Tudor Times

On Sept. 7, 1533 Queen Anne Boleyn went into labor at Greenwich Palace in the Chamber of Virgins. She was born about three or four in the afternoon. Her father, King Henry VIII, was bitterly disappointed at the sex of the baby. He and Anne had expected a son who would be heir and rule after his father. Henry already had a daughter, Mary, from his first marriage. She was declared illegitimate after her father annulled the marriage to her mother. Henry had quickly found himself in a similar situation to his first marriage. However, according to contemporary accounts Henry told Anne “We are both young. Sons will follow,” and left her chamber.

Birth Announcement of Princess Elizabeth

Henry cancled the joust planned for the birth of his son. However, the magnificent christening took place. Here is an account of it from Edward Hall:

“The vii. day of September beyng Sondaie, betwene thre and foure of the Clocke at after noone, the Quene was delivered of a faire Lady, whiche daie the Duke of Suffolke came home to the christenyng, and for the Quenes good deliveraunce, Te deum was song in continently, and great preparacion was made for the christenyng : and the Maior and his brethren, and xl. of the chief of the citezens, were commaunded to bee at the Christenyng, the Wednesdaie folowyng, upon whiche daie the Maior, sir Stephen Pecocke, in a goune of Crimosin Velvet, with his coller of s.s. and all the Aldermen in Scarlet, with collers and cheines, and all the counsaill of the citee with theim, tooke their barge after diner, at one of the clocke, and the citezens had another barge, and so rowed to Grenewiche, where were many lordes, knightes and gentlemen assembled. All the walles betwene the Kynges place and the Friers, were hanged with Arras, and all the waye strawed with grene Rushes : the Friers Church was also hanged with Arras. The Fount was of silver, and stoode in the middes of the Churche, three steppes high, whiche was covered with a fine clothe, and diverse gentlemen with aperns, and towelles about their neckes, gave attendaunce aboute it, that no filth should come in the Fount, over it hong a square Canape of crimosin Satten, fringed with golde, aboute it was a rayle covered with redde saye : betwene the quier and the body of the Churche, was a close place with a panne of fire, to make the child redy in : when al these thynges wer ordered, the child was brought to the hall, and then every man set forward : Firste the citezens two and two, then gentlemen, Esquiers and chapeleins, next after theim the Aldermen, and the Maior alone : nexte the Maior, the kynges counsaill, the kynges Chapel in copes : then Barons, Bishoppes, Erles, then came the Erie of Essex, bearyng the covered basins gilte, after hym the Marques of Excester with the taper of virgin ware, next hym the Marques Dorset, bearyng the salt, behynd hym the lady Mary of Norffolk, bearyng the creson whiche was very riche of perle and stone, the old Duches of Norffolke bare the childe, in a Mantell of purple velvet, with a long train furred with Ermine. The duke of Norffolke, with his Marshall rod went on the right hand of the saied duches, and the duke of Suffolke on the left hande, and before theim went the officers of armes : the countes of Kent bare the long train of the childes mantell, and betwene the Countes of Kent and the child, went therle of Wilshire on the right hand, and therle of Darby on the left hand, supportyng the said train : in the middes over the said child was borne a Canapy, by the lorde Rocheford, the lorde Husey, the lorde Willyam Haward, and by the lorde Thomas Haward the elder, after the child folowed many ladies, and gentlewomen, when the child was come to the churche dore, the bishop of London met it with diverse bishoppes and Abbottes mitred, and began the observaunces of the Sacrament. The God- father was the lorde Archebishop of Canterbury : the God- mothers were the old Duches of Norffolke, and the olde Marchiones of Dorset widowes, and the childe was named Elizabeth : and after that al thyng was done, at the churche dore the child was brought to the Fount, and christened, and this doen, Garter chief kyng of armes cried a loude, God of his infinite goodnes, sende prosperous lyfe and long, to the high and mightie Princes of England Elizabeth : and then the trumpettes blewe, then the childe was brought up to the aultar, and the Gospell saied over it : and after that immediatly the Archebishop of Canterbury confirmed it, the Marchiones of Excester beyng Godmother, then the Archebishop of Canterbury, gave to the Princes a standyng cup of gold : the Duches of Norffolke, gave to her a stand- yng cuppe of golde, fretted with pearle : the Marchiones of Dorset gave thre gilt boulles, pounced with a cover : and the Marchiones of Excester, gave thre standing holies graven, all gilt with a cover. Then was brought in Wafers, Comfettes, and Ypocras in suche plentie, that every man had asmuche, as he would desire. Then they set forwardes, the trumpettes goyng before in the same ordre, towarde the kynges place, as they did when they came thether warde, savyng that the giftes that the Godfather, and the God- mothers gave, wer borne before the child by foure persones, that is to saye : First sir Jhon Dudley, bare the gift of the Lady of Excester : the lorde Thomas Haward the younger, bare the gift of the lady of Dorset : the lorde Fitzwater, bare the gift of the Lady of Norffolk, and the Erie of Worcester, bare the gift of the Archebishop of Canterbury, and all the one side as thei went, was full of staffe Torches, to the nomber of five hundred, borne by the garde and other of the kynges servauntes, and about the child were borne, many other proper torches borne by gentlemen : and in this ordre thei brought the princes, to the Quenes chamber, and the Maior and the Aldermen taried there a while, and at the last the Dukes of Norffolke and Suffolke, came out from the Kyng, thankyng them hartely, and said the kyng commaunded them, to geve them thankes in his name : and from thence thei wer had to the seller to and went to their Barges.”

Christening robes said to have been worn by Elizabeth

Despite Henry’s disappointment, Elizabeth eventually ruled as queen, leading England into its “Golden Age.”