Happy New Year, everyone! I hope 2025 brings you happiness and success. I’m thrilled to kick off the year with a new blog post – enjoy!

The lavish gifts exchanged by Tudor royalty offer a fascinating glimpse into the values, politics, and relationships of the era. Today’s blog post highlights some of the gifts Anne Boleyn gave to her husband (and vice versa), and the significant messages they conveyed.

In the Tudor period, Christmas gifts were not exchanged on the 25th of December, but on New Year’s Day. Amongst royalty and courtiers, New Year’s gift-giving was a highly anticipated event, with elaborate and often symbolic presents exchanged to display wealth, affection, and allegiance.

One of the most significant gifts (of all time, in my opinion) was a jewel given by Anne Boleyn to Henry VIII in 1527. This jewel, depicting a woman aboard a ship with a diamond at its bow, symbolised far more than a simple token of affection. By presenting this gift, Anne accepted Henry’s marriage proposal, prompting Henry to vow to “love and serve”¹ her. This act marked a turning point in their relationship and arguably history itself. The jewel was not merely an ornament, but a symbol of Anne’s acceptance and the pivotal role she would play in Henry’s personal and political life. If only we could have told her what her future would hold… Henry himself expressed his gratitude for her “good intent and too-humble submission.”² It is interesting to consider how different history might have been without this exchange. Imagine holding this jewel, the token of love Anne gave to Henry – the very token that ignited the events leading to the English Reformation – it would be incredible.

In 1532, the year prior to their marriage, Anne Boleyn gifted Henry VIII “an exotic set of richly decorated Pyrenean boar spears.”³ In return, Henry demonstrated his affection by presenting Anne with luxurious matching hangings for her bedchamber and bed, crafted from richly embroidered crimson satin as well as cloth of silver and gold. These lavish gifts were bold declarations of Anne’s rising status within the Tudor court. By this time, she was effectively queen in all but name. The symbolism of these exchanges extended beyond their personal relationship as lovers; they signalled Anne’s imminent ascension to the throne. That same year, Henry notably publicly refused a gold cup gifted to him by his wife, Katherine of Aragon, ordering it to be returned late in the day when it would be too late for Katherine to re-gift it to him. This further highlights Henry’s change in loyalties.

In 1533, the year Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII were finally wed, Henry demonstrated his love for her by commissioning Thomas Cromwell, then Master of the Jewels, to deliver a magnificent collection of gifts to Anne. The inventory of these gifts, as recorded, is breathtaking in its opulence and detail. It included: “parcels of gilt plate, late of Sir Henry Guldeford, controller of the Household :2 gilt pots with round knobs behind the lids, which came to Sir Henry as executor to Sir William Compton, weighing 133 oz. ; a pair of gilt flagons with the arms of France, 147 oz. ; 6 gilt bowls without a cover, 200oz. ; 3 gilt salts with a cover of Parres touch,” which belonged to Sir Will. Compton, 77 oz. ; 12 gilt spoons with demi-knops at the end, 18 oz. ; a pair of parcel-gilt pots, 99 oz. ; another, 97 oz. ; another, 71 oz. ; 6 parcel-gilt bowls without cover, 199 oz. ; the cover of the same, 19 oz. ; a basin and ewer, parcel-gilt, 77 oz. ; another basin and ewer, parcel-gilt, 64 oz. ; 11 white spoons with roses at the ends, 20 oz. ; 4 candles, white, with high sockets, 86 oz. ; “a round bason of silver for a chamber, and a silver pot to the same, weighing together 138 oz.” ; and a chafing dish, parcel-gilt, 39 oz.”⁴ This extraordinary display of wealth was, again, a public statement of Anne’s elevated status as Henry’s wife and queen, reinforcing Anne’s permanent position at court and Henry’s attempt to solidify her legitimacy as his queen consort.

1534 saw Anne Boleyn commission a remarkable New Year’s gift for Henry VIII: an ornate fountain designed by Hans Holbein. This piece was described as “A goodly gilt bason, having a rail or board of gold in the midst of the brim, garnished with rubies and pearls, wherein standeth a fountain, also having a rail of gold about it garnished with diamonds; out thereof issueth water, at the teats of three naked women standing at the foot of the same fountain.”⁵ The surviving sketch of this fountain (pictured below) provides a glimpse into its intricate design, highlighting Holbein’s artistry and Anne’s flair for grandeur as queen. Wouldn’t it be spectacular to have been able to see this fountain?

Royal Christmas gifts in the Tudor era were far more than tokens of affection as they are today; they were often carefully crafted gestures saturated with hidden meaning, symbolism, and political intent. These offerings served as tools for courtly displays of favour, love, or power, often conveying messages that extended beyond their material value. Anne Boleyn’s gifts to Henry VIII, and his to her, exemplify this dual purpose – beautifully crafted items that also symbolised their relationship and ambitions.

1. Luce, John W. Love Letters of Henry Eighth  to Anne Boleyn. Boston and London: John W. Luce & Company, 1906, p. 10. ↩︎
2. IBID ↩︎
3. Ives, Eric William. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn: “The Most Happy,” Blackwell, Malden, Mass, 2006, p. 142. ↩︎
4. ‘Henry VIII: January 1533, 1-10’, in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 6, 1533. Edited by James Gairdner (London, 1882), British History Online, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol6/pp2-16. ↩︎
5. ‘Henry VIII: January 1534, 1-5’, in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 7, 1534. Edited by James Gairdner (London, 1883), British History Online, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol7/pp4-12. ↩︎