Henry VIII’s gifts for Anne Boleyn
Anne and Henry
Although after Anne Boleyn’s execution Henry VIII did everything to get rid of memories about her, one thing is certain – they were a loving couple for almost 10 years, and Henry was very much in love with Anne. In order to show his feelings towards her, he showered her with magnificent gifts, and some of them are described with details. In this article I will take a closer look on Henry’s gifts for Anne Boleyn.
For many years Anne Boleyn was Henry’s ‘wife-to-be’. Many called her king’s mistress, although she had never accepted such a title, and even refused to sleep with Henry until they were married. It seems that Anne had wrapped Henry around her finger, and he seemed to be madly in love with her. But officially Henry was still married with Catherine of Aragon, and Anne was merely the king’s fancy, or so many people who knew the king believed. So it is natural that Henry wanted to win Anne’s affections by fancy gifts. When the divorce was not going as planned, Henry used to buy Anne magnificent things only to prove to her, that he is going to marry her.
Professor Eric Ives wrote that ‘the couple were always together and Henry’s privy purse expenses show how intertwined their lives were’.[1] Henry’s privy purse accounts have survived for the years 1529-32 and they gives us an insight of the happy time they have spent together as a fiancées.
