#(it can be argued the seymours did maintain for longer bcus there was a plateau. in favour and rise. iyw. after edward vi's birth. or more | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fideidefenswhore · 1 month

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Anne's ability to hold the king off for seven years is part of her legend. The brilliance of her strategy was to cast herself in the role of the courtly lady, requiring Henry to play to perfect knight. Henry was nothing if not dogged in the pursuit of all the roles in which he cast himself—philosopher-king, warrior, even husband—and 'this persona of courtly lover...was fully formed in Henry and had been signaling...for an answering adept to come and lift its latch. In Anne, he had her: she was the mistress of Petrarchan contraries [...] the perfect [player] for the king's tender interest.'

Renaissance Prince: Elizabeth, Lisa Hilton

#henry viii #lisa hilton #'even husband'- that's all folks closing theme.mp3 #so we see the relevant argument a lot that the seymours 'successfuly' replicated this which is kind of...yes and. no?#tl; dr it is really difficult to conceive jane managing to balance this tightrope for seven years (not to mention. three years thereafter #in a series of increasingly challenging circumstances)#(before edward vi is born i don't think their rise is comparable to the boleyns in the 1530s or the howards in the 1540s insofar as #the promotion of the queen-in-waiting's/queen's family members)#(it can be argued the seymours did maintain for longer bcus there was a plateau. in favour and rise. iyw. after edward vi's birth. or more #specifically: jane's death.)#is it possible? ig we don't really 'know' definitively #but considering anne was a successful intercessory agent even in her role as mistress #and jane was not even as queen. i...highly. doubt #there is of course the mystery of behind closed doors to be considered #(DID either of these women fully 'hold him off'? did they necessarily...want to?#but no pregnancies out of wedlock- well. elizabeth. ig. depending on who you ask- broadly speaking then #would suggest both did. and it's more likely in anne's case despite rumors for both bcus #seven years is a much longer period of time)#tl; dr the original quote is 'her blowing hot and cold was the perfect environment' WHICH #perhaps fits better for that argument- (they were the perfect players for those moments in time~ in henry's psyche as it were...#that by 1536 henry's tolerance for being 'challenged' by his lover had. worn pretty thin #however since we don't have anne's letters. i don't like summaries like that lol #we have no way of judging ourselves whether she was 'blowing hot or cold' or if henry was - maybe even willfully- misinterpreting her #whether they really were 'mixed messages' or henry was mixing them himself bcus they weren't what he wanted to hear #'my great folly' and all that. sooo.......

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