Final Letters to Henry VIII By Some of His Wives
Elizabethan England is a fascinating point in time...and just as fascinating is the era of Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII.
Much is said about Henry VIII, the most famous of the Tudors, but most people have never taken the time to glimpse into the details of this famous monarch
and those wives of his that were just "not suitable" to him. His carnal desire for his second wife, for instance, was one
of the main reasons Protestantism came into being. Read on to glimpse a few of the letters from Henry's wives who were on the threshold of death and check
out how they expressed themselves...observe how contrite, respectful and eloquent the written word during those days was...and how pitiful the situations these women found themselves in!
THE WIVES OF HENRY VIII
Katherine of Aragon (wife #1): The daughter of the Emperor of Spain. Originally the wife of Arthur, Henry's older brother. When Arthur died at a young age, the marriage bed had not been consumated, therefore, Henry married
her. However they were unsuccessful at producing a male heir but their child, Mary, did become the Queen of England for a short while. Once Henry met Anne Boleyn, he fell for Anne and divorced Katherine even though the Pope forbade it.
The Pope actually ex-communicated Henry after the divorce. So what did Henry do? Why, he broke from the Catholic Church and created his
own church: The Church of England...which was the birth of the Protestant movement. Therefore, it can be said that the Protestant Movement was formed as a result of the carnal whims of one man! Katherine was "sent away" to a castle out of Henry's sight. She committed
herself to prayer and worship up to her final days. Loving and writing to Henry to "come to his senses" the whole while.
This is the final letter to Henry from Katherine on her deathbed due to illness:
My most dear Lord, Kind and husband. The hour of my death now drawing on, the tender love I owe you forces me, my case being such, to commend myself to you, and to put you in remembrance with a few words of the health and safeguard of your soul, which you ought to prefer before all worldly matters
and before the care and pampering of your body, for the which you have cast me into many calamities and yourself into many troubles.
For my part, I pardon you everything, and I wish and devoutly pray God that He will pardon you also. For the rest, I commend unto you our daughter Mary, beseeching you to be a good father unto her, as I have heretofore desired. I entreat you also, on behalf of my maids, to give them marriage portions, which is not much,
they being but three. For all my other servants, I solicit the wages due them, and a year more, lest they be unprovided for.
Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things.
Anne Boleyn (wife #2): The woman who rocked the world of England (and Henry's world...for a while). This enigmatic French woman, by denying Henry her favors as a consort, caused him to nearly go out of his mind with desire. Henry decided that SHE could give him the male heir he wanted if
he could just figure out how to get rid of Katherine. However, once he married Anne (against the will of the people...they hated her!) he became a bit disillusioned with her as well. She had lost their second child (a male!) during childbirth and the child was thought to have been deformed. She had a 6th finger on her left hand and Henry believed Katherine's daughter Mary was possibly being poisoned by Anne...he
began to believe she was a witch. Finally to seal her fate, Anne's enemies contrived that she was having a love affair with her brother, George Boleyn...Georges wife, Jane (Lady Rochford) was coherced into testifying against her husband (Jane Boleyn would lose her head just a few yrs later!). Anne's enemies didn't stop there...they claimed she had affairs with Henry Norris, William Brereton, Mark Smeaton and Francis Weston (courtiers and acquaintances of Anne...all were beheaded on May 17, 1536).
Anne was doomed and no one believed her defense, all of England called her The Great Whore...she was be-headed on May 19, 1536. Most historians emphatically agree that Anne was guilty of no such crimes. Here are a few of her writings while she awaited her execution:
Your Grace's displeasure and my imprisonment are things so strange to me, that what to write, or what to excuse, I am altogether
ignorant. Whereas you send to me such a one, whom you know to me mine ancient professed enemy (Cromwell); I no sooner received this message by him, than I rightly conceived your meaning; and if as you say, confessing a truth indeed my procure my safety
I shall, with willingness and duty, perform your command.
But let not Your Grace ever imagine your poor wife will ever be brought to acknowledge a fault where not so much as a thought ever proceeded. And to speak
a truth, never a prince had a wife more loyal in all duty, and in all true affection, than you have ever found in Anne Boleyn - with which name and place I could willingly have contented myself if God and Your Grace's pleasure had so pleased.
Neither did I at any time so far forget myself in my exaltation, or received Queenship, but I always
looked for sucher alteration as I now find; for the ground of my preferment being on no surer foundation than Your Grace's fancy, the least alteration was fit and sufficient, I knew, to draw that fancy to some other subject.
You have chosen me from a low estate to be your Queen and companion, far beyond my just desert or desire; if then you found me worthy of such honor, good Your Grace, let not any light fancy or bad counsel of my enemies withdraw your princely favour from me, neither
let that stain - that unworthy stain - of a disloyal heart toward your good Grace ever cast so foul a blot on me and on the infant Princess, your daughter, Elizabeth.
Try me, Good King, but let me have a lawful trial, and let not my sworn enemies sit as my judges; yea, let me receive an open trial, for my truth shall fear no open shames; then shall you see either mine innocency cleared, your suspicions and conscience satisfied, the ignonimy and slander of the world
stopped, or my guilt openly declared. So that whatever God and you may determine of, Your Grace may be at liberty, both before God and man, not only to execute worthy punishment on me, as an unfaithful wife, but to follow your affection already settled on that party (Anne new of Henry's affection for Jane Seymour), Mistress Seymour, for
whose sake I am now as I am; whose name I could some good while since have pointed unto: Your Grace being not ignorant of my suspicions therein.
But if you have already determined of me, and that not only my death, but an infamous slander, must bring you to the joying of your desired happiness, then I desire of God that He will pardon your great sin herein, and likewise, my enemies, the instruments thereof, and that He will not call you to a strait account for your unprincely and cruel usage of me at His general judgement-seat, where both you and myself must shortly appear; and in whose just
judgement, I doubt not; whatsoever the world think of me; mine innocency shall be openly known and sufficiently cleared.
My last and only request shall be, that myself may only bear the burden of Your Grace's displeasur, and that it may not touch the innocent sould of those poor gentlemen, whom, as I understand, are likewise in strait imprisonment for my sake.
If ever I have found favour in your site - if ever the name of Anne Boleyn have been pleasing in your ears - then let me obtain this request; and so I will leave to trouble Your Grace no further; with mine earnest prayers to the Trinity to have Your Grace in His good keeping and to direct you in all your actions.
From my doleful prison in the Tower, the 6th of May.
Anne Boleyn
Anne also wrote this song the night before she was beheaded:
Oh Death, Rock me asleep - bring on my quiet rest
Let me pass my very guitless ghost - out of my careful breast
Ring out the doleful knell - let its sound my death tell
For I must die - there is no remedy
For now I die!
My pains who can express - alas they are so strong!
My dolour will not suffer strength - my life for to prolong!
Alone in a prison strange! I wail my destiny
Woe worth this cruel hap - that I should taste this misery.
Farewell my pleasures past - Welcome my present pain
I feel my torments so increase - that life cannot remain
Sound now the passing bell -rung is my doleful knell
For it's sound my death doth tell
Death doth draw nigh - sound the knell dolefully
For now I die!
Defiled is my name, full sore
Through cruel spite and false report, That I may say forevermore:
Farewell to joy, adieu comfort for wrongfully he judge of me
Unto my fame a mortal wound, say what ye list
it may not be - You seek for that shall not be found.
Annes final words at the scaffold where:
Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, according to law, for by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I come here only to die...and thus yield myself humbly unto the will of my lord the King. I pray God to save the King and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler or more merciful Prince was there never. To me he was ever a good and gently sovereign lord.
If and person will meddle with my cause, I require them to judge the best. Thus I take my leave of the world and of you, and heartily desire you all to pray for me.
Anne then places her head on the block and repeated fearfully:
O Jesu, have mercy on my soul...O Jesu have mercy on my soul...
Anne may have innocently lost her life...but she left behind a daughter who would become the greatest female monarch the world has ever known: Queen Elizabeth I
Catherine Howard (5th wife):Following Jane's Seymour's death shortly after childbirth (Edward) and the joke of a marriage to the unattractive Anne of Cleves, Henry, at the prodding of his Court,
finally married again. This time...a very young woman named Catherine Howard. Unknown to Henry but known to several people, including Catherine's family...she was NOT a virgin. Unfortunately for Catherine, she
had been carnally involved with a dude named Manox, also one named Derehem...and then with Thomas Culpepper (who would serve Henry in his privy chamber) prior to her marriage to the King. And even more unfortunately for her, she MAINTAINED the trist with Culpepper even after she became queen. It is ironic that Jane Boleyn was one
of Catherine's chief royal maids...Jane assisted in helping Thomas sneak into the queen's royal bedchamber. They were all caught and Henry VIII was pretty darn mad. He was mad enough that they ALL went to the beheading block! Here
is the confessional letter Catherine wrote in a panic to try to appeal to Henry's "most benign and merciful grace" to spare her life:
I, Your Grace's most sorrowful subject and most vile wretch in the world, not worthy to make any recommendation unto your most excellent Majesty, do only make my most humble submission and confession of my faults.
Whereas no cause of mercy is deserved on my part, yet of your most accustomed mercy extended unto all other men undeserverd, most humbly on my hands and knees I do desire one particle thereof to be extended unto me, although of all
other creatures I am most unworthy to be called either your wife or your subject.
My sorrow I can by no writing express, nevertheless I trust your most benign nature will have some respect unto my youth, my ignorance, my frailness, my humble confession of my faults, and plain declaration of the same referring me wholly unto Your Grace's pity and mercy.
First, at the flattering and fair persuasions of Manox, being but a young girl, I suffered him a sundry times to handle and touch the secret parts of my body which neither become me with honesty to permit nor him to require.
Also, Francis Derehem, by many persuasions procurred me to his vicous purpose and obtained first to lie upon my bed with his doublet and hose and after within the bed and finally he lay with me naked, and used me
in such sort as a man doth his wife many and sundry times, but how often I now not.
Our company ended almost a year before the King's Majesty was married to my Lady Anne of Cleves and continued not past one quarter of a year or a little above.
Now the whole truth being declared unto Your Majesty, I most humbly beseech you to consider the subtle persuasions of young men and the ignorance and frailness of young women.
I was so desirious to be taken unto Your Grace's favour, and so blinded by with the desire of worldly glory that I could not, nor had grace to consider how great a fault
it was to conceal my former faults from Your Majesty, considering that I intended ever during my life to be faithful and true unto Your Majesty ever after.
Nevertheless, the sorrow of my offenses was ever before my eyes, considering the infinite goodness of Your Majesty toward me which was ever increasing and not diminishing.
Now, I refer the judgement of mine offenses with my life and death wholly unto your most benign and merciful grace, to be considered by no justice of Your Majesty's laws but only by your infinite goodness,
pity, compassion and mercy - without which I acknowledge myself worthy of the most extreme punishment.
Unfortunately, while confessing these "past faults", Catherine "forgot" to mention her ongoing affair with Culpepper of which Henry was fully aware. Catherine did not think that Henry knew...but Henry had sent spies to search Culpepper's apartment. In his private letter-box, they found this letter from the queen herself which unfortunately pretty much gave them away:
Master Culpepper,
I heartily recommend me unto you, praying you to send me word how that you do. It was showed me that you was sick, the which thing troubled me very much till such time
that I hear from you, praying you to send me word how that you do. For I never longed so much for a thing as I do to see you and to speak with you, the which I trust shall be shortly now.
The which doth comfort me very much when I think of it, and when I think again that you shall depart from me again it makes my heart to die to think what fortune I have that I cannot be always in your company.
My trust is always in you that you will be as you have promised me, and in that hope I trust still, praying you then that you wil come when my Lady Rochford is here, for then I shall be best at leisure to be at your commandment.
I thank you for promising to be so good unto that poor fellow, my man, which is one of the griefs that I do feel to depart from him, for
then I do know no one that I dare trust to send to you, and therefore I pray you take him to be with you, that I may sometime hear from you one thing.
I pray you to give me a horse for my man, for I have much ado to get one and therefore I pray send me one by him and in so doing, I am as I said afore, and thus
I take my leave of you, trusting to see you shortly again and I would you were with me now, that you might see what pain I take in writing you.
Yours as long as life endures,
Catherine
Culpepper was beheaded fairly straight-away. Catherine and Jane Boleyn were brought forward a couple of months later. They both said some interesting things at the executioner's block:
Catherine the Queen:
I die a Queen but I would rather die the wife of Culpepper. God have mercy on my soul. Good people I beg you, pray for me."
As for Jane Boleyn (Lady Rochford):
Good Christians, God has permitted me to suffer this shameful doom as punishment for having contributed to my husband's death. I falsely accused him of loving in an incestuous manner, his sister, Queen Anne Boleyn. For this
I deserve to die. But I am guilty of no other crime.
So there you have it...the in's and out's of the expressionisms of some of the Wives of Henry VIII at their most emotional moments.
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