Part 2, The 'Great Matter': Chapter 11 Summary and Analysis

The author begins this chapter with a description of events on the day of Katherine's funeral—Anne discovered Jane Seymour sitting on Henry's knee, flew into a rage, and a few hours later "aborted a fetus of about fifteen weeks' growth that had all the appearances of a male. 'She has miscarried of her savior'", wrote an ambassador of the time. This was, for Henry, the last straw—he was in love with another woman, Anne had again failed to give him a son, and political circumstances in Europe were such that to strengthen his position and consolidate his power, he had to get rid of Anne and marry someone else . . . quickly.

Henry began to dismantle his marriage on several fronts. He ordered Cromwell, now his chief political advisor, to come...