At just before dawn on this day in history, 11th October 1532, Anne Boleyn, the newly created Marquess of Pembroke, and her sweetheart, King Henry VIII, set sail from Dover in the king’s ship, The Swallow.

They were headed for Calais, which was an English territory at the time. The purpose of their trip was to meet with King Francis I of France and gain his support for their relationship and their quest for the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

They landed at Calais, at 10 o’clock the same morning and were greeted by a “greate peale of gonnes” and a procession, which included the Mayor of Calais, the Lord Deputy and various knights. Henry and Anne then went to hear mass at the Church of St Nicholas before retiring to their lodgings at The Exchequer.

The couple stayed together there until 21st October, when Henry left Anne to meet Francis I. After a few days with the French king, Henry brought Francis back to Calais to meet Anne. Here is a timeline of the events of October and November 1532 with clickable links to find out more.

Also on this day in history, 11th October 1537, poor Jane Seymour was in labour with her first and only child, Edward VI:

Today, is also the anniversary of the death of Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder, Tudor poet and diplomat, on 11th October 1542. You can find out more about him in my article – click here.

Categories: Anne Boleyn General, Anne Queen Consort, Henry VIII, Tudor Events

