27th April 1536 was a very busy day at the royal court – writs were issued summoning Parliament, a letter was sent to Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, asking him to attend, and a bishop was allegedly consulted regarding whether Henry VIII could abandon his second wife, Anne Boleyn…
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Henry V111 did arrange Anne Boleyn’s death so meticulously right down to the sword she was beheaded with, yet he overlooked one tiny thing, her coffin that was to hold for infinity that once beloved body soon to turn into a pitiful and decomposing carcass, I also do believe that Ives theory was right about the summoning of Parliament on June regarding the outcome of his second queens death, there was a lot of legal things that had to be dealt with, and he wanted to make sure that nothing was absent, he was about to kill his second wife and he made it so the marriage had never been made legal, so Elizabeth’s legitimacy was to be overturned and therefore he could start afresh with his new love, and her child was to have the honour of being his one undisputed heir, his Archbishop was perturbed as he did not want to risk the kings wrath by suggesting a way to end his marriage and we can see he must have felt very uncomfortable about the whole affair, we can sympathise with him like in the case of Catherine Howard, when Cranmer had to inform the king about the allegations surrounding the queen, he left him a note in the chapel instead of asking for an audience, as for Anne the kings intended victim, she knew something was afoot hence her conversation with her chaplain the day before, but as to everything else she was in the dark, I think also that Jane was guileless of her would be husbands intentions, I doubt he would have told her the dreadful plot to oust her queen and mistress, there was animosity between her and Anne but it was not necessary to inform her of the blood soaked ending he had planned for her, Jane was the ideal 16th century female, dutiful and bidding never asking nor complaining, I think she took the view that Anne’s volatile nature and flirtatious ways made her capable of adultery but even she must have been horrified by the incest charge, when the storm broke and Anne was arrested and afterwards her brother, and alleged lovers to, were taken to the Tower, I feel she merely accepted the kings accusation that she was a wicked woman who had deceived him and she was to blame, after all for the break from Rome and the treatment of Katherine and Mary, she had ruined many lives and Jane therefore was ready to step into her shoes, this ‘ murder’ did not take long to plan but it had to be done with precision legal and above board, as, Anne was no ordinary subject, she had been crowned and anointed uniquely with St Edwards crown, with the same determination he had pursued her, Henry V111 planned and ordered the most heinous murder of his turbulent reign.