1529
The Pope would not grant a divorce, thank God.
Both the King and the Queen were once again summoned to appear before the Legatine Court, which they both did to everyone's surprise. The King had previously made a point to avoid going, and the Queen, proud as any Daughter of Spain and Mother of England, stated that if he would not bother to show up, she would not either.
Anne Boleyn, who knew that the King could be easily swayed, insisted on attending too. I had to look down to hide my smile at her pale, scared face as we walked through the London streets and the people hurled abuses at her where they had previously cheered Queen Catherine.
* * * * *
The case had been suspended. Cardinal Campeggio was recalled to Rome.
Everyone in England held their breath to see what the Pope's verdict would be. It would not be unreasonable for him to grant the king's wishes, after all, he wouldn't be the first man to put his wife aside for her lack of providing sons. However, the Pope feared the Queen's nephew, Charles of Spain.
To no one's surprise, he refused to give the King a divorce.
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who had spent restless days and sleepless nights working to achieve the King's desires , found that it had all been for nothing.
Then the Howards and Boleyns struck.
Anne Boleyn hated Wolsey, since he had prevented her from marrying Henry Percy, son of the Duke of Northumberland and the love of her life. The Howards hated him for being a commoner who set himself above them, and above every other noble in the land.
He was forced to stand before the King's throne , with his Boleyn whore at his side as though she was a Queen, and she looked down at him as he had looked down on her when she went on her knees before him, begging him to let her marry Henry Percy. He was forced to explain why the proceedings were taking so slow while he spent so much money with his endless delegations to Rome.
Anne Boleyn dripped poison into the King's ear, convincing him that his old friend the Cardinal , plotted with the Queen and the Pope. After a thorough search of his houses, letters were found addressed to the Queen, which encouraged her to maintain her stance for the Holy Father would never grant the King his divorce.
No one wondered why Wolsey, one of the shrewdest and most cunning men at court, would be so foolish as to carelessly leave about such an incriminating letter. No one spoke up for him, this man who had been like a father to the King, when he was stripped of his title and his Magnificent palace of Hampton was forfeited to the crown.
But Anne Boleyn would have no rest until he was completely and utterly destroyed. The King, to please her, had him declared a traitor. Anne Boleyn, ever vindictive, chose Henry Percy, the Duke of Northurmberland, her very first love who Wolsey had taken from her, to be the Lord who would arrest the fallen cardinal.
In great distress and in chains, Wolsey was taken from his Cawood home, accompanied by his personal chaplain Edward Bonner.
Luckily for him, The King's greatest and most powerful servant died of illness at Leicester on his way to London where Anne Boleyn had a humiliating traitor's death waiting for him.
* * * * * *
It was after dinner, and we were all seated down in the great throne room, waiting to watch a masquerade in which George Boleyn would be a player. I sat near Sir Francis Bryan, one of the King's best friends and a man known for being a most notorious philanderer. I had to ignore his lustful sideway glances at me and keep my eyes down.
Beside me, Lizzie giggled with the recently widowed Sir Thomas Neville. She had taken, as almost every woman at court had, to Anne Boleyn's flirtatious mannerisms. I made a mental note to have a stern word with her later.
These French behaviours would lead to no good.
The Masquerade, titled "Sending The Cardinal To Hell", began.
It mocked Wolsey for his low birth, and depicted him being chased off to hell by demons. Anne Boleyn and the King laughed very heartily.
Even the old nobles, who had been the staunchest opponents of Wolsey, had demmed it quite tasteless that the King would hound his greatest friend to his death at the urging of "that woman" as they referred to Anne Boleyn, and laugh about it.
