Why Did Henry VIII Originally Arrange A DIFFERENT Marriage for Anne Boleyn?
Years before Henry VIII would fall in love and eventually marry his second wife, the intriguing Anne Boleyn, he actually, along with his trusted advisor Cardinal Woolsey would have a part in arranging a marriage for her. Through her father, Thomas Boleyn, Anne was a member of the prominent and powerful Butler family of Ireland. Thomas Boleyn’s grandfather, named Thomas Butler was the 7th Earl of Ormond and was known as The Wool Earl for the fortune he made in the wool industry. He had no living sons, so much of his fortune was settled on his daughters, one of which was the Margaret Butler, the mother of Thomas Boleyn.
While much of the money could be split, as with many cases when a peer dies without a son, the title and estate were a different story. Thomas Butler, the 7th Earl, had enlisted the help of his cousin Piers Butler (who was a descendent of the 3rd Earl) to help him run the estate. Piers was also a clever man and he married many of his daughters off to the surrounding Irish aristocrats making him an even more prominent man in Ireland.
When the 7th Earl passed, it was assumed by most that his grandson Thomas would indeed inherit the estate and title along with the vast amount of wealth that was passed down through Margaret. Piers however, who was already very popular in Ireland, and had been running the estate, claimed the earldom for himself. This left a major rift and issue within family, so much so that Cardinal Woolsey, one of Henry VIII’s most trusted advisors, worked to come up with a plan to heal this divide.
Piers did claim the title and become the 8th Earl of Ormund. With his strength in militia numbers as well as popularity and family ties with the surrounding Irish nobles, it would have been foolish to attempt to take the estate back by force. Woolsey instead had the idea of healing the rift by marrying one of Thomas Boleyn’s daughters to James Butler who was the son of Piers and was to become the 9th Earl of Ormund. This was an idea that was heartily supported by the King and so Anne Boleyn, who had been at the French Court under the guidance of Queen Claude, was called back to England and marriage preparations started for the union between herself and her cousin James. This took place in 1522 and we are not sure why the wedding did not go through. We can guess though that had the wedding happened, Anne might have lived a much longer and more relaxed life at the breathtaking Kilkenny Castle in Ireland. We can be fairly certain however that Henry VIII’s infatuation with Anne was not the cause of the failed wedding because he did not take a strong interest in Anne until about four years later.
Anne Boleyn was very proud of her Butler Heritage and used their family heraldry during her time as queen. (Some of which has recently been found at Hampton Court Palace. For more on that amazing story, follow this link! https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wooden-falcon-once-sold-for-101-was-anne-boleyns-180979033/) Having an artifact of Anne Boleyn’s is extremely rare, as much of her property was destroyed by Henry upon her death. Just as with her artifacts, we actually know relatively few personal details about Anne, even though she has been studied extensively for hundreds of years. That is why I love this small part of her story that is so often forgotten because it gives a fuller picture of Anne and her background. She was proud of her Butler Family ties, and she clearly believed her father to be the heir (years later, he did actually get the Earldom of Ormund). It is also very interesting to speculate about what might have become of Anne’s life if she had married James. She likely would have lived more happily than she did with he man, who ironically helped set up her potential marriage!
Until Next Time,
McKenzie