On 29th April 1536, three days before her arrest, Queen Anne Boleyn had altercations with her husband’s groom of the stool, Sir Henry Norris, and court musician Mark Smeaton.
Both of these men ended up being beheaded as traitors, accused of sleeping with the queen and plotting with her to kill the king. But what exactly happened on this day in 1536?
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It is one of the mysteries about Anne’s fall why this conversation was not mentioned in the indictments against her for surely that is adding some credence to the puerile charges? Maybe Cromwell felt it was not necessary they had enough on her to bring her down, even though they were without foundation, but her words heard by several could be inferred as treasonous, it was not the most sensible thing to say but I believe in those fraught days before her arrest she was edgy and nervous, expecting something to happen and that made her tongue run away with her, it was overstepping the boundaries of courtly love, it was not the queen the adored for lady to instigate such words either, it was her would be suitor who was the first to sing of her praises and speak of unrequited love, like
the troubadours of old, it was but flowery poetic verses, perfectly harmless not to be taken seriously, but in that one unguarded momen Anne’s reckless tongue caused unspeakable damage, I believe that was the object of the argument the king and queen had the next day in the gardens when she was with Elizabeth, the king knew what she was like had love still existed between them, he would have been angered but her words would have soothed him, it was nothing she would have told me, mere banter, but with the tension between them and Henry plotting to marry her lady in waiting I think he was furious, that did not help Annes situation at all, her conversation with Mark Smeaton sounds like she was a bit annoyed with him, when I first read her words years ago I thought what a snotty thing to say, but it was a very class conscious age and the queen was expected to rebuke any servants if she thought they deserved it, he could have been rather offish with her as she was merely inquiring after him, her answer put him in his place but I don’t think that was the reason he betrayed her, was he in love with her as some suggest? And he resented the attention she enjoyed from the men in her circle like Norris and Weston, they were nobleman and he was not, was that the reason for his rather sullen remark to her was it borne of envy? he was very young he could have been smitten with his alluring older mistress as schoolboys tend to fantasise about their glamorous teacher, but we do not know of his feelings like we do not know wether Anne Boleyn ever loved Henry V111, I think too much is made of this conversation with Anne and Smeaton, at the end of the day this young boy died through no fault of his own, he was caught up in the tragic events of that April in the year 1536, the only saving grace was that he died a nobleman’s death giving the alternative he was extremely lucky, if lucky is how we can describe this wretched scapegoat.