George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier & Diplomat Read online

  2 - Birth and Childhood

  In the early years of her marriage, Elizabeth Boleyn gave birth on an annual basis.1 It is not known how many children the Boleyns had in total, but there is clear evidence for five: Mary, Anne, Thomas, Henry and George. Thomas and Henry, named after their father and the King respectively, died in childhood, and their graves in the parish churches of Penshurst and Hever are marked with simple brass memorial crosses. Only one Boleyn son survived childhood: George.

  George and his two sisters were probably born at the family home of Blickling Hall in Norfolk. The property had been in the Boleyn family since its purchase by Geoffrey Boleyn in 1452, and it passed to Thomas Boleyn when he married. Thomas formally inherited the property upon his father's death in 1505. He and Elizabeth lived there from the date of their marriage in around 1498-9 and remained there with their three children until 1505-6, when they moved to Hever Castle in Kent. The Blickling Hall the Boleyns knew no longer exists; the current property, which occupies the grounds of the original, was built during the reign of James I.

  There is a long-standing dispute as to the ages of the three surviving Boleyn children and their order of birth. Anne's date of birth is often given as either 1501 or 1507. However, Anne went to the court of Margaret of Austria in Mechelen in the spring of 1513 as a maid of honour, a position usually only open to a girl of 12 or 13 years of age. A letter written by Anne to her father shortly after she left England is clearly in the neat and precise handwriting of a child of at least ten and not that of a child of six or seven.2 The letter is written in French, and although there are spelling mistakes, this is hardly convincing evidence to suggest she was a small child when it was written, particularly bearing in mind that French was Anne's second language and that she was in the process of learning it. Also, to suggest that Anne was only six years old when she was sent as maid of honour to Mechelen and that she was only seven years old when she was appointed to serve Mary Tudor, Queen of France, stretches credibility to an unbelievable degree. Anne must surely, therefore, have been born around 1501.

  The next question is whether Anne's siblings were older or younger. Mary's birth has been given as any time between 1499 and 1508. Mary was alleged to have been the mistress of King Francis I of France, and the relationship is supposed to have taken place from around 1517 to 1519. This would have made her between 9 and 11 years of age if she had been born in 1508, and 12 when she married William Carey in February 1520. Although girls could legally marry at the age of 12, this would still have been unusual even in the sixteenth century. That she actually had a relationship with Francis is inconclusive, but her reputation whilst in France, whether deserved or not, must mean that she was older than 11 when she was sent to France. What is known for certain is that Mary was later the mistress of Henry VIII, although even this is only known because Henry VIII applied to the Pope for a dispensation in 1527 to allow him to marry "one with whom he had already contracted affinity in the first degree through illicit intercourse".3 It cannot be established precisely when Mary's relationship with Henry started or when it ended, or indeed how long it lasted. All that is known for certain is that the couple slept together sometime between 1519 and 1525. As the affair was never publicised, it may be that it was a brief fling that ended with Mary's marriage in 1520; this seems the most likely conclusion. Whatever the truth of the matter, her background must surely lead to the conclusion that a birth date of 1508 cannot be correct for Mary.

  If we accept that Anne's date of birth was around 1501, the question still remains whether she was older or younger than Mary and George. Anne travelled abroad before her sister, which would suggest she was the eldest. Yet Anne was also Mary's intellectual superior; it is perfectly possible that Thomas Boleyn would send his bright, articulate and ambitious youngest daughter abroad before Mary, irrespective of seniority, if she showed more promise. What should clinch the issue is that in 1597 Mary's grandson, George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, petitioned for the Boleyn earldom of Ormond on the basis that his grandmother was the eldest of the Boleyn sisters. If Anne had been the eldest, the title would have belonged to Queen Elizabeth I, Anne's daughter. In the circumstances, Lord Hunsdon would have needed to be very confident of his facts to have risked presenting such a petition. If we accept Mary as the elder sister, this would put her birth at around 1500.

  What about George? Thomas and Elizabeth Boleyn were married in around 1498-9; if we accept that Mary was born around 1500 and Anne around 1501, then unless George bordered on being illegitimate, he must surely be accepted as the youngest of the three. It was traditional for sons to be named after the king or their father, so the fact that his brothers were named Thomas and Henry suggests that they were older than George. George did not receive his first royal grant in his sole name until 15244 (the offices granted to him in 1522 were in joint names with his father), suggesting that he had only just attained an age deemed old enough to enjoy royal grants. A letter written by Jean du Bellay, Bishop of Paris and one of Francis I's ambassadors, has been used as evidence that George was rather young to be appointed as an ambassador by Henry VIII in 1529, but this letter is open to interpretation. Although du Bellay refers to George as Thomas Boleyn's "petit prince" (little prince), this comes across more as du Bellay seeing George as the apple of his father's eye, following instructions from Thomas to make sure that the ambassadors in France treated his son well and "often dined with him", rather than him seeing George as being too young for such an office.5 A poem by George Cavendish, Cardinal Wolsey's gentleman usher, in his Metrical Visions,6 has George saying that he gained a place in the Privy Chamber at the age of about 27. Although George had served the King as page for a number of years, he lost his post in the Eltham Ordinances of January 1526.7 He was restored to full adult status in the Privy Chamber, as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, in 1529, and it must be this to which Cavendish was referring. Cavendish, in order to make his laboured verses more rhythmic, gives the age of 27 (thrice nine) as a maximum age, and thus a birthdate of 1502 or 1503; Eric Ives, however, points out that Cavendish may not be reliable because he was writing 30 years later and "since the dictates of the verse made the next lowest number 'years thrice eight', he may have been trying to say no more than 'about twenty-five'".8 This suggests a birthdate of about 1504. This is even more persuasive when taking into account a letter written by Thomas Boleyn to Thomas Cromwell following the deaths of Anne and George. In it, Thomas confirms that upon his marriage his wife gave him a child every year, and as we know, at least two children did not survive to adulthood. The evidence suggest Mary was born in 1499-1500, Anne in 1501, Thomas and Henry between 1502 and 1504, and George 1504-5, making George approximately 31 at the date of his death.

  Although the Boleyn children were probably born in Norfolk, they were primarily brought up at Hever Castle in Kent. Hever was built in the thirteenth century and was bought by Geoffrey Boleyn in 1462, shortly before his death. He built a comfortable home within the existing structure of the original walled bailey, meaning the home the Boleyn children were brought up in was more akin to a manor house than a castle. Thomas Boleyn made significant improvements to the property after inheriting it and moved his family from Norfolk to Hever around 1505-6. Depending on whether he was born in 1504 or 1505, it is possible that George was the only Boleyn child to be born at Hever, although it is more likely the family moved there when he was a baby. After Thomas Boleyn's death in 1539, Hever Castle passed to the Crown, and in 1540 Henry VIII bestowed it on Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce settlement. The property is extremely attractive, surrounded by a moat and set in extensive grounds with a large lake about 200 feet from the property. In the heart of the Kent countryside, yet only about 25 miles from London and the court, it was the ideal location for the Boleyn family. It was also an ideal setting for three small children to be raised.

  In the depths of the Kent countryside, there would have been few other children of a suitable social standing with whom the Boleyn sibli
ngs could socialise. This obviously helped to create an enduring closeness and bond between George and Anne, although seemingly less so with their sister Mary. As their parents were often at court as favoured courtiers of the royal couple, the children would only have had each other to rely on, besides the bevy of servants and tutors paid to take care of them (and especially of the Boleyns' most valuable asset - young George). As a son, particularly as the only surviving son, he would have been the favoured child. That Anne would capture the King's heart and eventually become queen could never have been envisioned. She, like Mary, was a mere girl, and her primary relevance to the family was in marrying well. From 1527 onwards, for the first time in his life, George's significance in the family became secondary to Anne's. It would have been easy for him to feel resentment, but it is a testament to both his character and his affection towards his sister that he exhibited nothing but love and loyalty.

  It is well documented that both Anne and Mary spent some of their formative years in France, but little is known of George's childhood or early adulthood. There is no record of him travelling abroad for his education, and it would appear that he remained in England. He did, however, speak fluent French at least as well as his sister Anne, who lived in France for seven or eight years. Thomas Boleyn became ambassador to France in January 1519, and it is possible that George spent some time in France as a child with his father when Thomas was on embassy. This is certainly a theory advanced by Edmond Bapst, George's earliest biographer, who proposes this as an explanation as to how George spoke such perfect French from a young age.9 The possibility that George spent significant time in France during the late 1510s would also help explain how he and Anne remained so close throughout their lives. As Anne left England in the spring of 1513 and returned at the end of 1521, the siblings may have been separated for over eight and a half years - a very long time for young children. Yet the bond between Anne and George never appears to have broken, making the possibility of them spending time together in France more likely. It could also provide another reason why George was sent to France as ambassador in 1529 at the tender age of about 25. If he had already met the King of France as a youth, this could have been perceived as an advantage. Although this is speculative, and it is just as likely that George simply received an excellent grounding in French while remaining in England (helped by his father, who spoke fluent French and was said to be the best French speaker at Henry VIII's court), it is certainly a possibility.

  Anne and George were both quick-witted and blessed with natural charm. Their father recognised the potential not only of his son but also of his youngest daughter from early on in their lives, and, as is clear from her being sent abroad at such a young age, took pains to ensure that Anne as well as George had the best education available. It is possible that prior to her leaving England Anne was educated side by side with her younger brother through personal tutors, but again this is pure speculation.

  As we have seen, Anne left England for Mechelen in the spring of 1513 to become a companion to Archduchess Margaret of Austria. It was through Margaret that Anne got her first taste of the new religious ideology, which she, like her brother, came to embrace in adulthood. When Anne left for the Low Countries, George would have only been about 8 or 9 years old. The tradition for the sons of particularly wealthy Tudor families was to have private tutors up to the age of 14, and then to attend university from the age of 14 to approximately 18. What is known from the success of his later career is that George received an excellent education, speaking French, Latin and some Italian. Despite speaking Latin and Italian, he did make an honest confession in a letter of February 1530, "I do not direct my other letters to the bishop of Worcester nor Sir Gregorio, because I can neither write Latin nor Italian well".10 This was a failing which he rectified in his later career. In addition to languages, he was also accomplished in courtly skills, literature and verse, had a keen interest in theology, and was a talented poet and translator.

  George is said to have attended Oxford University. Anthony Wood, editor of Athenae Oxonienses, listed George as a former Oxford student and described him as a man who "was educated in all kinds of polite learning among the Oxonians".11 The lack of any record to confirm his attendance at Oxford, however, makes it impossible to say for definite whether he was actually educated there. Whatever the case, like his sister Anne, he developed an interest in religious and political theory, no doubt influenced by his father. As Dr David Starkey points out, he had "many of Anne's talents and all of her pride".12 From the way his court career took off in late 1529, one could go further and say he had all of Anne's talents. She merely had more scope for exhibiting hers due to her relationship with the King and her influence. Many of the positions of responsibility awarded to George may have been acquired through his sister's influence, but they were maintained due to his own talent and intelligence. In addition to this, he had a more amicable disposition than his tempestuous sister. Though they were equally single-minded and determined, Anne had an acknowledged fiery temper, compared to her brother's more amiable approach. In 1534, when Anne threatened to put the Princess Mary to death if the King ever left her as Regent, her brother sensibly, if somewhat nervously, advised her that this would insult the King.13 Throughout her tempestuous life, her brother was the one consistent, trustworthy person. He was also the voice of reason in Anne's more flamboyant moments. The affection that bound them meant she was far more likely to listen to, and take advice from, her brother than any other person.

  George's sister Mary was around the age of 14 when she was sent abroad in 1514. Her father secured her a place as maid of honour to Henry VIII's sister, Mary Tudor, who was moving to Paris to marry King Louis XII of France. Anne left Mechelen and joined her sister in France in the winter of 1514 to continue her education in the French court. Anne was only in France a matter of months before Louis died in January 1515. Mary Tudor left France shortly after her husband's death having already married Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Brandon was a close companion to Henry VIII and a trusted courtier. However, his marriage to the King's sister took place without the couple obtaining the prior permission of her brother. This caused a major rift between brother and sister and nearly cost Brandon his head. Despite Mary Tudor returning to England with her disapproved-of new husband, Anne remained in the court of the new king and queen, Francis I and Claude of France. It is not known what happened to Mary Boleyn at this point but traditionally she is thought to have stayed on in France, becoming Francis I's mistress. The French king cruelly called Mary his "English Mare", and later in his life described her as "a great whore, the most infamous of them all".14 After her relationship with Francis ended, Mary is alleged to have embarked on a number of affairs with a variety of different men, and her promiscuous behaviour led to her eventual expulsion from France in 1519. There is little hard evidence to support the allegations of her promiscuity, save for the King of France's comments, which could have been made out of malice, particularly as they were made following the fall of Anne and George in 1536. As Mary was married in February 1520 it may well have been that she returned to England purely in readiness for her forthcoming marriage.

  The Boleyns were a highly ambitious family, and there could be little merit in having a daughter considered to be a whore by the majority of Europe (if the rumours relating to Mary were true). Her promiscuity would only have caused shame and embarrassment to a family keen on creating excellent marriage matches for their children. Mary's exploits would have meant she was "spoiled goods", which in turn meant her hopes for an advantageous marriage were damaged. Yet despite Mary's apparent disgrace, upon her return to England her father secured a marriage between his eldest daughter and an ambitious, up-and-coming young courtier - a marriage that was also attended by the King. It therefore has to be questioned whether Mary did in fact behave as she is alleged to have done whilst in France.

  Mary married William Carey on 4 February 1520. It has been suggested that by Boleyn standards the
marriage was not particularly advantageous, but William Carey was a respected and popular nobleman at court, and was a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber. It is not known whether Mary became Henry VIII's mistress before her marriage or during it. In all likelihood the affair began in 1519 when the King's previous mistress Elizabeth Blount gave birth to his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, and may well have ended upon Mary's marriage. Mary gave birth to a daughter, Catherine, in around 1524 and a son, Henry, in March 1526. Although the royal affair may well have been over long before these children were conceived, it was rumoured that one, if not both, had been fathered by the King. Neither child was acknowledged by Henry VIII. As she was a girl, even if Catherine Carey had been his daughter, Henry might have chosen to ignore her. After all, he already had one useless legitimate daughter, so why boast about an illegitimate one? However, if Henry Carey had been his son it would have been surprising for the King not to have recognised him as such. He readily acknowledged Henry Fitzroy as his illegitimate son, and had enormous pride and affection for the boy, making him Duke of Richmond and Somerset at the age of 6. By 1526, Fitzroy was Henry's only living son; it is far more likely the King would have proclaimed his acknowledgement of Henry Carey to the rafters, as confirmation he could father sons, validating his argument that Catherine's failure to produce a son was proof that the marriage was cursed. To suggest that Henry did not acknowledge Henry Carey because he was in a relationship with the boy's aunt, Anne Boleyn, is disingenuous. By March 1526, Henry's intentions with regards to Anne were as a potential mistress, not as a potential wife.