Had the Queen Lived: An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn

290 Pages·2011·2.47 MB·English

by  Nuckols Raven A

Had the Queen Lived:

An Alternative History of Anne Boleyn

Raven A. Nuckols
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© 2011 by Raven A. Nuckols. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 10/07/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4634-4580-5 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4634-4581-2 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4634-4582-9 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011914152

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents
Author’s Note
Epigraph
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
References
About the Author
Author’s Note

This book is dedicated to the many historians who have spent countless hours
tirelessly researching the history of the Tudor period, and to their contribution to
the understanding of so controversial and influential an epoch in English history;
an era whose effects still reverberate to this day. Their works have inspired this
alternative history, which takes a new perspective on the story of Anne Boleyn
by exploring the ramifications if certain events had not occurred, and postulating
the effects of other events that could have occurred, but did not.
As a personal note of thanks I would like especially to recognize the work of
Professor Eric Ives, historians Allison Weir, David Starkey, and Derek Wilson,
and many others who inspired this story. I also would like to thank my family
and friends for all their encouragement in making this book a reality. I dedicate
this book to Jose, for without his love and support this might not have been
possible.
Epigraph

“Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and
by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am
come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am
accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long
to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful Prince was there never: and
to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will
meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave
of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord
have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.”
th
—Anne Boleyn, May 19 , 1536
Introduction

The tragic love story of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn continues to
captivate audiences around the world nearly five hundred years after its end. The
years they spent together and what they accomplished revolutionized not only
England, but the rest of the world. As a result of their legacy, the Anglican
Church is still headed by the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II of
England, and the groundwork was laid for the foundations of a British Empire
and Commonwealth that would last for centuries, and whose impact continues to
reverberate.
On her own, Anne Boleyn remains one of the most controversial figures in
British history, revered by some, reviled by others. Henry’s second wife, she
defied the standards of her time and was truly a powerful force in her own right.
Her life has been well chronicled over the years since her tragic end—executed
for treason on the grounds of the Tower of London—however, this book is an
imagining of an alternative history that might have come to pass. This book
examines what might have happened had Anne given birth to the longed-for son
she miscarried in the winter of January 1536; both the rewards for her, and the
consequences for the whole of England.
Chapter 1
Prologue: 1525-1536
England in the 1520’s was undergoing a significant religious reformation
th
towards Protestantism. Up until the 16 century, the country had been faithful to
Catholicism, and the faithful answered to the patriarch of the church, the Pope.
The Pope was God’s messenger on Earth, a lifetime appointee to the throne of
St. Peter, elected by the Catholic Church conclave, a group of high ranking
Cardinals representing each region of the world. At that time, with Catholicism
the dominant form of Christianity and the masses of Europe so heavily
influenced, even directed, by their Catholic clergy, the Pope held enormous sway
over the Kings and Emperors of Christian Europe.
It was widely believed in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that Kings
received their mandate to rule directly from God, and that gave the Pope—as
God’s emissary on Earth—tremendous influence over the secular rulers of
Europe. Popes had the power to call for war, as in the Crusades, and vast
European armies were often at Rome’s beck and call. Within countries they
commanded vast bureaucracies through networks of churches, monasteries,
abbeys and so on, providing services to the people, collecting revenues from
both the clergy and the laity, and often these systems were far more organized
than the civil authorities. These bureaucracies were jealously protected by Rome,
with ecclesiastical courts demanding authority over clergy charged with crimes,
and freedom from interference (including taxation) from the state. Kings often
resented this rival power’s interference in their kingdom’s affairs, but none had
attempted to break free from Rome’s control so directly as would Henry VIII of
England.
King Henry VIII had come to power in 1509 and swiftly sought to make an
impact. To serve any other faith but Catholicism was socially and politically
dangerous. Nevertheless, for centuries discontent with the Roman Church had
been quietly brewing and a new generation of reformers lay just beneath the
surface of outward obedience to the existing order. To disclose publicly one’s
true feelings—if they differed from the dogma of the Church—was to risk
denouncement as a heretic, imprisonment, and even death. The government was
prone to using torture and execution to dispose of its enemies, whether a threat
were real or merely perceived. As the reformist movement went from a simmer
to a boil, religious exchanges among countrymen became ever more fervent.
Under the feudal system that had persisted until the early Renaissance, the still
strengthening civil states allowed the authority of the church to remain almost
unrivaled. Popes knew well how to manage such egomaniacal personalities as
Kings and, when it suited them, the Church also manipulated Kings into doing
its bidding, thus maintaining Rome’s stronghold.
Under the pre-Reformation system, the Pope and his convocation of Bishops
were responsible for determining holy doctrine, advising countries on how to
spread Christ’s true word and for serving as the intermediaries through which the
Kings of Europe could seek God’s favor. Kings paid for these services heavily,
not only in fees, but also in diplomatic favors like supporting the Holy Wars
declared by Rome. For instance, if a country was starting to stray from the faith,
the Pope would ask another country to cut off the offending country’s their
economic supply chain to force it back into the fold. If that failed to work, he
would call for military action against the offending country. By so easily
manipulating all of Europe, it could be argued that the Vatican was the
preeminent European power in the Middle Ages, with influence over both life
and death on a mass scale. The Pope would also at times call for Holy Wars, in
Christ’s name, to ensure the successful spread of Catholicism and add territory,
resources, and widen the base for financial support to the Vatican.
Religion offered up answers to life’s difficult questions, explaining the higher
power of God, rules for behavior such as the duties owed by the common people
to the state, and how by following such edicts the poor could hope to win
salvation for their immortal souls in the afterlife. The church controlled the
people by making them fear the eternal consequences of disobedience. In the
Middle Ages, sermons that interpreted the meaning of Biblical text were often
preached in Latin to teach that disobeying God’s true word (as passed through
the clergy, of course) would lead to a soul’s eternal damnation. This was a
brilliant public relations campaign, using the dual tactics of stoking both fear and
hope, threats of damnation or the promise of salvation, to beholden the Church’s
followers to the existing order.
The church also relied on its ability to describe what it called the immense
power of Christ to reward the faithful; both by promising an eternity in heaven in
the afterlife, and even in saying the most faithful (i.e. obedient and repentant)
might see their Earthly burdens lessened by a forgiving God. When
circumstances in one’s world went out of control, one could turn to prayer,
confession, fasting, and supporting the church. Priests and clergy reassured
laymen that God would answer all prayers and that, while it may take just a little
time, God would come through to support his children, so long as they believed
in Him and His Church. They provided an outlet of hope, support, and a
listening ear when desperate commoners needed it most. Those who could afford
it—such as the monarchy and most of the nobility—maintained a private
chaplain on retainer at all times, for just such spiritual emergencies.
Rome’s ability to channel both the positive message of Christ and exploit the
fear of Satan allowed it to maintain control of a massive bureaucracy that
European kings both resented and envied, making the Reformation such a
pivotal turning point in history. Never before had Rome been so boldly and
blatantly challenged. For centuries, people had genuinely believed from birth
that both their lives and eternal fates were in God’s hands alone, and that they
owed God, through His Holy Church, their devotion and their money, to secure
favor and ensure eventual salvation. The church’s massive operating
organization included maintaining lavish buildings, retaining a large staff of
clergy and servants, and of course requiring significant financial support for
daily upkeep. Rome had several means of raising these funds, including the
selling of indulgences, imposing high vestment and ordinance fees, and requiring
high tithes each year from parishioners. For centuries this was the status quo. No
one had dared challenge the Catholic Church. It was this opulence—even more
than the meddling in affairs of secular government—that would spark the
coming revolution from within.
Martin Luther was a devout monk who for years piously practiced his ministry
in contentment, until he was extended a formal invitation to visit the Vatican to
further his theological education. During this visit, he came to disagree with key
papal applications of scripture, but far worse, he witnessed such abuses by his
beloved Church that he would start the process of reevaluating whether the
institution he had sworn to uphold was deserving of his loyalty.
Upon his return to Germany he penned the document known to us today as the
Ninety-five Theses. The formal name for this work was The Disputation of
Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences. These theses outlined
the corruptions of the Church and detailed exactly how it was building excessive
wealth with fees it charged to Christendom, such as charging both commoners
and the nobility alike for blessings. Enraging Luther the most was the selling of
indulgences, which held the promise of minimizing or forsaking time in
purgatory—or even guaranteeing a soul’s passage directly into heaven—by
paying the church. Purgatory was the place souls went after their human lives
had passed to reflect upon and be punished for their worldly misdeeds until they
emerged purged and purified from sin and deserving of entry into heaven;
depending upon the grievousness of those sins, a person’s soul could remain in