#whyyy is tumblr eating my tags… ew.

[fideidefenswhore]

do you think anne's grudge motto might've been inspired by margaret of austria's?

I think it’s more likely than not, although I’m not especially invested in any particular theory on whether or not that was her direct inspiration. Unfortunately, the most recent verdict on the motto in Hunting the Falcon was fairly credulous of Paul Friedmann’s recount of this, which was extremely credulous of Chapuys’ spin on the matter (“This Stupid & Silly Slut Forgot That This Was Archduchess Margaret’s Motto First AND She Sketched A Family Tree Which Promoted Her Relative William Bullen To A KNIGHT, CAN YOU BELIEEEVE…” why Anne would feel the need to completely invent an illustrious lineage for one single relative, when she literally had royal ancestors is…hard to say? & Chapuys’ retelling of there being an army of courtiers who shouted ‘Vive Burgundy!’ at her turned back or that of her servants in that livery would stretch credulity even if that same dispatch hadn’t included that rather petty and otherwise unsubstantiated claim… there was considerable opposition to Anne becoming Queen, but most literal courtiers were more circumspect about their loyalty, for the sake of self-preservation if nothing else; they weren’t usually so overt).

I’m limited to answering this on my phone since my computer is acting up atm, but here are some germane excerpts on the topic:

The Afterlife of Anne Boleyn: Representations of Anne Boleyn in Fiction and on the Screen. Stephanie Russo.

(“With a degree of admiration” is a rather generous edit of/spin to/interpretation of Chapuys himself , as an aside, particularly considering the other details of the said dispatches…

Among the Wolves of Court: The Untold Story of Thomas and George Boleyn, L. Mackay)

The Final Year of Anne Boleyn, Natalie Grueninger

There are many alternate possibilities: Anne adapted the motto from the carol mentioned, or the writer adapted the motto in their verse, knowing it would resonate with Anne. There’s another, that the livery was embroidered with the quote to hint that Anne herself was soon to perform the song, and that it was retired not out of embarrassment, but rather, that the intent had always been temporary (a holiday motto for a holiday performance?).

Graven with Diamonds: The Many Lives of Thomas Wyatt, Courtier, Poet, Assassin, Spy [Nicola Shulman]