Cardinal Wolsey Scuppered Anne’s Marriage Plans
Despite her lack of conventional beauty, Anne Boleyn’s European airs soon attracted plenty of attention from the men of Henry VIII’s court. One of those men was Henry Percy, the heir to the Earl of Northumberland. Percy was the same age as Anne and the heir to one of the most influential and prestigious titles in the land. By 1523, the young couple was in love and reputedly pledged to marry each other.
However, Cardinal Wolsey discovered the affair and broke the lovers up. Anne was sent home to Hever Castle, and Percy’s father was summoned to deal with his son. Percy was browbeaten and threatened with inheritance until he finally agreed to give Anne up. Percy was later unhappily married Mary Talbot, the daughter of the 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. In 1536, he was one of the panel of nobles who convicted Anne of treason and adultery. By 1537, he was dead.
Some believe that Cardinal Wolsey halted Anne’s marriage to Percy because she had already caught the King’s eye. However, in 1523, Henry was probably still indulging in a dalliance with Anne’s sister, Mary. Instead, Wolsey stopped the marriage because the parents of the lovers had alternate plans for their offspring. Percy had in fact been engaged to Mary Talbot since 1516 and so was in no position to offer Anne marriage. As for Anne, she had been summoned back to England in the first place because a very different match was planned for her.