Discussion: Yay! Chapuys is back

"yes and so much of what has been written by historians about this time is based on the Historical Chapuys' letters and he was a pivotal character because he represented spain's catholic influence on the court factions in Henry's time. He was fiercely pro-Katherine/Mary and anti-Anne and subsequently influenced Jane to some extent.

Its interesting though what Retha Warnicke said about the information he provides about the time :

"A close reading of the Ambassador's correspondence between 1529 and 1536 readily indicates that his information should be divided into at least the following four categories;
(1) repetition of ubiquitous rumors at court
(2) information deliberately leaked to him by royal servants
(3) original and sometimes unsubstantiated speculation of his own
(4)actual first-hand information such as interviews with the king and his ministers, announcements of arrivals and departures of envoys and seasonal movements of the court.
Often it is extremely difficult to decide into which of the first 3 categories the gossipy, second-hand news should fall, a difficulty that must alert scholars to the need for handling of his letters with caution."

- Retha Warnicke in her introduction to her book, The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn"

"I love the character that plays Chapuys too. It's weird but I could never picture him before the Tudors. And yes, I love reading Pepys diary. Some of his little sexual innuendos are kind of funny too.

I wonder how much false information was fed to Chapuys?"

"The court was divided by factions and Chapuys was at the forefront of the Catholic Faction...at the time of Henry tiring of Anne....he urged Jane to drop certain things in the kings ear .

Quote: "The ambassador advised her to drop heavy hints about Anne's heretical leanings in Henry's ear, and to say that the people of England would never accept her as their true Queen. She must say these things in the presence of her supporters, who would all then swear, on their allegiance to the King, that she spoke the truth.

Jane certainly acted upon this advice, and it had the desired effect upon the King, who was now receptive to criticism of his wife. Jane also followed her own instincts, and the advice of her friends, by not admitting Henry to her bed. Instead, she dropped heavy hints about marriage, which fell on fertile ground, and before long Henry began to behave towards her with great circumspection, leading others to believe that he was already considering her as a future wife.

From this time on, he took care to avoid any hint of scandal attaching itself to her name; her family and adherents were quick to notice this new deference on the part of the King, and Sir Francis Bryan told Jane's parents that they would shortly see their daughter 'well bestowed' in marriage"

[Alison Weir, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, p. 306]."

"I hate Chapuys and I dont like that they didnt show his sympathy towards Anne when she was on trial."

"That is what I mean by sympathetic, he hated Anne Boleyn the queen but he did not like what was being done to her. "

"Fine if you don't like the word sympathetic then change the word. But I still wish they would have put in how he did not like the trial and execution."

"Well if you don't understand that human emotions are not black and white then that is your problem not mine."