Anne Boleyn: From Queen to History - May 2nd 1536: From Freedom to the Tower
May 2nd 1536: From Freedom to the Tower
I cannot help but wonder what Anne thought on this morning when she woke. I doubt she would have any idea that today would be her last day of freedom and by the time of the setting sun she would be a prisoner in the Tower of London.
It was probably a day just like any other seeing Anne awake in her beautiful lavish bed, eat her breakfast with her ladies in waiting, say her morning prayers and then get dressed for the day (which was an event in itself!) What is known is that morning Anne decided to go watch a game of Tennis. Apparently one of her friends was playing and she correctly guessed who would win the match. Presumably Anne was enjoying herself watching the game when a messenger arrived with an order from the King. She was to present herself to the Privy Council immediately. Surely from this sudden and demanding message Anne would have known that something was deeply wrong.
Entering the Privy Council chambers there was not the King waiting for her nor the full council, but only three members: her Uncle the Duke of Norfolk, Sir William Fitzwilliam, and Sir William Paulet. It was there, standing before these three men, one of whom was her very own uncle, Anne Boleyn found out her fate. She was charged with adultery against the King of England - accused of having sexual relationships with Sir Henry Norris, the musician Mark Smeaton and a third lover whom the men would not name. It is said that Anne was furious at these charges and denied them completely and wholeheartedly proclaiming that the King was the only man who had ever touched her. Of course history tells us that her pleas fell upon deaf ears. Anne was told to return to her chambers and await further instructions.
I have a thousand thoughts of what Anne must have been thinking as she ate lunch in her chambers with her ladies in waiting sitting around her. But I will never really know what she was thinking. I can only imagine that she must have been terrified, angry, furious, confused and startled that all of this was actually happening. She was no fool and would have known from the events of the last few months and the way Henry was treating her that something was wrong in their marriage but this… accused of adultery with THREE men (not just Norris whom she had the argument with a few days earlier) must have been a shock.
Apparently before her lunch Anne changed into a magnificent dress of crimson velvet with a crimson gold kirtle and put on her most beautiful jewels. I have to admit that this image makes me smile, even though Anne knew the horror of what was happening around her she still wanted to prove to all those that would look upon her that she was still the Queen of England! And that is the Anne Boleyn I love!
After lunch they came for Anne, The Duke of Norfolk, Sir William Fitzwilliam, Sir William Paulet, the Earl of Oxford, Lord Sandys and Thomas Cromwell (whom played a HUGE role in gathering supposed evidence of Anne’s affairs and in the general fall of Anne) entered the Queen’s chambers with a warrant signed by the King for Anne’s arrest. There was probably little Anne could do, despite being Queen she was still a servant of the King and subject to his laws and commands. It is said that once presented with the warrant Anne replied: “If it be His Majesty’s pleasure, I am ready to obey.”
Anne was not allowed to take any of her dresses, jewellery or other belongings, nor any of her ladies in waiting with her. This must have been a huge humiliation as for years Anne had enjoyed the luxuries and comforts that being a Queen provided her with. She was taken down to the river Thames where a barge awaited her to take her to the Tower of London. Apparently the tide was against them on this day the 2nd of May and thus travelling down the Thames from Greenwich to the Tower took several hours. She must have looked a sight, Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, dressed in crimson and gold, jewels glittering in the sunlight surrounded by men whom were to take her to the Tower. Her uncle the Duke of Norfolk was with her and it is said that the whole trip he tuttered and looked down upon her. Poor Anne, it must have been humiliating to have to bear this from her own flesh and blood for two hours.
I have been to the Tower of London, travelled down the Thames from Greenwich Pier to the Tower and I have tried to imagine what it must have been like for Anne. To think that she was going to be a prisoner in the Tower where people had been accused of many crimes, some real, some false, where people had lost their lives… I can only wonder at the thousands of thoughts racing through Anne’s mind at this time. She appeared to be putting on such a brave and strong appearance, not letting her Uncle’s tuttering get to her, but inside her heart must have been breaking. She must have been terrified.
Common stories say that Anne entered into the Tower of London from the Thames through the ‘Traitors Gate’, but modern researchers and historians suggest that she would have arrived through the Court Gate near Byward Tower - which was the common entrance for people of nobility and royalty. As she arrived at the tower loud cannons were fired to signal to all of London that someone of great importance had just been imprisoned at the tower - this could have only added more humiliation and fear to how Anne was already feeling.
Anne’s reaction to how she entered the Tower has been well documented and for this I am very grateful. It gives us an insight into how Queen of England must have been feeling. As she exited the barge and stepped onto the stone steps Anne’s legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground crying and praying furiously. She must have been riddled with fear, worry and great despair at what was happening to her. Perhaps fearing that once she entered the Tower she would never leave. She was helped to her feet by Sir William Kingston who was the Constable of the Tower. Kingston lead Anne through the tower and in her heart Anne believed that she was being taken to the Dungeons, so when Kingston turned in a direction that Anne was not expecting she was shocked.
Anne said to Kingston: “Master Kingston, do I go into a dungeon?” and he replied: “No, Madam, you shall go into your lodging that you lay in at your coronation.” What Anne must have thought of this I am not sure, but we do know that she collapsed in a fit of tears again. Was this another way to add insult to injury? She had been spared the horror of the dungeons only to be lodged in the same place she had been three years ago at her great coronation. Then she had been the King’s wife, young, beautiful, strong, her whole future laid out before her. She was to be Queen of England, the most powerful woman in England’s entire rule. And now, now she was a tainted Queen, humiliated, betrayed, accused of adultery with three men and probably terrified beyond all comprehension.
It is said that the short journey from the barge to her lodgings Anne went from fits of tears to fits of laughter. She was quite possibly hysterical, not believing or able to fully comprehend what was happening to her. Her life was falling down around her, shattering into a thousand pieces and right then there seemed so very little that she could do about it. It must have been a true nightmare for her.
The Tower of London as taken from the Thames river travelling down from Greenwich. (Photo taken by me). Having travelled down from Greenwich past the Tower of London via ferry I can say with certainty that the sight of the Tower looming ahead is defiantly a daunting sight. But to know that you were going there as a prisoner… I can only imagine how Anne must have been feeling when she saw the huge white walls of the Tower looming ahead, knowing that she must enter the Tower completely unsure of what her fate might be.
Traitors Gate. (Photo taken by me).Popular history has it that Anne would have entered the Tower from the Thames via this gate which was a famous entrance for prisoners of the Tower. More accurately it is suggested that Anne would have entered the Tower via the Court Gate near the Byward Tower - which was the customary entrance for Royalty and those of nobility; after all at this time Anne was still the Queen of England.
The imposing and famous White Tower. (Photo taken by me).
I cannot help but wonder what Anne thought on this morning when she woke. I doubt she would have any idea that today would be her last day of freedom and by the time of the setting sun she would be a prisoner in the Tower of London.
It was probably a day just like any other seeing Anne awake in her beautiful lavish bed, eat her breakfast with her ladies in waiting, say her morning prayers and then get dressed for the day (which was an event in itself!) What is known is that morning Anne decided to go watch a game of Tennis. Apparently one of her friends was playing and she correctly guessed who would win the match. Presumably Anne was enjoying herself watching the game when a messenger arrived with an order from the King. She was to present herself to the Privy Council immediately. Surely from this sudden and demanding message Anne would have known that something was deeply wrong.
Entering the Privy Council chambers there was not the King waiting for her nor the full council, but only three members: her Uncle the Duke of Norfolk, Sir William Fitzwilliam, and Sir William Paulet. It was there, standing before these three men, one of whom was her very own uncle, Anne Boleyn found out her fate. She was charged with adultery against the King of England - accused of having sexual relationships with Sir Henry Norris, the musician Mark Smeaton and a third lover whom the men would not name. It is said that Anne was furious at these charges and denied them completely and wholeheartedly proclaiming that the King was the only man who had ever touched her. Of course history tells us that her pleas fell upon deaf ears. Anne was told to return to her chambers and await further instructions.
I have a thousand thoughts of what Anne must have been thinking as she ate lunch in her chambers with her ladies in waiting sitting around her. But I will never really know what she was thinking. I can only imagine that she must have been terrified, angry, furious, confused and startled that all of this was actually happening. She was no fool and would have known from the events of the last few months and the way Henry was treating her that something was wrong in their marriage but this… accused of adultery with THREE men (not just Norris whom she had the argument with a few days earlier) must have been a shock.
Apparently before her lunch Anne changed into a magnificent dress of crimson velvet with a crimson gold kirtle and put on her most beautiful jewels. I have to admit that this image makes me smile, even though Anne knew the horror of what was happening around her she still wanted to prove to all those that would look upon her that she was still the Queen of England! And that is the Anne Boleyn I love!
After lunch they came for Anne, The Duke of Norfolk, Sir William Fitzwilliam, Sir William Paulet, the Earl of Oxford, Lord Sandys and Thomas Cromwell (whom played a HUGE role in gathering supposed evidence of Anne’s affairs and in the general fall of Anne) entered the Queen’s chambers with a warrant signed by the King for Anne’s arrest. There was probably little Anne could do, despite being Queen she was still a servant of the King and subject to his laws and commands. It is said that once presented with the warrant Anne replied: “If it be His Majesty’s pleasure, I am ready to obey.”
Anne was not allowed to take any of her dresses, jewellery or other belongings, nor any of her ladies in waiting with her. This must have been a huge humiliation as for years Anne had enjoyed the luxuries and comforts that being a Queen provided her with. She was taken down to the river Thames where a barge awaited her to take her to the Tower of London. Apparently the tide was against them on this day the 2nd of May and thus travelling down the Thames from Greenwich to the Tower took several hours. She must have looked a sight, Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, dressed in crimson and gold, jewels glittering in the sunlight surrounded by men whom were to take her to the Tower. Her uncle the Duke of Norfolk was with her and it is said that the whole trip he tuttered and looked down upon her. Poor Anne, it must have been humiliating to have to bear this from her own flesh and blood for two hours.
I have been to the Tower of London, travelled down the Thames from Greenwich Pier to the Tower and I have tried to imagine what it must have been like for Anne. To think that she was going to be a prisoner in the Tower where people had been accused of many crimes, some real, some false, where people had lost their lives… I can only wonder at the thousands of thoughts racing through Anne’s mind at this time. She appeared to be putting on such a brave and strong appearance, not letting her Uncle’s tuttering get to her, but inside her heart must have been breaking. She must have been terrified.
Common stories say that Anne entered into the Tower of London from the Thames through the ‘Traitors Gate’, but modern researchers and historians suggest that she would have arrived through the Court Gate near Byward Tower - which was the common entrance for people of nobility and royalty. As she arrived at the tower loud cannons were fired to signal to all of London that someone of great importance had just been imprisoned at the tower - this could have only added more humiliation and fear to how Anne was already feeling.
Anne’s reaction to how she entered the Tower has been well documented and for this I am very grateful. It gives us an insight into how Queen of England must have been feeling. As she exited the barge and stepped onto the stone steps Anne’s legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground crying and praying furiously. She must have been riddled with fear, worry and great despair at what was happening to her. Perhaps fearing that once she entered the Tower she would never leave. She was helped to her feet by Sir William Kingston who was the Constable of the Tower. Kingston lead Anne through the tower and in her heart Anne believed that she was being taken to the Dungeons, so when Kingston turned in a direction that Anne was not expecting she was shocked.
Anne said to Kingston: “Master Kingston, do I go into a dungeon?” and he replied: “No, Madam, you shall go into your lodging that you lay in at your coronation.” What Anne must have thought of this I am not sure, but we do know that she collapsed in a fit of tears again. Was this another way to add insult to injury? She had been spared the horror of the dungeons only to be lodged in the same place she had been three years ago at her great coronation. Then she had been the King’s wife, young, beautiful, strong, her whole future laid out before her. She was to be Queen of England, the most powerful woman in England’s entire rule. And now, now she was a tainted Queen, humiliated, betrayed, accused of adultery with three men and probably terrified beyond all comprehension.
It is said that the short journey from the barge to her lodgings Anne went from fits of tears to fits of laughter. She was quite possibly hysterical, not believing or able to fully comprehend what was happening to her. Her life was falling down around her, shattering into a thousand pieces and right then there seemed so very little that she could do about it. It must have been a true nightmare for her.
The Tower of London as taken from the Thames river travelling down from Greenwich. (Photo taken by me). Having travelled down from Greenwich past the Tower of London via ferry I can say with certainty that the sight of the Tower looming ahead is defiantly a daunting sight. But to know that you were going there as a prisoner… I can only imagine how Anne must have been feeling when she saw the huge white walls of the Tower looming ahead, knowing that she must enter the Tower completely unsure of what her fate might be.
Traitors Gate. (Photo taken by me).Popular history has it that Anne would have entered the Tower from the Thames via this gate which was a famous entrance for prisoners of the Tower. More accurately it is suggested that Anne would have entered the Tower via the Court Gate near the Byward Tower - which was the customary entrance for Royalty and those of nobility; after all at this time Anne was still the Queen of England.
The imposing and famous White Tower. (Photo taken by me).