#lady jane rochford

[mametupa]

[lovelydialeonard]

📰 A lovely little interview with Lydia Leonard on the Independent about Wolf Hall.

Whispers and rumours could be co-opted as their political tools, used to make and break reputations. “For the women, gossip is a currency,” says Lydia Leonard, who takes on the role of Jane Rochford, wife of George Boleyn, and who was instrumental in the bloody downfall of her husband and her sister-in-law. “Cromwell has such a close, interesting relationship with all the women of the court and recognises that power. And it was gossip that brought down Anne Boleyn.”

Leonard has taken over the role from Jessica Raine, who played Rochford in the TV show’s first season, but she is not new to Mantel’s Tudor milieu – far from it. She starred as Anne Boleyn in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s productions of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, eventually earning a Tony nomination when the shows moved across the Atlantic to Broadway. “Wolf Hall and Hilary specifically have been a really large part of my life,” she says. Mantel was heavily involved in the process of bringing the books to the stage – just as she was with the initial TV production of Wolf Hall, before her death in 2022 at the age of 70 – and so Leonard had the chance to learn about her characters first hand, through “lengthy conversations” with the author. “I felt like I already knew Jane Rochford when I got this part because of having spent so much time in [Mantel’s] company already,” she says. Her questions to Mantel would be met with “not an err, not a pause… You received this wonderful, long, specific, enriched answer. It was really special”.

Rochford has been vilified by history thanks to her role in Anne’s demise. But in Mantel’s work, and the TV show, she is a fascinating character study: she is sharp and scathing in her assessment of others (“Anne said it was like being slobbered over by a mastiff pup,” she remarks of Henry’s attentions at one point) and thrills at her proximity to political power, but she is also reeling from the end of a cold, unhappy marriage. “I have a lot of sympathy for [her],” Leonard says. “Because even though she’s very scheming and dangerous and Machiavellian, and she enjoys nothing more than the downfall of another woman, she was so abused. All the women [in Wolf Hall] are just struggling to survive, and Jane Rochford was treated abominably by George Boleyn.” Rochford is “a cruel woman”, she says, “but by circumstance and by the necessity to survive”.

Link to the article here

[bookshopcrow]

In October, I decided to challenge myself to produce a miniature illustrated painting each day of the month inspired by the Tudor court and the medium of portrait miniatures.

Lucas Horenbout was a Flemish artist and founding artist of the tradition of painting miniatures. He moved to England in the mid-1520s and worked as the court miniaturist to King Henry VIII from 1525 until Horenbout's death. He captured many of the iconic figures of the era and also taught the art of illumination to Hans Holbein, who would go on to eclipse him as the most famous court artist of that era.

A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually undertaken in gouache, watercolour, or enamel. Portrait miniatures evolved out of the techniques required to craft the intricate illustrations and borders of illuminated manuscripts, and became popular among 16th century elites. From the middle of the 18th century, the trend spread across the rest of Europe remaining highly popular until the development of photography in the mid 19th century.

For my challenge, I used black ink, water colours, and 300gsm textured watercolour paper. I bought and thrifted some amazing vintage frames, mostly 2 or 3 inches high. Some are over fifty years old, so consequently there are marks and scratches on them but I think it adds to the charm and overall feel of the pieces as historic miniatures.

I'm really proud that I completed the challenge - and all 31 paintings - and wanted to share a few with you here!

You can see them all over on my website 🖤

[sixaus-meaa]

Six The Musical as Tweets pt61

[cosmic-walkers]

Looking at the gif of jessica raine, i do wonder why a huge chunk of the main cast were recasts. i get scheduling conflicts, but i would've loved to see a vast majority of the old actors come back. and i know that benard hill has passed, but matl was filmed months before his passing, so i really wonder.

this also doesn't apply to gregory. he needed to be recast and i stand on that - that is an upgrade.

[marriageandthecrown]

Courting Scandal: The Rise and Fall of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford by James Taffe

Just bought the latest book about Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, which was published just last week. Cannot begin to tell you how excited I am for another more favourable light to debunk all the myths, lies, and slander about the tragic lady-in-waiting. It's about time we had someone else in her corner 💜

[sweetbitterbitten]

🌅 thomas/jane rochford

[fabledenigma]

In the Source Link, you will find a complete gif pack of Sophie Boettge in Blood, Sex and Royalty. Sophie played the role of Jane Boleyn.

Jane Boleyn was born as Jane Parker, she was by birth, the second cousin of King Henry VIII and became the sister-in-law of Henry's second wife Anne Boleyn when Jane married Anne's only brother George Boleyn. She was known as Viscountess Rochford or Lady Rochford, she later became a lady-in-waiting to Jane Seymour, before the same position to Anne of Cleves. She testified that Anne had confided in her that she and Henry had not consummated their marriage, which allowed Henry to annul his marriage to Anne of Cleves and marry Catherine Howard. Jane maintained her position as lady-in-waiting to the new queen. Jane was arrested along with many people and the Queen after rumours about her past surfaced. Suffering from a nervous breakdown to months of mental abuse from the interrogations, she was legally pronounced insane and unfit for trial. However, Henry manipulated the law so that the legally insane may be executed for high treason, as such, Jane along with Queen Catherine were charged with high treason and sentenced to die on February 13th 1542. Jane appeared calm and serene before the end.

Source - FabledEnigma

[fideidefenswhore]

wow. until you said it i'd never considered that koa's side would see henry cheating on anne as cheating on koa, even if they were fine with it if it undermined anne. thank you.

Yeah, the Imperial Lady emerges at very much a boiling point of sorts-- it's right after Anne's first miscarriage, so the time is ripe, and it's also just after the Pope has finally declared Henry and Catherine's marriage valid, so I believe that was a crossing of the Rubicon for those that had already somewhat been on the fence re: religious changes in the kingdom... but, unlike Jane materializing officially unto the record Feb 1536 (so, some believe this means the relationship with Henry began late January at earliest), Catherine is still very much alive and the Pope has declared for her.

So, in that case, although she's mainly referred to as Mary's supporter, by virtue of being categorized as favorable to the 'Imperial' party by Chapuys, one would assume it's the entire reinstatement, or at least leniency towards, these two women she was in support of, that she was in contact with those that were in support of their reinstatement, etc. The irony being that she's of course still a mistress herself (so how much was she Catherine's 'friend', or Mary's for that matter, who would have thought of her as a mistress even if she liked that she was causing Anne distress?), despite that she apparently didn't pay due deference towards Anne, one assumes because she believed she was no more than one (so if there was judgement there for Anne being Henry's mistress, the perception that had been only for preferement, either before marriage, or that she still was...lol).

[queerbauten]

Imagine calling Lady Rochford “evil”… couldn’t be me

[dontdenymeshakespeare]

The Waiting Game

Tudor England is one of my great loves. It’s one of my favourite time periods to read about and engross myself in. Since I’ve been a fan for so long, the fact that historians are now pulling out the lesser known stories is something I find thrilling and I feel like there’s a whole new world out there for me to explore. Catherine of Aragon – and Anna of Kleve – had to learn English, Anne Boleyn…

[mametupa]

[tudorblogger]

Book Review - ‘Heroines of the Tudor World’ by Sharon Bennett Connolly

Thanks to Amberley Publishing for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for a review. I loved this book! It doesn’t just cover the people you’d expect like the six wives and the queens, but other women who were executed, who wrote, who were mistresses, and pawns, and warriors. There are also women covered from outside England, from Scotland, Ireland, France, and Spain. These international…

[intriguingpeoplebyangelafloyd]

JANE BOLEYN

JANE BOLEYN

Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford

c.1505-1542

            Jane Boleyn was born in Norfolk into a wealthy political family. Jane was sent to the royal court as a teenager to join the household of Queen Catherine of Aragon, the wife of King Henry VIII of England. She accompanied the royal party to France in 1520 for the Field of Cloth of Gold.

            Jane was considered attractive but we have no known images of her. She was one of the lead actresses and dancers in the 1552 court masquerade which included Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn. In 1524, Jane married George Boleyn (Anne Boleyn’s brother) and became Lady Rochford. George was described as attractive, talented and promiscuous. He has been portrayed in modern times as homosexual, but there is no evidence to support this. King Henry VIII gave the couple Grimston Manor, Norfolk for a wedding gift.

            King Henry VIII fell in love with Anne Boleyn and the family had gained more influence and wealth which Jane also benefited from. Henry married Anne in 1533 and Jane and George were given Palace of Beaulieu as their chief residence which they decorated; they eventually sold it to the king who refurbished and expanded it.

            Anne Boleyn fell out of favour because she didn’t give Henry VIII his much desired son. Jane was married to George for eleven years when he was arrested in 1536 for treason after being accused of having sex with his sister the queen and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. George was beheaded on Tower Hill in 1536 and Anne Boleyn was executed two days later. After her husband was executed, Jane was absent from court for several months but returned to attend to Henry VIII’s new wife, Jane Seymour. Boleyn lived in the palace and had her own servants.

            Jane Seymour died in 1537 and Henry VIII remarried Anne of Cleves for political reasons. In 1540, Anne of Cleves confided to Jane that she never had sex with the king and Jane learned that Anne of Cleves was naïve when it came to sexual intimacy. Henry VIII wasn’t attracted to Cleves and had his marriage with her annulled so he could marry her lady-in-waiting, the teenager, Catherine Howard.

            Boleyn became the lady-in-waiting to Catherine Howard, Howard wasn’t a virgin when she married the king and started a relationship with Henry VIII’s friend and courtier, Thomas Culpeper. Boleyn was implicated in the couples’ affair as she was helping them to meet up in secret. The affair was discovered and Howard was arrested and Jane was interrogated. Jane suffered a nervous breakdown and in 1542 was pronounced insane. In 1542, mentally ill people were considered too unfit to stand trial, and nobody knew whether Janes ‘fits of frenzy’ was genuine or it was just her attempt to escape prosecution. Henry VIII was determined to have her punished, and changed the law which allowed the insane to be executed. She was found guilty for her involvement and was condemened to death.

            Jane was executed on 13 February 1542, the same day as Catherine Howard. Howard was executed first, Jane was then escorted from her lodgings to the scaffold. On the scaffold she spoke and apologised for her many sins and then kneeled down. Boleyn was beheaded from a single blow of the axe. She was buried in the church of St Peter ad Vincula within the Tower of London, alongside the bodies of Catherine Howard, Anne Boleyn and George Boleyn.

            Over 300 years later in 1876, Queen Victoria had renovations done to the church and Jane Boleyn and the other victims’ bodies was rediscovered. The Queen had the bodies exhumed and placed in individual coffins and had a plaque with their names affixed to each coffin and were given a proper reburial underneath the alter.

#janeboleyn #janeboleynviscountessrochford #ladyrochford #georgeboleyn

[sixaus-meaa]

Six The Musical as Tweets pt58

[jamesfrain]

Lydia Leonard as Lady Jane Rochford Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light | Episode three 'Defiance'