Chapter 41: Grey’s Ascent
June, 1549
Henry and his family had been in Scotland for some four months now, and he had to say it was a surprisingly bright and vibrant court. He had to admit he had thought that it would be dire and dower. After all Scotland was not England, it rained four days out of every five here, and it also smelled a little. Worse than London, even on London’s worst days. However, the King and his Queen did their best to keep things interesting and their courtiers entertained. There had been a masque, a ball, and various other events. It was a nice place. And very much different to London and Whitehall.
The King himself was a vibrant man, with a positive attitude and a cunning that would have made the man’s grandsire proud. Henry looked at the man and then listened as he spoke. “Lord Grey, we trust that you are enjoying your time here? And that all your needs have been met?”
Henry bowed his head. “Court is fantastic, Your Majesty, and it is something that I think has made everything very nice. And yes, our needs have been met, thank you, Sire.”
The King nodded. “Now, tell us, you have been sent here as ambassador for our cousin Queen Eleanor. We would hear tell of how she is doing.”
Henry took a moment, he had not actually seen much of Queen Eleanor, or the court for some time before his appointment. His time at court had ended when Queen Dowager Catherine had left with her husband, but he knew he could not say that to this King. “Her Majesty is well, Sire. She continues to develop into a smart and intelligent young lady. She is most interested in history. With a particular focus on the tales of her grandsire King Henry.”
For a brief moment, Henry thought he had made a mistake mentioning King Henry, the first Tudor monarch, but then the King before him smiled. “That is good. Our own ambassador reports that she has been asking much about our shared heritage. We are much delighted with that, and would be most happy to share stories of her own father, should she wish.”
Henry did not know whether that would be a good idea, considering the relationship between the two Kings, but he said. “I will be sure to mention that when I write to London next, Sire.” He did not think Norfolk would reply in the affirmative.
The King smiled. “Good. Now there was something we wished to talk to you about.” Henry wondered at the way the King held himself then, his shoulders were back and he looked relaxed, but there was a look in his eyes that spoke of a man about to pounce on his prey. “What are your views on this reformation that is currently gripping the continent? Do you think it is long lasting?”
Here, Henry hesitated. The King he knew was a devout Catholic who had brought some reforms to his own church but had not embraced the reformation in full, whereas, he was a devout Protestant, fully embracing the teachings of men such as Luther and Zwingli. He did not know how to respond, and so he chose a diplomatic response. “I think we are seeing the results of centuries of neglect, Sire.”
The King raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
Here, Henry knew he would need to be very careful. “Sire, before the reformation came, the church gave away favours in return for copious amounts of coin. It did little to try and enforce the word of God. It instead corrupted it to suit its own purposes, and as such it grew weak and corrupt. And it allowed the Muslims to gain influence in other areas, where the lord’s writ such have run strong. The only way to change this corruption is for the reformation to bring change to the way things are done.”
“And you think that the reformation has done this? You think that the corruption present within the church in the Protestant States of the Holy Roman Empire is okay, because they are sticking to a nominal teaching?” the King asked.
“I do not know of which corruption you speak of, Sire.” Henry replied honestly.
“The corruption which saw seven young men slaughtered for not following the direct words of a mistranslation of a Bible, done by that man, Luther. The corruption which saw the lands of a minor knight stolen by a Duke simply because the knight was Catholic and refused to convert. This sort of corruption. There has been no accountability. Would you say that that is right?” the King demanded.
Henry was stumped. He did not know about these cases, having spent more time keeping abreast of what was happening in London than anywhere else. Reluctantly he said. “No, Sire, I do not think that this is right. I think it is indeed a deep corruption.”
The King nodded. “Good, at least you have sense. When you are here, we wish for you to attend some of our sermons and masses, to see how things might change should this course continue to be pursued.”
Henry swallowed, he did not like the thought of that, but said. “Very well, Sire, it would be my pleasure.”
The King nodded. “Good, and be sure to bring your family, especially Lady Jane, our son, James has taken a liking to her.”
Henry nodded, and internally thought this was a good thing. “Of course, Sire.”