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In 1528, Du Bellay, the French ambassador wondered if Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s relationship was strong enough to survive an extended period of separation. The ambassador’s question was soon answered, when on 16 June 1528, one of Anne’s ladies in waiting fell ill with the dreaded sweating sickness, ‘a highly contagious and frequently fatal disease’ that Eric Ives believes was probably a virus infection similar to the Spanish flu of 1918 (Pg. 100)… 

Within about a month [following Anne’s recovery from the Sweat], after an imposed period of quarantine, Anne Boleyn was back at court and Du Bellay had a clear answer to his earlier question. The separation had no negative effect on Anne and Henry’s relationship. On the contrary, on Anne’s return, Du Bellay noted ‘the king is in so deeply that God alone can get him out of it’ (Ives, Pg. 101). 

On The Tudor Trail

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