Writer's Note: I did an in-depth research project on the amazing Anne Boleyn and wanted to share with you. I hope you find it insightful and enjoyable to read!
Anne
Boleyn: Her Life, Her Death, and Myths
Surrounding Her
Educated in the finest courts in
Europe, her grace, beauty and intelligence caught the eye of a king. She became his queen and their marriage
helped to transform the religious and political landscape of England that still
exists today. She gave birth to one of
the most extraordinary monarchs ever to rule England. Many things come to mind when one hears the
name Anne Boleyn. Five hundred years
after her death the mysteries surrounding her still pose many questions. Who was the real Anne Boleyn? Why did she really have to die? Was she a manipulating adulteress? Did her ambitions lead to her fall from
grace? Why is she still such an
intriguing figure five hundred years later?
One cannot have these answers unless you look at the entire life of
Anne, from child, to courtesan, to mistress, to queen and mother.
Anne’s Early
Years
There has been speculation for years
as to the exact year of Anne Boleyn’s birth, with most historians now in
agreement that she was born in 1501 or 1507.
The actual facts we have about the timeline of her life supports the
year 1501 more so than 1507. Evidence
from an early letter Anne had written to her father, Thomas, concludes that it
was written while she was residing at Margaret of Austria’s summer palace in
1513 (Ives 19). Had Anne been born in
1507 she would have only been six years of age and would not have been of a
suitable age to be in service abroad.
The standard age for a “demoiselle d honneur” in Margaret’s court was
thirteen.
There is also a question of the place of
Anne’s birth. While most people who
research Anne assume she was born at Hever Castle in Kent, she was in fact born
at Blickling Hall in Norfolk, to Sir Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Ormond and
Wiltshire, and Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey,
later to become the second Duke of Norfolk.
Anne also had two siblings, George Boleyn,
Viscount Rochford, and Lady Mary Boleyn (later to become Lady Mary Carey and
even later, Lady Mary Stafford). There
were two boys who were also born to Thomas and Elizabeth, but they did not
survive infancy. Most historians agree
that Mary was the eldest of the three Boleyn children, however there is much
debate as to the birth order of Anne and George. From the many biographical sources of Anne it
is a logical conclusion that she was the middle child.
In 1513, Anne began an educational journey
that would shape the rest of her life.
She went abroad for the first time at twelve years of age to “be finished.”
She was to live at the Habsburg court at
Mechelen in Brabant as a maid of honor to Margaret of Austria (Ives 19). Anne’s father saw the potential in his
youngest daughter at an early age, prompting his decision to educate her at the
court of the archduchess. Margaret was
quite taken with Anne and was delighted with her sharp mind.
Anne’s experience in Margaret of Austria’s
court was to have a great influence on the choices she made about her own court
once she became queen. Her well
documented love of poetry, music, and fine art began with her time spent under
the archduchess’ tutelage. She trained
under some of the best tutors Europe had to offer. It is estimated that Anne spent about a year
at the court at Mechelen before heading to France around 1514.
Although historians have yet to find evidence
of an exact date of Anne’s arrival in France, she is supposed to have caught up
with the entourage of Mary Tudor in Paris by November 5, 1514. Mary’s
reign in France lasted a mere eighty-two days ending with the death of King
Louis XII. Although Mary returned to
England, it is concluded that Anne was asked to stay in France to attend the
new queen, Claude. She remained with Queen Claude for nearly
seven years. The young Boleyn’s time in
France only further enhanced the training she received under Margaret of
Austria. She had a great talent for
singing and dancing and could play musical instruments with notable skill. She also acted as translator for Queen Claude
and English speaking visitors.
Back To England
Towards the end of 1521, Anne Boleyn’s stay
at the court of Queen Claude came to an abrupt halt and she was summoned back
to England. Upon her arrival, she was to be married to
James Butler in order to solve a family dispute over titles and land. Things did not go as planned because no one
could come to a civil agreement about who would get what.
The first evidence we have of Anne at court
is in March 1522. She participated in a
pageant on Shrove Tuesday, the assault on ‘the Chateau Vert’ (Ives 37) playing
Perserverance. Anne performed and
danced in front of the royal visitors from Spain. She finally had a chance to show off
everything she had learned during her time abroad! She was a notable success charming everyone
at the English court with her famous sparkling black eyes and quick wit.
The
span of time between 1522 and 1527 is a bit unclear due to lack of sources of
evidence on Anne Boleyn. We do have a
few facts which tell us a bit about her as a new courtier in the Tudor court. She was first involved with and thought to be
briefly engaged to Henry Percy, heir to the earldom of Northumberland. King Henry VIII ordered Cardinal Wolsey to
interfere and prevent the marriage providing the excuse that he had another
match for Anne. Both she and Percy
beseeched the Cardinal to speak with the king on their behalf. It was to no avail. Percy was married off to a daughter of the
earl of Shrewsbury and Anne held a grudge against Wolsey which was said to help
to bring about his later demise.
Anne was also said to be involved with the
poet, Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder. There
is great debate as to whether or not she actually shared his bed, and we will
never know for certain, but we do know Anne made quite an impression on Thomas
and was the subject of at least four of his poems. When one looks at all the evidence we have of
Anne and Thomas, it suggests that it was a mere courtly dalliance, a
flirtation. There is no real proof of
them having slept together.
She was also at court in attendance on Queen
Katherine of Aragon as a maid of honor, a position she was well familiar with
by this time. Many historians agree that
is was this close proximity to Henry VIII which allowed Anne to catch his
eye.
A King’s Interest
The first clear evidence we have of Henry’s
interest in Anne is in August 1527 when the king applied to the pope for
dispensation to allow him to marry again.
Anne is not specifically identified in the dispensation; however, there is
mention that it also covered a woman who was related to the king in the ‘first
degree of affinity… from … forbidden wedlock (Ives 84).’ There
is also proof of Henry’s efforts to woo Anne in the seventeen love letters
which he wrote to her. Although she was frequently labeled a whore,
there is much evidence that suggests Anne did not sleep with Henry right
away. Among the seventeen letters he
wrote to her, you can see the growing urgency that keeping the king at arm’s
length is creating. His pleading does
not do much to sway Anne from her ultimate goal.
Here is where we start to come to the real questions
concerning her first intentions towards the English Monarch. Did Anne really fall in love with Henry? Was she following instructions from her
uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, and her father, Thomas Boleyn to become close to
the king in order to bring down Cardinal Wolsey? What would lead her to believe that if she
held out she could achieve the crown? Unfortunately,
we will never know for sure what her true intentions were at the time that
Henry started courting her. We must
once again look at the facts from which we can draw conclusions.
When we look at the story of Anne Boleyn and
Henry VIII, it is apparent to most that there was indeed a very strong
connection between the two of them, at the very least a strong, consuming
infatuation if not love. We can plainly
see Henry’s feelings in the love letters he wrote to her. The king very much hated to write, so the
fact that he wrote to Anne at all is a testament of his feelings towards
her. So what were Anne’s feelings? There are many factors at play here. Anne was indeed ambitious. She had very high hopes for an advantageous
marriage as shown when she had planned to marry Henry Percy. She had also seen how Henry had carelessly
discarded her sister, Mary after an affair with her. Anne had no intentions of going the way of
Henry’s other mistresses. Her future
would be ruined. The king was nothing if
not a persuasive and persistent man.
Henry VIII was still very attractive and
considered a great catch for a woman at that time. The
problem was that the king already had a queen.
Anne nevertheless insisted that she would not sleep with Henry unless
marriage was in the future. It is
obvious by Henry’s response to Anne keeping him at arm’s length using this
tactic that he was only growing more and more infatuated with her. There is evidence of Anne beginning to soften
towards the king, staying at court more often.
It had to be a very heady thing for a young
woman in Tudor times to have a king madly in love with you. There had to be a large sense of power in it,
but also there is a belief that Anne couldn’t help but be swept off her feet in
some way. She was notoriously jealous of
Katherine of Aragon. This was partially
due to her fear of losing her position with Henry, but it was also an emotional
attachment that motivated her. When the
king offered marriage, Anne most likely began to believe that Henry was really
serious about her.
With all of these factors evident, we are
able to conclude that Anne may not have had feelings for Henry at first, but
eventually, he wore her down. She
softened towards him once he offered the advantageous marriage she so desperately
wanted. Ambition surely played a part
which is evident by the fact that she held out so long, but she at least had a
genuine affection for the king. Fans of this tragic romance would love to
believe that Anne was madly in love with Henry, but it’s more likely that they
were infatuated with each other.
When pondering the question of Anne’s
involvement with Cardinal Wolsey’s downfall, there are many sides to look at
and many political factors. We can
safely assume Anne’s initial intent for getting involved with Henry was to help
her father and uncle bring the powerful cardinal down. Her family was very ambitious and Anne’s
father did not hesitate to use his daughters to further his agendas. Anne was much more intelligent than her
sister Mary, and knew how to play Henry in just the correct manner to get the
results she wanted. She was said to have
held a grudge against the cardinal for not coming to her and Henry Percy’s aid
when they wanted to marry. Her own
personal feelings could have played a large part in assisting his downfall as
well as the pressure from her family. In
short, although she may have been enticing the king to a degree to elevate her
family and get rid of Wolsey, there is evidence that it was not the only reason
Anne stayed with Henry.
What would lead Anne Boleyn to
believe that she could be married to King Henry and be crowned the Queen of
England? Part of what fueled her
ambition is very simple. She had formed
an emotional connection to Henry. She
also knew that Katherine of Aragon could not provide Henry with a son. Anne was Henry’s match in many ways, not the
least was her intelligence. She had
Henry convinced that she would give him the long hoped for son and heir to the
throne. She knew Henry would want a
legitimate heir, and therefore would have to be married to the mother of his
son. She was not only an infatuation
for Henry, but his friend and partner.
For seven years, they were united as allies against all who opposed them
and she held tight to that connection with Henry. She really believed she could help him rule
and help to reform religion in England.
A Long
Engagement
In
order to marry Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII first had to divorce his wife, Katherine
of Aragon. It was not an easy task. This divorce would change the entire face of
religion and politics in England forever.
Anne is an important factor in all of this for many reasons.
While she was not the sole reason Henry had
decided to divorce, she did spur his determination to see it through. Many times, Anne stood between the King and
“a total loss of nerve” (Ives 98). The support in favor of Katherine was
overwhelming and it was taking its toll on Henry. In order to stiffen the monarch’s resolve,
Anne insisted on moving back to court.
It becomes an awkward triangle with the king, the queen and Anne living
under the same roof.
“The king’s great matter” also proved to help
bring down Cardinal Wolsey. Anne had
been able to convince Henry that the cardinal was not doing his best to get the
king what he had long desired. The
grasping cardinal was also found to be “in the pocket” of King Francois I’s
mother, Louise of Savoy and therefore not serving England’s best interests
(Ives 122). Wolsey sealed his fate when
he acted against Anne, seeking a “rapprochement with Katherine, Charles V, and
Rome (Ives 131). Anne was furious,
threatening to leave Henry unless he moved against Wolsey. On November 4th, the cardinal was
arrested and was made to go to London where he would await trial. He died of natural causes on November 29th,
at Leicester Abbey before he could be tried.
There are many who would like to give full
credit to Anne Boleyn for Henry’s decision to break with the Roman Catholic Church,
however, that would not be accurate.
Henry’s thoughts on reform had begun at least a decade before he met
her. Many of the facets of becoming the “Supreme
Head of the Church of England” had already been forming in Henry’s mind before
Anne intervened. In the face of adversity, the ideas began to
take shape and fuse together.
In 1528, Anne acquired a copy of “The
Obedience of the Christian Man and How Christian Rulers Ought to Govern,” by
William Tyndale. She read the book and
had marked passages to show to Henry.
Anne gave the king the book, pointed out the passages and suggested that
he would find them worth reading (Ives 132).
The book’s main idea is to show ‘the king is the person of God and his
law in God’s law’ (Ives 133). This means
that the ruler is accountable to God alone and the obedience of the subject is
an obedience mandated by God. It was
exactly the sort of validation Henry had been seeking. It resonated deeply with him. While it is true that Anne fed the king with
many ideas, it is also true that they were ideas which confirmed his instincts.
The eventual submission of the clergy
revolutionized Anne’s position. She had
many friends and relatives filling the vital positions within the royal
household and the government. Those who
had fallen out of favor with her were immediately seeking to regain it. There was a noticeable shift in things, as
the amount of money which Henry spent on Anne increased greatly. There were preparations being made for a
wedding and coronation.
Anne was bestowed with the title of marquis
of Pembroke in her own right on September 1st, 1532 at Windsor
Castle. This was an unprecedented move
for a few reasons. First, Anne Boleyn
was the only woman who had ever been bestowed with that title. Second, the last person to hold that title
was Henry’s great-uncle, Jasper Tudor, so gave the title strong royal
connections. Finally, the title made
Anne the most prestigious non-royal woman in the realm.
Ambitions Realized–A Pregnancy and a Coronation
By the Easter season of 1533, Anne was now
recognized as the king’s “most entirely beloved and dear wife, Queen
Anne.” There is evidence to show Henry
married her in a private ceremony on January 29, 1533, but no one knew of this
until much later. She was crowned in a
grand celebration on Whit Sunday, June 1st, 1533. The coronation took place over a period of
four days. Anne had been given the
‘fullest possible inauguration as queen’ (Ives 181). The event which had been seven years in the
making was finally taking place. Anne
was finally Henry’s Queen Consort.
At the time of her coronation, Anne was
nearly six months pregnant. After the
festivities ended, preparations were made for her confinement. The advanced stages of pregnancy were
difficult for Anne, with Henry at his wits’ end, fearful he would lose both the
baby and his queen. Once Anne began her
confinement, Henry eased his worries by planning a grand joust for the arrival
of the “prince.” Unfortunately for the
excited parents, a prince was not delivered, but a princess. This was a crushing blow to Henry, who had
risked his entire kingdom to marry Anne and ensure that he would have a son and
heir. Although the grand jousts were
canceled, the king’s predominant emotion was relief that the child and mother
were healthy.
Elizabeth Tudor was christened on September
10th, 1533 in a magnificent ceremony in the Chapel of Observant
Friars. She was brought back from the
ceremony that afternoon, ‘escorted by over 500 lighted torches’ (Ives
185). It is believed she was given her
name as a means to deliberately identify her with the royal dynasty, especially
the king’s mother. Although she was not
the long hoped for son, Elizabeth certainly proved later in her life that she
could rule England just as well if not better than any man.
Anne the Queen
In addition to trying mightily to give the king
a son and heir, what did Anne contribute during her reign as queen? One of the greatest things Anne contributed was
not the son and heir that Henry had hoped for, but their daughter,
Elizabeth. Although her sex was very
much lamented at the time, Elizabeth was a compliment to both parents. As is well known, Elizabeth went on to reign
for forty years and it is often referred to as the “Golden Age of
England.” Although Anne never lived to
see her daughter become queen, Elizabeth lived up to her mother’s ambitions and
dreams for her and far exceeded any of Henry’s expectations.
Another of Anne’s contributions to the realm was
that she was a very serious advocate of religious reform and was the catalyst
for England’s break with the Roman Catholic Church. While Henry may have considered the idea on
his own, it wasn’t until Anne showed him William Tyndale’s book that progress
started to be made. She gave the king the
answers he had been seeking and he wasted no time in putting them to good use
to get his way. Her contributions to
religious reform did not stop there. Her
influence within the church can be proved by her appointment of evangelical
bishops such as Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Shaxton, and Thomas
Goodrich. These men were all reformers
with links to Anne Boleyn (Ives).
Anne also contributed by her careful choice
of reformist scholars, her habit of studying the Bible and providing an English
version for her ladies. She strongly
felt that everyone should be able to read the bible in their own language. Anne protected the reformist literature and
the illegal trade of Bibles and was known to help rescue religious refugees. All of these facts point to a woman who was
very involved in religious reform for England and used her power to change
things she felt were unjust within the church.
The queen also contributed smaller
things. She brought a new world of
fashion, fine art, and music to the court.
Anne also made smocks, shirts and flannel garments for the poor, she
washed the feet of the poor, and presented each with a purse of money
thereafter (Fraser 214). During Anne’s
years of ascendancy, not a single heretic had been burned (Weir 15).
Anne’s Fall
The birth of a girl unraveled much of what
Anne had so carefully put into place for herself. She once represented the hope of a son, heir,
and ruler to England and to Henry. Her
pregnancy represented a promise fulfilled (Ives 186). Instead of the long anticipated boy, Anne gave
birth to a girl. With a princess born
instead of a prince, the new queen was not in an enviable position. The coronation achieved the recognition as
Henry’s consort, but the birth of Elizabeth set her back to having to once
again establish her claim to the throne.
Had she borne a son, her position would have been cemented. The pressure for Anne to have a son was now
even greater.
While we can view Elizabeth’s birth as the
start to her fall from grace, that would not be entirely accurate. Henry
had every reason to believe at the time of the princess’s birth that Anne would
become pregnant again and bear him a son.
In essence, Anne made a promise to Henry and he expected her to follow
through. Although she did become
pregnant three times, only one child lived.
Her final miscarriage in 1536 was said to be a boy, which could have
only served to crush the king’s hopes.
It has been often quoted that Anne had “miscarried of her savior.” Unfortunately, the quote rings true. Had she borne Henry a son, her position would
have never been in question again and she would have remained queen. In Henry’s mind, Anne had broken that vital
promise. It was to be a key factor in
spurring the king to be rid of her.
There were other factors, which also contributed
to her eventual fall out of power and consequently her death. There is the evidence that Henry grew very
tired of Anne. She knew how to be
charming, witty, intelligent, and outspoken.
While it served her well as Henry’s mistress, she soon found that he did
not appreciate these qualities in his queen.
Henry grew weary of the constant arguments and emotional outbursts from
Anne. Evidence shows that with his later
wives, the king did not tolerate arguing or outspokenness of any kind. Jane Seymour was smart enough to acknowledge
this and use it to her advantage when she became queen.
The English subjects’ growing animosity
toward their new queen proved to be a factor in the queen’s demise. It reached a climax upon the death of Bishop
Fisher and Sir Thomas More. Although
many would like to blame Anne fully for their deaths, it would not be accurate
when we look at other elements. More and
Fisher held tightly to their faith and refused to acknowledge Henry as the
Supreme Head of the Church of England. No
one would have ever been able to steer them from that particular course. Henry felt betrayed by More’s refusal to
acknowledge him and his new queen. He
set out to make an example of More and Fisher.
After refusing to swear their allegiance to the Act of Succession, an
act which would establish a new line of succession through King Henry and Anne
Boleyn, Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher were executed for treason two weeks
apart in the summer of 1535. While Anne
did help to spark the reformation and had Henry’s ear, it is safe to say the
deaths of More and Fisher are more the work of the mercurial king than his
queen. One simply did not cross the king
when he wanted something.
Two very important people who had a great
deal to do with Anne’s fall if not directly ensuring it were Thomas Cromwell
and Jane Seymour. Thomas Cromwell and
Anne Boleyn had started out as allies, only to become bitter enemies. He led the investigation against the queen
and “found evidence” to support claims that she had committed incest and adultery. Many historians believe that in Cromwell’s
point of view it could have been a case of “her head or mine.” There is evidence that Anne and Cromwell had
a falling out because they had differing ideas about the religious reform and
where to properly distribute the revenue from the dissolution of the
monasteries in England. There is also
evidence that the queen had threatened Cromwell with a beheading; a threat he
took very seriously. He quickly changed his allegiance and aided
Jane Seymour and her family to supplant the queen.
Jane Seymour’s family was slowly rising
within the Tudor court. Her brother,
Edward, was gaining more favor after his help with the meeting with Francis I
in Calais in 1532. The Seymours were
growing more ambitious by the year. Anne
herself had shown others in court that to gain the king’s favor you had to be
quite close to him. She had created a
clear path for others of equal or more ambition to who wanted to become close
to Henry. The Seymours used this
information to their advantage and to the queen’s destruction. The
Seymour faction came together with supporters of Katherine of Aragon’s
daughter, Mary to bring Anne and her family down.
Jane was more intelligent than some
historians would like to give her credit for and played her part well. It was
clear that she, as Anne had before her, would not accept anything less than
marriage to the king. She used her
virtue as bait. Jane also took great
care in being the exact opposite of Anne in many ways. She was meek, mild, agreeable and never
argued with Henry. His will was her will. This alone made her a valuable asset to the
king.
Once Cromwell had suitable allies in place,
he set about plotting a coup for Anne Boleyn’s downfall. Unfortunately, it took a mere month to bring
down England’s most controversial queen consort.
Anne’s Arrest
The day of Anne’s arrest started out like any
other. She spent part of her morning on
May 2, 1536 watching a game of tennis.
Her champion won the match. A
gentleman messenger appeared at her side and told her, “by order of the king,”
she must present herself before the Privy Council at once (Weir 136). Anne Boleyn was a notably intelligent woman,
and it is likely she knew something was gravely amiss. The tension at court had been building for
weeks and Henry’s abrupt departure at a May Day joust the day before was a
large indicator that something was terribly wrong. Not knowing what exactly would happen and
having few allies left, it must have been a frightening situation for the
queen.
Upon her arrival in the council chamber, Anne
was informed without preamble that she was accused of “evil behavior,” and was
formally charged with committing adultery with Sir Henry Norris, Mark Smeaton
and one other they would not name. They
also informed her that Norris and Smeaton had already admitted to their
guilt. Later, she would discover that
Sir Thomas Wyatt, William Brereton, Sir Francis Weston, and her brother, George
Boleyn, Earl of Rochford were also arrested.
Anne quickly defended herself and proclaimed her innocence but to no
avail.
After being charged, she was escorted back to
her apartments where she was served dinner.
At two o’clock her uncle, Duke of Norfolk, along with Thomas Cromwell,
and several other lords of the council entered her apartments. The Duke of Norfolk read from a scroll
informing her that “they came by the King’s command to conduct her to the Tower,
there to abide during his Highness’s pleasure” (Weir 137). Anne calmly replied, “If it be His Majesty’s
pleasure, I am ready to obey.”
Investigations
by historians show that after nearly five hundred years, three quarters of the
allegations against Anne Boleyn can be disproved (Ives 344). Unfortunately the past actions of Henry VIII
show how quickly he could be rid of someone that was no longer of use to him. Anne HAD broken her promise, after all. The take-down of England’s most controversial
queen consort was “one of the most astonishing and brutal coups in English
history” (Weir 5).
A Tragic End
Anne
Boleyn made the journey to the Tower of London in “full daylight” by barge under
guard accompanied by several men, among them Cromwell and Norfolk. Once
she arrived at the Tower, she quickly lost her composure. The reality of the situation had set in. There is much evidence to show how this
reality affected her as she went frequently from inconsolable, to laughing to
quietly dignified. Anne was escorted to
the Queen’s apartments in the Tower, which she proclaimed to be “too good for
her,” and awaited her trial (Weir 141).
At Anne’s trial, there were many
inconsistencies and her intelligence once again reigned supreme. However, it was not enough. Although she had defended herself quite well,
the verdict was never in question.
Guilty. It was a unanimous
vote. The once entirely beloved wife and
queen of King Henry VIII was sentenced to death either by burning or
beheading. She was forced to give up her
crown in a most humiliating display for everyone to see. She was quickly escorted back to the Tower to
await her fate. But was she really
guilty of adultery? Was she guilty of
plotting Henry’s death? Did Anne really
have to die?
The evidence is clear that Anne was not
guilty of adultery. Many of the
documents that were drawn up to include times and places of the alleged
infidelities were inaccurate. Many
times, Norris and Smeaton had been confirmed to be in another location
altogether when the alleged activities occurred.
She is also not guilty of plotting Henry’s
death. The king was the only thing
standing between Anne and a long list of people who wanted to replace her. The Lady Mary had a growing number of
supporters by the day that were willing to help her regain her rightful place
in the succession. Anne was living in
constant fear of being supplanted, and it grew more intense with the knowledge
of the king’s amorous affections for Jane Seymour. If anything happened to Henry, she would be
quickly overthrown and could have met death at the hands of those who opposed
her. She would have never wanted that
for her daughter, Elizabeth.
The evidence is also clear that in order for
Henry to have the son that he so desperately needed, Anne had to die. There was no other way out for him. The king showed himself to be that of an
angry, humiliated, and hurt husband, but there were also actions he had taken
that shows that he in no uncertain terms wanted to be rid of Anne once and for
all. He had to have a clear path to
marry Jane, have legitimate son and heir, and to once again be on good terms
with the Holy Roman Emperor. Katherine
of Aragon had passed away and the threat of war with Spain was no longer
imminent. Henry had almost sacrificed
his entire kingdom for Anne and had been bitterly disappointed. He felt duped and felt validated in charging
her for treason. He wanted a new start;
a clean slate.
When it came down to making a final choice,
Henry VIII chose a swordsman from Calais to behead her in the French
fashion. There are many bittersweet
questions we are left with in reference to this one choice. Was Henry paying a final tribute to his
former queen? Was he showing mercy? Did he agree to a personal request Anne had
made of him? The facts were that Anne
was the first English queen ever to be executed at that time, she was the
mother of his daughter, she had been his consort, and he may have felt she
still deserved a somewhat honorable death.
The traditional burning at the stake for a woman found guilty of treason
was a very demeaning way to die; it was slow and agonizing. Perhaps it helped to assuage the guilt he may
have been feeling towards the end.
Sadly, there is a more logical
explanation. There is evidence among
letters between Master Kingston of the Tower of London to Thomas Cromwell
regarding the execution of Anne. The
timeline shows us that in order for the swordsman from Calais to arrive when he
did to perform the execution; Henry had to have ordered it at least a week
before her trial. He had intended for
Anne to be beheaded all along, cruelly letting her suffer while she awaited her
fate (Weir).
There are many stories surrounding Anne’s
final moments. She made her confessions,
sought solace in prayer, and prepared herself to die. There were several delays which proved to be
torture for her. She pleaded, ‘Master
Kingston, I hear say I shall not die afore noon, and I am very sorry therefore,
for I thought then to be dead and past my pain.’ Master Kingston told her,
‘there shall be no pain, it was so subtle;’ and then she said, ‘I have heard
say the executioner was very good, and I have a little neck.’ Those immortal words have been repeated in
most portrayals of Anne Boleyn in the media for years. It shows the small thread of fragility which
she was hanging by while in the Tower.
The execution of Anne Boleyn took place on
May 19, 1536, at nine o’clock in the morning.
After weeks of humiliation, emotional strain, loss of family, and
friends, it would soon be over. There
are many accounts of her dignity and bravery on this day as she walked to the
scaffold and addressed the crowd as regally as if she had never been stripped
of her crown. It is a testament to her
sheer strength, as she must have been exhausted, that she kept herself so well
composed to the very end. She is said to
have made the following speech before her execution:
“Christian people, I am come hither to die,
according to law, for by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak
nothing against it. I come here only to die, and thus to yield myself humbly to
the will of the King, my lord. And if, in my life, I did ever offend the King’s
Grace, surely with my death I do now atone. I come hither to accuse no man, nor
to speak anything of that whereof I am accused, as I know full well that aught
I say in my defense doth not appertain to you. I pray and beseech you all, good
friends, to pray for the life of the King, my sovereign lord and yours, who is
one of the best princes on the face of the earth, who has always treated me so
well that better could not be, wherefore I submit to death with good will,
humbly asking pardon of all the world. If any person will meddle with my cause,
I require them to judge the best. Thus I take my leave of the world, and of
you, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. Oh Lord, have mercy on me!
To God I commend my soul” (Weir 289).
The executioner begged the fallen queen’s
pardon for what he was about to do. She
quickly pardoned him. He asked her to
kneel and to say her prayers. Many knelt
in silent prayer as she prayed, waiting for the blow. The executioner struck suddenly as she was
distracted and not expecting it. Anne
Boleyn was beheaded with a single stroke.
The cannon along the Tower Wharf were fired signaling her death to the
world (Weir 286).
Anne Boleyn, “the Most Happy,” marquis of
Pembroke, Queen Consort of England, mother of Elizabeth I, was gone. She was buried at the royal chapel of St.
Peter ad Vinicula at the Tower of London.
Devastated by her death, Sir Thomas Wyatt
wrote a poem about his lost love. It
expressed poignantly the horror of the tragedy of the late queen:
Freely wooed, so dearly bought,
So soon a queen, so soon low brought,
Hath not been seen, could not be thought.
O! What is Fortune?
As slipper as ice, as fading as snow,
Like unto dice that a man doth throw,
Until it arises he shall not know
She was England’s most controversial Queen
Consort. She gave birth to one of the
longest reigning monarchs in England’s history.
She was a catalyst for religious reform in England. Anne Boleyn has left a legacy of mystery and
scandal that still intrigues people five hundred years after her death and will
for many more years to come.
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