| The Right Honourable The Earl of Wiltshire KG |
|
|---|---|
| The image is disputed; while it is traditionally held to be a likeness of Thomas Boleyn, historian David Starkey believes it is actually that of his cousin, James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond[1] | |
| Lord Privy Seal | |
| In office 1530–1536 |
|
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Cuthbert Tunstall |
| Succeeded by | Sir Thomas Cromwell |
| Treasurer of the Household | |
| In office 1521–1525 |
|
| Monarch | Henry VIII |
| Preceded by | Sir Edward Poynings |
| Succeeded by | Sir William FitzWilliam |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Boleyn ca. 1477 Hever Castle Hever, Kent Kingdom of England |
| Died | 12 March 1539 (aged 61–62) |
| Resting place | St. Peter's Church Hever, Kent United Kingdom |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Elizabeth Howard |
| Relations | Sir William Boleyn (Father) Lady Margaret Butler (Mother) |
| Children | Mary Boleyn Anne Boleyn George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford |
| Residence | Hever Castle |
| Occupation | Diplomat, Politician |
Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, KG[2] (c. 1477 – 12 March 1539) was an English diplomat and politician in the Tudor era. He was born at the family home, Hever Castle, Kent, which had been purchased by his grandfather Geoffrey Boleyn, who was a wealthy mercer. He was buried at St. Peter's parish church in the village of Hever. His parents were Sir William Boleyn (1451 – 10 October 1505) and Lady Margaret Butler (1454–1539). He was raised Catholic and remained so until his death. He was the father of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England. As such, he was the maternal grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I.
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Sometime before 1499, Boleyn married Lady Elizabeth Howard, eldest daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and Elizabeth Tilney. They had five known children, only three of whom survived childhood:
In 1503, he helped escort Margaret Tudor north for her marriage to James IV of Scotland.[3] He was created a Knight of the Bath at Henry VIII's coronation in 1509.[4]
His appointment as ambassador to the Low Countries brought him into contact with the regent Archduchess Margaret of Austria. Like Thomas, she spoke French and Latin and they got along well enough for her to accept his daughter Anne as a maid of honour.[5]
Through his ability and the connections of his extended family, he became one of the king's leading diplomats. Known appointments and missions included:
Boleyn was invested as a Knight of the Garter (KG) in 1523.[6]
Boleyn's claim to his other titles derived from his mother, Lady Margaret Butler who was the younger daughter and co-heir of Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond.[7] Thomas Butler, as an Irish peer, should only have sat in the Irish parliament. However as a personal friend of Henry VII he was summoned to the English parliament in November 1488 as "Thomas Ormond de Rochford, chevaler". At this time, he was already 8th Earl of Carrick and 7th Earl of Ormond.[8] In English law, matrilineal descent is not considered valid for earldoms. This usual prohibition was, in Boleyn's case, outweighed by a more important consideration - he was the father of two pretty daughters. Henry VIII dallied firstly with Boleyn's elder daughter Mary, then his younger daughter, Anne. Boleyn's ambition was so considerable that unsubstantiated rumours had it that he even allowed his own wife to have an affair with the king, but those were created in order to steer the king away from marrying Anne, even suggesting that she was his own daughter. When it was claimed that Henry had had an affair with both Anne's sister and mother, the king replied to the rumours "Never with the mother."
In 1525, Henry VIII became enamoured of Anne and began pursuing her. Coincidentally, her father was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Rochford on 18 June 1525.[9] The title referred to the "barony" of Rochford supposedly created in 1488 for his grandfather. The title had fallen into abeyance as Ormond had died without any male heir in 1515.
As Henry's infatuation for Anne intensified, so did her father's titles. Henry arranged for the main claimant to the earldom of Ormond, Piers Butler to renounce all his claims to the titles in 1529. Coincidentally, Piers Butler was rewarded for his generosity by being created Earl of Ossory five days later.
Boleyn's claims to the Earldom of Wiltshire also depended upon his Irish relatives. This time, he had to go back to his maternal great-grandfather, James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond, to establish a claim. While James Butler was indeed the 1st Earl of Wiltshire (of the third creation), on 1 May 1461 he lost his titles, along with his head, when he was executed by the victorious Yorkists. The title was subsequently revived (in fourth and fifth creations) and bestowed on parties unrelated to the Butlers of Ormond. This did not prevent the creation of the Earldom, for the 7th time. On 8 December 1529, Thomas Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, was created Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormond.[10]
His only surviving son, George, was styled Viscount Rochford 1529-30, and created Lord Rochford before 13 July 1530. On 17 May 1536 he was executed for treason, and all his titles were forfeited.[11] His widow, Jane, Viscountess Rochford, continued to use the courtesy title until she, too, was attainted for treason and beheaded on Tower Hill on 13 February 1542 with Queen Katherine Howard, the King's fifth wife.[12]
Boleyn was appointed Lord Privy Seal in 1530. In 1532, his daughter Anne was granted a peerage, being created Marquess of Pembroke in her own right, before marrying Henry the following year and becoming queen consort. Boleyn acquiesced in her judicial execution and that of her brother Lord Rochford when Henry discarded her in favour of Jane Seymour. At this point Boleyn was replaced as Lord Privy Seal and left in disgrace until his death a few years later.[13] He suffered a final indignity as the claims of Piers Butler to the Earldom of Ormond were recognized and as he was styled earl of Ormond from 22 January 1538.[13] There were two earls of Ormond in the Kingdom until his death on 12 March 1539.[13]
Thomas Boleyn has been portrayed by Sir Michael Hordern in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), by Benjamin Whitrow in Henry VIII, and by Jack Shepherd and Mark Rylance in the 2003 and 2008 film versions of The Other Boleyn Girl, respectively. The 2007 Showtime series The Tudors has Nick Dunning in the role depicting him as ambitious, cunning and devious, constantly working to curry favour for his family against everyone else and always willing to "motivate" his daughter, Anne, lest Henry lose interest in her.
Note: on 22 February 1538, the earldom of Ormond was restored to Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Edward Poynings |
Treasurer of the Household 1521–1525 |
Succeeded by Sir William FitzWilliam |
| Preceded by Cuthbert Tunstall (Bishop of London) |
Lord Privy Seal 1530–1536 |
Succeeded by Sir Thomas Cromwell |
| Peerage of England | ||
| New creation | Earl of Wiltshire 1529–1539 |
Extinct |
| Viscount Rochford 1525–1539 |
||
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| New creation | Earl of Ormond 1529–1539 |
Extinct |