Cromwell & the King's Marriages

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The Fall of Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn fell from Henry VIII's favour in 1536. She was executed on 19th May 1536.

The failure to give Henry VIII a son

Anne gave birth to a girl, Elizabeth in September 1533. Henry was very disappointed.
Anne was pregnant again by 1536.
- However, she miscarried shortly after Henry had a serious jousting accident and was unconscious for two hours.
- Henry was unsympathetic.
- She had possibly also had another miscarriage before this in 1534.

Henry VIII's need for a son

Henry was getting old (he was 45 in 1536) and the accident had made him fear that he could die without a son to carry on the Tudor dynasty.
The Pope had also written a Papal Bull declaring that anyone could invade England and take over!
Henry was desperate for a son, and it seemed like Anne could not give him one.

Anne Boleyn vs. Jane Seymour

Henry had also begun to find Anne’s sharp, assertive personality annoying.
She flirted with other men, which Henry used against her.
Also, Henry had fallen in love with the quiet, passive Jane Seymour, whose personality was the opposite of Anne’s.

Cromwell's role in Anne Boleyn's downfall

Cromwell was asked to investigate the rumour that Anne was having an affair.
She was accused of having affairs with 5 men, one of them her brother!
Four of them denied the charges, and the only one who did confess (Mark Smeaton) was tortured, so we cannot trust this.
She was also accused of being a witch! None of it was true, but Henry believed it, so she had to be executed.

The annulment of Anne Boleyn's marriage to Henry VIII

After a short trial, Anne’s marriage was annulled by Archbishop Cranmer, and Princess Elizabeth was made illegitimate.

Anne Boleyn's execution

Anne was executed on 19th May 1536 in front of a crowd of 1000.
She declared her love for Henry and refused to admit her guilt.

Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour gave Henry VIII his son, and so secured the Tudor dynasty. She died shortly after childbirth.

Jane Seymour's marriage to Henry VIII

The day after Anne Boleyn’s execution, Henry proposed to Jane Seymour, and married her on the 30th May.
Henry rushed because he was so desperate for an heir.
- He now only had two illegitimate daughters from his two previous marriages.
His one illegitimate son from a mistress, Henry Fitzroy, might have been made his heir but he died earlier in 1536.

Jane Seymour's involvement in politics

Jane was not involved in politics, apart from once when she asked Henry to spare the rebels in the Pilgrimage of Grace.
Henry had threatened to execute her if she interfered again!
However, she was more successful in helping to improve his relationship with Princess Mary on the condition that Mary accepted the annulment and her own illegitimacy.

Edward VI

In October 1537 Jane gave birth to a son, Edward.
However, Jane died two weeks later from infection.
Henry mourned for three months.

The rise of the Earl of Hertford

Jane’s older brother Edward was made Earl of Hertford three days after Prince Edward was born.
He became one of Henry’s leading advisors, and after Henry’s death in 1547 helped Edward to rule the country.

1Henry VIII & Wolsey, 1509-1529

1.1Henry VIII & Wolsey, 1509-1529

1.1.1Henry VIII, Renaissance Prince

1.1.2The Rise of Wolsey

1.1.3Wolsey's Domestic Reforms

1.1.4Wolsey's Foreign Policy

1.1.5Evaluating Wolsey's Foreign Policy

1.1.6The Succession & Annulment

1.1.7Fall of Wolsey

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Wolsey

1.1.9End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Wolsey 2

2Henry VIII & Cromwell, 1529-1540

2.1Henry VIII & Cromwell, 1529-1540

2.1.1The Rise of Cromwell

2.1.2The King's Annulment

2.1.3Cromwell & the King's Marriages

2.1.4Cromwell & Government

2.1.5Cromwell & Parliament

2.1.6Fall of Cromwell

2.1.7End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Cromewell

2.1.8End of Topic Test - Henry VIII & Cromwell 2

3The Reformation & its Impact, 1529-1540

3.1The Reformation & its Impact, 1529-1540

3.1.1The Break with Rome

3.1.2Opposition to the Reformation

3.1.3Impact of the Reformation

3.1.4Role of Religious Houses

3.1.5Dissolution of the Monasteries

3.1.6Impact of Dissolution

3.1.7The Pilgrimage of Grace

3.1.8Evaluating the Pilgrimage of Grace

3.1.9End of Topic Test - The Reformation

3.1.10End of Topic Test - The Reformation 2

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