On 25th October 1532, Henry VIII and Francis I, King of France, arrived at Calais, which was English territory at the time to continue their talks and to meet with Anne Boleyn, Marquis of Pembroke, Henry’s queen-in-waiting. After his arrival in Calais, Francis sent Anne Boleyn a diamond via the Provost of Paris, but Anne was nowhere to be seen, she had plans for a dramatic entrance on 27th October.
Chronicler Edward Hall describes Anne Boleyn’s entrance on the night of 27th October 1532:
“After supper came in the Marchiones of Penbroke, with. vii. ladies in Maskyng apparel, of straunge fashion, made of clothe of gold, compassed with Crimosyn Tinsell Satin, owned with Clothe of Siluer, liyng lose[loose] and knit with laces of Gold: these ladies were brought into the chamber, with foure damoselles appareled in Crimosin satlyn[satin], with Tabardes of fine Cipres[cypress lawn]: the lady Marques tooke the Frenche Kyng, and the Countes of Darby, toke the Kyng of Nauerr, and euery Lady toke a lorde, and in daunsyng[dancing] the kyng of Englande, toke awaie the ladies visers, so that there the ladies beauties were shewed.”
And Wynkyn de Worde, author of The Maner of the tryumphe of Caleys and Bulleyn and The noble tryumphaunt coronacyon of Quene Anne, wyfe unto the most noble kynge Henry VIII corroborates Hall’s account and also names Anne’s ladies:
“And after souper there came in a maske mylady marques of Penbroke my lady Mary [Carey] my lady Darby my lady Fitzwater my lady Rocheford my lady Lislie and my lady Wallop gorgyously apparayled with visers on theyr faces and so came and toke the frensshe kynge by the hande and other lordes of Fraunce and daunced a daunce or two. And after that the kynge toke of theyr visers and than they daunced with gentylmen of Fraunce an houre after.”
As you can see, Anne’s ladies included her sister Mary and her sister-in-law Jane Boleyn.
After the dancing, Anne conversed with the French king before he was escorted back to his lodgings by Henry VIII.
Click here to view a timeline of the events of October 1532 and to read more about Henry and Anne’s visit to Calais.
Also on this day in history, on the night of 27th/28th October in 1467, Desiderius Erasmus, humanist, Catholic priest, classical scholar and theologian, was born in Rotterdam. Click here to read more about this fascinating man.
