The Rainbow Portrait, c.1600 © Hatfield House
“God of His infinite goodness, send prosperous life and long, to the high and mighty Princess of England, Elizabeth.” – Garter Chief, King of Arms at the christening of
Princess Elizabeth, Wednesday 10th September 1533.
At 15:00 on a Sunday afternoon some 491 years ago today, a Princess and future Queen was born within the grounds of Greenwich Palace. Her mother, Anne Boleyn – who had been crowned Queen of England three months prior- had taken to her chamber on 26th August following a special mass at the Chapel Royal, mere days before the birth.
Upon her arrival to the Queen’s great chamber, Anne enjoyed a selection of spices and wine. Following this, the Lord Chamberlain led a prayer for the safe delivery of her child. Only then did she progress to the bedchamber, where no males were allowed to step foot. Here, Anne would be attended to by her ladies-in-waiting.
The timing of this was highly unusual with purdah traditionally commencing four to six weeks before the expected birthdate and ending four weeks post-partum once the mother had been ‘purified’ by the church.
This anomaly has been the centre of discussion for many historians throughout the years. In The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, Ives posits two theories. Either the Queen’s midwives miscalculated the child’s due date, or the Princess was born premature.
At first glance, reports from the time appear to favour the former interpretation, describing the birth as swift and the new babe as healthy. Arguably therefore, if Elizabeth was born premature, it could have only been by a fortnight at most.
Nevertheless, it is believed that Anne struggled during the pregnancy, especially in the later stages. With King Henry VIII himself voicing his wish for a miscarriage if it were to keep Anne alive and well. The King, eager and anxious about the birth of his heir, declined to go on his scheduled summer progress, wishing to stay close to his Queen in the final weeks. The pair retired to Windsor where Henry could hunt in nearby forests before Anne took to her confinement at Greenwich.
Ives argues that Anne was perhaps aware of her pregnancy by mid-January 1533, given the flurry of sudden changes made to the court in that month such as the appointment of Cranmer as Archbishop, the influx of numerous parliamentary drafts and the marriage ceremony between both Henry and Anne.
If so, this would mean that Elizabeth was conceived between 11th – 19th December 1532, or perhaps a few weeks later at most if she was indeed premature.
However brief Anne’s confinement was, the preparations for the birth remained robust, with both an oratory and ‘rich font of Canterbury’ placed within Anne’s privy chamber. In the absence of modern medicine, prayer became the primary obstetric tool to aid safe delivery. If that failed (as it so often did) the font of Canterbury would be used to baptise the sick and dying infant.
Whilst the Queen remained in seclusion, Henry distracted himself by planning a magnificent joust in celebration of what he anticipated to be a prince, to be named either Henry or Edward. However, just as in 1516, following the birth of his daughter Princess Mary with his first wife Katherine of Aragon, the joust was cancelled after the arrival of yet another daughter.
All but one pundit had predicted the birth of a boy Henry so desperately desired to secure his dynasty and what Anne needed to fulfil her role as Queen of England. Letters drafted announcing the arrival of a prince which were to be sent by Anne had to be hastily amended after Elizabeth’s birth. One which was sent to George Brooke, Lord Cobham, is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery as part of the ‘Six Lives’ exhibition. You can clearly see the aggrieved adjustment on the third line of the parchment, where the word ‘prince’ had to be changed to ‘princess’.
Whilst undeniably a disappointment for the newlyweds, Ives argues that there is no evidence of any crushing psychological devastation from either Anne or Henry following the birth of Elizabeth. In fact, Henry’s predominant emotion was relief. After all, Anne was still of a childbearing age, and they could always try again. Elizabeth was viewed as the older sister of the future King of England, not heir to the throne.
Though initial celebrations were more restrained, the christening of the princess remained as lavish and luxuriant as any other royal baptism. With the French ambassador describing the display as “so perfect, nothing was lacking.”
The ceremony itself commenced within the Great Hall at Greenwich and then to the Church of the Observant Friars. The decision the host the ceremony within the friary was a most tactical one, as friary itself was home to ardent opposition of the divorce between Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon just a few years prior. This resolution served a single purpose. Humiliation. Ignominy to all those who were averse to the unification of Henry and his ‘true Queen’ Anne.
The naming of Elizabeth was again an intentional choice. In Tudor England, children were traditionally named after one of their godparents. The deliberate decision to name the young princess, Elizabeth referenced her grandmother, Elizabeth of York, who had Plantagenet ancestry. Therefore, evoking connotations with the royal dynasty and the Tudor’s undisputable claim to the throne. Anne would have been equally impressed with the decision as it paid homage to her own mother, Elizabeth Boleyn.
Following the christening the princess was escorted back from the ceremony with over 500 lit torches. Upon her return Greenwich she was placed back into her mother’s arms within Anne’s bedchamber.
Anne’s pregnancy embodied and symbolised an epoch of hope for the future. In those nine months, she was a paragon of security for the Tudor Dynasty. Something which Henry believed he needed. Ironically, it is arguably Elizabeth who is the most iconic member of the Tudor family. Yet, also the one to put an end to it.
However, with a princess in the cradle, not only did the future of Henry’s dynasty remain perilous, but Anne’s position as Queen also continued to be challenged and undermined. The only way she could overcome this was to provide Henry with a healthy boy, something which her predecessor Katherine of Aragon infamously failed to do.
Without this, Anne as consort only perpetuated instability for the realm and for her own future.
References:
The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, Eric Ives
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