Author: Heather R Darsie

Wooing a Lady

Love Letter Nine from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn: Anne has the Sweat!

by Heather R. Darsie By June 1528, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn were deeply in love. The dreaded Sweating Sickness, or English Sweat, had tightened its grip in Anne’s household, and she retired to Hever Castle. Anne herself contracted the Sweat. This was very serious news, as the Sweat could kill its victim in less than forty-hours after symptoms appeared. In his fright for Anne’s … Continue reading Love Letter Nine from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn: Anne has the Sweat!

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Illuminators and Manuscripts, Wooing a Lady

The Little Book of Love

by Heather R. Darsie The Little Book of Love, or Petit Livre d’Amour, is an absolutely fascinating, and terribly romantic, illuminated manuscript. Also known as Enigmas of Love, it was a Valentine’s Day gift from Pierre Sala (b. 1457 — d. 1529) to his sweetheart. Sala devised the poems contained within the book. He also was the scribe for this particular project. It is thought that the … Continue reading The Little Book of Love

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Bestiary

From the Bestiary: Scitalis

by Heather R. Darsie By Unknown medieval monk (Medieval bestiary) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons The Scitalis is a gorgeous, lazy, predatory serpent. It lies about all day, waiting to hypnotize its prey with the dazzling colours of its back. Stunned by the Scitalis’ beauty, the poor beast who stopped to admire the Scitalis is then devoured. The Scitalis has a very high body temperature, … Continue reading From the Bestiary: Scitalis

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This and That

Thomas Tallis, Tudor Composer

by Heather R. Darsie It is thought that Thomas Tallis, alternatively spelled “Tallys,” could have been born on 30 January 1505, though it is not known for certain. What is known is that Tallis did not die until 1585, and contributed greatly to the development and composition of English choral music. Not much is known about Tallis’ early life. There are no records of his … Continue reading Thomas Tallis, Tudor Composer

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Wooing a Lady

Love Letter Eight for Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

by Heather R. Darsie This letter to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was written mostly by Anne Boleyn, with a postscript by Henry VIII. As for the art of wooing, perhaps Henry believed a letter to Cardinal Wolsey from the gentler sex (Anne Boleyn) would prod him to the purpose of producing an annulment of Henry’s marriage to Katharine of Aragon all the more quickly. As history … Continue reading Love Letter Eight for Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

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Illuminators and Manuscripts

Shooting Stars: the Bright and Short Careers of the Limbourg Brothers

by Heather R. Darsie In case you missed it on http://queenanneboleyn.com/2018/01/01/shooting-stars-the-bright-short-careers-limbourg-brothers-heather-r-darsie/ Herman (1385), Paul (1386/87) and Johan (1388) were born in the city of Nijmegen, in what is modern-day Gelderland, Netherlands. Artistic skill ran in the family for these brothers: their father was a wood-carver and their maternal uncle, a painter to Isabella (or Isabeau) of Bavaria, Queen of France. This familial connection to the French … Continue reading Shooting Stars: the Bright and Short Careers of the Limbourg Brothers

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Events

A Blood-Soaked Christmas

by Heather R. Darsie Christmas Eve, 1601. The setting, a sleepy, south-eastern port town in Ireland. The Nine Years War of Ireland had been raging since 1594, with the English fighting to have control of Ireland under Elizabeth I of England. The unorganized Irish had won several battles and skirmishes against the English, frequently through the use of ambush. But in 1601, trained Spanish troops … Continue reading A Blood-Soaked Christmas

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Wooing a Lady

Henry VIII’s Seventh Letter to Anne Boleyn

by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. By February 1528, Henry and Anne’s romance was in full swing, judging from his seventh letter. A far cry in some ways from the first letter, Henry tries less to appeal to Anne Boleyn’s sympathy and outright addresses her as his beloved when Henry VIII writes, By the British School, before 1626; via Wikimedia Commons. “Darling, these shall only … Continue reading Henry VIII’s Seventh Letter to Anne Boleyn

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This and That

Why do We Kiss Under the Mistletoe?

by Heather R. Darsie   Oh, the romantic kiss under the mistletoe. The viridian, sturdy, parasitic mistletoe. Varieties of the plant are found all over the world, growing on trees and shrubs. The mistletoe eventually kills the branch of the host plant upon which it is preying, feeding on the host plant throughout the winter. Mistletoe is an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “dung twig.” So how … Continue reading Why do We Kiss Under the Mistletoe?

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Wooing a Lady

Henry VIII’s Sixth Letter to Anne Boleyn

by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Henry VIII’s tumultuous relationship with Anne Boleyn is very well exemplified by the contrast between his fifth and sixth letters to her. As seen in the fifth letter, Henry is very confident in the relationship and jubilant because of Anne’s gift and the meaning behind it. In the sixth letter, Henry VIII seems worried about a cooling of affection … Continue reading Henry VIII’s Sixth Letter to Anne Boleyn

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