tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post7326048229651621574..comments2024-03-28T15:16:29.965-05:00Comments on Tudor Q and A: Question from Parisa - Literal promise of a son by Anne BoleynLarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16630629272030282584noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post-28073589978560776202012-07-14T03:03:18.735-05:002012-07-14T03:03:18.735-05:00I don't think there's any way that Anne wo...I don't think there's any way that Anne would have tried to "down play" the expectation of a male heir. You have to remember that at the time, failure to produce a living male heir was used as proof of God's disfavor, and therefore proof that the woman did something wrong. Since Anne always claimed to be a virtuous woman, it would be completely against her cause to have tried to down play her ability to produce a son for Henry.<br /><br />Since there is no way that Anne wouldn't have been responsible for producing a son (women were always blamed for lack of male heirs, despite what we now know about human reproduction and the gender of a child being decided by the sperm rather than the egg), there would have been no advantage for her in downplaying the expectation. For Henry, the desire to for a son was the most important thing. While he loved her intensely at the time of their marriage, if he had known she wouldn't produce a male heir for him, he wouldn't have married her.<br /><br />While there is no solid proof that Anne promised H VIII a son, I think it very likely that she did. She was banking on her youth (relative to K of Aragon) and health to give her plenty of time to be able to provide him with an heir.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02432041328889618278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16981893.post-47696531693834110082012-06-07T07:10:36.293-05:002012-06-07T07:10:36.293-05:00Hello Parisa!
Throughout my research I didn't ...Hello Parisa!<br />Throughout my research I didn't find any literal promise made by Anne Boleyn to Henry VIII, concerning their future sons. <br />But, during mass in the chapel, Anne and Henry passed love notes in illuminated Book of Hours. Anne wrote:<br /><br />By daily proof you shall me find<br />To be to you both loving and kind.<br /><br />And she wrote it under miniature of Annunciation (angel telling Mary that she will give birth to Jesus).<br /><br />So, that's the only mention about Anne's promise to Henry. I think it was rather symbolic than literal, but we all know how serious Henry VIII was about male issue.<br /><br />Hope that helps.<br /><br />SylwiaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com