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The Execution of Thomas Seymour

3/20/2013

On this day in 1549, one of the most controversial men of the Tudor age met his maker on a scaffold at the Tower of London. I'm interested to know your thoughts about this man, who attempted in several ways to raise himself much higher than he ever should have attempted. I'll only brush over the details that brought about his downfall, because I think they speak for themselves. As a member of a great family in England, and brother of Henry VIII's third and most successful queen, one would think Thomas would have known better than to make some of the decisions he made, but alas, characters like Thomas Seymour make studying the Tudor dynasty interesting, right? Let's take a look.

As I said, Thomas was the brother of Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII, who died after giving birth to the king's only legitimate son, the future King Edward VI. He also had a brother named Edward, who would become the boy king's Lord Protector of the Realm - a title that Thomas would envy to the point of his own destruction.
Historian David Starkey describes Thomas as, "tall, well-built and with a dashing beard and auburn hair, he was irresistible to women." The perfect Tudor courtier, right? He is what we picture when thinking of the men waltzing around court and charming ladies into their arms. Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, a contemporary of Thomas, described him as, "hardy, wise and liberal... fierce in courage, courtly in fashion, in personage stately, in voice magnificent, but somewhat empty of matter." Was Throckmorton implying that Seymour lacked the right mindset for success in these hard times? It certainly sounds like it, and it seems that it proved to be true, unfortunately for the dashing Seymour. Here are the events leading up to Thomas Seymour's downfall and destruction - which was swift, surprising, and controversial among his peers.

1. Marriage to Henry VIII's Last Queen
It came as somewhat of a shock when Thomas Seymour wooed Henry VIII's widowed queen into his arms. When the king died in 1547, he left behind him a great amount of wealth, jewels, and luxuries for the woman who had nursed him in his sickly old age. However, it wasn't just these generous things that Catherine Parr desired, it seemed. Some say that Catherine had already been in love with Thomas Seymour before her marriage to the king, but in any case, he certainly won her over very quickly after she was widowed. In April 1547 (only three months after the king's death), Catherine and Thomas secretly married and took up residence at Sudeley Castle. At this point, he had already made advances towards Princess Elizabeth and Princess Mary (both of which were unsuccessful). Marrying Catherine was certainly not settling, however. He was still marrying well above what would have been expected, and many people questioned the hasty marriage once word about it leaked. Not only did it make Catherine look bad for marrying so hastily after her late husband's death; it made Thomas seem like a social-climbing, power-hungry, and overly-ambitious - which was, arguably, true.

2. Inappropriate Behavior with Princess Elizabeth
After Elizabeth Tudor dodged Thomas' advances and proposals of marriage, she may have believed she was safe from any future trouble or complications with him. However, they were just beginning. Shortly after his marriage to Catherine, he took both Princess Elizabeth and her cousin Lady Jane Grey into his residence. Both girls were his and Catherine's wards, but he did not always treat Elizabeth as a ward should be treated. In fact, at times he was downright inappropriate with her. According to reports, he would often sneak into Elizabeth's bedchamber to bid her a good morning - while tickling, playfully spanking, or otherwise awkwardly playing with her while she was still in her nightgown! Elizabeth's governess, Kat Ashley, would implore Thomas to leave Elizabeth be, but Thomas would simply say that he had every right to see and interact with his ward (and step-niece). Unfortunately, even when Catherine was informed, the behavior didn't stop - it only worsened. The matter only resolved itself when Catherine claimed to catch Elizabeth in Thomas' arms - then sending her away, both to protect her marriage and the princess' reputation. To this day, details of the behavior between Thomas and Elizabeth remain unclear, but it certainly shows an overfamiliarity from Thomas.

3. Attempt to Kidnap Edward VI
As if Thomas Seymour's behavior hadn't already been controversial - and as if he wasn't already walking on thin ice - he chose to make one of the most absurd decisions in 1549, the year after Catherine died upon giving birth to their daughter. Thomas had already attempted to overthrow his brother, who held the most powerful position at court as Lord Protector, influencing the young King Edward VI in his policy and running of the government. Because of Thomas' known envy and bitterness towards his brother, he was already being watched carefully, and was an untrustworthy figure. Maybe the knowledge of people's opinions towards him made Thomas react drastically. Whatever the reason, his decision to break into Edward VI's apartments at Hampton Court Palace on 16 January 1549 was destined for failure. Indeed, when Edward's spaniel awoke and found an intruder, his barking elicited Thomas to kill the dog, for fear of being bitten. When the king woke in fear, the guards were already there, arresting Thomas and sending him swiftly to the Tower of London.

Of course, after these events led to Thomas' imprisonmen, there was still a chance that he would get out of the charges and return to a free life. After all, he was the uncle of the king and the brother of the Lord Protector - surely, he would be spared? Not so. In fact, he was accused of thirty-three charges of treason, and although the death warrant experienced a delay from both Edward Seymour and Edward VI, it was eventually signed and Thomas was sent to the executioner's block on 20 March 1549. His material possessions were confiscated by the Crown, and his title "Baron of Sudeley" was passed on to Catherine Parr's brother, William. The execution was an ugly one - taking two blows to sever Thomas' head, and it was also unpopular. Many people could not believe the cruelty of both the king and Lord Protector in signing the death warrant of a member of their own blood.

So, Thomas Seymour led a dangerous and immature life, in the minds of many historians - and history enthusiasts, like myself. In my opinion, there couldn't have possibly been any other fate for the man who thought himself so much higher than he really was, and who was wiling to go to such risky lengths for a bit more power and wealth.

"This day died a man with much wit and very little judgment." - Princess Elizabeth

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In Honor Of International Women's Day

3/8/2013

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Happy International Women's Day, Tudor Enthusiasts! I though it would be fun, in honor of this day, to talk about a few of my favorite women in history - Tudor women, of course. I hope this will open up some discussion about women during that time period, because there are so many fascinating female characters to consider.
First of all, though, what was it that made a woman in the sixteenth century admirable? Sure, we see people so often calling Anne Boleyn their "hero" - but is she, really? Or rather, should she be? Do modern women of the world really want to follow in her footsteps or act - at times - so wildly unwise? Don't get me wrong, I'm an advocate for Anne praise, but I think we need to focus on the positive aspects of historical women. Why not, for example, call Queen Elizabeth of York a role model for women? She was, after all, a very respected and beloved woman in her day. Well, in certain ways we can call her a role model - and even one of the most admirable women in Tudor history - but to put it simply, roles of women and our opinions of them have changed a lot since the 1500s. Let's keep that in mind while discussing these women today, and celebrating their lives. While none of them can be categorized as "completely good" or "absolutely admirable" (that would make them all far too one-dimensional), they each had something significant to add to history, and they've remained in our heads and hearts for a reason. So, with that being said, here are some of my favorite women from this period in history...

Bessie Blount
Surely, you knew I had to start with my absolute favorite Tudor woman, right? Anyone who has been reading my blog for any significant amount of time knows my interest in one of the Henrican court's most obscure women. Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount was one of Henry VIII's mistresses during his marriage to Katherine of Aragon. Although we don't know for sure how many other mistresses he had during this time, we consider Bessie pretty special because she seems to be the first "acknowledged" mistress - though she was never offered the title of "maitresse en titre" (official mistress) like Anne Boleyn was. Bessie was, from what we can tell, a pretty common young lady when she arrived at court to serve the Queen. Raised in the countryside, her father was a member of the royal court, though his significance is somewhat unclear. Bessie was described as beautiful, musically talented, and kind - all positive attributes even today. So it's no wonder that she caught Henry's eye and later produced a living son for him - the first of his sons to live past infancy. In this, of course, she is considered important - her son was raised to a Duke after only a few years of life, and it is thought that at least at some point he was considered for the succession (though this never came to pass). Bessie herself was sent back into the country and married twice, keeping the King's friendship for many years and dying in happy obscurity. She may seem to you an unimportant figure - there is next to nothing written about her, after all - but I see her as a regular girl who lived a pretty privileged life - gaining the love (for a time) of the most powerful man in England, proving that she was capable (and so was he) of producing a son, and engaging in two (seemingly) happy marriages - living out her days away from the scandal and dangers of court, which only worsened after Anne Boleyn's arrival. In my opinion, Bessie was the ultimate Tudor mistress - which, we must remember, was not a "taboo" title, as we may think. She played her part, made a name for herself, and happy moved on with her life to be a hands-on mother and faithful wife. A great example of a Tudor woman, in my opinion.

Katherine of Aragon
While I try to avoid the mindset that Henry's first wife was "completely good" or worthy of sainthood, I do think she had many admirable attributes that we should remember. Unfortunately, those positive attributes have given many Tudor fans a slightly biased look at this Queen. Too many people see her as the wronged wife of an evil tyrant, the innocent, pious Queen whose husband was viciously snatched away by a whorish usurper. These cannot, and certainly are not, entirely true. Yes, Katherine suffered greatly during her final years - largely as a result of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn - but she was not the completely innocent, abused woman we so often think of. If that were truly the case, why would we admire her? For her strength and modesty? Maybe, but that still doesn't make her a very interesting character. No, I think the reasons we should admire and respect Katherine go much deeper - she was proactive, and she was stubborn - two attributes that were not necessarily positive during those days, especially for a Queen Consort who was expected to bow her head and meekly serve her husband. No, Katherine proved that she was much more than a royal babymaker - which she struggled with. She refused to let Henry, Anne, or any other enemy at court get the best of her, even when her royal world was virtually falling apart. She actively fought for her title and her rights - sending pleading letters to her royal relatives in Spain and seeking help, but never abandoning her royal pride. She was Queen, and she would remain Queen - no matter who opposed her. This, I think, is something to admire in Katherine. She did not sweetly bow out of the royal scene when Henry asked her to. She did not skip merrily to a nunnery because it was what was expected of her. Her pride (which a Tudor woman wasn't expected to have much of) controlled her actions, and it is part of the reason we remember her so fondly today. Sure, she had negative attributes - hating virtually everyone who wasn't Catholic, for example - but she was, in certain ways, a much more modern woman than we give her credit for.

Anne Boleyn
Now we jump to the flip side of the Katherine of Aragon side of things. Yes, I admire Katherine for her strength, but I also admire Anne Boleyn for her persistence and her ambition. Now, too often when we hear the word "ambition," we think of it as a bad thing. In some ways, of course, it is. Too much ambition can lead to disaster - as it did for the Boleyn faction. But at the same time, ambition was an absolute necessity at the court of Henry VIII, and Anne learned that quickly. In order to get anywhere in life, one had to look ahead - and they had to be willing to cut others down. Not exactly a friendly way of living life, but it was necessary for success in this period. Anne executed this with grace, charm, and charisma - and because of that, she's become one of the most discussed and famous women in history. For better or for worse, Anne persisted in her goal of marrying Henry VIII - whether it was for love or pure throne-lust. She got it, and in less time than it took her to gain the throne, she was cut down from it. However, during those years of influence and fame, Anne did many things to keep her name and memory ingrained in the minds of her contemporaries. She was, I think, a born leader - and that is an incredibly modern idea for a woman. In the Tudor time period, who would have suspected that one woman could have led to all the change that invariably followed? Who would have guessed that she would be so important to the new wave of Protestantism in England, or that she would largely be the reason that so many men at court would rise to power and fame? Probably no one thought this at the time, but these are the things that Anne is best known for. A fiercely religious woman, she encouraged reading of the bible and diligence in prayer. She gave generously to educational charities and advocated several intelligent Protestant men. She was, in essence, doing much more for England than she was for herself. Now, she is so commonly referred to as a sexed-up temptress, but this does not even begin to capture who she was. We need to remember her for more than her fiery, beguiling personality - she was, at her core, persistent and passionate, and she absolutely changed the world she lived in.

Elizabeth of York
I mentioned her briefly at the beginning of this post, but I think she is so worthy of a spot here, and I hope you'll agree. As I said, our opinions of what makes a woman "admirable" or "great" have changed dramatically over time, but if there ever was a Tudor woman who was considered to be those things during her life, it must have been Elizabeth of York. She was, even in her son's opinion, an ideal Tudor bride. She just checked all the boxes that one would desire in a woman of her time. Not only was she beautiful and royal - two very appealing qualities - she was kind, demure, and faithful. I've mentioned before, Elizabeth had her own claim to the throne of England. As King Edward IV's daughter, she was a Princess of the blood, and no one could contest that. However, she seemed just as happy to marry the usurping King Henry Tudor (VII), and become his Queen Consort. Compared to women like Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn - two fiercely passionate and stubborn women - Elizabeth was content to be a royal bride and do as her husband wished. Perhaps she had seen a little too much of the dangers of the monarchy. Becoming Queen (or attempting to) may have seemed undesirable to her at this point in her life. After all, hadn't two of her brothers mysteriously been killed because of greed and ambition for the throne? At least this is the popular opinion. Instead, Elizabeth proved herself to be a fantastic key player in the beginning of the Tudor dynasty. She gave birth to several children - starting with a boy! - and seemed to please her husband in every way. There's no way to know if this was a romantic marriage or not, or if there were any great feelings between them, but the fact that Henry VII spent so lavishly on her funeral (and cried!) tells us that she must have meant a great deal to him. She certainly meant a lot to her son, the future King of England, as well. Henry VIII often spoke of his gentle mother, and some historians (and myself) assume that he wished for a bride like her. After all, was she not everything a Tudor man desired?

Anne Neville
First of all, apologies. I am not nearly as educated about Anne Neville as I hope to be, so you will undoubtedly find better information about her through other sources, but as I've just begun to learn about her, I just had to include her here. She has quickly become one of my favorite historical women, and I hope that through research, my opinion of her will only increase. I think she is too often forgotten about in history, or glossed over as a wife of some king that no one can remember the name of. The name "Anne Neville" doesn't strike interest in most people's minds (unlike Anne Boleyn), and I think many people probably have to do a quick google search to figure out what she was really all about. I think this is a shame, because she is actually a very interesting woman in Plantagenet (almost Tudor) history. She was the wife of two very ambitious and powerful men - first, Edward of Lancaster, the son of Margaret of Anjou (who I also hope to do more research about), and later King Richard III - the man who would have his crown stolen by Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth. Anne came from one of the most powerful and influential families in England during the mid-to-late 1400's. Her father was known as "the Kingmaker," and he seemed to have a horrible tendency of causing his family trouble (through his treason against the Crown). Anne may have inherited some of that ambition, but it seems more likely that she was cast into an arranged marriage with "the enemy" at the time, the Lancaster Prince, Edward. This didn't last long, however, and she went on to again flip sides and become a Yorkist once again (upon her father's death in battle). By the time she married Richard, Duke of Gloucester, Anne had been through quite a lot. She had seen her family virtually torn apart by greed, ambition, and treason, heard of her father's death, married an enemy of the Crown, and somehow found herself in the Yorkist's favor regardless. Some may call this luck, and indeed it might be! In any case, I think she lived a fascinating life and deserves to be remembered for it. Though it is sad that she died in her late twenties, I think it's fortunate for her that she wasn't around to witness her husband's horrible end. The consequences for her at that point may have been tragic. So please, try to remember Anne Neville, who is too frequently glossed over and ignored in history! Especially with all the hype about Richard III, I think it's a great time to learn a little more about this fascinating Plantagenet woman.

Mary Tudor
I know, I know, usually the name "Mary Tudor" serves only to strike fear into the hearts of Protestants, but I don't want to talk about her "Bloody Mary" reputation or the many people she killed during her reign as Queen Mary I. Instead, I want to talk about the one very basic reason I admire this woman - who is so cruelly referred to by many modern history fans. I admire and respect Mary because of her unwavering faith. Yes, that same faith is what inspired the vicious burnings of many Protestants, but at her heart, Mary was not an evil woman. We know this because of contemporary reports of her generosity and kindness, and her overall pleasant demeaner. Of course, she had faults, which are too clearly defined for all to see, but she was also an incredibly strong and faithful woman, and I think that is worthy of admiration. Mary learned a lot about her religion - Roman Catholicism - from her mother, who is considered the "pious" one of Henry's wives. From an early age (like any royal child), Mary learned her prayers and was taught to be a dutiful and faithful Catholic - which she excelled at. But when the tides turned around 1530 and her father broke off contact with the Pope, Mary remained steadfast in her faith while others turned in the Protestant direction. This makes Mary a Catholic hero in some ways. She did, in fact, face death threats from her father (as well as others) because of her stubbornness in remaining loyal to the Pope and to her Catholic mother. Although she did relent in certain cases to save her neck, she never wavered in her beliefs, and as soon as the throne was in sight, she set to work returning England to Rome - which was short-lived and overall unsuccessful. While Mary's life is plagued with tragedy and pain, the one comfort for her that remained until her death was her unwavering belief in Catholicism. As a Catholic myself, I admire her greatly for this, and I know that I wouldn't have had the same courage she did to stand by my faith when faced with death - though I wish I could say otherwise. Because of this, I think Mary is not only an interesting figure - proving to be just as stubborn and unrelenting as her mother - but also a pious and incredibly faithful person. Again, I don't deny that these convictions led to tragedy for many people, but I hope we can all agree that there is something to admire and respect Mary for, despite her horrible reputation.

There are so many other interesting historical women, but these are just a few of my favorites. Some of them I am more knowlegable about than others, but I hope if nothing else, I've reinforced your own ideas about some of these women, or perhaps initiated some new ones. Please do let me know which other women you admire from this period in history. Happy International Women's Day!

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My Favorite Tudor Women's Costumes

3/6/2013

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My original thought was to make this a post of men's and women's Tudor costumes throughout film and television, but I quickly realized that there are far too many beautiful costumes, so this will only cover my favorite women's costumes. I'm sure there are MANY other beautiful costumes that should be included, but these are some of the most obvious that came to mind. Feel free to add your favorites as well!

Anne Boleyn

I love this simple golden dress that Natalie Dormer wore in The Tudors. Although this show did not have many historically accurate costumes, I do think this was one of the closest. The floral skirt was beautiful and the entire dress was understated and simple. Natalie wore this dress many times during the series!

This is an absolutely beautiful dress - again, simplistic and more accurate than many of the others. I had trouble finding a good picture of the entire dress, but I thought this was a good picture to use because I also liked the winter cloak that Natalie wore - though I'm not sure about the hat!

If I were more knowledgable about Tudor clothes, I would know if this was an accurate dress for the time period or not. It looks more Elizabethan to me, but regardless, I think it's beautiful! I love how the style looks on Natalie, and the hat makes for a good accent.

Again, probably the most accurate Tudor costumes from The Tudors, it even has bell sleeves - though smaller than they probably should have been. It is a gorgeous dress that is shown in Anne Boleyn's execution scene.

This is my favorite gown from Anne of the Thousand Days, which typically had much more authentic-looking costumes than The Tudors did. Genevieve Bujold looks beautiful in this costume, and I love the beadwork on the top, though I know it's hard to see in this picture.

Similar to the brown dress in The Tudors, I love the bell sleeves on this dress, worn by Genevieve Bujold. The french hood is also beautiful and has the authentic hair covering.

I believe this is a deleted scene from The Other Boleyn Girl, but I love this dress, worn by Natalie Portman. It also has the hair covering and french hood, with beautiful sleeves and an ornate golden design. By far my favorite costume from this movie!

Jane Seymour

I love Jane Seymour's Christmas gown from The Tudors. Anabelle Wallis had several beautiful gowns, though very few of them were accurate. This is one of the few that I think was both gorgeous and more realistic. I can't quite tell what the sleeves look like, but I adore the top!

Anne of Cleves

I didn't care for most of Joss Stone's dresses in The Tudors, but this one (from season four) was gorgeous. The headpiece leaves something to be desired, but the bodice is beautiful and the beadwork is great. I also love the brooch, which looks to be accurate based on pictures of real Tudor brooches I have seen.

Catherine Parr

I think this dress is beautiful, worn by Joely Richardson, and the slashed sleeves aren't frequently seen in other costumes in The Tudors.

Mary Tudor

I love the sleeves and beading on this dress! Personally, I think Sarah Bolger has some of the best costumes in The Tudors, and this is definitely one of my favorites. I think I have a thing for brown Tudor dresses...

There is so much to love about this costume. First of all, it is so ornate and the designs on the bodice are beautiful. The sleeves are also beautiful, and the jewelry and french hood are perfect. This is one of the best costumes in the entire show, in my opinion!

Elizabeth I

This is a beautiful and bold gown that Cate Blanchett wore in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I think it's perfect for her and the ruff around her neck is understated enough to be pretty (I usually hate those!)

I think this is the best cotume for Elizabeth's speech to the troops at Tilbury. This one, worn by Helen Mirren in Elizabeth I is both feminine and fit for a warrior queen.

This dress, worn by Joely Richardson in Anonymous, is a beautiful and understated Elizabeth gown, with sleeves that I haven't seen very often in Tudor film. I also like the sheer detail at her chest. It is perfect for a young Elizabeth.

Glenda Jackson epitomizes the English queen with this regal gown in Elizabeth R. Everything about it looks absolutely perfect for an Elizabethan costume, and it may as well be a painting of the real queen herself.

I hope you've enjoyed my costume choices for Tudor actresses! I'd love to know your thoughts about these costumes, as well as those I haven't mentioned. Feel free to attach pictures below this post or on my Facebook page!

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Anne Boleyn's Impressive Debut at Court

3/1/2013

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Happy March, Tudor Enthusiasts! Gone are the bloody days of February, which really was a harsh month for our Tudor friends. As a beautiful contrast, we welcome this new month of Tudor blogging with an interesting and joyful topic - that is, Anne Boleyn's first recorded presence at the court of King Henry VIII.
After serving at two European courts as a child and teenager (with Margaret of Austria and Claude of France), Anne was recalled to England in 1521 by her father, most likely because of her impending betrothal to her Irish cousin, James Butler. Although this betrothal fell apart for unknown reasons, very little is known about that short amount of time Anne spent at home with her family. Of course, her sister Mary, already disgraced at the French court and having returned to serve Queen Katherine of Aragon, was the king's beloved mistress. Where did Anne fit in at this time of transition? Well, she would go to court, of course! She would join her sister in the queen's service. After her years of training at some of the finest courts on the continent, Anne's family would have had no reason to worry about the impression she would make at Henry's court, but I doubt they expected just how much she would stand out (in a good way!)
It is unclear how long she had been at court before this day in 1522, but this was the day that Anne was included in a special celebration. On Shrove Tuesday, the Chateau Vert pageant was held - an ornate masque held in the Great Hall at York Place (later Whitehall Palace). This was likely not Anne's actual debut at court, so the title of this post is a little misleading, but it IS the first time we have a record of her - thanks to chronicler Edward Hall.

He describes the occasion as a lavish one. As we know, Henry Tudor liked to entertain (and be entertained himself), so masques and pageants were a normal occurrence. Any opportunity to use pretty ladies of the court was certainly a welcomed experience for everyone! Hall describes in his account of this day, that after supper, the pageant was held in the Great Hall, which was decorated with arras and torches. At the far end of the hall, there stood a castle (very much like what was shown in The Tudors.) Inside the castle were musicians, and eight ladies stood in the tall towers. These ladies had been hand-picked for the event - dressed in white satin and representing the eight chivalric virtues: Beauty, Honor, Perseverence, Kindness, Constance, Bounty, Mercy, and Pity. The King's younger sister, Mary, played the role of Beauty - no surprise, as she was often referred to as the most beautiful princess in Europe! The Countess of Devonshire played Honor, Jane Parker (the future Mrs. George Boleyn) played Constance, Mary Boleyn played Kindness, and Anne Boleyn played Perseverence. Now, the irony of that title surely does not go unnoticed by my readers! Funny to think that Anne would play this role - Perseverence - in 1522, catch the king's eye sometime around 1526, and wait around (yes, persevere) in her efforts to become his wife until 1533! Just had to mention that - it's a wonderfully ironic feature of this day!
It seems that the Showtime show did a pretty good job of illustrating this scene in history. As Edward Hall describes, each lady had her virtue embroidered in gold onto her dress, and she wore a matching headpiece. Of course, there was more to it than what we saw in the show. In fact, there were also "bad" characters in the pageant. While the Virtues were in the towers of the castle, they were being guarded by eight ladies dressed as Indian women and called: Danger, Disdain, Jealousy, Unkindness, Scorn, Malebouche, and Strangeness. While the "good" ladies were being held captive, eight lord dressed in cloth of gold and blue satin stormed the castle to save them. These men were: Ardent Desire (the leader), Amorous, Nobleness, Youth, Attendance, Loyalty, Pleasure, Gentleness, and Liberty. The lords threw various fruits at the castle in an effort to save the Virtues, and the Virtues defended the castle with rosewater and sweet meats. Once the guarding ladies fled the castle, the lords each took a Virtue and led her out to dance.

Hall says the lords and ladies then unmasked themselves and shared in the banquet with the rest of the members of court, who had all watched and enjoyed the pageant.
Of course, as good as The Tudors was at bringing this scene to life, it probably did not unfold in history as it did in the show. Henry VIII, as I said, was besotted with Anne's sister, Mary Boleyn (who is strangely absent from the scene in the show), and therefore would have been focused on her more than any other lady in the pageant. Whereas Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Natalie Dormer first lay eyes on each other in this scene (and presumably fall in love), it would not have happened this way in real life. Anne was there, certainly, and by all accounts she played her part well, but she would not have caught Henry's attention as we are led to believe by The Tudors. Nevertheless, Anne's participation in the Chateau Vert pageant did help her become noticed by other gentlemen at court. This is the point when Anne's name began circling throughout court and men began to take an interest in her. Eric Ives describes that shortly after this event, men were coming into the queen's chambers - but only to speak with Anne, and to flirt. It is easy to see, because of this, why Henry's eye would be drawn to her a few years later, and once he had tired of her sister. All in all, despite the fact that Anne and Henry did not fall head over heels in love on THIS day in history, it was a momentous and important event in her court career.

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The Execution of Thomas Seymour

In Honor Of International Women's Day

My Favorite Tudor Women's Costumes

Anne Boleyn's Impressive Debut at Court

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