Discussion: I've Just Read About Anne Boleyn & The Unknown Pregnancy

"Now I am a little mad at Thomas Cromwell.... But I know that it was a dog eat dog world. May the better man/women win. If it wasn't Anne, then it would have been Cromwell.
"The news that the Queen might yet bear a son and so render herself invincible must have caused Cromwell considerable alarm, and given him the impetus to bring her down while he had the chance. He was keeping all his options open: at the end of April, he and his fellow conspirators were still discussing the possibility of the royal marriage being annulled"
"Anne was doomed. In the normal course of justice, her pregnancy would have saved her from a death sentence, or at least postponed it, but this child could never be allowed to live, because the King would not dare risk a disputed succession. Nor, however, could he be seen as a monarch who put an innocent baby to death, which is perhaps the reason why some of the documents relating to Anne's trial were destroyed. No further mention is made of her pregnancy, and it is perhaps significant that she was not made to undergo an examination by a panel of matrons before her execution, as Lady Jane Grey did in 1553. Anne herself never mentioned her condition while in the Tower, but neither did she make any reference to her daughter Elizabeth. In both cases, she must have realised that to do so would be futile, for Henry had hardened his heart against her."
Done."

"I think I have heard about Anne having a secret pregnancy towards the end of her life before. But how exactly would she get pregnant again if Henry wouldnt even touch her?"

"I have always believed that history is written only on what is known or on some basis of historical knowledge. All through history there seem to be stops and starts of "facts". It is not unreasonable to think that much of written history has been changed, ripped out of books and rewritten to allow a particular line of ideas to follow through. If parts of the written text from Annes trial were ripped out and disposed of, doesn't it follow that the knowledge it contained could have been injurious to those wanting to get rid of her? i,.e a pregnancy? However, if the king had known that Anne was pregnant, he would never have allowed her to be tried or condemned as his need for "

"Weir suggests that Henry sympathized with Anne over her miscarriage in January 1536, which was said to have been the result of her shock/concern about Henry in his jousting accident (he was unconscious for two hours and Anne was told about this) and her distress about his being unfaithful. He made several telling comments to ambassadors, etc, suggesting she was pregnant again after this January miscarriage and the missing information from her trial and certain elements of her pre-execution treatment suggest she was pregnant. It appears (and Weir presents evidence on this) that Anne realized the futility of approaching Henry and appealing through their children (Elizabeth and an unborn child). He was also about to lose his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy while all of this was going on (Henry was close to Fitzroy and distraught that the boy was sick). Potentially this lead to his erratic behavior in general and the fact that Cromwell presented his evidence of Anne's infidelity very effectively. It was weak evidence (even Anne's enemies didn't believe she was guilty) but Cromwell played Henry expertly."