An Imperial Match: Anne Boleyn marries Charles V
- Thread starter pandizzy
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They really are! Here's to hoping Jaba the Henry VIII won't ruin it like he does everything else.
1st of February, 1527.
St. Vitus Cathedral, Bohemia. 1st of February, 1527.
They walked together, side by side, adorned with their finest white and golden garments. Ferdinand can see the looks of the Bohemian nobility going from him to his wife then to Anna’s large belly. After they had their first child, his wife proved herself exceptionally fertile, getting pregnant for the third time in three years. It was a balm to the soul after so many years of childlessness, especially considering he had no fear about this baby, not with Liesl and Max already growing strong at their nursery in Prague Castle.
Ferdinand knew they would see her state as a good omen. It was a sign of the continuation of the monarchy, that long gone were the days when there was no clear successor to the throne after numerous cycles of heirless kings. The Habsburg Dynasty was there to stay and none could do a thing about it.
He knelt before Stanislav I Thurzo, the Bishop of Olomouc, with Anna still beside him. The Archdiocese of Prague had been vacant for over a hundred years due to the rise of the Hussite movement in Bohemia. Ferdinand hoped to remedy that during his tenure as king, but he banished the thoughts from his mind when the man began to speak.
His eyes went to the crown jewels, placed carefully in velvet pillows near the altar. The Crown of Saint Wenceslas, a large made with nearly a hundred precious stones and over twenty pearls, a sapphire cross and many more. An old Czech legend said that a false king would die a violent death within the year of placing the crown atop his head, for it was the personal property of St. Wenceslas and may only be worn by a rightful Bohemian king during his coronation. He gulped, hoping that the saint would find him worthy of sitting where he sat.
The Abbess of St. George's Abbey stood next to the Bishop of Olomouc, honoured with the task of crowning Anna as his queen consort. Ferdinand kept his mind calm and his heart at ease as they dressed him in the royal regalia, consecrated and anointed in the head by the Bishop. He held his breath when he was crowned, closing his eyes and praying to the Lord to allow him to be a good king.
There was no other alternative. He was now, by the Grace of God, King of Bohemia, from this day until his death, whenever that might be.
--
Prague Castle, Bohemia.
After the feast, Ferdinand escorted Anna to her private rooms, holding her hand tightly throughout the way. His head was pounding and he welcomed the respite of the quiet and dark chambers, not even minding helping her remove her heavy dress and unpin her hair, rubbing her scalp in what he hoped was a soothing manner.
And it must have worked. She shuddered and mewled like a cat, turning slightly to press her lips against his for just a quick moment before she moved away. They had dismissed her ladies and she removed her shift quickly, though Ferdinand took no move to take her in his arms, merely offering her an embroidered nightgown that would keep her warm. It was quite a cold night.
“Thank you, husband,” she murmured. “Or should I say, ‘Thank you, my king’?”
Ferdinand shrugged. “I will always be your husband,” he responded. Ferdinand kicked his shoes away and began to fumble with the laces of his hose, having already discarded the heavy surcoat earlier. Anna chuckled and came to help him, waddling awkwardly with her belly pending forward.
“Thank you,” he said when she was finished, pushing the garment away. She hummed a response and moved to lay down, pulling her swollen ankles over the bed with a pained sigh. Ferdinand removed the rest of his clothes in silence before he came to sit by her feet only in his inner shirt, pulling her legs over his lap.
Anna sighed contently when he began to press his fingers against her ankles, massaging the swollen flesh with expert hands after having done it frequently when she was carrying both Liesl and Max in their turn.
“At last,” she murmured, “We are the King and Queen of Bohemia. Now, only Hungary stands in our way.”
Ferdinand nodded. “I have heard word that Ján Zápoľský has been crowned king after he was elected in a Diet of lower gentry,” he said. “But a Diet in Pozsony chose us, mainly because of the work of the magnates, barons, and the clergy.” Anna nodded, pursing her lips.
“It will be hard to take Hungary, but I believe it can be done,” she said. “Does Ján have much support?”
He shrugged, rubbing the protruding bone at her ankle. “I hear the people are with him, especially those who do not wish to see a foreigner on the throne, but I can’t say much else,” he said. “It’s likely Ján will soon attempt a reconciliation with us, perhaps an alliance, but I have no intention of accepting it.”
“And the Emperor won’t accept it either, or those associated with him,” said Anna. “France really is the only one likely to hear Ján’s pleas to be recognized as king.”
“Quite right,” Ferdinand responded. He twisted his lips, wondering how he would manage to say this. “My brother has had a daughter in December, healthy and hale by all accounts.”
“What is the child’s name?” Anna asked.
“Juana,” said Ferdinand. “After her paternal grandmother. It was the Empress’ insistence, apparently. My mother was very pleased by it.”
“A beautiful name,” his wife murmured, “But why are you telling me this?”
He sighed. “Because Charles has proposed a marriage for Juana and our Maximilian,” he said. “I’m loyal to my brother, but our son may not be friendly towards his cousin Felipe unless he was married to his sister.”
Anna hummed. “Our election in Bohemia must have only encouraged him to propose it,” she said. “Will Charles name you as his heir in the Empire?”
Ferdinand shook his head. “He said nothing of it.”
“Very well,” said Anna, pushing herself to a sitting position. When she was propped up on her numerous pillows, she placed her two hands over her large belly and gave him a tight smile. “Then tell your brother that I am against the match of such close relatives, but that you will try to convince me. When you are named King of the Romans, or believes you are soon to be named, you will inform the Emperor that I have been convinced.”
Ferdinand nodded. “Very well,” he said. “An empire for an archduke. Quite the fair trade.”
She laughed.
“No one has ever said I play fair,” she replied.
Very good idea to accept, as this will ensure Ferdinand will succeed Charles in the Empire so that Juana could be Empress. Also, the relationship between Ferdinand and Anna is so cute 
Empress Johanna just sounds right!Very good idea to accept, as this will ensure Ferdinand will succeed Charles in the Empire so that Juana could be Empress. Also, the relationship between Ferdinand and Anna is so cute
I love them so much. They’re just the best. Absolute dream team couple. You love to see it.
3rd of February, 1527.
Tordesillas, Castile. 3rd of February, 1527.
He woke with a start, audibly gasping for breath as his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him. Charles pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the rapid thumping of his heart underneath his shirt and skin, and gulped, looking around as he remembered where he was in. The best rooms at the convent his mother was housed in, though they could scarcely be called royal apartments for they lacked the expensive tapestries and rugs that made up a monarch’s bedchamber.
The room was dark and sparsely decorated, with a few candles to light up in the night. He shivered and pulled the warm covers tighter around him, as heavy snowfalls during the week had prevented his return to Toledo with his wife and children. Beside him, Anne stirred as she pushed herself to a sitting position, hair tousled with sleep. “Charles?” she murmured sleepily. “Is something wrong?”
He did not look at her. Instead, he simply looked at the simple rooms he had taken for himself, the dark curtains blocking the windows. “No,” he said. “I just had a strange dream, that was all.”
His wife hummed and finally, Charles moved to look at her. She was still naked, her skin raised in goosebumps with the red and purple scarrings from her pregnancies visible under the candlelight.
“Come here,” she murmured, opening her arms. “I’ll keep the nightmares away.”
He took a deep breath and nodded, allowing himself to be pulled into her embrace. Anne laid down once more and Charles rested his head against her warm breasts, her arms wrapped around him as she stroked down his naked back. With her other hand, she began to play with his hair and the movements should have lulled him into a deep sleep, soothing on his scalp and back, but Charles remained wide awake. He still could not shake off the dream he had just woken up to.
He dreamt of Felipe, his son grown into a tall and fearsome man who ordered him locked away in a monastery not much different from this convent. For his own good, the adult claimed, for there was a demon in his head who made him act like a madman. Charles shrieked and shouted his refusal to go as his son’s men dragged him into the darkness and shut him away from the world forever.
And then he remembered how confused he felt when he found out Anne had intended to give birth in Tordesillas. This was no place for a daughter of the Emperor to be born, no place for anyone of rank to live in and yet… And yet he had no trouble keeping his mother there, which suited his purposes and allowed him to keep his power.
Charles could not say when he finally went to sleep, only that he woke up with the sun rising on the horizon, Anne still peacefully resting beside him. He called for his grooms and got dressed in another room, lest the men see his wife’s nakedness. When he was finally decent, he ate a simple meal of porridge and drank cold water from a nearby river with some sips of ale.
He saw Anne again at Mass, her having been only recently churched, and they heard the preacher’s sermons in silence. Charles felt the presence of his mother next to him painfully, the Queen listening intently to the priest describe the importance of avoiding vanity and futility, and he was so aware of her presence that he could scarcely pay attention to the ceremony, only catching some words here and there.
After Mass, they ate another simple meal, all three of them together. The conversation was stilted, though Charles noticed his mother seemed more open to his wife ever since the arrival of Juanita, called that way to differentiate her from her grandmother and namesake. They were discussing the news of the English Queen’s new pregnancy when he felt comfortable enough to speak, clearing his throat to gather their attention.
“Mother, I have made a decision regarding your continued stay in this Royal Convent,” he said. His mother and wife looked at him with wide eyes and he licked his lips, gathering the courage to continue speaking. “This place might have suited you for many years after the death of my father, the King, but I have reached the conclusion that it doesn’t stand to house the mother of an Emperor and the Queen Regnant of so many rich and powerful kingdoms.” He gulped and Anne placed a hand on her open mouth, while another, she put atop his. “With your consent, you will be moved to the Real Bosque y Casa de Aranjuez in Madrid, where the court often stays during spring.”
“It’s a beautiful residence, Your Majesty,” said Anne, carefully. “I know the Queen will enjoy hunting in the woods surrounding it, as do most others.”
“And we will visit you often, of course,” said Charles. “I know the Infantes will be happy to see their grandmother more frequently than they do now.”
His mother took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she cut her piece of meat and brought it to her mouth. “The court visits Madrid every spring?” she asked carefully, her eyes going from the Empress to her son. “Even the children?”
“Yes, mother,” said Charles. “Does that mean you will accept? I can make arrangements for you to travel there with your household as soon as we leave for Toledo.”
“And the Emperor will increase the size of your household, of course,” said Anne with a sly smile. Charles spared her only a shocked glance before he looked at his mother, nodding to confirm her words. “To suit your new needs.”
His mother nodded carefully, mouth set in a tense white line. “The nuns who care for me now,” she started, full of hesitancy, “They will not come, will they? I don’t want them to follow me to Madrid.”
“If that is your wish, they won’t,” said Charles. “Do you accept, mother?”
Queen Juana took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes,” she said, “I accept.”
Thank you!!!!! I can't see her being trapped in that convent for another day, I must admit!