Sir Thomas Wyatt the Poet

Well, this was interesting.

I had always heard that Sir Thomas Wyatt was a rogue, romantically speaking. Despite his marriage to Elizabeth Brooke, he was pursuing her second cousin, Anne Boleyn. (Elizabeth’s mother was Anne’s aunt. The Brooke coat of arms at left.)

Then today I saw that Wikipedia blames Elizabeth for problems in the marriage. They say she “separated from Thomas Wyatt and openly lived in adultery. He refused to financially support her, and after pursuing Anne Boleyn before her relationship with the King, he started a long-term affair with Elizabeth Darrell. In 1540, they were forced by Henry VIII to reconcile. This was as Wyatt had been accused of treason and only the begging of Catherine Howard had saved his life.”

Wikipedia is, of course, not monitored for accuracy. I discovered “Tudordaughter at blogspot.” This “distant cousin” has a completely different perspective:

“My family vine reaches back through thousands of years, through Kings and Emperor’s, but one of my most fascinating ancestors is by far my 11th great grandmother Elizabeth Brooke born in Cobhamhall, Kent England 1503 the daughter of Thomas Brooke the 8th Earl of Cobhamhall. She married my 11th great grandfather Sir Thomas Wyatt the poet who was madly in love with Anne Boleyn and wrote sonnets for her. This is of course while he was married to Elizabeth. Thomas and Elizabeth had two children a daughter Anne and my 10th great grand father Sir Thomas Wyatt the rebel who led the rebellion against Queen Mary advocating to put Jane Gray back in power as queen. He was later executed with Jane’s father Henry.

Elizabeth and Thomas had marital problems from the very beginning. I would largely suspect it had much to do with my great grandfathers roving eye, and love for Anne Boleyn. Thomas filed for a legal separation on the grounds of Elizabeth being “an adulteress” funny thing was that he could never produce any specific man that she was having an affair with. Nevertheless he kicked her out in 1537 forcing Elizabeth to live with her brother, Lord Cobham, refusing to pay support for his adulteress wife. Funny isn’t it that he was still carrying on his affair with Elizabeth Darrell. In 1541 Wyatt was arrested and his properties all confiscated. The Brooke family took advantage of this state of affairs and forced a reconciliation as a condition of Wyatt’s pardon. Apparently Lord Cobham had a lot of clout with King Henry. It doesn’t appear that Elizabeth ever went back to her home with Thomas. He would die in 1542.”

HANG ON, IT GETS EVEN MORE INTERESTING. I DID NOT KNOW THIS.

“It was early in 1542 that Lady Wyatt’s (Elizabeth) name crops up in Spanish dispatches as one of the three ladies in whom Henry VIII was said to be interested as a possible sixth wife. Any candidate had to be a direct descendant of Edward III. Elizabeth had an impeccable pedigree one that was even more princely than the King. However after his 5th wife Catherine Howard it was of up most importance that the King marry himself a wife with a spotless reputation. The scandal surrounding Elizabeth and Thomas caused the King to look elsewhere. Thank goodness for small miracles!!!!

According to Kelly Hart in her book Mistress’s of Henry VIII she is listed as one of his short term mistresses.”

(Note to self – buy that book.)

Learn more here:
http://tudordaughter.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-tudor-grandmother-elizabeth-brooke.html?

Research on other family members from that time period is similarly fascinating.

Stay tuned.

Micki