Today, I’ve got that Thursday feeling so I’m definitely in need of a treat or two, or more, and Tudor history treats are definitely the best!
We have some musical treats for you to enjoy on the Anne Boleyn Files Advent Calendar. They really are lovely.
Simply visit the Advent Calendar by clicking here.
Then, why not enjoy another historical treat by heading over to the Tudor Society? Find out who is hiding in the very Christmassy Coughton Court today.
Simply go to https://www.tudorsociety.com/advent2020/!
And in case you missed the daily Teasel’s Tudor Trivia videos from Advent last year, here is Teasel’s 17th December treat:
And, if you want even more Tudor history goodness, then here is today’s “on this day in Tudor history” video. It is Anne Boleyn-linked too!
I do believe Anne knew something sinister was going to happen to her, and we can only imagine the worry she went through, before the actual storm broke, she was married to the King of England, and he was a most unconventional king, she knew what happened to those he had wearied of and she feared for her position and future, the worse she must have thought that could have happened to her was a divorce and banishment from court, she could never have dreamed in a million years that her once beloved ardent suitor was plotting to have her executed- killed, the one man she could trust aside from her brother was Mathew Parker, and she sought him out and must have revealed to him her fears, sadly he did not reveal what she said, so we can only conjecture, but I do believe he disclosed his conversation with the tragic queen to her daughter, what Anne had said to him must have carried some weight for him never to renage on his promise to her, I thought the scene in ‘The Tudors’ was done marvellously well, it showed Anne in a heightened state of anxiety pleading with Parker to take care of Elizabeth’s spiritual welfare, he could not have failed to be moved by her distress, and many years later when he was old and having suffered an injury due to a fall from his horse, he did not forget his one time mistress and reluctantly accepted the post he did not want, he was obviously a man of loyalty and integrity and Anne and her daughter Elizabeth 1st were both blessed I believe to have had him as a servant,
Hi Christine, I was wondering about Michael, have you heard anything about how he is? He hasn’t been around for a couple of months now and it’s quite concerning. I hope he is o.k, perhaps he is just taking a rest, but I miss his input into our conversations and his own expertise. He has a great sense of humour and is always interesting to speak to. Missing him quite a bit, wishing him well.
Matthew Parker felt beholden to Anne because she had promoted him and he had become someone whom she trusted and it could only be that she asked him to watch over little Elizabeth, the most natural request a concerned mother could make for a friend and confidant to look after her child if anything happened to her. Of course Parker could do nothing but make a promise because Elizabeth was the property of the state. Regardless of who her mother was or her behaviour, the King was her father and her mother had no parental rights. As a royal Princess the State, aka King, Council and Parliament owned her unless some care was released to her mother. Her fate was very uncertain if Anne was repudiated, Anne was making certain someone was at least there to keep an eye out for her daughter’s well-being and her rights as the King’s daughter. Anne was a very hands on mother and she was very involved with decisions Henry made regarding Elizabeth. We cannot be certain but Anne took Elizabeth with her to plead for common sense and her marriage, maybe even her life the last day of April 1536, as witnessed by Alexander Aleius. Now another theologian wrote a letter to Elizabeth as Queen, recalling her mother and the last days she had spent around her and their memories of her. Matthew Parker really didn’t want to serve another monarch, especially in the highest Church office going, but because he felt an obligation to her mother, he accepted. He had kept his promises as best he could, he must have been highly regarded as a man of integrity because he became Chaplain to Henry Viii in his household. I know this is hindsight but Elizabeth turned out alright and seemed to have people watching out for her and in the King’s continued service, Parker certainly would have been able to keep something of an eye on her.
I totally agree, Christine, Anne must have been aware of the tensions around the Court for a couple of weeks, she had let her guard down with Henry Norris and said the wrong thing, her ladies were upset and talking, the atmosphere could be cut with a knife and she had sent for Matthew Parker in order to ask a special service of him. Now in his letter to Elizabeth he doesn’t mention exactly what that service was but given the circumstances and what happened a couple of days later, it is a good guess that she asked him to care for or watch over Elizabeth. Making such a bequest of a child to a clergyman was a perfectly normal practice if someone feared they were about to die or were in any danger. Religious instructions and moral upbringing as well as the means to make practical arrangements as well as a knowledge of the law made clergy ideal guardians. Matthew wouldn’t be able to be her guardian, the King would make that determination, but he could perhaps influence such a decision by recommending people of good character. Anne was questioned by the Council the night before her arrest and she knew her brother was missing. She only found out that he had been arrested afterwards. The news that Mark Smeaton had been arrested was soon all over the Court and everyone was tense and frightened. This was the last opportunity for Anne to speak to someone that she trusted and to get assurances for her daughter’s care and protection. She must have been very worried. A mother’s first instinct in most cases is for their child or children, even if they are in danger, this is why such a bequest makes perfect sense.
Yes Anne would worry I believe more about her child than herself, and she knew if she were about to be banished from court she would have no contact with Elizabeth at all, I to am worried about Michael because he has been posting on here for a few years now, he’s a regular like ourselves, maybe he’s not very well and I hope if that’s the case, that it isn’t serious, have you got all your shopping now, I’m going to buy a trifle iv seen Marks amontillado Sherry trifle, they have a few with the 26thnon so I’m hoping to get one reduced.