Anne's rooms were decorated with mirrors set into the ceilings.
Her interior design
would rank among the most beautiful found anywhere during this period of history.
From ornately carved headboards that would be draped in red silk
and topped with a matching canopy, she had everything she needed.
Chairs with gold, crimson, and purple velvet upholstery.
Pictures, decorative shields, and panels, all of which were commissioned and painted
by the renowned artist Antonio Toto, would adorn this newly constructed state apartment.
Even the windows were glazed with crystal to complete the effect.
Even though the saying goes that not everything
that shines is gold, in this case, it was gold and a lot more.
Around the 1530s, Henry VIII commissioned the construction of the gardens at Hampton Court.
Today, these have long since vanished,
but remnants of the pattern can still be seen in the design of the layout.
Nothing was too much trouble or expense for him when it came to serving this new woman
in his life.
Topiary, fountains, and even sundials would be placed
throughout the landscape to create an impressive effect.
The King's herb gardens and orchards were providing him with fresh fruit on a regular basis.
Also included are 100
red rose bushes, which, of course, wouldn't have been a Tudor garden without them.
The Royal Palaces of Greenwich and Windsor would also be undergoing extensive renovations.
A gaming table was custom-made for Anne, created especially "for her
grace to play on," The entire extravagence must have been close to a million-pound facelift.
Yet, for Henry, this was the woman he had been looking for; Anne must have been
totally shocked by the whole situation yet it was one in which she indulged.
However, for the time being, nothing could go wrong.
Henry was in the best mood he had possibly ever felt.
A joyful spirit, and finally, one of a man who was utterly confident that
all of these changes would make his life complete and along with all this hard work
his cherry on the cake would soon result in him becoming the father of a prince.