Anne Boleyn’s Moost Happi Medal
Remember months ago when I mentioned that I had to chaperone the ChickieNob during her research slot at the British Museum, and I got to throw on a pair of nitrile gloves and hold the medals, too?
It turned out that the medal we were holding had a whole pregnancy loss backstory.
At the time, I didn’t realize it was the only copy in the world. I thought it was a known copy, and the British Museum had one, and perhaps another historical society had one, but it turned out to be the only copy, and that’s the story.
Anne Boleyn had her court medal made to celebrate the fact that she was pregnant. They were often handed out in court to show the person’s connection to the royal family.
Anne’s medal is a picture of her — I believe the only true, created in her lifetime picture of her — and the words “The Moost Happi Anno 1534.” But she miscarried before they could make the medals beyond this one template. Her most happy year turned into the worst year due to her loss.
And I got to hold the medal after ChickieNob sketched it for her capstone project.
I didn’t realize that story until we got home and were watching an Anne Boleyn documentary. It makes the whole thing — that connection of pregnancy loss over almost 500 years — all the more poignant.
3 comments
Those kind of moments are so magical to me. We connect to people who are no longer ghosts of time and story, but a woman, much like ourselves mourning a lifetime of memories that could never be,
Oh wow. I can’t say anything more than that. The Barreness said it perfectly.
Wow — you know, I remember seeing that medal/portrait, in one of those British programs about royal history that they show on PBS. But I don’t remember any mention that it was connected to her pregnancy or loss. (Typical, eh??)