A letter from Thomas Cromwell discussing one of Henry VIII's infamous marriages is to sell at Bonhams for $6,000-8,000 on June 12.
 Yet another marriage for Henry |
The letter was sent by Cromwell as Henry VIII's chief minister to Dr Nicholas Wotton. Written on November 8, 1539, the letter sees Cromwell complaining about the slowness of negotiations over Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves. Wotton was in Cleves at the time attempting to finalise negotiations with Anne's father.
It had been Cromwell's idea to match the king with the German protestant in order to cement the Reformation in England. The ill-fated marriage was to be Henry's shortest and led to Cromwell's downfall, after the king was less than impressed when he finally saw Anne in the flesh.
Henry VIII had the marriage annulled as soon as possible and had Cromwell thrown into the Tower of London. After false charges of treason were made against him, Cromwell was eventually executed on July 28, 1520, the very day of the king's next marriage to Katherine Howard.
Bonhams can expect considerable interest in the letter as Thomas Cromwell stars as the central character in Hilary Mantel's latest novel, Bring up the Bodies. Paul Fraser Collectibles expects the letter to exceed expectations, given the impeccable timing of its sale and its connection to one of England's most famous monarchs. See our top five Henry VIII collectibles here.
We also have an unrivalled range of Henry VIII signed documents currently in stock for collectors. This personal divorce plea comes with far greater significance than the Bonhams letter, having been written by Henry himself to Pope Clement VII.
Paul Fraser Collectibles will be bringing you more from this important sale in the coming days, so be sure to check our Books & Manuscripts section for more news.
