Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn (formerley "Bullen") is probably the most controversial and talked about Queens and Ladies in british history.

Born somewhere between 1501/1507 depending on which historical book you read, anne was daughter of Elizabeth howard and Sir Thomas boleyn. They had three children, Mary the eldest, Anne and the youngest was George. Their mother was beleived to have died in Childbirth, with the boleyns fourth child who did not survive.

It was the eldest Boelyn Mary who came to court first, after being sent to france to be educated in the finer of the courts of the day, alongside Thomas and Edward Seymour. Mary met the kings eye in around 1520 and was sent back to England as the kings mistress after he tired of Elizabeth blount. Mary had two children in this time, which are still debated as to being the kings offspring, however nothing was actually proven.

Anne boleyn followed her sister to france and remained after Mary returned to england. Anne later followed and took the king by storm. She was not the conventional beauty of the 16th century. Her hair was long and dark, she was of a thin frame with small breasts and hips and the infamous "little neck". she was known for the B necklance she wore and was a leader as apposed to a follower which proved to be true in the way she carried her fashion, beleiving to have made the "French hoods" so popular and also adopted Secretary Cromwells views on the reformation of the church. Anne was sent back to her home in Kent, known as hever castle after being engaged to Henry percy. When henrys father found out he was said to have been outraged, there is also a beleif that the king had sent to wolsey to persuade Percy to call off the engagement at the kings request.

Anne was devastated but soon turned her affections to her cousin (or neighbour depending on historical facts and evidence) Thoams wyatt, who later went on to become a great poet and protestant.

Anne was to put aside her passion for the love of her family and as the kings passion wained for Mary, his lust and desire for anne only grew larger. Thomas and her uncle Duke of norfolk, agreed that Anne would have to use her cunning and ambitious streak to keep the kings affection in the hopes that the boleyn family would rise ever higher. By this time Sir Thomas boelyn was already made Viscount of Rochford, which George and his wife Jane boleyn were said to inherit.

Obeying her fathers orderes and satisfying the king, anne continued to play on Henry's affections by abstaining from sexual relations with him until she were married, this in turn urged Henry to take his passion to the next step and make the enticing Anne his queen. Henry had promised anne be queen in 1527, it wasnt until 1533 did anne take her place as queen and "rightful wife" after Katherine was sent into exile and forced to renounce her status.

By 1533 Anne was already pregnant, leading historians to beleive that she indeed conceived with Henry in 1532 after eventually giving into his seduction. Her marriage and pregnancy was highly celebrated as was Henry's new rise to power as head of the church of england, with all catholic monuments and teachings to be abolished in favour of his new Queen, however it was merely for his own selfish desires, for now henry could command whoever he wanted to be sent to the scaffold without recognition from the pope, he had this put into place when two of his loyal subjects, Thomas more, devout catholic and Bishop fisher, made cardinal by the Pope in italy at the time, were both sent to death by beheading.

Anne gave birth to a daughter on september 7th 1533, after taking to her birthing chamber nine days prior. At around 3 in the afternoon it is beleived that Elizabeth was born. Her christening service was not that of the first ill fated prince Henry to Katherine of aragon, none the less twas still a grand affair. The princess's white christening robes can still be seen on display at Sudeley castle in england. The name Elizabeth was after Henry's mother Elizabeth of York which would have suited anne fine, since her Mother was also named Elizabeth. The urgency for the vast ageing Henry to conceive an heir put great strain on their marriage and in annes time of pregnancy, Henry was beleived to have looked elsewhere for his pleasure delighting in mistresses from around and even consulting whores, although this widely speculated to be rumor.

Anne knew the haste in which she had to produce a son, not just for herself but for her familys own weatlh and love of the court was dwindling rapidly. By January 1534 anne was pregnant again, but alas the child was still born, (beleived to have been) Anne did not give up hope and became pregnant again in 1535 but the child was born prematurely, and was beleived to have been deformed, and at the worst indeed a boy it was. By now speculation and accusation was surrounding anne as to her faithfulness with the king. Surely a disformed baby could not have been the product of a healthy King and Queen?

Henry started to buy into the conspirators that anne had, one being Thomas cromwell the very man who saw her rise and encouraged her to aid the protestant movement and reformation in england, also plotted her downfall and questioned the men including anne's brother george of whom she was very close to, and his rather bitter wife Jane parker into Annes chastity before marriage and faithfullness during their marriage.

Anne blamed the fatal pregnancy on the awful news of Henrys jousting accident which occured sometime in between her last pregnancy and the baby being born. Anne was also fully aware of the Kings new favourite at court, one of her slow ready to please ladies in waiting, the blonde and somewhat silly, Jane Seymour who was beleived to have read to henry when he cried aloud in pain after his accident had left him with an ulcerated leg which never healed and caused him great discomfort. Henry also sad that he would never joust again, began to worry if what was being said about anne was true.

On April 30, 1536, Anne's musician and friend for several years, Mark Smeaton, was arrested and most likely tortured into making 'revelations' about the Queen. Next, Sir Henry Norris was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. Then the Queen's own brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford was arrested.

On May 2, the Queen herself was arrested at Greenwich and was informed of the charges against her: adultery, incest and plotting to murder the King. She was then taken to the Tower by barge along the same path she had traveled to prepare for her coronation just three years earlier. In fact, she was lodged in the same rooms she had held on that occasion. How very ironic indeed.

There were several more arrests. Sir Francis Weston and William Brereton were charged with adultery with the Queen. Sir Thomas Wyatt was also arrested, but later released. They were put on trial with Smeaton and Norris at Westminster Hall on May 12, 1536. The men were not allowed to defend themselves, as was the case in charges of treason. They were found guilty and received the required punishment: they were to be hanged at Tyburn, cut down while still living and then disemboweled and quartered.

On Monday the 15th, the Queen and her brother were put on trial at the Great Hall of the Tower of London. It is estimated that some 2000 people attended. Anne conducted herself in a calm and dignified manner, denying all the charges against her. Her brother was tried next, with his own wife Jane Boleyn, lady rochford testifying against him Even though the evidence against them was barely passable as evidence at all , they were both found guilty, with the sentence being read by their uncle, Thomas Howard , the Duke of Norfolk. They were to be either burnt at the stake (which was the punishment for incest) or beheaded, at the discretion of the King.

At the sympathy (or in the real case GUILT) of the King, Anne and George were sent to their death by beheading, Anne would even have an executioner from France with a specially made blade to cut her delicate little neck. The other males were not treated to this priveledge and on the 17th may George Boleyn and the other four men condemened were beheaded in front of a live cheering crowd with the english execution style axe, Mark, Francis, william and Henry's sentences had been reduced to death by beheading as apposed to the awful punishment they were to receive, hung, disemboweled and burnt.

Two days later on the 19th May Annes execution came to be. She was only made visible to a small audience of people and displayed tremendous dignity to these harsh and blatentely untrue crimes held against her. It is beleived that Anne blessed the king and at the very end asked "jesus to receive her soul" there is also a theory that the executioner was delayed, adding to the anxiety and last minute hope that the king had changed his mind or would be forced to with all these delays being a sign from god. Her head was cut off in one swift stroke.

Anne's body and head were put into an arrow chest and buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula which adjoined the Tower Green. Her body was one that was identified in renovations of the chapel under the reign of Queen Victoria, so Anne's final resting place is now marked in the marble floor.

In later years Anne Boleyn was seen as a Martyr, dying for un just reasons and her stance against the catholic church and in favour of the reformation was followed by many who mourned her death.

Anne was not the crazy sour faced "Wench" with withcy powers and boils that some have made her out to be. Anne was merely a woman living in a mans world, good for nothing for her Father and uncles own selfish desires to rise them higher. Sir Thomas boleyn kept his earldom and was grateful to attain that.