Thomas Boleyn is one of my very favourite historical personalities, but people are always confused when I say that because he’s viewed as one of history’s bad guys, a slippery character, a villain of the Tudor court, a ruthless social climber, a greedy opportunist, and, worst of all, a father who “pimped out” his daughters for power.
But how much of this is fact, and how much is fiction?
Spoiler: It’s fiction.
Today, on the anniversary of Thomas Boleyn’s death in 1539, I’m going to set the record straight for the umpteenth time!
Who was the real Thomas Boleyn? Was he a power-hungry schemer, or was he a gifted diplomat, a patron of learning, and a man whose rise had nothing to do with his daughters?
Transcript:
Today, on the anniversary of his death in 1539, let’s set the record straight about Thomas Boleyn—father of Queen Anne Boleyn, grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I, diplomat, scholar, and trusted servant of two Tudor kings. Over the centuries, he has been unfairly vilified as a ruthless social climber, a greedy schemer, and—most offensively—a man who ‘pimped out’ his daughters for power and wealth.
But is this the truth? Or have we, as we so often do with the Boleyns, fallen for myths rather than facts?
Today, let’s rediscover Thomas Boleyn—the Renaissance man, the humanist, and the gifted courtier—by looking at the real evidence.
Thomas Boleyn’s rise had nothing to do with his daughters. In fact, he was a prominent and powerful courtier long before Mary Boleyn ever caught Henry VIII’s eye. Let’s look at the facts:
- 1501: He was present at the wedding of Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur.
- 1503: He was chosen to escort Margaret Tudor to Scotland for her marriage to King James IV—an honour that shows how trusted he was by Henry VII.
- 1509: Thomas was knighted by Henry VIII at his coronation and appointed Keeper of the Foreign Exchange in Calais.
- 1511: He participated in grand jousts celebrating the birth of Prince Henry, later becoming a chief mourner at the child’s funeral—a sign of his high status at court.
- 1512-1513: He was sent on an important diplomatic mission to Margaret of Austria’s court, where he so impressed her that she made a personal wager on his success! This connection also allowed Thomas to secure a prestigious place for his daughter Anne at Margaret’s court.
All this before his daughters event went to the English court.
By the early 1520s, Thomas was already one of the king’s most valued courtiers, he held over 24 manors, was Treasurer of the Household, and had been entrusted with multiple key diplomatic roles.
Does this sound like a man who needed to sell his daughters for favour? The evidence simply doesn’t support the claim.
The idea that Thomas Boleyn ‘pimped out’ Mary and Anne to Henry VIII is a modern fiction, popularised by novels, films, and TV shows. But historical sources tell a very different story.
- The King had to step in to provide for Mary Boleyn after her husband’s death. If Thomas had been using Mary to gain favour, why would he abandon her once her affair with Henry was over? It seems more likely that there’d been some distancing between Thomas and Mary, perhaps because of her previous affair with the king.
- He actively opposed Anne’s marriage to Henry VIII. In 1533, Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador, recorded that Thomas Boleyn had tried to dissuade Henry from marrying Anne. And he also reported that Anne was furious at both her father and uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, for opposing the marriage.
- Duke of Norfolk’s Description of Thomas Boleyn: Thomas is often portrayed as ruthless and manipulative, but the Duke of Norfolk himself described him as “very timid” and “not of a warlike disposition.” These are not the words used to describe an overbearing, scheming puppet master. If anything, they suggest Thomas was hesitant about his daughter’s rise.
Beyond court politics, Thomas Boleyn was a man of learning and a patron of the New Learning. His household was a hub of intellectual activity, and he supported some of the brightest minds of the time:
- He acted as a patron to humanist scholar Gerard Phrysius (1529-1533).
- He supported Robert Wakefield, who taught Hebrew at Cambridge.
- He was in contact with French reformers like Clément Marot.
- His godson, Thomas Tebold, described him as a patron of the ‘New Learning and New Religion’.
This was a man who valued education—not just for his sons but also for his daughters. Unlike most Tudor noblemen, Thomas ensured Anne and Mary received an excellent education, preparing them for the highly competitive courts of Europe.
Thomas Boleyn has often been condemned for ‘abandoning’ Anne and George during their arrests and executions in 1536. But what could he have done?
We have no evidence that Thomas was involved in their downfall.
He was not present at Anne or George’s trials.
After their executions, he had to move forward. The Tudor court was a dangerous place, and survival depended on adapting. He had to pick himself up and continue serving the king, as many other families had done before him.
He continued serving Henry VIII until his death in 1539, a testament to his resilience.
Thomas Boleyn was not a villain. He was not a pimp. He was not a ruthless schemer. Instead, he was a trusted diplomat who worked with European powers, a gifted courtier who navigated the treacherous world of Henry VIII’s court, and a patron of learning and reform, influencing the very intellectual movements that would define Tudor England.
It’s time to move beyond the myths and acknowledge the real Thomas Boleyn – a man who gave his children remarkable opportunities, who served his country loyally, and who deserves far more credit than history has given him.
Yes indeed Thomas has had a bad press like so many other historical characters, much information is gleaned from fiction television and the movie industry, in fact its very worrying how many think they know history merely by watching and reading novels and films, on ‘Anne Boleyn Obsessed’ on Facebook it is surprising how many quote Philippa Gregory as a reliable source of information, needless to say I try to correct the posters but some do not listen, really I did like Micheal Hordern’s portrayal of Thomas in Anne Of The Thousand Days, in it he came across as a cautious man eager to please and quite unsure of how to deal with his fiery younger daughter, I think the real Thomas Boleyn was much the same, his brother in law described him as timid and un warlike, that is why he suited the role of diplomat well he was a persuasive speaker, influential and well versed in several languages, such men are needed for diplomacy, at home and abroad, he gained a good reputation for being very skilled and it shows how valuable he was for he served two kings, Henry V11 and his son, there must have been many arguments with Anne when his master began to pursue Anne and one can see Thomas trying to err on the side of caution, if only we could go back in time to Hever Castle and witness the Boleyn family trying to advise Anne on how to treat the king, first of all when he began sending her gifts we can imagine their surprise and then elation when they realised he was evidently very much interested in her, but all he wanted was a mistress and that was something Anne did not want, neither did Thomas as he must have been perturbed when his eldest slept with the king, a woman’s virtue her sense of honour was everything, and in fact Mary did very well when she was married to William Cary a nobleman and cousin of Henry V111’s, so the problem with Mary was dealt with although her reputation lingered somewhat, then his eyes began to alight on his favourite diplomats younger mercurial daughter, and Thomas and Elizabeth must have thought ‘here we go again’, but Henry was not successful in luring Anne into his bed, and Thomas and his wife must have began to feel very worried with her attitude towards Henry V111, he was king he could destroy their family in an instant, yet he did neither and after about a whole year of frustration he asked Anne to marry him, had Thomas been a ruthless ambitious courtier as he had so often been portrayed he would have been delighted, but we know otherwise, so how did the myths about this man arise? In reality he was extremely worried he had seen Henry grow up and knew how capricious he was, how cruel he could be and that he had no qualms about sending trusted friends and advisors to the block, in Henry’s court no one was expendable and he must have feared for Anne for Mary and his entire family if things were to go wrong, we know the tragedy what befell the Boleyn’s and the Seymour’s themselves knew it could happen to them, had the king decided he wanted rid of Jane Seymour their power and influence would vanish also and there was little they could have done to change the kings mind,
likewise Sir Thomas, he was the kings father in law yet Henry was closeted with his ministers for several weeks before Anne was arrested, Thomas was not present at these meetings and only Henry Cromwell and his ministers knew what was said, , when Anne and George were both arrested he was at court doing his duty and the news must have come as a complete shock to him and his wife, why was he said to have thrown his children to the wolves what could he have done? All he could do was ask for an audience with his son in law and plead mercy for George and Anne, he could hardly have succeeded in arousing a rebellion against him and armed with pitchforks descend on Whitehall or Hampton Court wherever the court was, and demand Henry release Anne and George from the Tower, Sir Thomas had to keep his head down and hope his children’s tragedy would not do much damage on his own credibility, as a loyal courtier and servant to his majesty, but damage him it did, and Lady Elizabeth died maybe of a wasting disease hastened by a broken heart a mere two years later, followed by Thomas himself, he had enjoyed a brilliant career had been the friends of learned scholars reformers and fellow diplomats, even Queen Marguerite of Savoy a lady whose court enjoyed a reputation for being one of the finest renaissance courts in Europe, it was because of her friendship he had managed to secure a place for Anne, he had been admired for his intelligence and his daughter had become queen against all odds, he did not know it but his granddaughter was to become our greatest monarch, I feel a biography of Thomas is well overdue, he was neither mean nor grasping, he used his talents to promote himself which was in his families interests and which his fellow noblemen of the court all did, but he did not pimp his daughters out, he cared for all his children deeply, with both Anne and George they were given a good education Anne especially so, they were precious to him for it was an age where many children died , he had buried two sons already, and there is no evidence he was cold hearted and threw them to the wolves when they were sent to the tower and were later executed, he carried out his duties to his master and king when they were required of him, he tried to salvage his families fortunes when they crumbled around him, years later the Howard’s his wife’s kinsfolk were to suffer the same misfortunes when Henry’s fifth queen went to her doom, in an age where the king had complete control one had to tow the line and obey, Thomas knew it just as the Seymour’s that came after as did the Howard’s, RIP Sir Thomas Boleyn Lord Rochford and Earl of Wiltshire the very special father of an extraordinary daughter.