Bring Up The Bodies

On January 24, 1536, King Henry VIII was injured in a jousting tournament. Mantel demonstrates the power of historical fiction by building on an incident that is documented in the historical record and adding the emotional complexity of what characters were feeling and thinking during this time. Historical records, especially from the distant path, often don’t record these subjective experiences, but historical fiction can provide that subjectivity and nuance. Within the novel, the incident in which Henry is injured and mistakenly believed to be dead reveals how high the stakes are for Cromwell and the entire kingdom. When Cromwell learns that Henry is dead, he hurries to the scene but ensures that he has a Turkish dagger with him. The dagger symbolizes Cromwell’s pragmatism, skill at coping in a crisis, and his ability to protect his own interests. Cromwell observes that Norfolk, Anne’s uncle, will seize the opportunity to consolidate his family’s power, and “before the day is over your head will be spiked” (170).

Henry’s death would also present an opportunity for those who want to see Mary and Catholicism restored. Cromwell reflects grimly, “[T]hey will set her up as queen, and I am dead. There will be civil war” (171). Henry’s need for a legitimate male heir is not simply an egotistical project or a desire to ensure a legacy; there is a real risk of chaos and mass violence, harkening back to the War of the Roses, if a smooth Tudor succession cannot be ensured. The jousting incident reveals what could happen to Cromwell and to England if Henry were to die without a clear heir. It significantly raises the pressure for Henry to acquire a new wife if Anne cannot give him a son and becomes an implicit justification for Cromwell doing whatever it takes to bring about this result. Some historians believe that Henry may have suffered a traumatic brain injury after the jousting accident, resulting in permanent personality changes; some contemporaries from the time observed that Henry seemed to become much more rash, angry, and violent after this incident. Mantel’s fictional portrayal suggests that the accident might simply have affirmed Henry’s awareness of his mortality and heightened his desperation, precipitating the events that would occur only months later. Because of the theme of The Precarious Nature of Favoritism, Henry’s urgency escalates the urgency for everyone else as well.

Days after Henry’s accident, Anne loses her pregnancy, which further escalates the rising action of the plot and the central conflict. The pregnancy loss reveals that despite Anne’s iron will, she is still at the mercy of biology, and sheds light on why Cromwell has the upper hand in their conflict. Cromwell has access to laws, arguments, and alliances with other powerful men; he can solidify his power and his influence over Henry through intellectual means, but Anne can’t force her body to conceive or carry a full-term pregnancy. Many people at the court are pruriently interested in the intimate details of Anne’s body, leading to claims that they “saw the trail of blood left on the ground as she walked” (180). This highlights the theme of Rivalry and Cruelty Between Women. The trail of blood symbolizes how Anne’s life and body are treated as a matter of public interest since the political stability of England rests on her ability to carry a pregnancy to term and give birth to a son. It also further foreshadows her impending death by highlighting her physical fragility.

In the wake of Henry’s near-fatal accident and Anne’s pregnancy loss, Cromwell’s stratagems accelerate. He begins to explicitly map out individuals who are “to one degree and another, friends of the old dispensation and enemies of the Boleyns” and consolidate these alliances (194). Cromwell’s pragmatism allows him to deftly manage these negotiations; when Nicholas Carew points out that most of those who want to see Anne replaced by Jane are Catholic, whereas Cromwell is a Lutheran (Protestant), Cromwell counters “No, sir, I am a banker” (218). Unlike many other characters in the novel, Cromwell is not driven by any particular religious or ideological views; he wants to ensure his own power and the overall stability of the kingdom. While Cromwell’s web of alliances strengthens his ability to drive his agenda forward, it also makes his plans more complex; he must forge tenuous trust with individuals who have their own motives and agendas and could betray him at any moment.

Cromwell’s precarity is revealed when Henry becomes angry with him and lashes out, telling him, “I really believe, Cromwell, that you think you are king, and I am the blacksmith’s boy” (232). The moment is a terrifying and risky one since Henry has shown that he is more than capable of abruptly turning on those he has formerly loved; Cromwell demonstrates the skillset that has allowed him to rise from a humble background and navigate the minefield of the Tudor court. He remembers his father telling him as a child, “[I]f you burn your hand, Tom, raise your hands and cross your wrists” (232). Cromwell grew up in a volatile and abusive home, but this experience gave him the skillset to navigate an equally dangerous and precarious relationship with Henry. His ability to remain calm in a crisis serves him during this incident and reveals why he will continue to be successful.

When plans to dissolve Anne’s marriage are first discussed between Cromwell and his allies, a convent is proposed as the answer to the question of “what is to happen to Anne Boleyn?” (218). If Anne is willing to go quietly, her life does not yet seem to be at stake. However, there are hints of Cromwell contemplating a darker outcome: He imagines “the last door to be opened” and then remembers an episode from earlier in his life when he broke down a door (240). This imagery and symbolism suggest that Cromwell is willing to resort to whatever measures are necessary. He also recalls a time when he watched his late wife weaving a braid of silk and she observed that “if I stopped to think how I was doing it I couldn’t do it at all” (241). This memory implies that as Cromwell symbolically weaves a complex plan he operates instinctually and doesn’t fully acknowledge what lies ahead. This also allows him to avoid the moral implications of what he is setting the stage to do.