Part 5, Chapter 1 Summary
On January 25, 1533, on their return to England from Calais, King Henry and Anne Boleyn are married (again) at the chapel at Whitehall. Thomas Cranmer is now the soon-to-be Archbishop of Canterbury. Soon it is revealed that Anne is pregnant with her first child, even before her new status of Queen of England becomes known. Anne tells Cromwell that she is tired of her sister Mary and thinks it is time that she is married off. She suggests Cromwell’s nephew Richard.
Cromwell visits John Frith (a follower of William Tyndale) in the Tower. He urges Frith to soften his tone in defending himself when he comes before the king so that hopefully Cromwell will manage to get him out to live with him at Austin Friars.
Cromwell takes his nephew Richard and son Gregory to be presented to the king. Henry agrees willingly to take them into court, with an eye toward having Richard marry Mary Boleyn. Anne, in the company of her ladies-in-waiting, rages against the enemies who are gathering around her. She forbids anyone to speak of her baby as anything but a boy.
At Mass on Easter, Anne is prayed for publicly. Her coronation is set for Whit Sunday. Henry sends Cromwell to inform Katherine of Aragon of what is coming so that she may not pull any surprises. Henry decides, after all, that Richard Cromwell will not marry Mary Boleyn. Cromwell explains to Richard that the king wants to keep Mary for himself while Anne is pregnant. He proposes instead to marry Richard to the daughter of the Lord Mayor of London.
Cromwell tries to get Katherine of Aragon to see that for the sake of her daughter, it would be best if she conceded to the king’s wishes. Katherine believes that even though Anne is pregnant, there is still a chance Henry will come back to her. Cromwell does not agree, but he tells her that there may be a chance that Henry will make Mary his legal heir should Anne not have a son. Katherine remains firm, hoping that Henry’s excommunication may change things.
The coronation of Anne Boleyn is in preparation as a grand event. Thomas More claims he cannot afford a new coat and so will not go. The ambassador from the Holy Roman Emperor, Chapuys, cries at the coronation, feeling that he has failed the Emperor and Katherine of Aragon.
Cromwell learns that Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has taken a wife in Germany. Cromwell warns him that if the king finds out, he will have his head cut off. John Frith is burned at the stake for his Protestant beliefs, while the head of the Church of England hides his new wife.
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