The English Reformation that grew out of the 16th century was undoubtedly a turning point in British history. The effect it would have on English society was paramount. Centuries of religious tradition and habit were being broken with in light of new radical ideas and thoughts. Many factors contributed to the rise of Protestantism in England and one notable example stands out. Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry the VIII, was a staunch supporter of Protestant beliefs and ideals. The following paper examines the role Anne Boleyn played in advancing the Reformation's cause inside her country. Upon examination, it becomes clear that Anne Boleyn used her position of power to promote the Reformation's development within England.
Before addressing the actions taken by Anne Boleyn, it is necessary to address a few of the key ideas linked with the Reformation. First, the Church of England was to operate independently of Rome. The English monarch was to replace the Pope as the head of the Church.1 Second, the concept of 'Justification by Faith Alone' was largely promoted, in place of the belief that good works would secure an individuals path to heaven. Finally, it was believed that biblical scriptures ought to be read in the vernacular.2
Anne Boleyn possessed a large degree of power in her latter years; first, as the King's preferred mistress, and then as Queen of England. It is certain that Anne wielded a considerable amount of influence over Henry before and partially through their marriage. She was able to manipulate and coerce him into obeying many of her desires. She played on his emotions and capitalized on his fear that she would leave him. On more than one occasion, she was able to take advantage of Henry's emotions and fears. During a time in which the divorce proceedings were looking particularly slim, Anne threatened to withdraw from such an untenable situation. Henry then burst into tears and exclaimed, "Do not speak of leaving me!"3 Anne knew the strength of Henry's love for her, and was able to use it to her advantage.
Anne gained further power once she became Queen of England. Not only was she the King's wife, but she also had a vast array of resources at her disposal. She had a personal council, a wide range of servants/female attendants and the authority to appoint individuals to high-ranking positions. Perhaps most significant is the increase in revenue she obtained. Her estates alone generated £5000 of income annually.4 The following will demonstrate how Anne used these specific positions of power to further the Reformations cause.
Henry's decision to split from Rome was of pivotal importance to the Reformations development. It provided the platform from which the Reformation was to grow and prosper. However, breaking with centuries of convention did not come easily to the King. How could Henry possibly justify defying such an established and respected institution? Anne, his mistress at the time, was able to provide him with the moral justification he needed to break away from the Church.
This justification came in the form of author William Tyndale's book, "The Obedience of the Christian Man", published in 1528. Anne presented Henry with this book shortly after the failed Blackfriars trial.5 The content of this book was revolutionary. It denounced the pope's authority over the monarch and claimed that the King was answerable to God alone. If such were the case, Henry would not need the Pope's consent to divorce Catherine and could freely sever relations with Rome. William Tyndale states:
If God be on our side, what matter
maketh it who be against us, be they
bishops, cardinals, popes. When your
majesty says "Let a thing be done," its
as good as done- practically, it is done-
because your majesty's will is law.6
It is unclear how Anne obtained a copy of this book for it was banned in England at the time. However, what remains important is that Anne was in the position to compel Henry to read the book. As his only mistress and potential wife at the ...
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If God be on our side, what matter
maketh it who be against us, be they
bishops, cardinals, popes. When your
majesty says "Let a thing be done," its
as good as done- practically, it is done-
because your majesty's will is law.6
It is unclear how Anne obtained a copy of this book for it was banned in England at the time. However, what remains important is that Anne was in the position to compel Henry to read the book. As his only mistress and potential wife at the time, Anne possessed a great deal of the King's attention. Henry, she suggested, would find the work worth reading, especially the passages she had marked. Henry, as per usual, took her advice and after completing the book declared, "This book is for me and all kings to read!"7
The assertions put forth in the book provided Henry with the moral justification he needed to defy the Pope and split from Rome. The split from the Church was the initial move towards a reformed England. Once the break with the Church was complete, the door opened for further Protestant thought to emerge. It is not to say that had Anne not presented Henry with this book, the split from Rome would have never occurred. However, the fact remains that Anne did seek the opportunity to instill these new principles in Henry, which aided the Reformations development.
Although Anne had provided Henry with the initial justification he needed to break with the Church and obtain a divorce, there was still the task of convincing the Parliament and Clergy. Henry had enlisted the help of his Chief Minster, Thomas Cardinal Wolsley, to assist him in his "Great Matter". However, as time continued to pass, Wolsley had failed in his attempts to secure the King's divorce. Anne and her supporters quickly realized this, and sought to bring about his fall.
The fall of Wolsley was primarily Anne's success. In conjunction with her father, Anne persuaded Henry that Wolsley was guilty of high treason, due to his recent collaborations with Rome, and perhaps the Spanish Emperor. She whipped up the King's anger and treated him to a series of scenes, which reduced him to tears. In the end, Henry could only pacify her by agreeing to move against Wolsley and arrest him.8 This was not the only incident in which Anne sought to taint the king's image of Wolsley. In fact, they were numerous. On one occasion over dinner, Anne proclaimed to Henry:
There is never a nobleman, within this
realm, that if he had done half so much
as he hath done, but he were well worthy
to loose his head. If my lord of Norfolk,
my lord of Suffolk, my lord my father, or
any other noble person within your realm
had done much less than he, but they should
have lost their heads for this.9
From this passage, it is clear that Anne resented Wolsley for his failed attempts at obtaining the King a divorce. Due to her intimate and influential relationship with Henry, Anne was able to convince the King that he should oust Wolsley from office. Under intense pressure (primarily from Anne), the King conceded. But how did ridding the court of Wolsley assist the Reformations development? It allowed Thomas Cromwell, a man who would engineer unprecedented religious reforms, to fill the void left on Henry's council.
Upon Wolsley's arrest, Thomas More replaced him as Lord Chancellor. However, shortly after taking office, More begged on a plea of ill health, to be relieved from duty. Although it seems the real reason he resigned was due to the conflicting religious views between himself and Henry.10 Thomas Cromwell, a man sympathetic to the reformations cause, was now appointed as Lord Chancellor.
Thomas Cromwell was devoted to the Boleyn faction and Anne allied herself with him accordingly. A first-rate politician now backed Anne.11 He would get Henry the divorce he had been waiting for and implement radical religious changes. Although Anne was not directly responsible for the implementation of these changes, she did plot Wolsley's fall, which provided Cromwell with the opportunity to act. The changes Cromwell was to bring about drastically alerted England's religious state.
The Act of Supremacy (1534) and The Act of Restraint of Annates (1533) were perhaps two of Cromwell's largest and most radical reforms. Both of these acts established the supremacy of the England over Rome and would provide legitimacy for the Protestant faith. The Act of Supremacy states:
Albeit, the King's Majesty justly and rightfully
is and oweth to be the supreme head of the Church
of England, and so is recognized by Clergy of this
realm in their Convocations.12
The effect this was to have on English religion was revolutionary. The English people now owed religious allegiance to their monarch rather than the Pope. Anne Boleyn had orchestrated a plan that enabled Cromwell to implement changes that enhanced the Reformation's growth.
If Anne Boleyn had ceased promoting the Reformation's development once she was Queen, it can be inferred that she only undertook such actions to benefit herself. If her one goal had been to marry Henry, there is no reason as to why she would continue to promote the split from Rome after the wedding. However, Anne continued to promote Protestant ideals after she was coroneted. As Queen of England, she was now in a greater position to advance the Reformation than ever before.
Once Anne Boleyn became Queen, she acquired the powerful tool of patronage (the power to distribute or appoint people to specific positions). With this advantage at her disposal, Anne had reached the highest social rank available to her.13 Anne used this authority to place supporters of the Reformation in high-ranking positions, most notably, in the Clergy.
On numerous occasions, Anne used her power of patronage to appoint men to the episcopate. Alexander Ales, a biographer of the Queen, wrote that Anne selected Bishops from amongst scholars who favoured the purer doctrine of the gospel. This group included John Skip, William Latimer and Nicholas Shaxton 14 Not only did she appoint these Bishops, but on various occasions lent them the money to pay their 'First Fruit to the King'.15
Anne's religious patronage also extended to lower positions in the Church. For example, when Henry Gold, the Archbishops of Warham's former chaplain, was executed for complicity with Elizabeth Barton, Anne replaced him with Dr. Edward Crome (a prominent Evangelical preacher).16
If the Reformation were to spread, it was imperative that positions, which exerted religious influence, be filled with people sympathetic to Anne's cause. Anne herself recognized this, and told her Chaplains she chose them in order to be the 'lanterns and light' of her court. With religious reformers in the Clergy, the stage was set for the new religious ideals to extend further into society. If only a small group of people were exposed to the new faith, this would undoubtedly halt the Reformation's growth. Therefore, through appointing clergyman who preached the values of the reformed religion, the new faith could integrate into society. As the above evidence has indicated, it is clear that Anne used her position of patronage to further the reformations development. Her influence over religious appointments was crucial to the future of the Reformation.17
Anne Boleyn lived during the time in which the Reformation was just beginning to take root in English society. Obviously, the new religious changes introduced in the country were not readily accepted. Centuries of tradition had been cast away in a matter of years. In order for the Reformation to grow, it would need to be widely accepted. In light of this, it was essential that any pro-reformers be free of persecution and able to practice the new faith. Anne committed herself to assisting these individuals. William Latymer stated, "Anne helped those who suffered persecution, showing 'constante' affection towards the poore gospellars". As Queen of England, she had the ability to pardon many reformers targeted for their views.
Two examples are worth noting. Before Anne had become Queen, an Antwerp merchant by the name of Richard Hermon, had been imprisoned for possessing the English Testament (a book that Anne largely promoted) and other prohibited books. Prior to Anne's coronation, he pleaded for her help. However, a year after she became Queen, she obtained the release of Thomas Alwaye on the condition that he 'help the setting forth of the New Testament in English.'18
Anne was also able to assist reformers seeking her help from abroad. Nicholas Bourbon, a Frenchman, was imprisoned for publishing a book containing a scathing attack on the enemies of the Humanists. He wrote to the Queen:
A poor man, I lie shut up in this dark prison:
there is no one who would be able or who
would dare to bring help: You alone, Oh
Queen: you, Oh noble nymph, both can and
dare: As one whom the king and God himself
loves.
When Anne received word of his pleas (the exact means by which is not known), she prompted Henry to intervene. Bourbon then traveled to England and lodged with the King's doctor at Anne's expense.19 As the above examples indicate, Anne was quick to aid supporters of the Reformation. Through doing this, Anne was able to assist in maintaining the minority's presence in an overwhelming Catholic majority. Supporters of the Reformation were crucial at the time, regardless of their nationality, and Anne helped to keep their existence alive.
As previously mentioned, Anne Boleyn utilized her position of influence and Queen, to assist those who supported the Reformation and those who spread its word. However, Anne also played a direct role in spreading the Reformation's ideals and this must be addressed. Anne, as the King's wife, had direct access to numerous individuals of her choosing. She made use of this position, particularly in her household, to distribute religious texts that promoted ideas linked with the Reformation and future Protestantism.
As the Queen, Anne made accessible to all her ladies an English translation of the Bible. She also kept a version on a lectern in her suite for anyone who wished to read.20 Anne even went so far a giving the Nuns of Syon prayer books in English.21 Perhaps the most infamous of her attempts to promote these texts, concerns one of her servants, Anne Zouche. Anne lent her a copy of William Tyndale's 'The Obedience of a Christian Man'. However, her fiancé caught her with the book, and immediately confiscated it. Wolsley had instructed the purging of all books of this nature.22
What is significant about this event is that Anne continued to spread these 'heretical' books, despite their ban. Her commitment to the Reformation is evident in the fact that she would openly endorse prohibited books. The chances that she would be persecuted for possessing these books were incredibly slim, for she had even convinced Henry to read such books.23 Given her advantageous situation, she was in turn able to promote and endorse the emergence of England's newest faith.
There were many pro-reformers during Anne Boleyn's time. What distinguishes her from the rest is the fact that she was Queen. Accompanying this distinctive position was a vast degree of influence and resources. Her power of persuasion over Henry, her gift of patronage and her ability to directly or indirectly spread the Reformation's word exemplified her capability to exercise her power as she saw fit. As the evidence has indicated throughout this paper, Anne effectively utilized her position to enhance the Reformation; a cause she sympathized with. Many individuals have hailed Anne as an advent reformer and their claims seem fit.
Scariskbrakc, 241.
2 Warnicke, 108.
3 Chapman, p.98.
4 Warnicke p.132-133.
5 Chapman, 83
6 Tyndale.
7 163, Ives
8 158, Ives
9 Chapman, 80
0 hackett
1 Ives 187.
2 Act of Supremacy reader
3 148, Warnicke.
4 Ives, 303
5 Bernard, 12
6 Ives, 303.
7 Ives, 304.
8 Ives 315
9 321. Ives
20 warnicke 153, ives, 314.
21 Bernard, 5
22 Ives, 163.
23 Bernard, 4
