Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

~ Mayday: The Last Meeting of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, A Guest Post by Lissa Bryan~

It began at a joust and it ended at a joust.

In 1526, Henry VIII declared his love for Anne Boleyn at Shrovetide, riding onto the jousting lists with a banner that declared his pursuit of her.

In 1536, he again made his intentions clear, but this time by getting up in the middle of the festivities and departing without saying a word to his queen. It was the last time Anne Boleyn would ever see him, and he didn't even say goodbye to this woman whom he had once loved enough to shatter a kingdom.

According to Lancelot de Carles - who wrote a narrative poem of Anne’s rise and fall a month later - Henry Norris, George Boleyn, William Brereton, and Francis Weston competed in the match.

Henry “concealed their ruin” and showed the men great kindness. Norris’s horse shied at the lists, and so Henry magnanimously offered his own, knowing that Norris “could not keep it long.”

Henry knew the four of them would be dead before the month was over, but he smiled as he watched them ride and waved and offered them favors.

Much later, Nicholas Sander would claim that Anne had supplied the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back by dropping her handkerchief to Norris so he could wipe his face - a sign of her flirtatious favor - but he is the only one who supplies this detail, and Sander is very unreliable at best.

Perhaps Sander wrote it to answer the puzzling mystery as to what triggered the king’s sudden departure. According to the other chroniclers, he simply got up and left without saying a word to anyone, including his queen.

Heads must have turned to watch him go and the stands must have filled with whispers. His men scrambled to follow him, but Henry took along only a small number of servants, including Norris, who was still riding the king’s horse.

According to de Carles, Edward Hall, George Constatine, and Bishop Burnet, Henry suddenly wheeled his horse around and demanded Norris confess to adultery with the queen. Henry offered him a full pardon if he would admit it.

Norris, flabbergasted that the king would even ask such a thing after twenty years of loyal service sputtered that he would rather die a thousand deaths than accuse an innocent person. de Carles adds that Norris offered to defend Anne’s honor through trial by combat. The king shouted for him to be arrested and rode on. It was the last time Norris would ever see him.

The joust continued. Anne was left behind to perform the duties of the monarch and preside over the match, smile at the combatants, applaud politely, and distribute the prizes.

The courage it took for her to behave graciously, as though nothing was wrong, impresses me still. She had to be deeply troubled, but she knew every eye was watching her for signs there was a breakdown in the royal marriage.

Anne had to keep her chin up and pretend nothing was amiss, and not give her enemies the feeling they could attack at will. But Henry had been acting so odd these last couple of weeks...

She had less than twenty-four hours left of freedom.