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Sir Thomas Wyatt ©Kathleen Cohen
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hroughout their six-year courtship, Anne had always had the advantage over the king. She knew well how to play the role of mistress and secure Henry's interest. But once married, Anne Boleyn failed to become the obedient wife the king expected and ignore his infidelities -- as had Catherine of Aragon. Instead, the three affairs Henry had during their marriage sparked wild fits of jealousy. The first, with an unnamed lady-in-waiting, occurred after Anne's first stillbirth in 1534. Relationships with Anne's maids-of-honor, Madge Shelton and Jane Seymour, soon followed. Ironically, Anne now found herself in the same position as the queen she herself had supplanted as maid-of-honor.
Henry's Mistresses
Lady Margaret "Madge" Shelton
Lady-in-waiting and first cousin to Anne Boleyn, Lady Margaret Shelton (or Madge) became Henry's mistress for a period of about six months starting in February 1535. Madge was fair-skinned, soft-spoken and pretty. Anne was jealous of the affair, but also of the attention Madge received from gentlemen of the king's Privy
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