Today in 1536, Anne Boleyn was starting to suspect that things were going badly for her, and she asked her chaplain, Matthew Parker, to watch over her daughter, Elizabeth, should anything happen to her.
It’s not clear what kind of role Parker played in raising Elizabeth, but she did make him Archbishop of Canterbury in 1559, and Parker told William Cecil that he likely would not have accepted had he not been so much bound to her mother. Probably his most famous saying, prompted by the arrival of Mary Queen of Scots in England, was “I fear our good Queen has the wolf by the ears”
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where I have an article on a fascinating collaboration Matthew Parker did with Thomas Tallis to bring music to the Psalms, called the Parker Psalter.
Suggested links:
Musical Expression and Aliveness through the centuries: ORA and Many are the Wonders
Autumn 2018 Tudor Summit: Tudor Music as Propaganda
Tudor Music as Propaganda: Three examples
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