On this day in Tudor history, 29th January 1536, the same day that Catherine of Aragon was buried at Peterborough Abbey, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII suffered a miscarriage.
Contemporary accounts state that she was around 3 1/2 months pregnant and that it was a boy.
In today's talk, I share information given by the imperial ambassador on Anne Boleyn's miscarriage, including the gossip concerning the king and a certain Jane Seymour.
I go into more detail on this miscarriage in this video:
Also on this day in Tudor history, on the very same day, Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was buried. Find out more in last year’s video:
Also on this day in history:
- 1547 – Edward Seymour and Anthony Denny informed the young Edward VI that his father, Henry VIII, had died the day before.
- 1559 – Death of Sir Thomas Pope, founder of Trinity College, Oxford, member of Parliament and Privy Councillor in Mary I's reign, at Clerkenwell. He was buried at St Stephen's Church, Walbrook. In 1556, Pope acted as a guardian for Princess Elizabeth at Hatfield House, and handled the correspondence when Eric of Sweden was interested in marrying Elizabeth.
- 1577 – Death of Richard Harpur, Law Reporter and Judge of the Common Pleas. He was buried at Swarkestone Church in Derbyshire.
- 1613 – Death of Sir Thomas Bodley, scholar, diplomat and founder of Oxford's Bodleian Library at his house next to St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. He was buried in Merton College chapel on 29th March.
Nichols Sander was writing to inspire Catholics being persecuted in England, so of course Elizabeth and her family going to get a bad press, it was normal to malign people in this way who were the enemy. He had obviously heard a number of rumours and put them into his history when speaking of Anne Boleyn. He wrote 60 years later and can’t be taken too seriously.
Rest in peace, Queen Katherine of Aragon, where you are finally honoured as Queen in Peterborough Cathedral. I have been and was very moved by her resting place.