Chateau Vert, March 1522.

On this week in 1522, it was Shrove Tuesday. Jane, Anne and Mary Boleyn took part in the masque titled “Chateau Vert” at York Place. The masque was to impress Charles V’s ambassadors who had been sent to England and was about the cruelty of unrequited love.

Along with five other women, they were each cast in the roles of the perfect feminine qualities. Jane was “Constancy”, Anne was “Perseverance” and Mary was “Kindness”. The irony of the choice of titles is not lost of most people! In addition, “Beauty” was played by Princess Mary (the King’s sister), “Honour” was played by the Countess of Devonshire, “Bounty” was played by Mistress Browne and “Mercy” was played by Mistress Dannet. Unfortunately, we don’t know who played “Pity”.

Jane would have had the words “Constancy” emblazoned on the white satin of her gown in yellow satin twenty-times. Jane’s head-dress was a Milan bonnet decorated with the fabric of Venetian Gold.

The ladies had to mount the top of the Chateau Vert, a great wooden structure with three towers. They had to stand at the top of these three towers, which were green. The battlements were covered in tinfoil.

Jane, Anne and Mary would have stood at the top of the main tower, which illuminated the other two towers with a cresset burning at the top. A banner hanged from all three towers. It showed three hearts torn to pieces, a woman’s hand gripping a man’s heart and a woman’s hand turning a man’s heart upside-down.

At the bottom of the castle, were the best eight male qualities – “Amoressness”, “Nobleness”, “Youth”, “Attendance”, “Loyalty”, “Pleasure”, “Gentleness” and “Liberty”. The King was the lead character “Ardent Desire”, adorned in crimson satin and embroidered flames of gold. His men had caps and coats made of cloth of gold and tinsel, blue velvet boots and blue satin cloaks.

The castle was also being guarded by the contrary feminine vices of “Danger”, “Disdain”, “Jealousy”, “Unkindness”, “Scorn”, “Malebouche” and “Strangeness”. These were eight members of the royal chapel choir dressed as Indian women. Scorn and Disdain declared that they would resist the perfect feminine qualities from coming down from the Castle. So Ardent Desire led an attack on the castle with airborn fruit – Dates, Oranges and other fruits associated with pleasure. The perfect feminine qualities got hold of buckets of rosewater and sweetmeats and threw these from the top of the Tower. The castle was then bombarded with bows and balls.

Then, in the next scene, it was shown that masculine ardour had triumphed over feminine coldness. The ladies, being the warm and soft qualities, were led out of the castle. They had been captured and now they were being brought out to dance. Jane, Anne and Mary were led into a dance with the eight male qualities. Jane was with Loyalty, Anne was with Nobleness and Mary was with Gentleness. The men were all well-disguised, so they had no idea who was who.

Source – “Jane Boleyn – The Infamous Lady Rochford” – Julia Fox, 2007.

Image - “Chateau Vert” as shown in “The Tudors”.