George Boleyn Primary Sources
When I first started to seriously study the Boleyn family about three years ago I was surprised by the plethora of information I found regarding a man who, sadly, is only remembered in history as the man that got killed because he was accused of sleeping with his sister. In every book I read, whether it is on Anne Boleyn or the six wives, George plays a minor, background role, only mentioned here and there when it’s note worthy, and his influence at court, with the king, and even with his sister to whom he was very devoted, gets downplayed alot. And sadly, as of yet, there is only one 17th century biography that focus’ solely on George.
So if you want to get to know George Boleyn, who he was as a person and not just his role in his sister’s life and her downfall, then you are simply going to have to go straight to the primary sources (I can hear my fellow Medieval Humanities class groaning now, because those lazy fuckers hated going to primary sources)
Luckily for us, in his day, George was quite the popular fellow, and there are plenty of sources for us to shift through.
the following list was complied by The Anne Boleyn Files, and it has helped me tremendously in my studies on this fascinating man and his elusive wife.
1.Letters and Papers of Henry VIII- It is in twenty-one volumes and contains original letters and documents created during Henry’s reign. George features in LP regularly. His court career and diplomatic career can be charted from this amazing research material which is available online. His downfall and his distress for the people he owed money to and who owed him money and would have to pay it back to the King is also covered in detail through the letters of William Kingston. LP also details George’s interest in the League of Schmalkalden and includes letters written by him to Henry and the Duke of Norfolk.
Metrical Visions – These were written by George Cavendish, Wolsey’s gentleman usher, and a whole set of verses are dedicated to George and his downfall. Again, it is available online. It is from this source that George’s reputation as a womaniser stems from, but it is also from this source that we understand how attractive and talented he was.
Calendar of State Papers (Spanish) – Available online. George is regularly referred to by Chapuys in his dispatches. Again it helps chart George’s career, both in court and as a foreign diplomat. It also confirms that George was one of the most powerful and influential men in Henry’s court at the time of his downfall.
The Privy Purse Expenses of Henry VIII – Available online. These detail money paid out of the Privy Purse by Henry to his favourites. George features heavily, regularly receiving large sums for the hunt, winning at tennis etc. He was clearly very much the sportsman and loved hunting, particularly with hawks, the acquisition of which he actively perused with great vigour.
Court Chroniclers, Raphael Holinshed, Edward Hall and my favourite, Charles Wriothesley – George does not feature heavily save for his fall, but they still form part of an important picture of his life and death. Wriothesley gives a version of George’s scaffold speech, although there are other primary sources which provide more detailed versions.
The Lisle Letters – These are my personal favourite extant records. They contain a number of George’s letters. They provide details of his foreign diplomatic career and six missions to France, but also his position as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Governor of Dover Castle.
George Boleyn was one the most powerful men at court, he was more than a pretty wallflower that Henry and Cromwell picked at random to share in Anne’s downfall. The man held several important titles and positions, he was a favorite of the King’s even before Anne Boleyn stepped onto the scene, he was a reformist, a poet, a patron of reform and the arts, and (my favorite) he was a loving, affectionate little brother to Anne. I think it’s time he starts getting his proper dues in history books.
If there can be a biography on Mary Boleyn, who barely appeared in records, then George can get a biography or two of his own right?
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