Make Wild Promises

A letter from Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn, c. 1527

In the 1520s, King Henry VIII of England began a secret correspondence with Anne Boleyn, a young noblewoman in his court. Though already married to Catherine of Aragon, Henry was captivated by Anne’s intelligence, wit, and refusal to become just another mistress. Their relationship would become one of the most scandalous in British history - reshaping the monarchy, the church, and the fate of a nation.

Long before the annulments, the coronations, and the executions, there were letters. In this early letter, Henry writes with unexpected tenderness and desire, offering Anne not just affection but legitimacy. His words reveal the vulnerability of a king in love, or at least, in pursuit - promising to cast off all others if she would only return his devotion.

Their love story is infamous for its violent end, but within these pages lies the charged energy of its beginning - full of tension, promise, and obsession.

…But if you please to do the office of a true loyal mistress and friend, and to give up yourself body and heart to me, who will be, and have been, your most loyal servant (if your rigour does not forbid me), I promise you that not only the name shall be given you, but also that I will take you for my only mistress, casting off all others beside you out of my thoughts and affections, and serve you only. I beseech you to give an answer to this my rude letter, that I may know on what and how far I may depend. And if it does not please you to answer me in writing, appoint some place where I may have it by word of mouth, and I will go thither with all my heart. No more, for fear of tiring you. Written by the hand of him who would willingly remain yours,

H.R.