Editing Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire

{{Short description|English nobleman, diplomat and politician}}
{{other people|Thomas Boleyn}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = The Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond
| office              = 
| order               = [[Lord Privy Seal]]
| honorific-prefix    = [[The Right Honourable]]
| honorific-suffix    = [[Order of the Garter|KG]] [[Order of the Bath|KB]]
| image               = File:Brass to Sir Thomas Bullen, Hever church (16351933561).jpg
| caption             = [[Monumental brass]] to Thomas Boleyn, St Peter's Church, Hever
| monarch             = [[Henry VIII]]
| predecessor         = [[Cuthbert Tunstall]]
| successor           = [[Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex|Sir Thomas Cromwell]]
| footnotes           = 
| signature           = 
| signature_alt       = 
| monarch2            = [[Henry VIII]]
| order2              = [[Treasurer of the Household]]
| predecessor2        = [[Edward Poynings|Sir Edward Poynings]]
| successor2          = [[William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton|Sir William FitzWilliam]]
| birth_date          = c. 1477
| birth_place         = [[Hever Castle]], [[Hever, Kent]], [[Kingdom of England]]
| death_date          = 12 March {{death year and age|1539|1477}}
| death_place         = 
| spouse              = [[Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire|Elizabeth Howard]]
| father              = [[Sir William Boleyn]]
| mother              = [[Lady Margaret Butler|Margaret Butler]]
| children            = {{plainlist|
* Thomas Boleyn 
* [[Mary Boleyn]] 
* Henry Boleyn 
* [[George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford]]
* [[Anne Boleyn|Anne Boleyn, Queen of England]]
}}
| residence           = [[Hever Castle]]
| alma_mater          = 
| occupation          = Diplomat, politician
| profession          = 
| religion            = 
| website             = 
| term_start          = 1530
| term_end            = 1536
| term_start2         = 1521
| term_end2           = 1525
| restingplace        = St. Peter's Church, Hever, Kent, United Kingdom
| restingplacecoordinates = {{Coord|51.1838|0.1113|type:landmark_region:GB-KEN|format=dms|display=inline|name=St. Peter's Church, Hever}}
| birthname           = Thomas Boleyn
}}
[[File:Coat of arms of Sir Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond, KG.png|thumb|Arms adopted by Sir Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond, KG: ''Or, a chief indented azure'', the ancient "Walter" arms of the Butler family, later Earls of Ormond, his maternal ancestors. As survives on his [[Garter stall plate]] in [[St George's Chapel]], Windsor]]
[[File:Arms of the Boleyn family of London.png|thumbnail|right|Paternal arms of Boleyn: ''Argent, a chevron gules between three bull's heads afrontée sable'']]
'''Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire, 1st Earl of Ormond,<ref>On 22 February 1538, the earldom of Ormond was restored to [[Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond]]</ref> 1st Viscount Rochford''' <small>[[Order of the Garter|KG]]</small><ref>{{Harvnb|Richardson|2004|p=180}}.</ref> <small>[[Order of the Bath|KB]]</small> ({{Circa|1477}} – 12 March 1539), of [[Hever Castle]] in [[Kent]], was an English [[diplomat]] and politician who was the father of [[Anne Boleyn]], the [[Wives of Henry VIII|second wife]] of King [[Henry VIII]], and was thus the maternal grandfather of Queen [[Elizabeth I]]. By Henry VIII he was made a [[Knight of the Garter]] in 1523 and was elevated to the peerage as [[Viscount Rochford]] in 1525 and in 1529 was further ennobled as [[Earl of Wiltshire]] and [[Earl of Ormond (Ireland)|Earl of Ormond]].

==Origins==
He was born in about 1477 at [[Hever Castle]] in Kent, the son of Sir [[William Boleyn]] (1451–1505) of [[Blickling]] (purchased by Sir William's father Sir [[Geoffrey Boleyn]], a wealthy [[Mercery|mercer]] who served as [[Lord Mayor of London]]){{sfn|Mackay|2018|pp=18–19}} by his wife [[Lady Margaret Butler|Margaret Butler]] (1454–1539), a daughter and co-heiress of [[Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond]].

==Marriage and issue==
He married [[Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of Wiltshire|Elizabeth Howard]], eldest daughter of [[Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk|Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey]] by his wife [[Elizabeth Tilney]]. Five children are attested, only three of whom survived childhood:<ref name="Ridgway">{{harvnb|Ridgway|2012|pp=189–195|}}</ref> 

* Thomas Boleyn (1496 - 1506)<ref name="Ridgway" /> died young of [[sweating sickness]]; 
* [[Mary Boleyn]] ({{Circa|1499}} – 19 July 1543); Mary Carey (1520–1528); Mary Stafford (1534–1543); Mary's second husband, [[William Stafford (courtier)|William Stafford]], was knighted in 1545 – two years after his wife's death in 1543.<ref>{{harvnb|Weir|2012|p=[https://archive.org/details/maryboleynthegre0000weir_u1u7/page/226 226]}}. "''Letters Patent by Henry VIII'', reveal that Mary had been posthumously accorded the title Dame Mary Stafford. Her husband, William, had been knighted on 23 September 1545, with Mary having died in 1543, two years earlier. These letters indicate that, in their final years, the couple had remained outcasts from the court and in 1542 were dealing with family real estate concerns, living in retirement at [[Rochford Hall]] in Essex, which was owned by the Boleyns."</ref>
* Henry Boleyn (1500 - 1506) died young of sweating sickness;
* [[George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford]] ({{circa}}1504 - 17 May 1536), only surviving son and [[heir apparent]] who predeceased his father, having been executed in 1536 together with his sister the queen. From 1529 he used his father's junior title of [[Viscount Rochford]] as a [[courtesy titles in the United Kingdom|courtesy title]].
* [[Anne Boleyn]] ({{circa|1501 or 1507}} – 19 May 1536), [[Marchioness of Pembroke]] (1532–1536); later [[List of English consorts|Queen Consort of England]] (1533–1536) 

==Diplomatic career==
In his youth, Thomas Boleyn was active in the court of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]].[https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Thomas-Boleyn/] He attended the wedding of [[Arthur,_Prince_of_Wales|Prince Arthur]] with [[Catherine of Aragon]].  In 1503, he was part of [[Princess Margaret Tudor]]’s escort, to Scotland, to marry [[James IV of Scotland|King James IV]].<ref>{{harvnb| Ives|2005}}</ref> He was created a [[Order of the Bath|Knight of the Bath]] at the coronation of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] in 1509.<ref>{{harvnb|Wilkinson|2009|p=67}}</ref> In February 1511, Boleyn took part in the [[The Westminster Tournament Challenge|Westminster Tournament]], held to celebrate the birth of [[Henry, Duke of Cornwall]]. He was paired with [[Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset]] in costumes featuring emblems of [[Camino de Santiago|pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela]].<ref>Henry Ellis, ''Original Letters Illustrative of English History'', series 2 vol. 1 (London, 1827), pp. 183, 186: Henry Ellis, [https://archive.org/details/cu31924027958713/page/518/mode/2up ''Hall's Chronicle'' (London, 1809), p. 518]</ref>

His appointment in 1512 as ambassador to the [[Low Countries]] brought him into contact with the regent [[Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy|Archduchess Margaret of Austria]]. Like Thomas, Margaret of Austria spoke French and Latin and they got along well enough for her to accept his daughter Anne as a [[maid of honour]].<ref>{{harvnb|Wilkinson|2009|pp=20–22}}</ref>

Through his ability and the connections of his extended family, Thomas Boleyn became one of Henry VIII's leading diplomats. Known appointments and missions included:
*1511 and 1517: [[High Sheriff of Kent|Sheriff of Kent]].
*1512: One of a party of three envoys to the Netherlands.
*1518–1520: [[List of Ambassadors from the United Kingdom to France|ambassador to France]], where he was initially involved in arrangements for the "[[Field of Cloth of Gold]]" meeting between Henry and the new French King [[Francis I of France|Francis I]]. He was replaced as ambassador however by Sir [[Richard Wingfield]] who took over the preparations for the meeting between the two kings in 1520.
*1521 and 1523: Envoy to [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Holy Roman Emperor Charles V]].
*1527: One of a large envoy to France.
*1529: Envoy to a meeting of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and [[Pope Clement VII]], to seek support for the marriage annulment of Henry VIII and [[Catherine of Aragon]]. This was followed by another envoy to France.

==Titles obtained==
Boleyn was invested as a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]] in 1523.<ref>{{harvnb|Shaw|1906|p=21}}</ref><ref>[http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/garterlist.htm List of the Knights of the Garter (1348–present)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Boleyn's claim to his other titles derived from his mother, [[Lady Margaret Butler|Margaret Butler]] who was the younger daughter and co-heiress of [[Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond]].<ref name ="Peerage51">{{Harvnb|Cokayne|1949|p=51}}</ref> Thomas Butler, as an Irish peer, should only have sat in the [[Parliament of Ireland]]. However, as a personal friend of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] he was summoned to the English parliament in November 1488 as "Thomas Ormond de Rochford, ''chevaler''". At this time, he was already 8th Earl of Carrick and 7th Earl of Ormond.<ref>{{harvnb|Chrimes|1999|p=138}}</ref>

In English law, matrilineal descent is not considered valid for earldoms, and in [[Brehon law]], then largely still in use in Ireland, new leaders were chosen by election. These customs were, in Boleyn's case, outweighed by a more important consideration – he was the father of two daughters. Henry VIII had affairs first with Boleyn's elder daughter Mary, then with his younger daughter, Anne. Boleyn's ambition was so considerable that unsubstantiated rumours had it that he allowed his wife to have an affair with the king, but those rumours were intended to steer the king away from marrying Anne, and even suggested that she was his own daughter.<ref>{{harvnb|Weir|2012|pp=42–44}}</ref> When it was claimed that Henry had had an affair with both Anne's sister and mother, the king replied to the rumours, "Never with the mother."<ref>{{harvnb|Weir|2012|p=145}}</ref>

In 1525, Henry VIII became enamoured of Anne and began pursuing her. Her father was elevated to the peerage as [[Viscount Rochford]] on 18 June 1525.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cokayne|1949|p=739}}</ref> The title referred to the "barony" of Rochford supposedly created in 1488 for his grandfather. The title had fallen into abeyance as Ormond had died without any male heir in 1515. Boleyn is often thought of as a power hungry, ambitious and scheming man who sacrificed his daughters for personal gain, but his biographer, [[Lauren Mackay]], has argued that he enjoyed a highly successful career as an ambassador and courtier years before his daughters caught the King's eye. As Henry's passion for Anne intensified, so did her father's titles, though these rewards were not solely due to Anne but also Boleyn's own merit.{{sfn|Mackay|2018|p={{pn|date=November 2021}}}} Henry pressured the main claimant to the earldom of Ormond, [[Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond|Piers Butler]], to renounce all his claims to the titles in 1529. Piers Butler was rewarded by being created [[Earl of Ossory]] five days later.

Boleyn's claims to the Earldom of Wiltshire also depended upon his Irish relatives. This time, he had to go back to his maternal great-grandfather, [[James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond]], to establish a claim. While James Butler was indeed the 1st Earl of Wiltshire (of the third creation), on 1 May 1461 he lost his titles and his life when he was executed by the victorious [[House of York|Yorkists]]. The title was subsequently revived (in fourth and fifth creations) and bestowed on people unrelated to the Butlers of Ormond. This did not prevent the creation of the earldom for the 6th time. On 8 December 1529 Thomas Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, was created [[Earl of Wiltshire]] and [[Earl of Ormond (Ireland)|Earl of Ormond]].<ref name="Peerage51" />

Also on 8 December 1529, the Earl of Wiltshire's only surviving son, [[George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford|George]], was granted the [[courtesy titles in the United Kingdom|courtesy title]] of Viscount Rochford. His title of Viscount, although initially a courtesy title, ceased to be a mere courtesy title sometime before 13 July 1530.<ref name="Peerage51" /><ref>{{harvnb|Cherry|2011|p=53}}</ref> On 17 May 1536, Lord Rochford was executed for treason, and all his titles were forfeited.<ref name="Peerage51" /><ref name="Cokayne 1945 141–142">{{Harvnb|Cokayne|1945|pp=141–142}}</ref> His widow, [[Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford|Jane, Viscountess Rochford]], however, continued to use the title after her husband's death. Lady Rochford was herself [[attainder|attainted]] for treason and beheaded at [[Tower Green]] (not [[Tower Hill]]) within the [[Tower of London]] on 13 February 1542 with Henry VIII's fifth wife, Queen [[Catherine Howard]].<ref name="Cokayne 1945 141–142"/><ref>{{Harvnb|Davies|2004}}</ref>

Boleyn was appointed [[Lord Privy Seal]] in 1530. In 1532, his daughter Anne was granted a [[peerage]], being created [[Marquess of Pembroke]] in her own right, before marrying Henry the following year and becoming queen consort.<!-- Do NOT replace with Queen Consort. --> Boleyn acquiesced in Anne's judicial execution and that of her brother Lord Rochford when Henry discarded her in favour of his third wife, Queen [[Jane Seymour]].

At this point Boleyn was replaced as Lord Privy Seal and left in disgrace until his death a few years later.<ref name="Hughes" >{{harvnb|Hughes|2004}}</ref> He suffered a final indignity when the claims of Piers Butler to the Earldom of Ormond were recognized and he again became Earl of Ormond from 22 January 1538.<ref name="Hughes" /> There were two earls of Ormond in the Kingdom until his death on 12 March 1539.<ref name="Hughes" />

==Death and burial==
He died at Hever Castle on 12 March 1539 and was buried in St. Peter's Church, [[Hever, Kent|Hever]], where survives his elaborate [[monumental brass]]. He is depicted dressed in full robes wearing the insignia of a Knight of the Garter, with the Badge on his left breast and the Garter around his left knee. His head rests on a helm surmounted by a crest of ''a falcon displayed'' (his daughter's heraldic badge) and his feet rest on a griffin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/12-march-1539-death-thomas-boleyn-earl-wiltshire-father-anne-boleyn/|title=12 March 1539 - Death of Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Father of Anne Boleyn|date=12 March 2014 }}</ref> The inscription reads: ''{{not a typo|Here lieth Sir Thomas Bullen, Knight of the Order of the Garter, Erle of Wilscher and Erle or Ormunde, which decessed the 12th dai of Marche in the iere of our Lorde 1538}}''.<ref>1538 old style date, 1539 in modern style</ref>

==In popular culture==
Thomas Boleyn has been portrayed by [[Michael Hordern|Sir Michael Hordern]] in ''[[Anne of the Thousand Days]]'' (1969), by Benjamin Whitrow in ''Henry VIII'', and by [[Jack Shepherd (actor)|Jack Shepherd]] and [[Mark Rylance]] in the 2003 and 2008 film versions of ''[[The Other Boleyn Girl]]'', respectively. The 2007 Showtime series ''[[The Tudors]]'' has [[Nick Dunning]] in the role depicting him as ambitious, cunning and devious, constantly working to curry favour for his family against everyone else and always willing to "motivate" his daughter, Anne, lest Henry lose interest in her. [[David Robb]] played Boleyn as a constantly furious, irascible schemer in ''[[Wolf Hall (TV series)|Wolf Hall]]''.

==Styles and honours==
*''Sir'' Thomas Boleyn KG KB (1523–1525)
* ''The Rt. Hon.'' The Viscount Rochford KG KB (1525–1529) 
* ''The Rt. Hon.'' The Earl of Wiltshire and of Ormond KG KB (8 December 1529<ref name="Hughes" />–1539)
'''Note:''' on 22 February 1538, the earldom of Ormond was restored to [[Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond]].

==See also==
*[[Palace of Beaulieu]]
*[[List of ambassadors from the Kingdom of England to France]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
* {{Cite odnb |title = Boleyn, George, Viscount Rochford (c.1504–1536), courtier and diplomat
  |last = Block
  |first = Joseph S.
  |year=2004
  |id = 2793
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Chrimes
  |first=Stanley Bertram
  |title=Henry VIII
  |year=1999
  |publisher=Yale University Press
  |location=New Haven
}}
* {{cite book|last=Cherry
  |first=Clare
  |title=George Boleyn: A Biography [unpublished manuscript]
  |year=2011
}} 
* {{Cite book |title = The Complete Peerage
  |last = Cokayne
  |first = George Edward
  |editor=White, Geoffrey H.
  |publisher = St. Catherine Press
  |location = London
  |year = 1949
  |volume = XI
}}
* {{Cite book |title = The Complete Peerage 
  |last = Cokayne
  |first = George Edward
  |editor= Doubleday, H. A.
  |publisher = St. Catherine Press
  |location = London
  |year = 1945
  |volume = X
}}
*{{Cite ODNB
 |last=Davies
 |first=Catherine
 |year=2004
 |title=Boleyn [née Parker], Jane, Viscountess Rochford (d. 1542), Courtier
 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/printable/70799
 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/70799
 }}

* {{Cite odnb |title = Boleyn, Thomas, earl of Wiltshire and earl of Ormond (1476/7–1539), courtier and nobleman
  |last = Hughes
  |first = Jonathan
  |year = 2004
  |id = 2795
  }}
* {{cite odnb
  |last=Ives
  |first=E. W.
  |title=Anne (Anne Boleyn) (c.1500–1536), queen of England, second consort of Henry VIII
  |year2004
  |id=557
  }}
* {{cite book |last=Ives
  |first=Eric
  |title=The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn: 'The Most Happy'
  |year=2005
  |publisher=Blackwell Publishing
  |isbn=978-1-4051-3463-7
  |type=Paperback 
}}
* {{cite book |last=Mackay |first=Lauren |title=Among the Wolves of Court: The Untold Story of Thomas and George Boleyn |location=London |publisher=IB Tauris/Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2018 |isbn=978-1788310437}} 
* Mackay, Lauren. "The Life and Career of Thomas Boleyn (1477–1539):Courtier, Ambassador, and Statesman" Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Newcastle Australia, 2018.  
* {{Cite book |title = Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families
  |last = Richardson
  |first = Douglas
  |editor= Everingham, Kimball G.
  |publisher = Genealogical Publishing Co.
  |location = Baltimore, Maryland
  |year = 2004
  |isbn = 978-0806317502
}}
* {{cite book |title=The Anne Boleyn Collection: The Real Truth About the Tudors
  |last=Ridgway
  |first=Claire
  |author-link=Claire Ridgway
  |year=2012
  |chapter=The Lost Boleyns
  |pages=189–195
  |publisher=MadeGlobal Publishing
  |isbn=978-1470038168
  |type=Paperback
}}
* {{cite book|last=Shaw  
  |first=William A. 
  |author-link=William Arthur Shaw 
  |title=The Knights of England 
  |year=1906  |publisher=Sherrat and Hughes      
  |location=London     
  |url=https://archive.org/stream/knightsofengland01shawuoft#page/21/mode/1up
}}
* {{cite journal |last=Starkey
  |first=David
  |title=Holbein's Irish Sitter
  |journal=The Burlington Magazine
  |date=May 1981
  |volume=123|issue=938
  |pages=300–301, 303
 |jstor=880241
  }}[https://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/880241?uid=3737536&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21102791822927 in JSTOR] 
* {{Cite book
  |title = Mary Boleyn: 'The Great and Infamous Whore'
  |last = Weir
  |first = Alison
  |publisher = Vintage Books
  |location = London
  |year = 2012
  |isbn = 9780099546481
  |url-access = registration
  |url = https://archive.org/details/maryboleynthegre0000weir_u1u7
  }}
* {{Cite book |title = The Six Wives of Henry VIII
  |last = Weir
  |first = Alison
  |publisher = Grove Weidenfeld
  |location = New York
  |year = 1991
}}
* {{Cite book |title = Mary Boleyn: The True Story of Henry VIII's Favourite Mistress
  |last = Wilkinson
  |first = Josephine
  |publisher = Amberley Publishing
  |location = New York
  |year = 2009
  |isbn = 978-1-84868-525-3
}}

==External links==
*[http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/BOLEYN.htm Boleyn Family] A pedigree of the Boleyn family{{unreliable source|date=April 2023}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Edward Poynings|Sir Edward Poynings]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Treasurer of the Household]]|years=1521–1525}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Southampton|Sir William FitzWilliam]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Cuthbert Tunstall]]<br /><small>([[Bishop of London]])</small>}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Lord Privy Seal]]|years=1530–1536}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas Cromwell|Sir Thomas Cromwell]]}}
{{S-reg|en}}
{{S-new}}
{{S-ttl | title=[[Viscount Rochford]]|creation=1st creation|years=1525–1533}}
{{s-aft|after=[[George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford|George Boleyn]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford|George Boleyn]]}}
{{S-ttl | title=[[Viscount Rochford]]|creation=1st creation|years=1536–1539}}
{{s-non|reason=Extinct}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiltshire, Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of}}
[[Category:1470s births]]
[[Category:1539 deaths]]

[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Earls of Wiltshire]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of England to France]]
[[Category:Lords Privy Seal]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]
[[Category:Treasurers of the Household]]
[[Category:15th-century English people]]
[[Category:16th-century English diplomats]]
[[Category:16th-century English politicians]]
[[Category:Boleyn family|Thomas]]
[[Category:High sheriffs of Kent]]
[[Category:16th-century English nobility]]
[[Category:Earls of Ormond (Ireland)]]
[[Category:People from Hever, Kent]]
[[Category:16th-century English knights]]