11 October 1532 – Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn are Calais bound

| October 11, 2016

11 October 1532 – Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn are Calais bound

On this day in history, 11 October 1532, at just before dawn, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Marquis of Pembroke, set sail from Dover in the King’s ship The Swallow. Their destination was Calais and the purpose of their trip was to gain King Francis I of France’s support for their relationship and their quest […]

Catherine of Aragon tells Henry VIII to quit his evil life

| June 12, 2016

Catherine of Aragon tells Henry VIII to quit his evil life

On this day in history, Sunday 12th June 1530, Queen Catherine of Aragon got rather cross with her errant husband, Henry VIII, telling him to “quit the evil life he was leading and the bad example he was setting”. Here is an account of the confrontation from Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador: “On this same […]

4 March 1522 – Anne Boleyn and the Chateau Vert Pageant

| March 4, 2016

4 March 1522 – Anne Boleyn and the Chateau Vert Pageant

On Shrove Tuesday 1522, 4th March, Anne Boleyn took part in the pageant of “The Château Vert” at York Place, a property owned by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. This was her first recorded public appearance at court since her return from France in late 1521. The pageant was part of the Shrovetide celebrations which began on […]

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s Romance

| February 14, 2014

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s Romance

We have the gift of hindsight, we know how Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s relationship ended, and so we can be quite cynical about their relationship and Henry’s feelings towards Anne. But Henry pursued Anne for seven years and was married to her for over three, and he broke with his beloved Church, the Church […]

5 January 1531 – The Pope Forbids Henry VIII to Remarry

| January 5, 2014

5 January 1531 – The Pope Forbids Henry VIII to Remarry

On this day in history, 5th January 1531, Pope Clement VII wrote to Henry VIII forbidding him to remarry, and threatening him with excommunication if he took matters into his own hands and disobeyed Rome: “At the request of the Queen, forbids Henry to remarry until the decision of the case, and declares that if […]

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