While some royal affairs take years to become scandals, others have immediate, real-world impact. This is the case of the famously tumultuous relationship between England’s King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, which began in 1526. But there was one problem—Henry was already married to the very popular and pious Queen Catherine of Aragon. “What began as a matrimonial suit became transformed, very gradually, into a political, theological, and ultimately, a social revolution,” Alison Weir wrote in The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
“Even if I were to suffer a thousand deaths,” Anne told Henry, “my love for you will not abate one jot!” Anne would quickly see her reputation torn to shreds, as rumors of Henry’s obsession with marrying Anne spread throughout the courts of Europe. “We do not believe it possible. For the honor and service of God, put an end to this scandalous affair,” Catherine’s nephew, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V wrote in 1527. The public also became embroiled in the scandal, as crowds would gather around Queen Catherine, crying, “Victory over your enemies!”
Commoners were also not afraid to voice their displeasure. In 1531, Anne went into London to dine with friends at a house by the Thames River. “Word spread quickly through the City of London that she was there, and before very long a mob of seven or eight thousand women, or men dressed as women, were marching upon the house with intent to seize her, even lynch her,” Weir wrote. “Fortunately for Anne, she received warning of their coming, and escaped by barge along the river.”
These scenes would be repeated, including on Easter Sunday 1532, when Friar William Peto bravely gave a sermon in front of Henry and Anne, threatening that if they married, the king would be punished as God had punished Ahab. Of course, Henry would in the end get his way, having his marriage to Catherine annulled and leaving the unbending Catholic Church to form the Anglican Church, of which he was conveniently the head.
Henry married a pregnant Anne in 1533. But despite Henry’s fearsome reputation, the scandalized public continued to fearlessly disrespect the woman some referred to as the “goggle-eyed whore.” During her procession into London ahead of the coronation that year, denizens silently protested her elevation by refusing to cheer or take off their caps as she processed through the city.
“When Anne finally arrived at Westminster Hall, to be greeted by Henry, she was upset at the hostility shown her by the crowds,” Weir wrote. “‘How liked you the look of the City, sweetheart?’ enquired the King. ‘Sir, the City itself was well enow,’ Anne answered, ‘but I saw so many caps on heads and heard but few tongues.’”
Only three years later, the arrogant king had Anne executed, claiming he had been “bewitched.”
Women were often the scapegoats for the public’s anger at the male rulers who controlled their lives. This was the case with Jeanne Bécu, better known as Madame du Barry, the last mistress of the womanizing king Louis XV of France. The king had already had a string of public mistresses, including the famously elegant and tasteful Madame de Pompadour. But to the public, already dissatisfied with the elderly king’s corrupt government, the young “harlot” du Barry was the last straw. She had reportedly been a courtesan, or high-priced sex worker, for years, and was said to have a “most wanton look” in her beautiful eyes.
