Welcome back to Court and to episode 2 of “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”.
This was another gripping episode with the apt title “Obedience”. If you do not obey Henry in every way, shape and form, then your life is in danger. The true definition of a tyrant!
If you know the history of Cromwell and this time in Tudor history, you can see so much foreshadowing in this episode. When the ghost of Cardinal Wolsey tells Cromwell when things go wrong “you will feel the lash” he is certainly on the money.
This week’s post will be similar to last week’s – quick observations and fun facts
Episode 2 “Obedience” Fun Facts and Observations
You might be surprised to see Henry dressed up in his Turkish costume and dancing for all the court to see, but this is classic Henry. He was known as a fantastic dancer even when he was as young as 10 years old. There is a story about how vigorously he danced at the feast when Catherine of Aragon was brought to England to marry his brother Arthur. He danced so much he cast off his gown and danced just in his jacket – quite the gossip for a 10 year old prince!
Henry also loved to play pretend and dress up with his friends and perform for Queen Catherine. He always enjoyed how the ladies would (pretend) not to know who these rogues were, bursting into the Queen’s chambers and causing a ruckus. However, just like at this performance, everyone would have at once known it was the King behind the mask. Henry was very tall for the time (a reported 6 ft 2 in) so that was a dead giveaway. But everyone would go along with the game because it was what the King wanted. Boy oh boy does this come back to bite Henry in 1540.
I found the scene with Lady Mary Douglas and Cromwell very interesting. Mary states that there was someone outside the door when she married Thomas Howard the lesser, but Cromwell doesn’t think someone on the other side of a door is a good witness. He certainly has changed his tune since he was gathering (fabricating) evidence against Anne. Then, ladies gossip and innuendo were good enough to send six people to the block!
Fun Fact: The Lady Margaret Douglas is Henry’s niece. Her mother, Margaret Douglas is his sister, who was once the Queen of Scotland. After the death of her husband James IV of Scotland was killed in battle, she married Archibald Douglas, who is Margaret Douglas’ father. That is why she is Lady Margaret (or Meg), instead of Princess Margaret. She would eventually marry and have a son, Henry Stewart who would marry Mary Queen of Scots. (I know, there are too many Marys about!)
Another fun fact – Lady Richmond who was with her during this interview would most likely be Lady Mary Howard (known as Lady Richmond) who was married to Henry’s illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond. Fitzroy died in the summer of 1536, right around the time the events we are watching are taking place.
Cromwell should have really listened to Call Me when the idea of destroying Norfolk was brought up. Cromwell will certainly regret this later.
I think most of us were wondering why Jane would ask Cromwell about the best way to conceive a child. It was so awkward! Also, Jane would not be reading by the fire. It was known that Jane Seymour could barely read or write. She was known for beautiful and detailed needlework and embroidery, but she was not as well education as Henry’s first two wives.
Which leads to the next scene when Henry asks Cromwell if he thinks Jane is a fool. He is questioning that she doesn’t even understand ordinary things. Does he have buyer’s remorse already? The longer she goes without becoming pregnant, the more Henry is going to look at her sideways. At the time, there were questions about Jane’s fertility. Henry and Jane were married in late May, but by October of that year, she still was not with child. This was very different from his first two marriages; Henry and Catherine were married in June of 1509 and Catherine was pregnant immediately, however she miscarried in her sixth month in January 1510. Henry slept with Anne for the first time in late November 1532 and Elizabeth was born 9 months later in early September 1533.
Babies are on the brain it seems because the Lady Mary wishes she had a child. But she questions if she will be successful, as her mother had several miscarriages, still births and children that died within months of birth. When she becomes Queen, Mary will have two phantom pregnancies. It is believed she dies of uterine cancer.
I think the most impactful scene in this episode is between Cromwell and Dorothea, the daughter of the late Cardinal Wolsey.
Cromwell is usually a man in control, but he seems unsure in this instance. His clumsy offer of marriage to Dorothea is very out of the ordinary for him. Dorothea wants no part of Cromwell, as a husband nor or a friend. She believes he betrayed her father when the Cardinal needed him when Henry sent Wolsey into exile in the north. She believes it because people she trusts told her so. Cromwell can only surmise that this was her father.
“If you have this fixed opinion and hold on to it regardless of evidence, how am I to oppose it?”
Now Master Cromwell you know just how your victims felt.
Back at Austin Friars, Cromwell is looking for the ghost of the Cardinal to ease his conscience, but his former master is not there to dispute anything that Dorothea has said.
We are only two episodes in, but you can feel the darkness that is starting to surround Cromwell. And things are just getting started.
See you at Court next week!
Thank you for your sharp observations and the fun facts!
One of the characters that the TV version ignores is Fitzroy but his wife is in the show 🙂 I don’t know if you’ve read The Mirror and The Light, but Fitzroy also lobbies Cromwell to see whether Cromwell would help him to become Henry’s heir – he believes he deserves it since both his half siblings are female. He gets sick shortly after… And Norfolk has all the Howards located at critical positions, doesn’t he? Even Fitzroy is married to a Howard — in case Henry recognizes his illegitimate son as the heir…
Talking about babies: I had an educated guess that Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII may have had blood (Rh) incompatibility because I thought Mary was their first child. But she was not. Is there any research or speculation about why they did have several miscarriages and still births?
You are exactly right! Henry FitzRoy was originally in the care of Cardinal Wolsey; when he fell, young Henry was then cared for by Thomas Howard. It was suggested that FitzRoy marry Mary Howard by Anne Boylen, since Mary was her cousin on Anne’s mother’s side.
At the time of the marriage of Mary Howard and Henry FitzRoy, there were no male heirs, and since FitzRoy was the only illegitimate child Henry VIII acknowledged, Thomas Howard wanted his daughter as close to the crown as possible. The marriage was never consummated (they were 13 & 14 at the time). When FitzRoy died, Mary got nothing of his vast land and wealth because Henry did not consider it a real marriage.
There are a few theories that try to explain why Henry VIII’s wives experienced so many miscarriages. One theory suggests that Henry might have been a carrier of the Kell blood group antigen. If a Kell-positive man has children with a Kell-negative woman, the mother’s immune system can develop antibodies against the Kell antigen after the first pregnancy. These antibodies can attack subsequent Kell-positive pregnancies, leading to miscarriages or stillbirths. Katherine had about 6 pregnancies with only Mary living past 1 year, while Anne had at least 3 with only Elizabeth surviving.