Events move swiftly in the third episode of Season 2. King Henry has consummated his relationship with Anne Boleyn, and she quickly becomes pregnant. It is clear that he can no longer wait for official permission from Rome to have his first marriage annulled, and puts a plan into motion. With the support of Pope Paul III, Henry appoints the very compliant Thomas Cranmer as his new Archbishop of Canterbury. Since it is guaranteed that Cranmer will declare his first marriage to Katherine of Aragon null and void, Henry weds Anne Boleyn in a small private ceremony.
William Brereton Attempts to Assassinate Anne Boleyn
William Brereton makes his first appearance in the series, though it is strongly implied that he was the mysterious, hooded assassin seen in the previous episode. He meets with the Pope, who commissions him to kill Anne Boleyn as a means of bringing a resolution to King Henry’s bothersome Great Matter.
The coronation of Anne Boleyn is met with little enthusiasm by the English people. The crowds along the streets are sparse; there is virtually no cheering, and the somber procession feels more like a funeral than a parade. It is during this procession that Brereton makes his last failed attempt to assassinate Anne. He takes aim at her with a rifle as she is riding in a carriage with the King, but misses and kills an innocent courtier marching just behind the royal couple.
Katherine of Aragon and Princess Mary Are Stripped of Their Titles
At the behest of the King, Charles Brandon travels to Queen Katherine’s residence, The More, to inform her that Henry is now wed to Anne Boleyn. Now that there is a new queen at court, Brandon tells a sorrowful Katherine that she is now to be referred to as the Dowager Princess of Wales, and that Henry will no longer pay her household expenses. On a similar errand, a smug Thomas Boleyn visits Princess Mary to share the news of her father’s new marriage, and lets her know that henceforth she will no longer be referred to as Princess Mary, but simply Lady Mary. The dejected Mary coldly refuses to accept the new queen, and is effectively forbidden from communicating with her mother. Under the orders of her increasingly cruel father, Mary and her mother are kept apart for the rest of their lives.
After many long years, the decision from Rome regarding the King’s Great Matter has been made. The curia have declared that Henry’s new marriage to Anne is invalid, and that if he refuses to return to Katherine, he will be excommunicated by the Catholic Church. Unfortunately for Katherine and Mary, the King ignores this ruling and the verdict has no effect on their sad circumstances.
Anne Boleyn Gives Birth to a Daughter
King Henry is already bored with his new wife and resumes his habit of philandering during the final stages of Anne’s pregnancy. Wishful thinking has everyone believing the child is a boy, but the birth of a girl casts a dark pall over the occasion. Knowing that a son would secure her precarious position as King Henry’s consort, Anne is clearly distraught when she learns she instead has a daughter. During a brief visit to his wife’s bed chamber, Henry does not conceal his dissatisfaction. After accepting an apology from a shaken Anne, he moodily declares that they are both young and that “by God’s grace, boys will follow.”[1]
Source:
Erika Wittlieb - I am a professional librarian in the Canadian Prairies, and earned both my undergraduate degree and Master's degree in Library and ...
Join the Conversation