Henry in Fiction

(I sorta wanted to write more in details about Henry times in Mary parliament, but while I though I'd find stuff, so here some filler)

I think I've talk about this before, but while Henry Carey has appeared in a number of historical novel he hardly ever a protagonist or even an important when portray in fiction, usually overshadowed by a lot of other character who are considerably more famous, though at the same time a lot of them I think are better fit for work of fiction.  Hell even as a secondary player he seem to be subdue to the bare minimum and what you can find in the most basic research. Part of it, I think is because of the way he lived his life, the man didn't seem to be much of schemer with big ambition (Since he pretty much served Elizabeth with utmost loyalty) he didn't do a lot of thing worth bragging about or his had a particularly dramatic life. 

So far I think I've seen a few ways Henry Carey was displayed, it's not really a thorough look, mostly a few observation.

Henry Carey the son of Mary Boleyn

You can see that in the other Boleyn girl and the last Boleyn.  It would usually cover-up up to Mary death, he don't require much characterisation aside from being a child, but his unsure paternity and the up and down of Mary life make for drama and he can be used has some sort of token in power play (and he is too young to be a player in these thing).

Henry Carey, courtier of Elizabeth

Inevitable, though I don't think I have seen one book that focus a lot of Henry and Elizabeth relationship. Though the Poyson Garden by Karen Harper seem to have a bit more about it, but I can't find a way  to read it properly. He usually show without much characterisation aside for being supportive of her. Though you can read the usual description of him being a rough and tumble kind of guy

Henry Carey, Patron of the art

In his later year, his time has lord chamberlain pop-up, though not so much because of the connection to Shakespeare, but rather to the dark lady, his mistress Emilia Lanier.  Though considering he bite dust shortly afterward, he's usually don't do much.

Here something for you to read a thesis/novel on Emilia Lanier which features Hunsdon.

http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/7435

Educating Henry

When we last left Henry his aunt was on the receiving end of a decapitation, which pretty much end the patroniship she had over  his tutor.  No longer being the ward of Anne, although didn't meant he would be sent back to his mother apparently (while she had remarry, the fact she had marry under her station eventually led to her banishment from the court). Henry became a ward of the crown  (essentially getting raise by the state, though mind you do not imagine him being an improvise orphan, he was still in much of a privilege position) and he was sent to Woburn Abbey in bedforshire1  who was led by Cistercians, enclosed catholic monk (probably quite a chance from french humanist poet). Weir seem to indicate that the abbey would be dissolve two years later. His schoolmaster given to James Prestwich. (She also answer my earlier question, apparently Henry Carey wasn't a very good latin student)1

Obliviously trying being raise in a catholic monastery in the midst of protestant reform meant a fairly important disruption of education and the crown decided to removed him and his classmate from this educator and put him into other hands . In the case of for by Sir John Russell, the comptroller of the royal household.

I tried to find some info James Prestwich, but all I found is that apparently according to Weir he was that Sir Francis Bryan protégé, but he was eventually excuted for denying royal supremacy in the following year.

However Sir John Russell a much imminent character who seem to quite benefit from Anne demise (Ironically he would be put in charge of Woburn abbey during Edward VI times)3  While its another time, I wish I could find some trace of the relationship between him and Henry its another thing that seemed to be thoroughly shrouded  in mist. From about the late 1530's to mid 1540 (by the time Henry got his majority). Johhn Russel went from  Comptroller of the King's Household in 1537 was followed by that of a Privy Councillor in 1538; then he was made Lord High Admiral, High Steward of the Duchy of Cornwall and a Knight of the Garter. He was install has baron of Chenies in 1539 he was created Baron Russell of Chenies, and in 1542 became High Steward of the university of Oxford. Though He also had residence in London and in Devon)I can't help but notice that Chenies is Buckinghamshire, which is where our man will soon become MP. Henry never seem to get to move too much since Woburn Abbey is Bedfordshire which seem to be next to Buckinghamshire.

1Weir, Mary Boleyn mistress of king, page 234

2 http://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/mary-boleyn-part-three-1526-1543/¸

3Weir, page 236

(Apparently Wilkinson should be look at, but page 172, ain't available on google reader)

Nicholas Bourbon : Tutor in the Tudor Era

Portrait from Hans Holbein

Nicholas Bourbon : Tutor in the Tudor Era

Looking into Nicholas Bourbon follow a bit of the same reasoning when I look into Anne Boleyn. Look more into someone of notoriety in order to find the trace of the person he interacted with. I didn't expect, much from Bourbon since the man first and foremost a poet rather than an educator. However I must say, I was rather well rewarded in my search, mainly cause I can look at both English and French source. While I may have been dismissive early on of finding anything in French about Henry Carey, the wonderful research tool Gallica proved me wrong. Though most of it concern the era where he is Lord Hunsdon, so we all to look more at it later.

Prior his exile to england, Nicholas Bourbon (or Nicolas Bourbon or Nicolai Borbonii in latin) he had some experience teaching french noble family and as a teacher of humanity. Though his collection of poem Nugae (bagatelle or trifles) was overly supportive of reformation (he was also a humanist and apparently in contact with everyone favourite Erasmus), which landed him to be sent in jail by the church before receiving a pardon from François 1er, but eventually went to England by 1534 (wikipedia says 1535, but I think I'll go with Sylvie Laigneau-Fontaine, since she made a whole book about him and wikipedia is pretty much a stub) , where he was employ by Anne Boleyn.

Henry Carey wasn't the only student of his you can found Henry Norris, son of a lord chamberlain,  Henry Dudey (Expect to see the Dudley pop-up more in the future), son of Gand ambassador, Thomas Hervey.  While there doesn't seem to be anything that directly mention how were his day to day activty in tutoring, the guy seemed rather positive about it. If we are to believe this quote from Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen by  Joanna Denny, (page 216, can't find exactly from where it is though for some reason, she send back to Weir and king and his court, but it don't seem to be there or it just indicate letter and paper and my research in it give a complete blank, but it must be around somewhere)

You, oh queen, gave me the boys to educate,  I try to keep one faithful to his duty. May Christ grant that I may be equal to the task, shaping vessels worthy of a heavenly house. 

Anne Boleyn beheading forced him back in France, where he made a second edition of his Nugae (without the controversial part) in 1538, but with interesting dedication to his students. Including one H.Carreus. I've struggled to find it, but so far had no luck, while some of his stuff are available on gallica, the fable 1538 edition doesn't seem to be present .  They were written in Latin (which does make me wonder about Henry Carey own language skill as he did diplomatic work in France, though Latin probably could have been use in that case, maybe he did know French, but there is no real trace of anything on that matter).  

Though I can't help but notice that apparently  that while Nicholas Bourbon is the often mention tutor of Henry Carey, if he did indeed got to english shore in 1534, it gives something on a 2 year  (maybe even just a year if it is in 1535)window before Anne Boleyn bite the dust and he goes back home. So while he definitively seem to have been the teacher of Henry Carey, well where was he between 1528 and Bourbon arrival in France? That give us a 6 year of complete blank. So yeah, now that I know more I actually have more questions and seemingly no way to answer them.

Bagatelle, Nicholas Bourbon, edition commented by ‎Sylvie Laigneau-Fontaine (can be found in part on google book), info were found on page 26 (mind you it is in french)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Bourbon_%28the_elder%29

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Bourbon_%281503-1550%29

The Queen's ward

(As you can see I'm trying to add something to new every 2 days or so, I'm not quite sure I'll be able to keep up the schedule)

As I mention previously, the first time Henry Carey seemed to have popped into logging is with the death of his father. In 1528, when he was two years old. Of course the death of his father affected his life rather dramatically.  Mary Boleyn had a lot of financial problem and couldn't take care of her two children of her own. Luckily, her sister was the queen of England and so Henry Carey and his sister Catherine became the ward of Anne Boleyn, giving him access to the tutoring of Nicholas Bourbon. A French poet under the queen protection. (I will try to give more about him in a future article).

It would seem of interest of figuring out what exactly was the relationship between the nephew and the aunt during those years between the moment Anne Boleyn and her beheading  8 years late in 1536.. I think it can be attributed to a lack of interested and lack of notability in the primary source.  If anything I have the impression that the two had very little direct interaction, probably because Henry probably wasn't much at the court or following his aunt around.   (While I did say I was skeptical of John Hale quote earlier, it does indicate that Henry wasn't part of the court)

On an interesting note, I've came across an unexpected source about this topic. The site of the history of parlement

The point is well illustrated by the first four names on the list. It is all but certain that the two men elected in 1529, John Hasilwood and Edward Lloyd, were official nominees, as indubitably were their successors of 1536, Thomas Pope and George Gifford. Since Cromwell’s imposition of Pope and Gifford on the borough in 1536 ran counter to the King’s general directive for the re-election of the previous Members, Hasilwood and Lloyd must by then have forfeited their claim to re-election, a lapse which is most easily explained if they had been to any extent patronized by Anne Boleyn, whose wardship of Henry Carey had given her the interest at Buckingham now vitiated by her imminent fate. Between 1536 and 1547, when Carey was himself first elected.

I've decided to check primary source available online on the matter. I've been meaning to look at them, but most of my tentative did not bear much fruit aside from the Letter and Paper.

Here some additional link on the matter (Mostly because the difference and adoption need to be explained)

http://letthemgrumble.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/stop-two-on-the-anne-boleyn-collection-book-tour/

In utero

While I won't go around saying Henry Carey such an interesting and powerful character that his birth precede by omen of greatness.  Heck this particular part doesn't particular interest me personally , but I feel it is necessary to go through this as it is one of the thing that you will find the most written about Henry Carey. Probably because it involves characters with more historical panache than him or at least person whoses life has enough drama to end get played by Scarlett Johansson. While somewhat gossipy, even a "serious" work would need to mention it. A definitive version of the truth is yet to be establish and will probably never will, unless DNA research are made, but even the author of this blog fail to see the need to aside to provide some answer to this particular question.

In the year that precede the future baron birth, his mother Mary Boleyn was the mistress of king Henry the VIII. The exact date of beginning and end of the affair aren't known, but it happened sometime after her wedding with William Carey in 1520. It went on for a number of years, but eventually the king lost interest toward Mary and went on to rock the kingdom with her sister Anne around 1527, a mere year after Henry birth.

To put it simply there is this chance Henry Carey (and his sister, Catherine) are the bastard children of Henry VIII.

In order not to thoroughly plagiarise someone who made an informative article on the  matter. I will refer to you to the Anne Boleyn files.  

I think you at least deserve to have me doing a little bit more work here.

An often mention quote on to argument of Henry Carey father is Vicar John Hale of Isleworth . Whoses emanate from "Henry  VIII letter and Paper" volume 8. From around 1535 (when Henry would be about 9 or 10) entry 567 where the resemblance is noted. Though it is but a part of a much larger text. Where it almost seem something of an afterthought.

The thing is that Vicar Hale was execute shortly afterward for his opposition to Henry VIII control of the church (as this is the time of English reformation). Personally I have a hard time giving credence to the claim aside than an example of what was said in some circle in what might have been political attack.  Allison Weir give it more context in chapter 8 of Mary Boleyn)

Allow me to editorialise as to why I seem to care so little about the question. It seemed Henry Carey had been considered Elizabeth cousin first and foremost during his life. I feel it had little impact on his life and I think this project will benefit from going forward in time in its research.

 

Addemdum : in The Six Wives Of Henry VIII by Allison Weir, at page 134, (which can be seen on google book) she mention that in 1533, Henry Carey did claimed his was the King son, though I'd say consider that not only he said that at very young age, but also that Weir quote is given no source. Though herself seem to give no credence to any widespread rumour that Henry Carey was the king bastard in Mary Boleyn.  (Though she does give more credential to the idea that his sister might be Henry  VIII daughter)

(Sorry for over relying on Allison Weir, but so far she has wrote the most on the matter of Henry Carey)

As a bonus I feel the need the need to post this in honor of Henry Carey mother , apparently the song the about her.  Thank you NikoZnate from alternatehistory.com for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zJhnZdq6aM

On another note,  the Anne/Mary/Henry VIII triangle was fictionalise in the book/movie the other boleyn girl (Henry Carey is feature, but referee to as "little henry") I've looked much into it, feel too much like this is fictionalisation first and foremost.

Also another found,  I was wandering how come Carey birthdate was so precise when everyone else seem to be so vague. I might have found a possible explanation on this. Apparently, Henry age at the time time was noted in William Carey inquisition post mortem and figure out from there. The article also question whereter or not the march 24 date might be the one of baptism. Though while I may not be all that familiar with baptism back in the day, didn't they do as soon as possible because of child early death? I'll stick to march 24 personally.

 

 

http://www.genealogymagazine.com/boleyn2.html

Apparently the source of the inquistion of Post Mortem is the following book

The herald and genealogist from 1862 Nichols, John Gough, 1806-1873

Here are the pages around Henry Carey

 

http://archive.org/stream/heraldgenealogis04nich#page/32/mode/2up

http://archive.org/stream/heraldgenealogis04nich#page/34/mode/2up

 

(I have the feeling  I'm going to site a lot of stuff written in the 19th century)

(My god this  epilogue going to be longer than the article!)

The herald made me look The history of the worthies of England By Thomas Fuller, where you'lll find  Henry Carey name Cary (like in the previous quote, oh changing spelling how you make research so much more difficult) managed to find in the second volume on page 47. Those checking it out will found most anecdocte about Henry Carey I've found thus far in other source. (I can't quite recall what was the name of the book, but I should find it when I'll write more Henry Carey personality)