Already a member?
Sign in
Welcome! Wikis are websites that everyone can build together. It's easy!
Anne Boleyn Controversies
| Anne has been called “the most influential and important queen consort this country has ever had” & yet there are still many questions which have no definitive answers |
| Birthdate Controversy: Historians do not agree when Anne Boleyn was born. The debate may never be fully solved since parish records chronicling precise dates of birth were not kept until the time of Elizabeth I. An Italian historian, writing in 1600, suggested that she had been born in 1499; whilst Sir Thomas More’s son-in-law suggested a much later date of 1512. All other guesses fall within this period of 1499 - 1512. Nowadays, the academic debate centres around two key dates: 1501 and 1507. Two great authorities on the period, historian Eric Ives and Retha Warnicke (both of whom have written non-fictional biographies of Anne) disagree. Ives, a British historian and legal expert, promotes the 1501 date, whilst American scholar Warnicke prefers 1507. Some other writers, like Paul Friedmann, Norah Lofts and Hester W. Chapman, all suggested that a birthday somewhere between 1501 and 1507 might be the safest guess such as 1505. The key point in the argument is a letter written by Anne in about 1514. It was written to her father, who was still living in England, whilst Anne was completing her education in the Netherlands. Professor Ives insists that the style of the letter proved Anne must have been about thirteen at the time of its composition. Warnicke argues the spelling is too juvenile and phonetic for a mature teenager and is therefore clearly the work of a child. A full examination of the letter is still required, as both sides currently claim it as supporting evidence. Both sides of the argument continue to hold their ground. The entry on Anne (written by Professor Ives) in the new Dictionary of National Biography opts for 1500 and entirely dismisses the claims of 1507. In several articles in the English Historical Review, Warnicke has dismissed the 1501 date as implausible. |
| Appearance and personality: Anne Boleyn was not conventionally beautiful for her time because she was too thin and her colouring was considered by some to be too dark. However, many observers were impressed by her dark eyes and long, dark hair which by today's standards could be considered beautiful. One Italian who met Anne in 1532 wrote that she was "not one of the handsomest women in the world", but others thought she was "competent belle" ("quite beautiful") and "young and good-looking. " One historian has compiled all the descriptions and concludes thus: “She was never described as a great beauty, but even those who loathed her admitted that she had a dramatic allure. Her dark complexion and black hair gave her an exotic aura in a culture that saw milk-white paleness as essential to beauty. Her eyes were especially striking: “black and beautiful” wrote one contemporary, while another averred they were “always most attractive,” and that she “well knew how to use them with effect.” People seemed primarily attracted by Anne's charisma. She made a good impression with her fashion sense, inspiring many new trends amongst the court ladies. In hindsight, she was probably the biggest English fashion icon of the early 16th century. William Forrest, author of a contemporary poem about Katherine of Aragon, complimented Anne's "passing excellent" skill as a dancer. "Here," he wrote, "was [a] fresh young damsel, that could trip and go." “Anne’s charm lay not so much in her physical appearance as in her vivacious personality, her gracefulness, her quick wit and other accomplishments. She was petite in stature, and had an appealing fragility about her… she shone at singing, making music, dancing and conversation… Not surprisingly, the young men of the court swarmed around her.” She was a devout Christian in the new tradition of Renaissance Humanism (calling her a Protestant would be an overstatement). She also gave generously to charity and sewed shirts for the poor. In her youth she was "sweet and cheerful" and enjoyed gambling, drinking wine, and gossiping. She was also brave and emotional. Yet, according to her enemies, Anne could also be extravagant, neurotic, vindictive and bad-tempered. “To us she appears inconsistent – religious yet aggressive, calculating yet emotional, with the light touch of the courtier yet the strong grip of the politician … A woman in her own right – taken on her own terms in a man’s world; a woman who mobilized her education, her style and her presence to outweigh the disadvantages of her sex; of only moderate good looks, but taking a court and a king by storm. Perhaps, in the end, it is Thomas Cromwell’s assessment that comes nearest: intelligence, spirit and courage.” [E. Ives] |
| Inability to Provide a Male Heir: Anne Boleyn bore only one child to her husband Henry VIII - a princess who grew up to become one of the greatest monarchs in English memory, Elizabeth I. Yet one princess and three subsequent miscarriages were not enough to secure Anne's position as Henry's queen consort. During their seven year courtship Anne promised Henry sons, but like her predecessor Katherine of Aragon, Anne was unable to deliver a living male heir. Theories have developed over the centuries to explain Anne's predicament was more than just a case of bad luck.
|
| Theories about Anne Boleyn's Downfall : Historians still debate over why these extraordinary events took place. There are four main theories about Anne Boleyn’s demise, which the Oxford historian Steven J. Gunn described as historical “trench warfare”.
Most historians are now divided between Ives’s political theory and Warnicke’s deformed foetus concept. However both have serious drawbacks. The ‘deformed foetus’ theory’s principal failing is a near total absence of prima facie evidence. It is simply an idea, built on very little solid fact. The drawback of the political theory is principally that neither Cromwell nor anyone else would have dared attack Anne without the King’s consent. The idea of Cromwell hatching the plot himself is therefore unrealistic in the context of the time. Perhaps the most plausible explanation would indeed be some form of blend of all of the above. Almost certainly Anne was innocent of adultery; nevertheless her flamboyant behaviour certainly helped her accusers. Also, it was probably becoming politically convenient to get rid of Anne, but this would not have progressed if the king himself had not also wished to be rid of her for his own personal reasons. If all these political and personal reasons collided at this time, no doubt Anne’s fate was sealed. |
| Anne's subsequent reputation: Henry VIII' s conduct immediately following Boleyn’s death was so openly joyful that it shocked even the Spanish Ambassador, Chapuys, who commented that the king seemed to wear his “horns very readily.” Opinions on Anne Boleyn’s character were published as fact beginning shortly after her death, and continuing after her daughter’s death. The Catholic portrayal of Anne as an evil and manipulative witch is the most penetrating and well-known legend of her existence. The Protestant legend of Anne is that of a saint. These two sides directly contradict one another. Modern historians must draw their conclusions about her true personality from the heavily biased opinions of these two groups of writers. Nicholas Sanders, an English Catholic priest who was opposed to the Church of England and advocated the deposing of Elizabeth, made a number of claims about Boleyn, which were reworked and published after his death in De origine et progressu schismatis Anglicani (The origin and progress of the English Schism), 1585. It must be noted that Sanders never knew or saw Anne at any point during her life. Sanders was the first to claim in print that Boleyn was deformed, giving her the features of a witch. His allegations included the claims that she was a nymphomaniac with an excess of lovers; and that she had a projecting tooth; and that she had six fingers (hexadactyly) on one hand. All these features were traditionally associated with witches. There is no contemporary evidence to support such allegations, despite their popularity and inclusion in many modern textbooks. Meanwhile, the Protestant writer John Foxe proclaimed that she had been a saint. He repeatedly stated that the Church of England owed its existence to Queen Anne, who was the most beautiful of all in character, learning and piety. William Shakespeare began the tradition of presenting her as a romantic lady in his 1613 play Henry VIII. The play focuses on the king's divorce from Katherine of Aragon and, although Boleyn's part is small, she still speaks some of the most memorable lines in the play. She is also eulogised in her coronation scene, when one of the spectators refers to her as being a woman of exceptional beauty and piety. In order to avoid demonising Henry VIII at her expense, the play ended with the christening of their daughter, thus avoiding the controversial issue of Boleyn’s execution. |
| Pardon for Anne? On April 1, 2005 Retired Wing Commander George Melville-Jackson approached British Home Secretary Charles Clarke in a bid to formally pardon Anne Boleyn. Although she was long-dead, he asserted that she never deserved to be branded as a criminal; in the event that a declaration that she was not guilty of her alleged crimes was not possible, he would have settled for a pardon. He also sought the removal of her remains from her resting place at the Tower of London to Westminister Abbey, where her esteemed daughter Queen Elizabeth I was buried. [source www.telegraph.co.uk ] The request was later rejected, since the antiquity of the case meant that so much of the original evidence had been destroyed, and so the British government was incapable of proving her innocence. |
For more on Anne Boleyn - click links below
Latest page update: made by MsSquirrly
, Jul 9 2008, 4:16 PM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by MsSquirrly
view changes
- complete history)
Edited by MsSquirrly
view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags:
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn Controversies
Henry VIII
More Info: links to this page