INdlovukazi—Enobuhlakani Eyanqoba UMbhishobhi Onobuqili

Ngumlobeli we-Phaphama! eNingizimu Afrika

INDLOVUKAZI yaseNgilandi uCatherine Parr izizwa ilondekile lapho inezincekukazi zayo ezithembekile. INkosi uHenry VIII, ikhathazwa ukugula kanye namacebo ayimfihlo asebukhosini. Lapho indlovukazi isaxoxa nomngane wayo, kungena enye yezincekukazi zayo ngokushesha, iphethe iphepha. Ihefuzela, ilinika uCatherine. Ixakwe ukukhathazeka kwencekukazi, indlovukazi ilamukela imadolo nzima leli phepha. Ngokusobala, lishiywe isikhulu esithile singaqondile ngaphandle kwendlu yendlovukazi.a

Njengoba elifunda uCatherine uyashintsha ebusweni. Ukungalikholelwa kwakhe kuphenduka ukwesaba. Libhalwe uhlu lwamacala amangalelwe ngawo ngokuthi uyisihlubuki, olusayinwe yinkosi. Ukhala aze acishe awele phansi kodwa umngane wakhe uyamphasa. Uzama ukwehlisa umoya, acabange kahle, kodwa ukhathazeke kakhulu. Ngozwela izincekukazi zakhe zimyisa embhedeni.

Uyalala kodwa akazumeki. Njengoba elokhu ephaphama, ubukeza izenzakalo zomshado wakhe neNkosi uHenry VIII. Wayeneminyaka engu-31, wayeseshade kabili eshonelwa, futhi wayecabanga ukushada neqhathanzipho elinguThomas Seymour. Kodwa inkosi yayinamanye amaqhinga. Yameshela. Wayengala kanjani? Phela kwakuwudumo, kodwa olugcwele izinkinga. Waba inkosikazi yayo yesithupha ngo-July 12, 1543.

UHenry wayengaseyilona iqhathanzipho, iqhawe elalilwa ligibele ihhashi nomgijimi njengoba ayenjalo esemusha. Njengoba eseneminyaka engu-52, wayesekhuluphele kakhulu, esenemizwelo eshintshashintshayo futhi ehlushwa izilonda emilenzeni kangangokuthi ngezinye izikhathi wayengakwazi ukuhamba futhi kwakudingeka athwalwe ngesihlalo.

Nokho, uCatherine wayesebenzise konke ukuhlakanipha namakhono anawo ukuze enze umshado uphumelele. Wayezwana nezingane zenkosi ezintathu eyayizithole kwabanye eyayikade ishade nabo ngaphambili. Wazama ngokusemandleni ukuba umfazi oletha injabulo. Lapho imilenze yenkosi ibuhlungu, wayeyenza ukuba ingabunaki ubuhlungu ngokuyixoxela izindaba ezijabulisayo, ngokuvamile izindaba zenkolo. Wenza inkosi yaba nesilinganiso esithile sokuthula kwengqondo eminyakeni yayo yokukhula.

Manje uzama ukucabanga ngokuphila kwakhe nenkosi. Woneni? Ucabanga ngomhlangano abebe nawo nenkosi muva nje. Ngalobo busuku ezinye zezinceku zayo zazikhona, futhi yayibonakala ijabule. Njengenhlalayenza, waphakamisa umbuzo wenkolo ababexoxe ngawo ngaphambili. Yamthulisa ngokhahlo. Wamangala kodwa wakudlulisa wathi ukuthi nje inkosi ishintsha esikhaleni. Ngokuvamile yayizijabulela izingxoxo ezinjalo futhi ayikaze iphikisane nokuthanda kwakhe izindaba zenkolo.

Useyakhumbula ukuthi obani ababekhona ngaleso sikhathi. Imicabango yakhe igxila kakhulu kumuntu oyedwa—uStephen Gardiner, isitha esaziwayo.

UMbhishobhi Onecebo

UGardiner, umbhishobhi waseWinchester nomeluleki wenkosi, uyindoda enethonya nemelene nenguquko yenkolo. Ayimfuni uCatherine ngenxa yokuthi unesithakazelo enguqukweni yenkolo nangenxa yethonya lakhe enkosini.

Lapho umeluleki omkhulu kaHenry, uThomas Cromwell, ehlela ukuba uGardiner agudluzwe esikhundleni sakhe sokuba unobhala omkhulu wenkosi, uGardiner wafuna ithuba lokuziphindiselela. Wahlanganyela ecebweni elabangela ukuwa nokubulawa kukaCromwell. UGardiner wayekhungathekiswe nawukuthi uHenry wayemshaye indiva wabeka uThomas Cranmer owayengadumile waba uMbhishobhi Omkhulu waseCanterbury, owayethanda amaProthestani. UCranmer waba nenhlanhla, uHenry walibhuntshisa icebo ayenzelwe lona uGardiner nabanye.

Ukuba sengozini kukaCatherine nezincekukazi zakhe sekuqiniswa elinye icebo lakamuva loMbhishobhi uGardiner. Intokazi u-Anne Askew, wayengumshisekeli ongananazi wenguquko yenkolo. Wayesejele elinde ukukhishwa kwesahlulelo sakhe ngokuba yisihlubuki. Kodwa uGardiner wayemthandela okunye. Wayefuna ubufakazi bokuthi wayenobudlelwano nezintokazi zasebukhosini ezinethonya, okwakungafakazela ukumangalela kwakhe indlovukazi. Umngane kaGardiner, uThomas Wriothesley, omunye wabeluleki benkosi abakhulu, wahamba wayobuza u-Anne Askew.

Ukuhlushwa Emshinini Wokuthwishila

UWriothesley wasesha u-Anne isikhathi esithile, kodwa akabutholanga ubufakazi bokummangalela ayebufuna. Ekugcineni wayala ukuba aboshelwe emshinini wokuthwishila,b nakuba umthetho wawungavumi ukuba leli thuluzi lokuhlukumeza lisetshenziswe kowesifazane. Lapho lokhu kuhluleka ukumenza akhulume, uWriothesley nomunye umeluleki bazibambela mathupha umshini wokuthwishila bamthwishila baze bakhathala, kodwa abazange bakuthole ukwaziswa ababekufuna.

Ukucabanga ngokuhlushwa kuka-Anne Askew kuyamkhalisa uCatherine. Uyezwa ukuthi kukhona othile ongena endlini. Enye yezincekukazi zakhe iyangena imtshele ukuthi uDkt. Wendy, uthunywe yinkosi ukuba azomhlola. Lo dokotela onomusa umbuza ukuthi unjani abese ethi inkosi iyayikhathalela impilo yakhe.

Lo dokotela umchazela ukuthi inkosi imtshele imfihlo yecebo elakhiwa ngaye nokuthi imfungisé ukuba angayithi vú. Noma kunjalo uDkt. Wendy umtshela yonke indaba—ukuthi ngemva kokuba indlovukazi iphumile endlini yenkosi ngalobo busuku, wasale wakhuluma ngokubhuqa wathi kuyaduduza ukuthi lapho inkosi isiguga “ifundiswe inkosikazi [yayo].”

UGardiner wabamba lelo thuba. Wathi indlovukazi iyisihlubuki, izenzo zayo ezobumbuka futhi ziwuzungu egunyeni lenkosi. Wathi uma benikwa isikhathi, yena nabanye, banganikeza inkosi ubufakazi balokhu. Inkosi eyayisithukuthele ithelwa ngamanzi yavuma ukusayina isivumelwano esimelene nendlovukazi.

Ngemva kokulandisa ngalezi zenzakalo, uDkt. Wendy umnxusa ukuba aye enkosini ngokushesha ngangokunokwenzeka futhi acele intethelelo ngokuthobeka. Lena ukuphela kwendlela angabhuntshisa ngayo icebo lezitha zakhe, ezingeke zidele engakaboshwa e-Tower of London futhi zingakabi nobufakazi obanele bokumlahla ngecala lokufa.

UCatherine uyabona ukuthi sinengqondo lesi seluleko, futhi ngobunye ubusuku, lapho ezwa ukuthi inkosi isendlini yayo, uzilungisa kahle abese ebukeza lokho azokusho. Uphelezelwa udadewabo ongumngane wakhe, uNkosazana Lane.

INdlovukazi Enokuhlakanipha Nokuqonda

Inkosi ihlezi, izincokolela nezinye zezinceku zayo. Yamukela inkosikazi yayo ngokumamatheka. Ibe isishintsha ingxoxo ixoxa ngezindaba zenkolo. Icela uCatherine ukuba ayixazululele ukungabaza enakho ngezinye izinto. Ngokushesha uCatherine uyabona ukuthi imcuphile. Uzama ngokusemandleni ukuba aphendule ngobuqotho nangokwethembeka.

Uthi uNkulunkulu wadala owesifazane ngemva kowesilisa—owesifazane engaphansi kwakhe. Uyaqhubeka: ‘Kusukela lapho uNkulunkulu wenza kwaba nomehluko ongokwemvelo phakathi kowesilisa nowesifazane, futhi inkosi yami iphakeme kangaka ngokuhlakanipha, mina ngingelutho kangaka kuyo, kwenzeka kanjani ukuba inkosi yami, ibonakale ifuna ukwahlulela kwami ezindabeni zenkolo ezinzima kangaka?’ Ube esephawula ukuthi inkosi iyinhloko yakhe kuzo zonke izinto, uNkulunkulu kuphela ongaphezu kwayo.

‘Akunjalo,’ kuphendula inkosi. ‘Sekunguwe umfundisi osifundisayo, akuthina esifundisa wena futhi sikuqondise.’

Uyaphendula: ‘Uma inkosi yami ikubheka kanjalo, inkosi yami ingiqonda kabi, mina engikubheka njengokungafanele kakhulu, nokuyihlazo ukuba owesifazane athathe isikhundla sokuqondisa nokufundisa inkosi yakhe nomyeni wakhe, angafundi kuyo futhi afundiswe yiyo.’ Uyaqhubeka echaza ukuthi lapho ekhuluma naye ngezindaba zenkolo futhi ngezinye izikhathi eveza umbono wakhe, usuke engenzeli ukuthuthukisa imibono yakhe. Kunalokho, lapho exoxa usuke ethemba ukuthi uzomenza akhohlwe izinhlungu azizwayo ngenxa yokugula.

‘Kunjalo ngempela, S’thandwa?’ kusho inkosi. ‘Bewungavusi izimpikiswano ngenjongo embi? Manje sesingabangane abakhulu futhi, kunanoma yinini ngaphambili.’ Inkosi isahlezi, iyambiza imanga ngemfudumalo futhi iyamqabula. Ithi ukuzwa lezi zindaba kudlula ukuthola isipho sezinkulungwane eziyikhulu zopondo ungazelele. Bayaqhubeka bezixoxela kahle kuze kube yilapho inkosi imnika imvume yokuba ahambe, cishe phakathi kwamabili.

Ngosuku olulandelayo inkosi iyazizulela njengenhlalayenza engadini yasebukhosini, iphelezelwa izinceku zayo ezimbili ezingabalindi bekamelo lokulala. Ibizé indlovukazi ukuba izohamba nayo, futhi ifika ngesikhathi kanye nezincekukazi zayo ezintathu. UHenry akamtshelanga uCatherine ukuthi lesi yisikhathi okwakuvunyelwene ukuthi uzoboshwa ngaso. Futhi akamtshelanga noWriothesley, okunguye owayezobopha indlovukazi, ukuthi sebebuyisene. Lapho besazijabulela, kuqhamuka uWriothesley nabalindi benkosi abangu-40 ukuze azobopha indlovukazi kanye nezincekukazi zayo.

UHenry uyabashiya abize uWriothesley, oguqa ngamadolo phambi kwenkosi. Bonke abanye abakuzwa lokho okushiwo yinkosi, kodwa bayayizwa ikhuluma ngolaka, ‘Mkhohlisi! Sedeleli! Siphukuphuku Ndini!’ Utshela uWriothesley ukuba anyamalale emehlweni akhe.

Lapho inkosi iphindela kuye, uCatherine uzama ukuyehlisa umoya ngamazwi apholile. Uze akhulumele noWriothesley, ethi noma yini ayenzile kungenzeka uyenze ngephutha.

Inkosi iyaphendula: ‘Ngokuqinisekile, S’thandwa, ubekubophela amanqina enyathi, ngakho-ke makahambe.’

Ngaleyo ndlela uCatherine wophulwa ezitheni zakhe, futhi uMbhishobhi uGardiner walahlekelwa ukuthandwa yinkosi. Indlovukazi yayilinqobile icebo lombhishobhi. Umdlalo waphela.c

[Imibhalo yaphansi]

[Izithombe ekhasini 20]

INdlovukazi UCatherine Parr

UMBhishobhi UStephen Gardiner

[Umthombo]

Detail of Catherine Parr: By courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London; Stephen Gardiner: National Trust Photographic Library/J. Whitaker

[Isithombe ekhasini 22]

UHenry VIII walahla UThomas Wriothesley ngecala phambi kwendlovukazi

[Umthombo]

Portrait by Holbein, from the book The History of Protestantism (Vol. III)

[Umthombo Wesithombe ekhasini 20]

Background on pages 20-2: From the book The Library of Historic Characters and Famous Events, Vol. VII, 1895