Anne Tried to Pick Henry’s Mistresses
Many people believe that Anne Boleyn’s marriage to Henry VIII began to sour when she gave birth to Princess Elizabeth rather than the much hoped-for son and heir. However, it seems quite the opposite. A month after Elizabeth’s birth, the Queen’s ladies were gossiping about a remark the King had made, where he said he loved the Queen so much he would beg alms from door to door rather than give her up.
However, the status quo between Henry and Anne did begin to change. For the excitement of courtship was gone. Anne was now a wife and mother- not a lover anymore, however chaste. So when Henry’s eye began to wander once more in 1534, Anne must have felt hurt – and not a little uneasy. After all, had she not been his former wife’s lady in waiting when she had first found a place into his affections? It seems that Anne complained-and Henry put her in her place, reminding her she had “good reason to be content with what he had done for her.”
So Anne tried another tactic. If she could not stop her husband’s dalliances, she could at least control them by choosing his mistresses. So she put one of her own cousins in Henry’s path. This was either Lady Margaret Shelton, the governess of Elizabeth or her sister Lady Mary Shelton. For six months, Henry enjoyed a dalliance with one of the sisters before growing bored and moving on. Meanwhile, Anne’s situation became less stable.