On 27th April 1536, John Stokesley, Bishop of London, was consulted for advice regarding the King wanting to abandon Anne Boleyn. Eustace Chapuys, the imperial ambassador, was told the news by Geoffrey Pole and passed it on to Charles V:
“The brother of lord Montague told me yesterday at dinner that the day before the bishop of London had been asked if the King could abandon the said concubine, and he would not give any opinion to anyone but the King himself, and before doing so he would like to know the King’s own inclination, meaning to intimate that the King might leave the said concubine, but that, knowing his fickleness, he would not put himself in danger. The said Bishop was the principal cause and instrument of the first divorce, of which he heartily repents, and would still more gladly promote this, the said concubine and all her race are such abominable Lutherans. London, 29 April 1536.”
Chapuys does not say who consulted the King, but the sensible bishop would not share his thoughts with anyone but the King.
Notes and Sources
- LP x. 752
