The Rainbow Portrait, c.1600 © Hatfield House
On this date in 1553, Elizabeth, the future Queen of England, was christened at the Church of the Observant Friars, Greenwich.
Elizabeth was born three days earlier, on 7th September, as the first and only daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Their marriage had been difficult from the start as it involved Henry divorcing his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and Henry hoped this marriage would produce his long-awaited heir. However, when Anne gave birth to Elizabeth instead of a son, it caused great disappointment for Henry and pre-written letters announcing the birth of a prince had to be changed to the word ‘princess.’ However, Elizabeth’s birth was recognised respectfully, and she was christened in the same place as her father. This does not mean that neither Henry or Anne did not love their newborn daughter, far from it. Whatever momentary disappointment the couple held towards their daughter’s gender was overshadowed with intense love, joy and hopes for the future. After all, childbirth for any woman, even more so a Queen, was no easy task and Anne’s mere survival was cause for celebration. In Henry’s mind, both of them were still young and Anne successfully delivering a daughter on their first try only meant a son would surely follow on their second try.
There were also limited celebrations rather than the grand ones Henry had planned for the arrival of a son. Furthermore, the church’s location was hostile to Anne and Henry’s marriage so the choice of venue was interesting, perhaps Henry thought a christening would help his people warm to his marriage to Anne Boleyn.
The christening began with a procession from the Great Hall to the church. The ceremony involved sacred items such as ‘a gold cellar of salt and great silver gilt basins.’ The latter item would be used to wash the holy oil off Elizabeth after the baptism. There was also chrisom cloth and a light taper. Therefore, it was a religious ceremony as was the custom in those times and took place during the reformation resulting from Anne and Henry’s marriage. It involved England breaking away from the Pope and Henry becoming the Head of the Church of England. Also, Elizabeth was christened by Edmund Bonner, the Bishop of London and Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury was her godfather. Thomas Cranmer was particularly a strong supporter of the reformation, so his involvement signifies the need for Henry to implement the reformation successfully and transition England.
During the ceremony, the newborn baby Elizabeth was plunged into the waterfront three times and afterwards, when the tapers were lit, trumpets sang out in honour of Elizabeth, and she was declared a Princess of England. This tradition may seem unexpected as you may expect the christening to just involve the anointing of holy oil on Elizabeth, but this highlights how christenings have changed. Also, Elizabeth was carried under a canopy of Crimson Satin lined with gold and christened at the front. A gospel was also said over Elizabeth at the altar, and she was confirmed. Elizabeth had been named in honour of both her maternal and paternal grandmother and this signified her royal blood. Afterwards, Elizabeth received gifts and refreshments were served. It had not been long since her birth, but infants were christened quickly during the Tudor era as infant mortality rates were high and being christened was seen as a gateway to heaven.
In terms of the roles played by the court at the christening, various members played different parts.
For example, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk, escorted Princess Elizabeth and Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, carried the taper of virgin wax. There are a few significant members who participated in the ceremony whose presence has surprised historians. For instance, John, Lord Hussey, helped to carry the canopy but he was Lady Mary’s chamberlain. Lady Mary was Henry’s daughter from his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon and to be a supporter of her and her mother was dangerous. Also, the Marchioness of Exeter was one of the godmothers and she was a friend of Catherine of Aragon, but she was commanded to attend, and she was one of Elizabeth’s godparents. Along with the Marquess of Exeter and Archbishop Cranmer, the other godparents were Elizabeth Stafford, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, and Margaret Wotton, the Dowager Marchioness of Dorset. There were 500 torchbearers who escorted the procession from the church back to the Queen’s apartment where Anne was waiting for her baby daughter. Anne and Henry did not attend the ceremony as was customary.
Other guests included members of Anne’s family such as her parents and her brother, George. The mayor of London, Sir Stephen Pecocke, also attended along with forty citizens and the council of London. The king’s council, barons, bishops and earls were permitted to attend. Some guests were involved in the ceremony, such as the Earl of Essex and Lady Mary of Norfolk, who held a crimson peal and stone. The Duchess of Norfolk had the great honour of carrying Elizabeth in a gown of purple velvet with a long train furred with ermine, her husband the Duke of Norfolk led the way with his marshall rod. The Norfolk family were relations to Anne which is why they had a significant role in the ceremony. The Countess of Kent assisted the Duchess of Norfolk with holding Elizabeth’s train. Furthermore, officers of arms, Anne’s father, the Earl of Wiltshire, Edward Stanley, the 3rd Earl of Derby, Anne’s brother; Lord Rochford, as well as Lord William Howard, Thomas Howard the elder all followed Elizabeth during the procession.
Despite Elizabeth not being the long for heir, her baptism was still a significant moment in history. The TV show, The Tudors, portrayed the ceremony but, in this case, Mary, Anne’s sister carried Elizabeth and Archbishop Cranmer christened Elizabeth. During the scene, there was a sober mood amongst those who attended, and this may have been the case at the time as Elizabeth was not a boy. Anne and Henry also did not attend the christening in the show, and Elizabeth was escorted to Anne in her chambers, and laid in her mother’s arms. Anne had been portrayed as a loving mother in The Tudors and it is believed that this was the case at the time.
However, Anne and Henry’s marriage broke down in 1536 and Anne was executed for treason and adultery leaving Elizabeth without a mother. Consequently, Elizabeth was demoted from Princess to Lady. Her christening as a princess three years earlier would be a distant memory. However, she was eventually restored to the royal succession in 1543. Henry’s heir, Edward, would be born in 1537 but his reign upon his father’s death would not last. Consequently, Lady Jane Grey was appointed his successor upon his death in 1553, she reigned for nine days before she was deposed by Edward’s sister, Mary who reigned as Mary I of England from 1553 to 1558. Upon Mary’s death without an heir, Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558, and she would reign until 1603.
Therefore, the christening was one for a future queen, it just wasn’t expected to be at the time.
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