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Anne Boleyn - Historical Profile
 | Queen Anne Boleyn ``of a Thousand Days`` Consort from 28th May 1533 to 19th May 1536 |  |
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| INTERESTING FACTS : - Apart from Katherine of Aragon, Anne was the only one of Henry's subsequent wives to have a coronation and be crowned. - Anne was very supportive and even defended the censored writing of Protestant upstarts and yet worshipped as a Catholic until her death. - Pope Clement VII paid spies to steal Henry VIII's love letters to his fiancée, Anne Boleyn to prove that they were lovers. However, no evidence could be uncovered and even Clement VII had to grudgingly admit that all impartial evidence from England suggested that Anne Boleyn was strong-willed but morally upright - She convinced Henry that The Bible should be translated into English and be available to the common people and not just the clergy. - She distributed a fortune in charity among the English people, more that her predecessor Katherine. She even sewed clothing with her own hands to distribute to the poor & personally tended to the ill on her travels. - She had a droll sense of humour and when there were protests to Henry choosing her as queen, for a short time she changed her motto to the Latin equivalent of "Grumble all you like. This is how it's going to be" and this was emblazoned on all her livery. A few weeks later it was removed. - George Wyatt (grandson of Thomas Wyatt) said she had a "double nail" on one of her fingers and suggested she had a large Adam's apple "like a man's". - No heretics were burned during her tenure as queen and in fact she saved the life of one Nicholas Bourbon. [* See notes below] -Anne is probably the only person to have ever said "no" to the King's advances which made her a challenge when he first encountered her. [* See notes below] - When Anne was created the first Marchioness of Pembroke in 1532, she became the first female English commoner ennobled in her own right, without inheritance or marriage, and at the time became the most prestigious non-royal woman in the land. - The french swordsman was paid 23 pounds to reduce her suffering to a minimum and he took her head in one try. Executions were routinely botched and often took several strikes to sever the head. Anne was worried about this having witnessed it and it was Henry's last act of "kindness".  Miniature by Lucas Horenbout / Horenbolte. This is a rare miniature portrait of Anne Boleyn in her mid-twenties, before she became queen of England. There is a definite likeness to the Holbein drawing on the right. Horenbout also painted miniatures of Henry VIII's other wives. However, Sir Roy Strong, the preeminent authority on 16th century portraiture, has identified the sitter as Anne; note, for instance, that she wears Anne's falcon badge  This portrait of Anne hangs in Hever Castle and is probably not a contemporary painting but based on the Holbein drawing above right which was done "from life".  Anne wearing a pendant with the entwined initials H & A painted in the Victorian Era  This lovely portrait of Anne is set up in her home in Hever, Castle (in Edenbridge, Kent) no one is allowed to take pictures of the painting. Only copies are made in children's book at the National Portrait Gallery's Shops.
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 17th Century Portrait  Holbein Drawings attributed to be Anne Boleyn 1533 -1536 The one below is disputed and may have been one of her ladies in waiting either Lady Margaret Lee or her sister Anne Wyatt.  TELEVISION AND MOVIE PORTRAYALS
 "H" and "A" for Henry and Anne under Anne Boleyn's gateway in Hampton Court Palace can still be seen |
| Only one of Anne's love letters to the king has survived. It is undated, but its contents place it in late summer/early autumn of 1526 : Sire, It belongs only to the august mind of a great king, to whom Nature has given a heart full of generosity towards the sex, to repay by favors so extraordinary an artless and short conversation with a girl. Inexhaustible as is the treasury of your majesty's bounties, I pray you to consider that it cannot be sufficient to your generosity; for, if you recompense so slight a conversation by gifts so great, what will you be able to do for those who are ready to consecrate their entire obedience to your desires? How great soever may be the bounties I have received, the joy that I feel in being loved by a king whom I adore, and to whom I would with pleasure make a sacrifice of my heart, if fortune had rendered it worthy of being offered to him, will ever be infinitely greater. The warrant of maid of honor to the queen induces me to think that your majesty has some regard for me, since it gives me means of seeing you oftener, and of assuring you by my own lips (which I shall do on the first opportunity) that I am, Your majesty's very obliged and very obedient servant, without any reserve, Anne Bulen. |
| Historical controversies about Anne Boleyn - click here |
| The Boleyn family home - Hever Castle in Kent |
     
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| Video exploring the authorship of "Oh death rock me asleep" by TheBullen1 aka Owen (youtube) "Martin Pope discovers whether Anne did write the attributed poem/ song 'O Death Rock Me Asleep' which history would have us believe that Anne wrote on her last night in the Tower of London, prior to her Execution on 19th May 1536. The video includes a very short clip of one of my heroes -- Dr Eric Ives, who's book 'The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn' has become something of a best friend to me! " |
| DOWNFALL AND EXECUTION: Anne's life would soon come to end following the arrest and torture of her musician, Mark Smeaton, sometime in the last week of April, 1536. All accusations were denied (adultery) but he soon confessed under torture. He provided another name, Sir Henry Norris. Henry was arrested on May Day and being an aristocrat and could not be tortured; however, he denied any wrongdoing between himself and the Queen. Sir Francis Weston was arrested two days after Norris on the same charges as the two above-mentioned. William Brereton was arrested shortly after Weston. The final man to be arrested on charges of incest and treason was Anne's own brother, George Boleyn. Two other men were arrested and later released ; Sir Thomas Wyatt & Sir Richard Page. Anne was arrested on May 2, 1536 and taken directly to The Tower. On May 12, 1536, four of the men were tried in Westminster. Norris, Brereton, and Weston maintained their innocence. Only Smeaton confessed to the charges he was accused of committing. Anne and George were tried three days later in The Tower. She was accused of incest, adultery, high treason, and witchcraft. On May 17, 1536, George and the four other men were executed and two days later (May 19, 1536) Anne was beheaded. Her body and head was placed into an arrow chest and buried in the Chapel of St. Peter of Vincula.
Anne's Final Speech: "Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul." Anne Boleyn's Burial information  The Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula ("St. Peter in chains") is the parish church of the Tower of London, dating from 1520 and is a Royal Peculiar. The name refers to St. Peter's imprisonment under Herod in Jerusalem. Some of the most famous prisoners have been executed at the Tower. They include both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, the 2nd and 5th wives of Henry VIII. Along with Lady Jane Grey (who reigned for nine days in 1553). When Sir Thomas More and John Fisher incurred the wrath of King Henry VIII, they too were executed and buried here. Both were later canonised by the Roman Catholic Church. A full list of all who have been executed can be found on the west wall of the Chapel. The Chapel can be visited during a specific tour within the Tower of London. The existing building, of typical Tudor design was erected in 1519-20 for King Henry VIII. It is thought that a chapel of some type may have stood in its position since before the Norman conquest. The Chapel contains many beautiful monuments including a memorial to John Holland, Duke of Exeter, a Constable of the Tower who died 1447. Along with an effigy of Sir Richard Cholmondeley, a Lieutenant of the Tower who died 1521. In the sanctuary, there is a monument to Sir Richard Blount, who died 1564, and his son Sir Michael, died 1610, both Tudor Lieutenants of the Tower, who would have witnessed many of the executions.  A Victorian rendition of Anne and her ladies in waiting in the Tower of London, by Edouard Cibot, c. 1835  | Song attributed to have been written by Anne (or possibly her brother George)
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 Anne Boleyn's remains are buried directly beneath this Seal on the alter floor. Her brother George Boleyn is buried close by within the same Chapel along with Jane Boleyn (George's wife who testified against Anne & George) and their cousin Katherine Howard. |  |
| For MORE on the history of Anne Boleyn click: The "Real" Life & Death of Anne Boleyn |
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | |
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| princess-orla | Do you think anne boleyn changed the face of england?? | 9 | Aug 27 2008, 2:15 PM EDT by lettice | |
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Thread started: Aug 17 2008, 12:18 PM EDT
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I think that Anne Boleyn made england what it is today for 3 reasons...
1. If she hadnt married Henry then Elizabeth I wouldnt have become queen 2. Henry VIII would never have married Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard or Catherine Howard 3. If Henry hadnt insisted on his divorce from catheine of aragon then he wouldnt have made himself head of the church of england and started a revoult amoungst his subjects What do you guys think?? Do you agree or disagree?? Do you have any more reasons to add to my list?? What do you think England would have been like if Anne and Henry never married?? |
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| MsSquirrly | If you could ask Anne Boleyn any question, what would it be? (page: 1 2 3 4) | 62 | Aug 4 2008, 3:29 AM EDT by FMFJRMGRL | |
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Thread started: Jun 2 2008, 1:23 AM EDT
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For me, it would be. Did you ever really love Henry VIII? I have my doubts.
and did you write your thoughts in a letter to your daughter before your death? |
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| MsSquirrly | Anne is probably the only person to ever say "no" to the King. (page: 1 2 3) | 53 | Apr 30 2008, 8:38 AM EDT by lettice | |
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Thread started: Apr 11 2008, 10:30 AM EDT
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That sentence was in the "Interesting Facts" on this page about Anne Boleyn which started some comments so I thought I would start a thread so more opinions can be added. Here were the comments:
- WRONG: Katharine of Aragon did it (as in 'no' to the divorce, 'no' to being deposed as queen, 'no' to sending Princess Mary's christening robes for Ann's daughter to wear) for years, and in the end, she kept her head, but then, she was the aunt of the Emperor Charles V, whom Henry feared, as well as royal in her own right and a Spanish national. - Katherine may have 'said' no but Henry did divorce her, did depose her as queen and had his way regardless of her protests. Whereas Anne said she would not be his mistress. - Anne stopped saying 'no' and became Henry's mistress before her secret marriage and sometime after being created Marquess of Pembroke. Anne came to her marrriage on January 25th 1533 pregnant. Erickson, "Mistress Anne. pg 186, Fraser, "The Wives of Henry VIII pg 187, Weir, pp 240-41, Williams, "Henry VIII and His Court" , pg 123. Fraser quotes Ives who is thought to be more sympathetic to Anne, Apparently even he wrote about Anne's pre-marital pregnancy, so they all must have had a contemporary source. Katharine never stopped saying 'no' and kept her head in spite of that. Anne said 'no' to Henry's subsequent affairs and did not give him a son besides. He deposed her, divorced her, and beheaded her. - Jane Seymour also said 'no' to Henry - When he was courting her during his marriage to Anne, he sent her a purse of money and a letter. Jane returned both gifts without even opening the letter, refusing to be his mistress, and often reminded Henry of the fact that he was still married. |
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| MsSquirrly | Anne Boleyn - Protagonist or Pawn? (page: 1 2 3) | 53 | Apr 30 2008, 1:19 AM EDT by miller-pvkk | |
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Thread started: Mar 24 2008, 12:03 PM EDT
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The following was posted on page 2 of the Anne Boleyn profile and rather than muddy that up, I thought it might be good to start a thread on this subject here:
Anyone who did not agree to Henry's assumption as head of the Church of England or to Ann's daughter replacing the rightful heir, Mary Tudor, daughter of Katharine of Aragon, was sent to the block or the scaffold; she may not have actually sent them to their deaths, but her vengeful and petty machinations did. Among those were Thomas More, John Fisher, and many other clerics; she was responsible for the downfall of Thomas Wolsey, the King's friend and able counselor (unlike More and Fisher, Wolsey had no qualms of conscience in carrying out the King's will; he was just unfortunate enough to be unable to secure the divorce and to have incurred Ann's enmity.) When he fell out of love with Ann, Henry resented the loss of the friends and counselors that love of her had caused him to execute. She was also known to advocate the deaths of Queen Katharine and the Princess Mary. This woman was far from an angel. She just stepped over or on anyone who stood in her way. In reply: -It is simplistic to believe that Anne alone was responsible for the deaths of Wolsey, More & Fisher. The Tudor court politics was made up of factions of influential people who supported their patrons. More & Fisher were supportive of the catholic faction of Katherine and her daughter. They became collateral damage when the Boleyn faction which at the time was supported by Thomas Cromwell & the Protestants had the King's "ear". The reformation was advanced by their deaths. In turn Katherine's daughter Mary executed many many more during her reign. |
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