After the execution of Anne, Henry became engaged to Jane
Seymour on May 20, 1536. They would marry ten days later on May 30. On the same
day, proceedings began to draft a new Act of Succession. The first version of this
in 1533 had de-legitimized Mary as Henry’s heir and made Elizabeth his only legitimate
heir. Additionally, there were provisions to place any children by Anne Boleyn
ahead of Mary. Mary thus became the Lady Mary rather than Princess Mary. The
new Act of Succession passed the beginning of June 1536 left Henry without any
legitimate heirs. It also legitimized his marriage to Jane Seymour and made any
questioning of the marriage an act of treason. This would pave the way to
legitimacy for any offspring of this new marriage in terms of royal succession.
When discussing the fallout from the execution of Anne,
we can’t help but also consider its effect on Elizabeth. At the time of her
mother’s death, Elizabeth was not quite three years old. Upon her birth,
Elizabeth had been given her own household at Hatfield with a wet nurse and
governess. Indeed Elizabeth’s half-sister, Mary, was also positioned as a
servant in her household. This would all change. In the immediate aftermath of
her mother’s death, much of Elizabeth’s care had been completely ignored by
Henry. He had become preoccupied with his new bride. Lady Bryan, Elizabeth’s
governess, would write in protest to the King about how Elizabeth had grown out
of her clothes with no one to order how the new clothes should be made. At the
end of June, Henry would order that the household be downsized and reorganized.
Elizabeth would now only be allowed 32 servants. Mary, after a reconciliation
with the King that saw her accept him as head of the Church and her own
illegitimacy, would have a household restored to her and no longer served her
half-sister, Elizabeth. When Jane bore Henry the long awaited son, Elizabeth’s
household would once again shift as her governess, Lady Bryan, would be tasked
with the care of the heir, Edward.
One might think that she would have been unaffected by the
changes given that Anne would have had very little to do with her upbringing as
was royal protocol. However, Elizabeth was a precocious child even at that
young age and seemed to have at least some grasp that things were not what they
once were. An often told story relates how when she was told by Lady Bryan’s
husband about her change in title, the toddler retorted: “how haps it, Governor, yesterday my Lady Princess, and today but my
Lady Elizabeth?” There was no adequate reply as the Bryans had attempted to
shield her from the events of her mother’s death as much as possible.
For her part, Jane was kind to both of Henry’s daughters
although it was reported that she preferred the Catholic Mary as she put forth
much effort to have Mary restored to the line of succession after her own future
children with Henry. Elizabeth was brought to Court along with Mary during Jane’s
confinement and would carry the train in her half-brother’s christening
procession. Just over a week after Edward’s christening and less than two weeks after his birth, Jane would die from
postnatal complications.
Overall, Elizabeth seemed to be loved by her father though
removed from succession. She was educated alongside her brother, Edward,
although this was likely the influence of Henry’s final wife, Katherine Parr,
who had grown quite close to both Edward and Elizabeth, treating them as if
they were her own children. It was finally Katherine Parr who succeeded in
persuading Henry to reinstate both of his daughters to the line of succession
after his son, Edward, and any potential heirs of Edward.
Throughout her life, Elizabeth was surrounded by very
different depictions of her mother. For those sympathetic to the Protestant
cause, her mother was a martyr, while the Catholics saw her mother as the whore
who led England into sin. For her part, Elizabeth seemed to more closely
identify with her father. She greatly admired him and patterned much of her own
behaviors on his. Well aware of her supposed weakness as a woman, she would
call upon the memory of her father for strength, having once remarked: “Although
I may not be a lioness, I am a lion’s cub, and inherit many of his qualities.”
This is not to say that parallels to Anne were not apparent
in Elizabeth. She is often regarded as having her mother’s spirit and
intellectual fervor. Of particular interest, in this regard, lies in a family
portrait from Hampton Court Palace.
When looking at the detail of Elizabeth, positioned to the far
right of the main royal family grouping of Henry, Jane Seymour, and Edward, in
opposition to Mary position to the far left, one notices a telling piece of
jewelry on her neck. Elizabeth is depicted with a jeweled “A” necklace.
This is significant not only because it is a clear reference
to her mother’s name, it is also a piece of jewelry that had once belonged to
her mother, a piece of jewelry that would be worn by Elizabeth in other
portraits as well.
The Young Elizabeth by Alison Plowden
Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey
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