This day in history was rather a busy one! As I have written about these four events before I thought it best to link to my previous articles rather than write about them all over again!
At dawn on 11th October 1532, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn set sail from Dover on The Swallow bound for Calais. The main purpose of this trip was for Henry and Anne to gain King Francis I’s public recognition and approval of their relationship. Click here to read more about this trip and to see a timeline with clickable links.
On Thursday 11th October 1537, there was a solemn procession in London to pray for Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife and queen consort, who was in labour, a labour which was to last for over 30 hours. Click here to read more.
On 11th October 1542, Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, poet and diplomat, died at Clifton Maybank House, the home of his friend Sir John Horsey, in Sherborne Dorset. He had been complaining of severe headaches since 1539 and he was just 39 years old at the time of his death. Click here to read more about Wyatt.
On 11th October 1549, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector of the Realm and Governor of the King’s Person, was arrested and brought in front of Edward VI. Click here to read more about why he was arrested.
Sir Thomas Wyatt was a talented man, his poems are both beautiful and sad especially the one composed about the fall and tragedy of Anne and her alleged lovers, to die at thirty nine is young even in those days although he at least escaped the block, a witty intelligent and handsome man who had the misfortune to be married to an unfaithful wife and to fall in love with his kings intended, his sister had been a close friend of Annes as they had been near neighbours in Kent, and so they could well have met from time to time, being in the same social circle and then present at court, Wyatt was one of Annes circle of friends and his poetry bought him the admiration of many, one of the most talented men at court and loved by Cromwell his early death was a tragedy, the symptoms he suffered from, blinding headaches could well have been caused by a brain haemorrhage or a brain tumour, strange but he and Harry Percy both closely linked with Anne did not survive long after her death, his foolish son managed to get himself executed years later for high treason against Mary, but he at least declared Elizabeths innocence, I have read the tale about how he was in Annes bedroom but that does not go with what we know of her rather prudish behaviour, so it possibly was that, just a tale and why should he besmirch the honour of a woman he had feelings for anyway, it’s like the butler story which relates why she was sent abroad in the first place because her father had found her carrying on with him, Boleyn sent her to Margaret of Austria because he wanted her to have a good education, about Sir Edward Seymour, he had made himself protector of the realm against the wishes of the late King, and as what happened to his younger brother, pride and ambition led to his downfall, what Jane would have thought of her brother’s behaviour is unknown but she was described by Chapyus as being proud and haughty herself, it is rather an unpleasant trait of human nature to become so puffed up with ones own importance that other people’s feelings are disregarded, power sadly went to his head, he thought because he was the new kings uncle he should have absolute control over his young person and the realm, it is said that when his uncle was beheaded Edward wrote rather chillingly in his diary of his demise, and shed not a tear, the Seymour’s appear somewhat unemotional people and Edward took after them in looks as well it seems, in character but because he himself died tragically young we have no idea how he would have turned out, what King he would have made, all his intelligence and promise England lost when he gasped his last breath before he was seventeen years old, as in Prince Arthur’s death years before, England again lost a precious jewel.
I knew about all of these things but I never put it together that they all happened on the same day in October. Coincidence or something special about October 11?
Also it’s 35 years ago today that the Mary Rose was raised too! it doesn’t seem that long ago does it!?!
No, it doesn’t. A most appropriate date for her raising.