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Another Boleyn Girl
(By LadyTudorsFan)
What do you think when you hear the name “Lady Rochford”? It is no surprise
that the majority of people would give answers that have negative connotations.
As the sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn, Jane Lady Rochford, had allegedly accused Anne of having an incestuous relationship with her husband, George Boleyn. In addition to the inflated accusations of multiple adultery, witchcraft and plotting King Henry VIII’s death, the charge of incest helped to seal Anne’s tragic fate. This double-betrayal of both her sister-in-law and her husband, who also followed Anne to the scaffold, firmly cemented Jane Boleyn’s posthumous reputation as a pariah of Tudor history. However, did the charge of incest really come from Jane Boleyn?
Anne Boleyn’s trial and execution is still a major talking point amongst historians 500 years later. Her fall from grace was swift and brutal over a period of three weeks. As late as April 1536, despite Anne’s failure to produce the long-awaited son, King Henry still showed signs of loyalty to his second wife, even attempting to improve relations between himself, Anne and Charles V who saw Anne as an imposter in the place of his late aunt Catherine of Aragon, King Henry’s first wife.
However, in May 1536, things changed dramatically. Within a few weeks, members
of the court close to Anne were interrogated and five men, including Anne’s brother,
were arrested and then executed, culminating in Anne’s own execution on the 19th
May. Much debate surrounds the evidence presented and the reasons behind Anne’s
fall and one of the areas often scrutinized is the charge of incest.
Allegedly, it was Anne’s very own sister-in-law Jane that accused her of incest
with her own brother. Here reasons for this betrayal range from not being very close
to Anne, being unhappily married to George, to revenge for being told to leave
court after helping Anne to rid the court of one of Henry’s mistresses (a woman
that still remains nameless to this day). However, there are historical facts
that have been presented that contradict many of these famous preconceptions.
Anne and Jane were close. As a lady-in-waiting, she would have seen everything
and would have been a close confidant. During her struggle to conceive a son,
allegedly, it was to Jane that Anne confided that Henry was impotent. In the events
leading up to Anne’s execution, such a statement was treated as treasonous
information that could not be withheld and therefore, Jane had no choice but to
admit what Anne had said to her, or risk being interrogated and put on trial herself.
In 1534, when Henry turned his attention to another woman at court, Anne plotted
with Jane to rid this woman. This attempt was unsuccessful and instead led to
Jane’s temporary exile from court. The fact that they both plotted together shows
closeness and for Jane to take out her wrath on Anne as a result of the failure
of this plot doesn’t quite make sense as it was Henry that had her exiled from
court and not Anne.
In the 16th century, marriage was not about love; it was about business. Jane
was married into what her father Henry Parker, Lord Morley, believed was a rising
family - the Boleyn family. A match with George Boleyn would have been perfect
for his daughter whom both he and his wife Alice St John aspired to have as a
lady-in-waiting in the court of Catherine of Aragon. After Catherine was ousted
by Anne from Henry’s side, Jane then became lady-in-waiting to Anne and rose
with the Boleyn family. Jane’s marriage to George was not primarily about love,
therefore, the notion of Jane betraying him as an act of revenge against him as
a result of an unhappy marriage does not fit.
Even more controversially, it has been stated that Jane was not the lady-in-waiting
that had accused Anne of incest; the accusation may have come from another
lady-in-waiting, Elizabeth Browne, Lady Worcester. Lady Worcester has been
described as the “first accuser of the Queen”. When her brother, Anthony Browne,
who was one of the King’s privy councillors, reprimanded Lady Worcester over her
loose, promiscuous behaviour - she had also fallen pregnant at the time with a child
that was believed to be not her husband’s, Henry Somerset, but may have even
allegedly belonged to Thomas Cromwell - she answered her brother back saying
that she wasn’t really that bad. She replied “But you see a small fault in me, while
overlooking a much higher fault that is much more damaging. If you do not believe
me, find out from Mark Smeaton. I must not forget to tell you what seems to me to
be the worst thing, which that often her brother has carnal knowledge of her in bed”.
From here Anthony had no choice, but to follow up his sister’s accusations discreetly
as withholding such accusations would have meant terrible consequences for himself.
Therefore, is it possible that somewhere along the line, historians have simply
confused Lady Rochford with Lady Worcester, inevitably making her a historical scapegoat?
Anne Boleyn to this day still never fails to continue to inspire many women and has
her own posthumous following. It is inevitable that her followers will try to find someone
to blame for her tragic ending. During the reign of her daughter, Elizabeth I, Anne’s
memory was at the centre of much Protestant propaganda. Anne was portrayed as
a heroine of their faith. This image that was created of her must have contributed to
how historians would then speak of her. As Lady Rochford was Catholic, this may
have helped to fuel the image of her being an enemy of Anne. However, how true
is that “Protestant” image of Anne? It has also been indicated that Anne was in
fact still a Catholic and died a Catholic. Her Book of Hours which can still be
seen today at Hever Castle, Kent, is evidence of Anne still showing devotion
to the Catholic faith.
Therefore, there is definitely a need to take both Jane and Anne Boleyn out
of the stereotypical boxes that they have been placed in and to look closely
again at the historical facts. It does seem that to this day, we still don’t
know the women that Jane and Anne Boleyn really were.
Further reading:
“Jane Boleyn: The Infamous Lady Rochford” - Julia Fox, 2007, Orion Books Ltd.
“Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions” - G.W. Bernard, 2010, Yale University Press.
Another Boleyn Girl 
(By LadyTudorsFan)
What do you think when you hear the name “Lady Rochford”? It is no surprise
that the majority of people would give answers that have negative connotations.
As the sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn, Jane Lady Rochford, had allegedly accused Anne of having an incestuous relationship with her husband, George Boleyn. In addition to the inflated accusations of multiple adultery, witchcraft and plotting King Henry VIII’s death, the charge of incest helped to seal Anne’s tragic fate. This double-betrayal of both her sister-in-law and her husband, who also followed Anne to the scaffold, firmly cemented Jane Boleyn’s posthumous reputation as a pariah of Tudor history. However, did the charge of incest really come from Jane Boleyn?
Anne Boleyn’s trial and execution is still a major talking point amongst historians 500 years later. Her fall from grace was swift and brutal over a period of three weeks. As late as April 1536, despite Anne’s failure to produce the long-awaited son, King Henry still showed signs of loyalty to his second wife, even attempting to improve relations between himself, Anne and Charles V who saw Anne as an imposter in the place of his late aunt Catherine of Aragon, King Henry’s first wife.
However, in May 1536, things changed dramatically. Within a few weeks, members
of the court close to Anne were interrogated and five men, including Anne’s brother,
were arrested and then executed, culminating in Anne’s own execution on the 19th
May. Much debate surrounds the evidence presented and the reasons behind Anne’s
fall and one of the areas often scrutinized is the charge of incest.
Allegedly, it was Anne’s very own sister-in-law Jane that accused her of incest
with her own brother. Here reasons for this betrayal range from not being very close
to Anne, being unhappily married to George, to revenge for being told to leave
court after helping Anne to rid the court of one of Henry’s mistresses (a woman
that still remains nameless to this day). However, there are historical facts
that have been presented that contradict many of these famous preconceptions.
Anne and Jane were close. As a lady-in-waiting, she would have seen everything
and would have been a close confidant. During her struggle to conceive a son,
allegedly, it was to Jane that Anne confided that Henry was impotent. In the events
leading up to Anne’s execution, such a statement was treated as treasonous
information that could not be withheld and therefore, Jane had no choice but to
admit what Anne had said to her, or risk being interrogated and put on trial herself.
In 1534, when Henry turned his attention to another woman at court, Anne plotted
with Jane to rid this woman. This attempt was unsuccessful and instead led to
Jane’s temporary exile from court. The fact that they both plotted together shows
closeness and for Jane to take out her wrath on Anne as a result of the failure
of this plot doesn’t quite make sense as it was Henry that had her exiled from
court and not Anne.
In the 16th century, marriage was not about love; it was about business. Jane
was married into what her father Henry Parker, Lord Morley, believed was a rising
family - the Boleyn family. A match with George Boleyn would have been perfect
for his daughter whom both he and his wife Alice St John aspired to have as a
lady-in-waiting in the court of Catherine of Aragon. After Catherine was ousted
by Anne from Henry’s side, Jane then became lady-in-waiting to Anne and rose
with the Boleyn family. Jane’s marriage to George was not primarily about love,
therefore, the notion of Jane betraying him as an act of revenge against him as
a result of an unhappy marriage does not fit.
Even more controversially, it has been stated that Jane was not the lady-in-waiting
that had accused Anne of incest; the accusation may have come from another
lady-in-waiting, Elizabeth Browne, Lady Worcester. Lady Worcester has been
described as the “first accuser of the Queen”. When her brother, Anthony Browne,
who was one of the King’s privy councillors, reprimanded Lady Worcester over her
loose, promiscuous behaviour - she had also fallen pregnant at the time with a child
that was believed to be not her husband’s, Henry Somerset, but may have even
allegedly belonged to Thomas Cromwell - she answered her brother back saying
that she wasn’t really that bad. She replied “But you see a small fault in me, while
overlooking a much higher fault that is much more damaging. If you do not believe
me, find out from Mark Smeaton. I must not forget to tell you what seems to me to
be the worst thing, which that often her brother has carnal knowledge of her in bed”.
From here Anthony had no choice, but to follow up his sister’s accusations discreetly
as withholding such accusations would have meant terrible consequences for himself.
Therefore, is it possible that somewhere along the line, historians have simply
confused Lady Rochford with Lady Worcester, inevitably making her a historical scapegoat?
Anne Boleyn to this day still never fails to continue to inspire many women and has
her own posthumous following. It is inevitable that her followers will try to find someone
to blame for her tragic ending. During the reign of her daughter, Elizabeth I, Anne’s
memory was at the centre of much Protestant propaganda. Anne was portrayed as
a heroine of their faith. This image that was created of her must have contributed to
how historians would then speak of her. As Lady Rochford was Catholic, this may
have helped to fuel the image of her being an enemy of Anne. However, how true
is that “Protestant” image of Anne? It has also been indicated that Anne was in
fact still a Catholic and died a Catholic. Her Book of Hours which can still be
seen today at Hever Castle, Kent, is evidence of Anne still showing devotion
to the Catholic faith.
Therefore, there is definitely a need to take both Jane and Anne Boleyn out
of the stereotypical boxes that they have been placed in and to look closely
again at the historical facts. It does seem that to this day, we still don’t
know the women that Jane and Anne Boleyn really were.
Further reading:
“Jane Boleyn: The Infamous Lady Rochford” - Julia Fox, 2007, Orion Books Ltd.
“Anne Boleyn: Fatal Attractions” - G.W. Bernard, 2010, Yale University Press.