Anne Boleyn

HARLOT. HAUGHTY. HERETIC.
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INTRODUCTION
It was a fresh Friday morning — the 19th day of May on the year 1536. A crowd, of more or less a thousand; composed of both commoners and aristocrats, gathered around a scaffold. On this sea of faces, plunged a woman wearing under her petticoat a loose gown of damask trimmed with ermine fur. Whispers began to circulate. The woman was followed by her attendants, all of them weeping while she remained calm and showed no fear at all. She went up the black-clad scaffold, delivered a speech then was blindfolded as she knelt. Her mouth utters the words, “To Jesus Christ I commend my soul; Lord Jesus receive my soul”, repeatedly. With her lips still in motion, the swordsman stroked his sword and in an instance, the woman was headless. The severed head was then raised by the executioner, holding it in the hair, not for the crowd to see it but for the head to see the crowd and its own body. Such was done at any execution in England during the Middle Ages. It was gruesome and unsightly to see yet also a great spectacle to witness for it was the first public execution of an English queen. Her name was Anne Boleyn. She was the second wife if the Tudor King, Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I. She was the key figure to the English Reformation and was famous for her death. During our childhood, we read fictional tales about fairies, princes and princesses, Lively and colorful illustrations on story books fascinates us, making us wish ourselves to be on the book itself. We all believed and waited for happy endings, wherein all the bad guys lost and the good ones celebrate victory. Anne’s life could either be a fairytale; where she, the evil queen, falls down; or a tragedy, wherein a great person like her was lead to destruction by fate. It depends on how you see her. Of course, people have their own opinions. Was she a sinner or a saint? Did she really loved the king or did she only wish for more power? Was she a traitor or was she betrayed? These questions may be answered but the answers will never be accurate. We can study about her but we will never learn the whole and absolute truth. She lived at least five centuries ago and has been dead for 476 years. We can’t simply interview Anne Boleyn, ask her about the controversies around her and certainly, she can’t defend herself from what is written in history. What you are about to read is the story of Anne, not written nor told by herself but a product of thorough research. I’m not here to support on side of an argument but to simply give facts about the events of her life and unravel all possible reasons for her early and, as others say, unjust demise. Use these facts to form your own opinion for all has the right to choose and express their thoughts. The judgment lies on your hands but Anne Boleyn yearned for one thing shortly before her death — “And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best."

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ANNE BOLEYN BIRTH CONTROVERSY Anne Boleyn was quoted as the “Most Controversial Woman” of her time. And I wouldn’t wonder at all for even her birth date was a center of academic debates. A mistress of King Louis XV of France insisted that there is only one rule in polite society that could never be broken—never ask a pretty woman her age. It may be rude but it is substantial to know when Anne was born. Why is it so? If she had lived in her 80s then her early rise would not have mattered so much and only had she been properly buried, then her birth date might have been recorded. Yet she died early and was laid in an unmarked grave. We must accurately date her birth because it might simply unravel the reasons for her execution. There are many dates proposed by historians. An Italian, writing in 1600, suggested that she was born on 1499 while Sir Thomas More’s son-in-law, William Roper, indicated a much later date of 1512. However, the most debated dates are 1501 and 1507. If Anne Boleyn was born on 1501 then she would have died in 1536 at the age of 35, middle aged by Tudor standards. The more likely reason for her destruction was then politics. She has fewer chances in producing an heir therefore she’ll be a useless queen consort in the next years. Thomas Cromwell, the King’s chief adviser, believes that a new queen is need so he processed a savage yet brilliant plan for Anne. It is possible that the King himself was deceived by outrageous lies. But if we will put her birth on 1507, her age would be 29. It may still sound yet she still has 4-5 years before she could be considered infertile. There’s no explanation why she must be kicked out of the palace, unless Henry’s tired of her. That’s what most believed, that Henry plotted a scheme against her so just he could marry Jane Seymour, one of Anne’s lady-in-waiting. The primary cause for Anne’s invalidated date of birth was the lack of parish records. Such records weren’t kept until the late 16th century. But it wasn’t a great burden to modern historians. There are actually two contemporary sources for the year 1507. It was the basis for the summary of evidences written by Gareth Russell, an author. The first source was the memoirs of Jane Dormer, Duchess of Feria. Jane wasn’t actually born until two years after Anne’s death. For the first 21 years of her life, she was a loyal lady-in-waiting to Anne’s stepdaughter, Mary Tudor. In spite that her hated stepmother was dead, Mary’s tendency to talk about Anne didn’t diminish. When Mary passed away, Dormer married a Spanish aristocrat and moved to Madrid where she died in an old age. Prior to her demise, she had her memoirs recorded by her English secretary, Henry Clifford. There, she specifically stated that Anne was executed on May 19th 1536 and was not yet twenty-nine years of age. It implies that Anne’s birthday is just a few months ahead her execution. The duchess knew that Anne was born on the summer or autumn of 1507 and it was Mary who passed this information to her. Some pointed out the Mary loathed Boleyn so much that she would lie about her at any opportunity given. But why would she ever lie about Anne’s age and make her even younger? The second source would be William Camden, and English writer. Lord Burghley, Queen Elizabeth’s chief minister, suggested that Camden should write a chronicle of Elizabeth’s life and reign. He assured that Camden would be given the free access to his private papers and many of the state archives. In that way, William’s writings have authenticity unlike other works of the period. In the section of Annales, covering Elizabeth’s early life, it is written in a margin that her mother, Anne was born on 1507. Modern-proponents of 1501 hypothesized that the number “7” was a curved number “1”. But there’s no reason to misread Camden’s work for the date was written in Roman numerals: MDVII. It is also impossible for Camden and Dormer to be influenced by each other as others might think. The Duchess of Feria dictated her memoirs on 1612, the last year of her life. During that time, William had already researched on his subject and he’s been writing since 1607. Furthermore, the memoirs of Jane were not published until the 19th century while Camden’s writings were only published in London half decade after the duchess’ death in Spain. Therefore, there’s completely no way for them to read each other’s writings. However, there is only one surviving key piece of written evidence of Anne’s real age. It was the letter she sent to her father while she was studying at Mechelen, in the contemporary Netherlands, now Belgium.
Here is a list of defense for both 1501 and 1507. 1501 | 1507 | * Above is the image of Anne’s letter to her father. She wrote it on 1514. It is evident that her handwriting was already that of an adolescent. It has small tightly controlled and evenly formed letters. If the other date would be favored, she would only be seven at that time. At such age, no matter how intelligent you are, you would only be able to write in large, uneven scrawl. Moreover, the sentences are lengthy, showing her ability o express complex ideas despite the fact that she wrote it on French, her second language. If she was copying text written by an adult, the handwriting should show hesitation, which it does not. And although there are mistakes, corrections are skillfully inserted between lines that are evenly spaced rather than messily as one could expect from a child. * Anne had been in Hapsburg Empire since 1513. She was a “fille d’ honneur” or a maid-of-honor to Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy. This fact had been the core of every historian who believes she was born on 1501. Such historians are Eric Ives, Antonia Fraser, Joanna Denny and Alison Weir. It’s simply because the minimum age for a fille d’ honneur was 12 so it is only logical to say that she was a young adult when sent to Mechelen. * A 16th century historian, Nicholas Sanders wrote that Anne was raped by one of her father’s official at Hever Castle, their home, when she was seven. The information was questionable but if it was proven to be true, then a birth of 1507 would place her at Netherlands at the said age. * A woman’s sole purpose in the 1500s was to marry and breed even at an early age. Her advancing age would have been a problem or an embarrassment to her. However, King Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was born on 1485. It makes Anne younger by comparison nonetheless being middle-aged when she was married. * In a biography of Henry VIII by Lord Herburt of Cherbury there were contemporaries about Anne. It states that people who knew her says that she was 20 upon returning from France. * Anne might have lied about her age and was believed by people who don’t know her much. Or, some might have guessed her age through her appearance and have stated her to be young to other people. But under the stress of a married life and tumultuous reign, the years have caught up with her and her age, which she had successfully disguised, finally showed. It was proven when a Spanish ambassador described her as “thin and old” during the last years of her life. * Retha Warnicke cited an examination of a beheaded female (supposed by them to be Anne Boleyn) in 1876. Examiners concluded that she was in her mid-twenties during her death, making the death 1507 favorable. However examination techniques are new to the people during 1876. They have more rooms for errors. Examiners can’t even be certain if the corpse was Anne’s. It’s rumored that Anne’s family took her body out of the Tower compound to bury it somewhere else. If the rumor was true, then the remains that are examined do not belong to Anne. The only assurance that the examiners have is that, like how Anne described herself, the corpse have a little neck. | * Professor Retha Warnicke argues that Anne’s handwriting on the letter was extremely bad, like that of a small child. It also consists of several misspellings and grammar errors. * It’s true that one must be 12 years old to be a maid-of-honor, however, the Archduchess wrote in a letter to Anne’s father:“ I have received your letter by Squire Bouton, who has also presented your daughter to me, who is very welcome … I find her very bright and pleasant for her young age that I am beholden to you for sending her to me that you are to me.”Author Gareth Russell believes that it’s very much pointless for the Archduchess to refer to Anne’s age as exceptionally young if she and the other maid-of-honors have the same age. Futhermore, Anne was nicknamed “La Petite Boulaine” (The Little Boleyn). It may have been a relation to her delicate figure and she may have been younger than the other girls at the Archduchess’ entourage. Albeit it is unusual to have a six or seven-year-old girl in court, another English girl proved it possible. Her name was Anne Brandon and was born on1506 or 1507. So Anne Boleyn being a maid-of-honor at seven is not that doubtful. And also, Anne couldn’t be called young by the Archduchess if she had already stepped in her teenage years. Author Wendy J. Dunn explains that during that period, 12-year-old girls are legally and biologically women. Their marriages are legitimate and can be consummated. This is the same reason why Anne was escorted by Claude Bouton when she was sent to Hapsburg Empire. Claude was a nobleman. They let a man escort her because she’s only a child unlike when she’s already a woman, a female chaperone will be required instead. * Boleyn had also served the Queen of France. She became friends with the Queen’s younger sister, Princess Renee. Later in life, the Princess remarked that she had a special attachment to Elizabeth I because of her friendship with Anne. Renee was born on 1510 and it seems unlikely that she would be friends with a person 9 years her senior. * It would have been very implausible for Anne to remain unmarried for a long time. She was of noble birth, very attractive, charming and witty. Furthermore, her siblings were betrothed at 19 or 20. Her father * wouldn’t let her marry in a late age. * When the news of the King marrying Anne Boleyn sparked, objections were thrown. Many queried her ancestry, as it was insufficiently grand; her religion, her friends, her foreign sympathies, her sister’s private life was questioned too. Other’s even made up issues. But none cited her being too old to bear a child because she was undeniably still in her fertile years. * Most palace servants during the 1520s referred to her as “young”, “very young”, “young and good-looking”, “youthful” and a cardinal even called her “girl” which is a lot different from a “woman”. * During the Feast of Saint Andrew in 1531, Anne complained her youth was passing her by. Such comment would raise eyebrows if she’s already in her thirties, because if that’s the case, her would have left her a long, long time ago. * The comment of the Spanish ambassador was spiteful and was only caused by her miscarriage a month ago which made her looked haggard. And a few months later during her execution, comments about her youthful appearance was made again. |

Both sides have strong evidence. The accounts of the Duchess of Feria and Camden’s work claims it to be 1507 while Anne’s letter shows a mature handwriting like that of someone who would likely to be born on 1501. One thing’s sure, though. It is that Anne was sent to abroad in 1513, returned to London in 1522, ahe was engaged to Henry in 1527, became a queen and a mother in 1533 and executed in 1536. Since it is only in the years that we are certain, then it would be used here rather than her age.
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FAMILY GENEALOGY AND EARLY LIFE
According to Eric Ives, Anne Boleyn was certainly more of noble birth than Henry VIII’s other English wives namely Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.
Anne Boleyn was a daughter to Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth Howard. Thomas Boleyn was an ambitious, learned, disloyal, coward and selfish courtier. He was a well-respected diplomat with a gift of languages and was a favorite of Henry VIII.

Thomas Boleyn * Took up arm in the 12th year of King Henry VII’s reign, with his father and other persons of rank against Cornish rebels until the beginning of the reign of the next king, HenryVIII. * One of the Knight of King’s Body and constituted Governor of Castle of Norwich, which he held jointly with Sir Henry Watt, master of the King’s Jewel-house. * In the nest year, he was one of the ambassadors to Emperor Maximillian. * First Earl of Wiltshire and was made Constable of Norwich Castle. * On June 18, 1525 he was titled Viscount of Rochford, as Knight of Garter in December 1525. * He was also made Earl of Ormonde and was also nominated to the Positions of Lord Privy-seal.
Thomas Boleyn choose to marry well. His bride was Elizabeth Howard who almost shares with him the same personality. She was also ambitious and proud.
Elizabeth Howard * Managed to survived the fall of her family’s Patron, Richard III * Part of Royal Court of Elizabeth of York, Henry VIII’s mother and became a lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII’s wife, Catherine of Aragon. * Has been pregnant for several times but only 3 children survived. * Due to her attractive appearance, it was that she had been a mistress of Henry VIII and Anne was a daughter of the King. It was denied by Henry and never mentioned it in the dispensation he sought to make his union with Anne lawful. It could be possible that she was just confused with Elizabeth Blount.
The Boleyn family was highly respected in the English aristocracy. There are different spellings for their surname. In France, Anne was listed as “Anna de Boullan” and also at the court of Margaret of Austria. In most of her portraits, she was referred as “Anna Bolina” which is Latin. The original spelling, though, was “Bullen”, from the bull on their coat-of-arms. During that era, people learned to read before they write. They were emtirely different skills. That’s why when they spell, they base it to how the words are pronounce. The reason for the change from Bullen to Boleyn was because the next generation acquired greater writing skills. It is possible that the “Bullen” signatures on the documents are works of clerks and they didn’t know the correct spelling of the surname.
Anne Boleyn’s
Family Tree

The Howards, too, are pre-eminent people in England. As seen on the family tree at the previous page, Anne’s Howard ancestors included the dukes of Norfolk and King Edward I.
Boleyn Relatives 1. Thomas Boleyn of Salle * He was from Blicking, Norfolk Country like all other Boleyns. 2. Geoffrey Boleyn * He was also born on Norfolk * A wealthy mercer in London before becoming the Lord Mayor in 1458 * In 1462 he bought Hever Castle which was originally built in 1270. He worked on repairing the damages from which the castle suffered over the years.
Howard Relatives 1. Sir John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk * A man of average height, with strong square face * A nobleman, soldier and first Howard Duke of Norfolk * Close friend and loyal supporter of King Richard III with whom he died in combat at the Battle if Basworth Field. 2. Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk * Had served four monarchs as a soldier and statesman.
Anne’s siblings were Mary and George Boleyn. As much as Anne’s year of birth was uncertain, so are her siblings’. Their order of birth was also unknown but Mary was believed to be the eldest sister, especially by her children. Mary’s birthdate was usually placed on 1499 while George’s was around 1504. If Anne as born 1501, all Boleyn children were born at Blicking Hall. But if 1507 will be the date, she was born at Hever Castle since her family moved there on 1504 or 1505. Hever Castle was her childhood home. It is where she first education. Like other women from her class, Anne learned arithmetic, her family genealogy, grammar, history, reading, spelling and writing. She engaged in sports such as archery, falconry, horseback riding, and hunting. She was taught to play dice, chess and cards. Above all, she was trained on being a housewife, as it was the destiny of every woman of her era. She studied domestic skills like dancing, embroidery, needlework, music, singing, good manners and household management. It was a training that continued on foreign countries.

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LEARNING FROM FOREIGNERS To be furthermore a “proper” lady and find the “right” man to marry, Anne Boleyn was sent to foreign courts as it is where she would receive the perfect education. Anne’s first trip to abroad was when she was sent to Hapsburg Empire in 1513. Sea travel was difficult and it was thought that Anne despised it. Howbeit, it was worth it for she was able to prove herself to the regent Margaret of Austria, who grew very fond of her. She quickly learned French, the language her father wanted her to master. Meanwhile, at her homeland, King Henry VIII was arranging a marriage for her 18-year-old sister, Mary Tudor and 52-year-old King of France, Louis XIII. This marriage will seal allegiance to England and France. When Mary left, a household of English attendants was required. Sir Thomas Boleyn knew that France has the mist refined court and it will aid him in his aim for greater power and status. So by the winter of 1514 or 1515, Anne left the regent’s court and was transferred to France. Because Mary Boleyn was part of the wedding retinue too; Anne was reunited with her sister. It was here where their differences grew apparent. The younger Boleyn made use of \her learned skill and served as an interpreter for the newly-wed Mary Tudor and her stepdaughter, Claude. But her sister was lead to a different path. She acquired a tarnished reputation by being the mistress of Franics I, Claude’s husband. The royal marriage didn’t last. In less than three months, Louis XII died. He had no son and the Sallic Law prevented Claude, his eldest daughter to inherit the throne. The widowed Mary didn’t grieved at all. She didn’t even want to marry Louis XII at the first place. Her heart was already set for Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. So when her brother sent Brandon, they wed secretly. It infuriated Henry VIII but eventually, he forgave them. Like all other attendants, Mary Boleyn left with the Tudor princess. She came home with disgrace and Anne vowed never to follow her example. As for Anne, she stayed in France and served the new queen. Eric Ives ponders that during Anne’s service as an interpreter; Claude took a liking of her and offered her a place at the court. Eric Ives also points out that little are relatively known about this new period in Anne’s life. Anne was commonly linked to Briare, a town on the river Loire, and also with the village of Brii-sous-Forges where there was a tower called Tour d’ Anne Boleyn. A French website claims that the tower was the only remaining part of the medieval castle which was occupied by Anne prior to her marriage to Henry VIII. The castle was a property of Du Moulin, a friend of Anne’s parents. It was supported by Julien Brodeau, a French historian who wrote that Anne was educated in the home of a noble, Philippe de Moulin de Brie, a relation to her parents. Nicholas Sanders further wrote in his work that Anne was placed “under the care of a certain nobleman not far from Brie”. He also writes that “soon afterwards she appeared at the French court, where she was called the English Mare, because of her shameless behavior and the Royal Mule, when she acquainted with the King of France”. However, it was Mary Boleyn who was called by the King as “English Mare” and “una grandissima ribald, infame sopra tutte” (a great and infamous whore). Sanders could possibly have been confused between the Boleyn sisters. Sarah Tytler, also a historian, stated that Anne went at a convent at Brie. However, Alison Weir believes it was just another confusion and hypothesized that it was Mary who entered the convent. It was due to the Boleyns’ disappointment on her obnoxious behavior. The said convent was at Brie. But Eric Ives presumes that there was another reason for Anne’s linkage to Briare. He believes that Anne obviously accompanied Queen Claude during her pregnancies at Chateau de Amboise and later Blois, which are both at the Upper Loire Area like Briare. It must have been the basis for such linkage. On June 1520, a famous meeting between the French and English kings took place. It was called the Field of Cloth of Gold. Anne must have been there with the French queen Claude. It was also possible that it is where she first saw her future husband, King Henry VIII. But it wasn’t her who has the King’s attention, but Mary, her sister. Her father and brother were also present in the meeting. However, the said meeting held no political significance and was merely for show only. In the seven years of Anne Boleyn’s thriving in France, she was greatly influenced by the culture, ideas and women around her. Most definitely, it was Queen Claude who influenced her greatly. Claude fulfilled her duty as a woman and as a queen consort. She was pregnant seven times, five children survived: three males and two females. She lived her life with chaste and turned a blind eye to her husband’s philandering. Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantome , described her as “the most worthy and honorable queen that has been since Queen Blanche, mother of the King Saint-Louis”. She was very sage and virtuous. Claude was also described as to be very good, very charitable, very gentle to all, never doing any unkindness or harm to anyone at her court or at her kingdom. Claude loved illuminated manuscripts and so was Anne Boleyn. It was her who made Anne’s loved for manuscripts to blossom even more. Anne Boleyn went on to have her own illuminations and books and was made in Renaissance style, like the Queen’s. Another woman who touched her life was the King’s sister, Marguerite d’ Angouleme. She was known as a “perfect beauty”, “a rare princess”, and was “full of majesty and eloquence…full of charming grace in gay and witty speech…queen in all things”. She out skilled her brother, Francis I, in languages such as Greek, Latin and Hebrew and also in modern languages. When a religious reform lead by Martin Luther in Germany took place, Marguerite gained fervor for the New Leanings. She also has interest on arts and was famed with her poem “Le miroir l’ame pechesesse”. It is about her protestant ideas and the way she sees God as a brother, father or lover. However, she didn’t break off with the Catholic Church for she was disgusted with the violence of some Protestant movements. Nonetheless she believes in the reform and was quoted as to “never waver from the position she took up through the years…of the protector the new learning and the humble devotee of religion which was pure and undefiled”. Anne Boleyn also fostered friendship with the Queen’s young sister, Renee. It was claimed that Anne and Renee could have shared lessons but it was unlikely because Renee is a princess while Anne’s just a court lady of the Queen. Nonetheless, both were Reformists. Anne also got to see a strong, politically active woman in the form of Louise of Savoy, the mother of Francis I and Marguerite. She was an intelligent and ambitious mother, making sure her children ha d a Renaissance education and assuring her son’s succession. Louise and Marguerite are considered the most powerful woman in the court. But it wasn’t just the female monarchs who had impact in her life. There was also Diane de Poitiers, who also served Claude. Diane had a Renaissance Humanist Education. It is unknown whether she was close to Anne but both have a love for learning and music. Sir Thomas Boleyn didn’t make a mistake in sending Anne to the French court. She obtained skills and ideas of different kinds and became an accomplished woman. Anne Boleyn was no longer a country girl, she is now and educated and cultivated Renaissance lady that will stun England in her return.
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COMING HOME With war between France and England imminent, Anne went home. Upon her return, her father had her arranged to marry James Butler, her cousin several years older than her. The marriage was suggested by King Henry VIII to settle the issue of who shall inherit the Earldom of Ormond, if it won’t be resolved, it could cause civil war. It all started when Thomas Butler died, leaving the earldom to his daughters: Margaret Butler, who married William Boleyn (see Anne Boleyn’s family tree); and Anne St. Leger. Thomas Boleyn being the son of the eldest daughter insisted that he is the righteous heir yet James’ father, Pier Butler also claims the Earldom of Ormond for being the great-great grandson. The only solution that will be beneficial to all, including the King himself, was the union of Anne and James. However, for some reasons that are unknown, the arrangements led to failure. Anne’s father sent her to his native country, Ireland. She was summoned back to become a lady-in-waiting to Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Anne Boleyn made her debut to the court at a masquerade ball on March 1522. She performed and elaborate dance performance with Mary Tudor, the King’s sister; Mary Boleyn, the current mistress and other court ladies. Things she learned in France, such as music, dance and style made her quite popular especially among the younger men. Eric Ives quotes Lancelot de Carles in his biography about Anne, “She knew perfectly how to sing and dance, to play the lute and other instruments”. Nicholas Sanders stated, “She was handsome to look at with a lovely mouth, amusing in her ways, playing well on the lute and was a good dancer. She was the model and mirror of those who were at court, for she was always well-dressed and everyday made some change in the fashion of her garments”. Anne, indeed, was a trendsetter and designed much of her clothing. All ladies at the court followed her example. And more than being a musician, she was also a gifted poet. A few pieces still exist that were believed to be made by her. Most people are only attracted to her charisma, not her appearance which is not that great.
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PERSONALITY AND LOOKS Anne wasn’t a great beauty; it was her sister, Mary who held such title in their family. She was thin and to be thin is only appropriate for the poor. During the 16th century, a pretty woman has blonde hair, blue eyes and pale skin. Anne was the opposite; she has a thick dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her complexion was dark-olive and even too much darker for others. A dark skin was also an attribute of the poor for it was only them who work under the sun. She was of average height, has small breasts and a long, elegant neck. Historians described her as, “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’”. Another goes like this, “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 swarmed around her”. As much as her appearance was unique, her character was different too. A 16th century lady is sweet-tempered, silent and subservient. While Anne is witty, intelligent, proud, brave, quick-tempered, stubborn, ambitious and haughty. However, she was also pious, in love with religion, with the gospel and church. She gives generously to charity and sews shirts for the poor. In younger years, Anne was sweet and cheerful and enjoyed gambling, drinking wine, and gossiping. She had a heart for luxury and power. “To us she appears inconsistent—religious yet aggressive, calculating yet emotional, with the light touch of the courtier yet the strong grip of 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 Cromwell’s assessment that comes nearest: intelligence, spirit and courage”. There were also legends about her looks. It was debated if she really had a sixth finger growing from her small finger and a large mole on her neck. Some say she even had a third breast. By that era, it was considered to be signs of a witch. These deformities were hid by her through new fashions—long sleeves for the extra finger and a black velvet ribbon for the mole.
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LOVE AFFAIRS Courtly love and chivalric romance was a practice during the early medieval period. The majority of noble marriages were arranged, with the focus being on financial and political gain. Courtly love allows someone, no matter his or her status being ‘married’ or ‘not’, to express true, heartfelt affections. It was a gentle, parrying game of flirtation. The ‘perfect’ knight, was supposed to sublimate his relations with the ladies of the court by choosing a ‘mistress’ and serve her faithfully and exclusively. He wooed her with poems, songs and gifts, and he might receive a token of love from her, wear it in a tournament and joust in her honor. But the suitor must expect for only one thing in return—kindness. His reward would only be understanding and platonic friendship. Howbeit, such can progress to something more serious, deeper connection. Courtly love saw a revival during the Tudor era. And Anne herself experienced some of it , which all developed further.
• THOMAS WYATT Thomas Wyatt was a poet. He and Anne did become acquainted but them, having a love affair was still a question. Thomas was said not to enjoy his wife, Elizabeth. He fell in love with Anne and wrote poems that are embedded with events from her life. But he knew Henry VIII has eyes for Anne. Once there was an incident during the game of bowls. It was a game wherein you have to roll a biased ball and it should stop near a “kitty” or “jack”, a smaller ball. In the game, Thomas used Anne’s ribbon and bauble to mark distance. He purposely did it to provoke or test Henry’s jealousy. As any would expect, Henry went furious and ranted. And so Thomas Wyatt wrote, “written in her fair neck round about ‘Noli me tangere, Caesar’s I am’”. He was sent, or was requested by him, to Italy for diplomatic missions.
• HENRY PERCY While in service to Queen Catherine of Aragon, Anne met Henry Percy, a young man who also worked at the court. He courted Anne and soon they were secretly engaged. It was said that Henry was already betrothed to the daughter of the earl of Shrewsbury. And so his father, the earl of Northumberland refused to support his engagement with Anne. But Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII’s chief minister was most blamed for the break-up. The King wished to have Anne’s hand in marriage, too. Albeit, not all historians and biographers believe in such, for the evidences, from Mary Boleyn and her husband, William Carey, indicates that the King was with an affair with Mary during the time the secret betrothal was made. It makes Henry VIII impossible to be attracted to Anne. Yet there is an account supporting the fact that it was Wolsey who did broke off their romance. It was written by George Cavendish, a gentleman-usher of Wolsey.
The account is as follows:
I will tell you as best I can how the king’s love came about and what followed thereafter. When this lady, Mistress Anne Boleyn, was very young, she was sent to France to be a lady-in-waiting to the French queen. When the queen died, she was sent back to her father who arranged her to become a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine, wife of Henry. Such was her success in this post, shown both by her exemplary behavior and excellent deportment that she quickly outshone all others. To such extent, in fact, that the flames of desire began to burn secretly in the King’s breast, unknown to all, least of all Anne herself. At this time Lord Percy the son and heir of the earl of Northumberland, was aide and secretary to Wolsey, the lord cardinal, and whenever the lord cardinal happened to be at court, Lord Percy would pass the time in the queen’s quarter where he would dally with the ladies-in-waiting. Of these, he was most familiar of Mistress Anne Boleyn, to such an extent that secret love grew up between them and they pledged that, in time, they intended to wed. When knowledge of this reached the kings ears he was greatly distraught. Realizing he could no longer hide his secret love, he revealed all to the Lord Cardinal Wolsey and discussed with him ways of sundering the couple’s engagement to each other. When the lord cardinal had left the court and returned to Westminster, he remembered Henry’s request and summoned Lord Percy to his presence, saying in front of us, his servants: “I am amazed at your foolishness in getting entangled, even engaged, to this silly girl at court—I mean Anne Boleyn. Have you not considered your position? After the death of your noble father you stand to inherit one of the greatest earldoms in the country. It would thus have been more proper if you sought the consent of your father in this affair and to have made his highness the king privy to it, requesting his royal blessing. Had you done so, he was not only have welcomed your request but would, I can assure you, have promoted you to a position more suited to your noble estate. And thence, you might have gained the king’s favor by your conduct and wise council and thus risen further still in his estimation. But now look what you have done by your thoughtlessness. You have not only offended your father but also your sovereign and pledged yourself to someone whom neither would agree to be suitable. And do not doubt that I shall send for your father and when he comes he will break off this engagement or disinherit you forever. The king himself will make a complaint to your father and demand no less an action that I have suggested. Indeed, I happen to know that the king has already promised this lady to someone else and that though she is not yet aware of it, the arrangements are already far advanced. The king, however being a man of great prudence and diplomacy, is confident that, once she is aware of the situation, she will agree to the union gladly”. “Sir,” Lord Percy said, weeping, “I knew nothing of the King’s involvement in all this, and I am sorry to have incurred his displeasure. I have considered myself of sufficient age and in a good enough situation to be able to take a wife of my own choosing and never doubted that my father would gave accepted my decision. And though she is just a simple made and her father is only a knight, yet she is of very noble descent. On her mother’s side she has Norfolk blood and on her father’s side she is a direct descendant of the earl of Ormond. Why, then Sir, should I query the suitability of the match when her pedigree is of equal worth to mine? Thus I humbly beg your favor in this matter and ask you to beg the king to be benevolent concerning this issue of my engagement, which I cannot deny, still less break it off?” “See gentlemen,” said the lord cardinal to us, “what nonsense there is in this willful boy’s head! I thought that when you heard me explain the king’s involvement in this business you would have relented in your suit and have submitted yourself to the king’s will, allowing his highness to decide on the matter as he thinks fit”. “Sir, and so I would,” said Lord Percy, “ but in this matter I have gone so far that I am no longer able to renounce my commitment in full conscience”. “What?” said the cardinal, “Do you think that the king and I do not know what to do in such a serious matter as this? One thing’s for sure, I can see no point in your making any further pleas in this case”. “Very well”, said Lord Percy, “if it will please you, I will submit myself completely to the King’s will in this matter and will release my conscience from the heavy burden of the engagement”. “So be it, then,” said the cardinal, “I will send for your father in the north, and he, the king and I will take whatever measure for the annulment of this hasty folly the King thinks necessary. And in the meantime, I order you — and in the king’s name command you — not see her again if you intend to avoid the full wrath of his majesty”. Having said this, he got up and went off to his study. Then the earl of Northumberland was sent for, who learning the request being at the King’s command, made great speed to court. His first port of call after leaving the north was to lord cardinal, by whom he was briefed about the cause of his hasty summons and with whom he spent considerable time in secret discussions. After their long talk, the cardinal ordered some wine and after they had drunk together the meeting broke up and the earl left. As he was leaving, he sat down on a bench that the servants used and called his son Lord Percy to him, saying, in our presence, “Son, you have always been a proud, presumptuous, headstrong wastrel. And you have so proved yourself once more. What possible joy, comfort, pleasure or solace could I ever receive from you who have misconducted yourself without discretion and in such secrecy. With no regard for your own father, nor for your sovereign to whom all honest and loyal subjects give faithful and humble obedience, nor even for your own noble estate, you have ill-advisely become engaged to this girl and thereby incurred the king’s displeasure— an action intolerable in any of his subjects! If it wasn’t for the wisdom of the king and his benevolence towards your empty-headedness and willful stupidity, his wrath would have been sufficient to cast me and all my family for generations to come into abject poverty and desolation. But by the supreme kindness of his grace and the worthy lord cardinal , I have been excused your transgression — they have decided to pity your stupidity rather than blame it — and have presented me with a command concerning you and your future conduct. I pray to God that this may serve as sufficient warning to you to conduct yourself with more care, hereafter, for I can assure you that, if you do not amend your ways, you will be the last earl of Northumberland if I have anything to do with it. You do nothing but waste and consume everything that everything your ancestors have built up and cherished with great honor, but in the name of the gracious King, I intend—God willing—so to arrange my succession that you will benefit from it little. For I have no intention, I can assure you, of making you my heir. I have, after all, praise be to God, a wide choice of sons who will, I am sure, prove themselves worthier than you and abler to conduct themselves as true noble should. And from these I will choose the best as my successor. Now gentlemen,” he said to us servants, “It may happen so that when I am dead you will see things that I have spoken of to my son prove to be the case. Yet in the meantime, I would be grateful if you could be his friends and tell him when he strays from the path or is at fault.” And with that he took his leave of us and said to his son: “Go on your way and serve the lord cardinal, your master, and make sure you carry out your duty”. And thus he departed and went down through the hall and out of his barge. After so much debate and consultation about Lord Percy’s case it was finally decided that his engagement to Anne Boleyn should be dissolved and that he should instead marry one of the earl of Shrewsbury’s daughters, Mary Talbot, which he later did.
Cavendish’s account ends here. The break-up in 1523 resulted to Percy’s grim marriage and Anne’s hatred for Wolsey. She was banished from court until 1524 or 1525, only to learn that the King was already captivated by her. She did her best to escape his advances. But she thought naturally, “If I could not be an earl’s wife, then why not try for the crown of England?”

• HENRY VIII The longest game of courtly love was played by Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. It is unknown when the king first caught eye of Anne. He started his courtship with sending love letters. These letters were undated and were found at the Vatican Library, possibly stolen from Anne and sent to the papacy when Henry VIII asked for annulment of his marriage to Catherine. Anne’s replies however were lost. The letters were written in French. “My mistress and friend: I and my heart put ourselves in your hands, begging you have to them suitors for your good favor, and that your affection for them should not grow less through absence. For it would be a great pity to increase their sorrow since absence does it sufficiently, and more than I ever could have thought possible reminding us of a point in astronomy, which is, that the longer the days are the farther off the sun, and yet more fierce. So it is with our love, for by absence we are parted, yet nevertheless, it keeps it fervor, at least on my side, and I hope on yours also: assuring you that on my side ennui of absence is already too much for me: and when I think of the increase of what I must needs suffer it would be well high unbearable for me were it not for the firm hope I have and as I cannot be with you in person, I am sending you the nearest possible thing to that, namely, my picture set in a bracelet, with the whole device you already know. Wishing myself in their place when it shall please you. This by the hand of
Your loyal servant and friend
H. Rex.”

“No more to you at thus present mine own darling lack at time but that I would you were in my arms or I in yours for I think it long since I kissed you. Written after the killing of an hart at a xj. of a clock minding with God’s grace tomorrow mightily timely to kill another: by the hand of him which I trust shortly shall be yours
Henry R.”
“Mine own sweetheart, these shall be to advertise you of the Great loneliness that I find here since your departing, for I ensure you methinketh the time longer since your departing now last than I was won’t do a whole fortnight: I think your kindness and my fervents of love causeth it, for otherwise I would not have thought it possible that for so little awhile it should have grieved me, but now that I am coming toward you methinketh my pains been half released…wishing myself (specially an evening) in my sweetheart’s arms, whose pretty dukkys I trust shortly to kiss. Written by the hand of him that was, is, and shall be yours by his will.
H.R”
Henry signs his name with “Rex” which is Latin for “king”. In the last letter shown, the king commented “pretty dukkys” which he meant as breasts. It is hard to tell if Anne did allow the king to kiss her bosom. Some would say she did whenever her wish was granted but there were also disagreements and believes that Anne and Henry VIII didn’t become intimate until their secret wedding. These letters show his great love for Anne, for the King actually loathed writing. The king wants Anne as his mistress, which she refused. She learned much of her sister’s example. Mary was said to have been pregnant with the King’s bastard son, Henry Carey, though there were no evidence to support such but the comments of his resemblance with Henry VIII. Anne rejected him, “I beseech your highness most earnestly to desist, and to this my answer in good part. I would rather lose life than my honesty”. What she wanted was legitimacy of her union with him and of their future children. It was hard for the King, who expected her to give in for just a few months. But as Capellanus, a 12th century author, listed in the rules of courtly love: “The easy attainment of love makes it of little value; difficulty of attainment make it prized”. And it was pretty much surprising that Anne was able to keep Henry VIII’s feelings for a long time despite of her refusals. He also wants a lawful son who could inherit the throne. His wife Catherine failed to do so and gave him only a daughter, Mary. He didn’t want to have problems with succession and what he fears most was a battle like that of the War of Roses. In the said war, the rival branches of the royal house of Plantagent: the Lancaster and York fought over the throne. The Lancaster had the heraldic symbols of a red rose and a white one for the York, hence, the battle’s name. His father, Henry VII defeated Richard II. He married Elizabeth of York, joining the two houses and the Tudor dynasty started. Yet in 1527, Henry discussed the invalidity of his marriage to Catherine. Catherine was originally married to Henry’s brother, Arthur of Wales. But she was widowed at the age of 16. Arthur died at 15 due to consumption, diabetes or sweating sickness. With alliance of Spain and England still being desired, Pope Julius II dispensed the marriage, declaring that it was still not consummated, therefore, Henry VIII could still marry his brother’s widow. However, Henry VIII now found it incestuous and that’s why God punished them by giving only a daughter. Catherine did gave birth to sons but all were either stillborn or died shortly after birth. Though his reason was really against the Bible, many concluded that Henry only did such to marry Anne Boleyn.
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THE ANNULMENT As papal legate, Cardinal Wolsey was sent to Rome to make the appeal. The cardinal himself, wished for the annulment. He wanted a union with France. He planned to betroth Henry VIII to a French princess or if not, a great lady form the English court would do. But Anne Boleyn didn’t join his list. He hated her; she felt the same. His appeal came on three fronts. First he persuaded the Pope that Henry and Catherine’s marriage was clearly opposed to the Bible, in the book of Leviticus. Leviticus 20:21 states, “If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of inquiry; he dishonored his brother. They will be childless”. Second, Wolsey claimed the original dispensation to be incorrectly worded thus protesting about its technicalities. However, a correctly worded version was found in Spain shortly afterwards. Lastly, he requested the Pope to allow the final decision to be made in England and he the papal legate will supervise it. In 1528, the pope granted his request to decide the outcome in England. He and Cardinal Campeggio were assigned, as papal legates, to work on it. Wolsey had his decision; however, Campeggio took a long time to arrive and delayed the proceedings. The case was postponed in July 1528. Anne and the King had waited so long and Anne had suspicions about Wolsey’s loyalty. The cardinal was arrested and the Pope decided the final decision, and also official one, to be done in Rome. Wolsey was stripped of his titles, leaving behind the title of Archbishop of York. And with the rumors of the delayed annulment proceedings present at the court, Henry VIII knew that nothing more is to be hidden. By 1530, Anne was openly honored by the King at the court. She was accorded precedence over all other ladies, and she sat with the King at banquets and hunts. She was given the title of Marquess of Pembroke on September 1532. It was a great change because aside from the letters, the King would also give her gifts which include his first love token — a mini whistle . It has a shape of a pistol with cosmetic tools and a salt spoon within the barrel. Another was an ornate clock. The king also eats alone with her, pays her gambling debts and she began to wear expensive gowns. However during a state visit at France, the French ladies refused to meet with her. Meanwhile, Catherine of Aragon was virtually ignored yet she continues on her wifely duties. She personally mends Henry’s shirt and sends him gifts and notes. Henry VIII was displeased of the long proceedings. Pope Clement VII, the current pope, was also having a hard time. Charles V of Spain, Catherine’s nephew, was pressuring the Pope not to grant the annulment. Due to the Sack of Rome, the Pope was more afraid of Charles V than Henry VIII. He then didn’t grant the request for annulment, giving the reason that a pope cannot annul a marriage on basis of a canonical impediment previously dispensed. This gave way for Anne’s Reformist views to be heard.
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BREAK WITH ROME Anne Boleyn, with influence of France still with her, spoke out and suggested an alternative to the King. She put forward the idea of the monarch leading not just the state but also the church. Henry could deny Papal authority like William Tyndale, a religious radical, did. With this being the only answer to the problem, Henry VIII broke with Rome and declared himself as leader of the Church of England, putting an end to Catholicism in the country. He appointed Thomas Crammer as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. He implemented the Act of Supremacy 1534 that recognizes him as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. The act also required an oath of loyal from English subjects that recognized his marriage to Anne Boleyn. All who refused to pledge are executed; one of them was Thomas More. With no obstacles on the run, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn finally had their wedding on January 25, 1533 in London. It was a private ceremony, in accordance to the Royal Book. It was said that Anne was already pregnant with Elizabeth that time. Many disapproved it with the fact she didn’t want to be just thrown away like her sister. Others associate this rumor with another rumor that Henry and Anne were already secretly married. It was said to take place on November 14, 1532 after their visit to France. Thomas Cranmer, who also annulled the marriage of Catherine to Henry, made this union legal despite of the Pope’s disapproval. Soon pamphlets were distributed. It was about the coronation. It was printed by London printer Wynkin de Worde in 1533. Its front page contains the words: “The Noble Tryumphaunt Coronacyon of Quene Anne — Wyfe unto the Noble Kynge Henry the VIII”. The coronation was a lavish affair that too k place on May 28, 1533. Anne was first brought to the Tower of London. She arrived with great pomp and ceremony, people bowed their heads for her, cannons were firing to announce her triumph and her enraptured husband greeted her with a kiss. Henry led her to her new apartments that were re-decorated just for her coronation week to the equivalent of 1.28 Euros (2 million dollars). And like the tradition in monarch coronations, she went to Westminster Abbey from the Tower through a procession. But the people of London are unimpressed. They mocked at the tapestries by shouting “HA! HA!” because the designs were Henry and Anne’s initials entwined. “How liked you the look of the city?” asked Henry to his new queen. She replied, “Sir, I liked the city well enough — but I saw a great many caps on heads and heard but few tongues”.
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ANNE BOLEYN AS QUEEN It was not only the people of England — wealthy or poor — who despised the New Queen on the throne. She was a gossip of all Europeans. Anne was the scapegoat for the king’s wrong decisions: his annulment and change in religion. But the King is still a king; he therefore has the control of his decisions. However, the people find it easier to hate Anne than their monarch. Pope Clement VII excommunicated Henry VII and Thomas Cranmer. Anne Boleyn was highly criticized and condemned and so was her marriage. On March 1534, the Pope declared the legitimacy of Catherine’s marriage and commanded Henry to go back to her. But the King wouldn’t listen. Instead, he sent Catherine to Kimbolton Castle on April 1524 when she refused to recognize Anne as queen. When Henry ordered her to relinquish certain jewels (which are property of the crown) to Anne Boleyn, Catherine replied, “I will not give them up to a person who is the scandal of Christendom and a disgrace to you”. Henry only referred to her as Dowager Princess of Wales but she called herself until her death as “Henry’s only lawful wedded wife and England’s only rightful queen”. Catherine’s supporters were actually numerous. They liked her solemn piety but none of them can face their King’s wrath. Even at her death, many mourned for her. Unlike to Catherine, Anne was loathed for her abrasive personality. Anne wasn’t popular at court. One of her allies was Thomas Cromwell. Other than this Protestant man, Anne only relied to the King and his affection. Without him, she would be nothing. However, she enjoyed her victory as best as she could. Royals presided on extravagant courts to display the strength of monarchy. Multiple palaces were renovated to suit her taste. Catherine’s badge of pomegranates was replaced with her falcon symbol. She ordered new blue and purple livery for her servants. She spent a huge sum on gowns, jewels, headdresses, riding equipments and the finest furniture and upholsteries from across the world.
Anne chose the motto “The Most Happy”, in stark contrast to her predecessor. Catherine had been “Humble and Loyal”; Henry’s mother, Elizabeth of York had chosen “Humble and Reverent”. But humility was not a highlight on Anne’s characteristics.
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WIFE AND MOTHER
After the grandeur celebration of her triumph, Anne went into a quiet routine for her childbirth. During those times, Henry developed an infatuation with a court lady, which caused the couple’s first serious fight. However Henry didn’t want to harm his wife nor their child so he cut off the affair immediately. On August 16 1533, Anne entered confinement. On the 7th day of September 1533 between three or four in the afternoon, the child was born, who was slightly premature. Physicians and astrologers predicted it to be a male. Yet it wasn’t. It was a healthy baby girl. It was quite a disappointment because a lot of preparations for an heir were already made just like the tournament for the birth of a prince, which was now cancelled. There were already pre-prepared letters announcing a prince’s birth. It was now hastily added with ‘ss’ or rather with only one‘s’, as how they spell it before, to make it princes(s). The King of France was even already notified to be the child’s godfather. But as I said, it was just a ‘quite’ disappointment, unlike others thought it to be the immediate cause of Boleyn’s downfall.
“There was a good speed in deliverance and bringing forth”, Anne wrote to Lord Cobham that very day. She recovered quickly and Henry had a strong faith that his wife will soon give birth to strong princes.
Like Anne’s coronation, the princess’ christening was grand, though the King wasn’t present. The infant was christened Elizabeth, either in the honor of the King’s mother or her own. Right after the christening, Henry wrote to 17-year-old Mary, daughter of him and Catherine; and demanded to give up her position as Princess of Wales. Such title always belongs to the heiress. He also commanded her of acknowledging his marriage and legitimacy of her half-sister. But like her mother, Mary was hardheaded and refused to all commands of her father. Henry enraged and Anne supported the estrangement. Without Mary, her daughter and she herself could maintain their statuses. The King had Mary transferred to Elizabeth’s household under the careof Anne Boleyn’s aunt, Anne Shelton. Her former home, the manor of Beaulieu was given to George Boleyn. Mary had a hard time, whenever asked to give respects to the infant Elizabeth. She would say that she knew no other Princess of England but herself and then she would burst in tears.
For Elizabeth, her mother had been very affectionate and devoted to her. After birth, Elizabeth and Mary were moved from London to Hatfield for London was a nest of diseases — sweating sickness, small pox and plague. The King and Anne would occasionally visit Elizabeth while Mary was kept alone to her room. At a young age, Elizabeth was already fashionably dressed. There were accounts and letters that support this fact. There were bills for an orange satin gown and a russet velvet kirtle. After her second birthday a letter was sent by a wet nurse, asking to wean her. There was a plan of study in classical languages for Anne wanted an education like Mary’s. Mary and Anne’s relationship was not good, on the other hand. Mary strongly believes that it was her wicked stepmother who caused her father’s disgust on her but in reality; Henry had more to do with it than Anne. Still, they still tried to gain Mary’s trust and recognition of the new Queen and Princess. They wanted to show Mary that she brought her father’s displeasure on her own and they are also quite willing to receive her. Once in her visit to Hatfield, she invited Mary to come at court and see her as Queen. Mary responded with a cruel insult, “I know no Queen in England but my mother. But if you, madam, as my father’s mistress will intercede for me with him, I should be grateful”. Anne get hold of her temper and asked her again. This time Mary made no answer and the queen left with anger. She never attempted to befriend Mary.
Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s new chief minister also urged Mary to renounce her title and warned her that her behavior would led to her ruin. Mary opened up, saying she only wished for the blessing of her father and the honor of kissing his hand. However, Cromwell went on criticizing her then she left. Eustace Chapuys, an Imperial ambassador who had spiteful feelings for Anne kept on telling false statements to Mary, such that Anne would have her murdered. It was a lie she hysterically believed. Once a word came that she and her half-sister would be moving to The More, she refused to go. Guards had to actually seize her and throw her at her litter. Her distress naturally made her ill. There were also gossips from Mary’s Spanish friends about Anne and Elizabeth’s monstrous appearance. To prove them wrong, Henry showed his daughter to several diplomats from other continents naked. In the same month, April 1534, Anne announced her second pregnancy. Nothing could have pleased the king even more.
The blissful king took her wife and daughter to Eltham. Henry often carries and plays with Elizabeth. Soon he and Anne went back to Greenwich and he left on a progress, leaving Anne at the palace. Henry gave much attention to his wife’s health. He even postponed a meeting with Francis I which will involve signing a treaty because of the fear that Catherine and Mary would take advantage of his absence to harm his most beloved Queen. Such concerns were of no use. In September 1534, she miscarried a six-month-old fetus. Its features, old enough to be discerned, revealed a boy. Both parents were frustrated — Henry with the loss of an heir and Anne for an affair of her husband that summer. She confronted him and Henry replied, “You have good reason to be content with what I have done for you — and I would not do it again, if the thing were to begin. Consider from what you have come”. The scenario was furious but soon Henry was tired of his new mistress.
Another dismay of the King took place. Henry VIII proposed to Francis I to marry his son, the Duc d’ Angouleme to Elizabeth to seal their alliance once more. The French ambassador reported to Henry that Francis is wary about such betrothal. Anne the Queen was nothing but like Catherine. They were unable to give an heir. What if he did the same to Anne? A marriage to Elizabeth would be pointless then. It was true. The people too are confused. They do not know who the rightful heir is and who the real queen was. Anne was no longer in stability. The king’s affection, her only support, could soon be possibly gone. Henry VIII and Anne’s marriage started with a period of calm and affection but soon it was stormy. When Henry’s still married to Catherine, he had a handful of mistresses but Catherine silenced herself, like all wives especially a queen, should do. But Anne raged at every new affair, especially if it followed a miscarriage for it was a sign of displeasure. It wasn’t all harsh words that she burst but also tears. Henry found Anne’s proud and brave personality annoying for a wife. It was also irritating for him to hear Anne’s strident opinions about religion and politics.
It was a dangerous dance for Anne. Her daughter received every favor she could bestow. But she was surrounded by fair-weather friends who ignore her, even at the slightest sign of Henry’s displeasure of her.
Her only loyal supporter was her brother, George who was very close to her. Another supporter that I mentioned before was Cromwell. But Cromwell knew the game of politics. He had his options open. He visited Mary and was rumored to promised support for her reinstatement. Anne couldn’t lose Cromwell; he’s influential and brilliant and was the adviser of Henry VIII. And yet she had her last chance. She fell pregnant in June 1535. Henry wouldn’t discard the mother of his long-awaited heir. This chance slipped through her fingers, like she and Henry did. She lost the child in January1536; she was to have said, “I have miscarried my savior’’. The blame wasn’t only for Anne. The king’s health was deteriorating. The first sings of illness that would kill him (occluded sinus on the leg) appeared. Headaches are frequent and severe. The king was a hypochondriac. Now unable to indulge in his love of sports, he instead indulged his fear of pain and illness. He was frequently impotent. He was in his mid-forties and increasingly obese; this combined with other ailments, made his continued virility questioned. But like many contemporaries, the king blamed his queen whenever she didn’t conceive. And this failure was seen by Henry as betrayal.
Thus, Anne’s marriage was not successful and she felt the same as Catherine, as she answered a French ambassador’s question about how the frosty atmosphere between her and Henry was. On a banquet in 1535, she felt utterly lonely and can feel the eyes of the entire court spying on her.
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ENGLAND’S REFORMATION Anne Boleyn had a role that was always been sufficed by her court intrigues and royal romances. It was a remarkable role not foreseen during her birth — being a catalyst and even more, an expediter of the English Reformation. Religion was a vital part in the life of a medieval person. They believed in Heaven, Earth and Hell and of course in God. The clergymen preached to them that the only way to Heaven is when the Catholic Church allowed them to enter. At every Mass, they were told of the sheer horrors waiting in Hell. The Catholic Church gained a lot from scaring the people. Peasants work free on the Church lands and even pay 10% of their living to the Church. The tax was called tithes, which could be money or goods. Normally, the poor could only afford to give foods that grow in their lands, which were actually supposed to be eaten by themselves. Tithes were usually stored on tithe barns and would be wasted; sometimes it was eaten by rats or poisoned by their urine. The Church also talks about baptism, marriage and burial in Holy lands as part of the path to Heaven. It made them collect a greater sum of money and the worst part is they don’t pay taxes. Cathedrals, churches and monasteries were even greater than royal palaces while peasants suffered at cruck houses. These houses are filthy, no more than two rooms, with a wooden frame covered with wattle and daub (mixture of mud, straw and manure). None of these exist today, only to prove their weak foundations. Skilled carpenters belonged to a guild. They took part on the building of churches and monasteries, using only the most basic tools and less strong scaffoldings. Many died in accidents while working on the ceilings. But the church says once more again, that people who died while building a holy structure goes to Heaven. Cruelty, abuse, ignorance and greed — these were the things that Martin Luther wanted to erase from the Catholic Church. After he and his adherents separated from the Catholic Church, they began to write and preach changes in other countries. It was called the New Learning, of which Anne became inclined too. Anne’s influence to the religion of England started during Henry’s wish for annulment. There is anecdotal evidence related to biographer George Wyatt by her former lady-in-waiting Anne Gainsford, that Anne brought Henry’s attention to a heretical pamphlet, perhaps Tyndale’s “The Obedience of a Christian Man” or one by Simon Fish called “Supplication for Beggars”, which cried out to monarchs to rein in evil excesses of the Catholic Church. According to Eric Ives, Anne may very well have had a personal spiritual awakening in her youth which spurred her on through the process took a number of years. Historians argue about how deep was her commitment to the Reformation, nonetheless, it showed a side different of the haughty and brave Anne. Starting with her women-in-waiting, Anne taught them scriptural piety and is believed to have reproved her own cousin, Mary Shelton for having idle poesies in her prayer book. She actively protected scholars working on English translations of the scriptures. Anne, in fact, saved many lives including Nicholas Bourbon, a French reformer. She appealed to the French Royal Family, who spared Bourbon’s life as favor to the English queen. Bourbon would soon refer to her as “the queen whom God loves”. Furthermore, she had done charitable works like distributing more than 1500 Euros a year to the poor alone, sewing clothes for them and donating funds to educational foundations. Her charitable works were not publicized during her lifetime. She and Cromwell managed the suppressing monasteries, however she argued to save some because of their service to the poor. Henry, despite of denying Papal authority and declaring himself as head of the church, was still a Catholic. He suppressed the use of the word ‘purgatory’ yet he still wanted prayers and masses to be heard. He didn’t adopted the crucial doctrines of the Continental Reformation — sola scriputra, sola fide and sola gratia. Sola Scriptura means “Scripture Alone”. It says that scriptures are enough for faith and practice of the Christians. 2 Timothy 3:16 states, “All scriptures are God-breathed and are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. It doesn’t accept the concepts of infant baptism, indulgences, Immaculate Conception, transubstation, prayer to saints and Mary and papal authority. Sola Fide refers to “Faith Alone”. This doctrine states that salvation is a free gift to those who accept it by faith, and as written in Ephesians 2:9, it is not based on human effort and good deeds. The third one means “Grace Alone”. It says that Grace is the reason for salvation and comes not from what we do but rather from what God has chosen. Henry was never comfortable with common people interpreting the Bible, with married clergy or with other changes. Anne herself availed Catholic sacraments — confession and the Holy Communion just before her execution. Nonetheless, Anne was despised by catholics, calling her heretic. The protestants praise her and sees her as a hero and martyr especially at her death. These changes on England’s religion slowly began to create the branch of Christianity called Anglicanism, which often considers itself to have taken a middle road between Luther and Calvin’s Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.
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DOWNFALL With no sons to give to the King, no support was on her and Anne Boleyn was betrayed. Henry VIII had himself attracted o Anne’s lady-in-waiting, Jane Seymour. Eustace Chapuys had written about Anne’s downfall and stating there about Seymour. Chapuys, being Catherine’s adviser, referred to Anne as “The Whore” or “The Concubine”. “The joy shown by the people every day, not only at the ruin of the concubine but at hope of princess Mary’s restoration is inconceivable, but as yet the King shows no great disposition towards the latter; indeed he has twice shown himself obstinate when spoken to on the subject by his council. I hear that even before the arrest of the concubine, the king, speaking with Mistress Jane Seymour of their future marriage, the latter suggested that the princess should be replaced in her former position; and the king told her she was a fool, ought to solicit the advancement of the children they would have between them and not any others. She replied that in asking for the restoration of the princess she was seeking the rest and tranquility of the king, herself, her future children and the whole realm; for, without that neither your majesty nor this people would ever be content”.
He further more writes: “I think the concubine’s little bastard will be excluded from succession, and that the king will get himself requested by the parliament to marry. To cover the affection he has for the said Seymour he has lodged seven miles away in the house of a grand esquire, and says publicly that he has no desire to marry again, unless he is constrained by his subjects to do so. Several have already told me and sent to say that if it cost them their lives, when parliament meets they will urge the cause of the princess to the utmost”. This account proves of Henry’s wish to get rid of Anne just to marry Seymour. On the very evening of the day on which Henry talked with his mistress, Anne was arrested. Despite of the King’s abrupt departure from the Mayday jousts yesterday, this day doesn’t seem to be different to Anne. After her breakfast and hearing the Mass and nothing else to do, the queen went downstairs with her ladies to watch a tennis match. Just as the game finished, a messenger arrived with an “order of the king”, ordering Anne to present herself before the Privy Council at once. She obediently left the tennis court to go to the palace’s council chambers. Anne expected to see either her husband or the entire council there but instead only three advisers to the King were present. It includes her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk; the Master Treasure, Sir William Fitzwilliam and Sir Paulet. The Duke informed her that the King had granted the council powers to investigate her “evil behavior”. As results to theses investigations, the queen now stood accused of adultery with the courtier Sir Henry Norris, the musician Mark Smeaton and a mysterious third lover, whose identity they refused to reveal at this stage. The Queen furiously denied it and stated that the King was the only man who touched her. It was often believed that she was shortly arrested in the council chamber; however, she was actually allowed to return to her apartments for lunch. The news of Anne accused of adultery had spread in the palace. A hundred soldiers had already been sailing to Thames to apprehend her. Her servants were already weeping but the Queen carried on as if nothing happened. At two o’clock the council entered the Queen’s apartments. The Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Oxford, Lord Sandys and Thomas Cromwell was now with three gentlemen who previously had a meeting with the queen. The duke produced a warrant of arrest, signed by the King and commanded her to come with them at once. She was to be lodged at the Tower of London, the same place where she was brought during her coronation. Anne surrendered with grace, “If it be His Majesty’s pleasure, I am ready to obey”. Anne was escorted into a waiting barge. She did not give any sign of hearing the jeers of various Londoners out of the river. The journey from Greenwich to the Tower was agonizingly a long one. They reached their destination in the early evening. Upon their entrance, the cannons of the tower fired out a salvo to announce the incarceration of a great personage within its walls. Anne was deposited to her prison as she prayed. The council then journeyed to Westminster to inform that the king that this wife is now imprisoned. The Constable of the Tower — Sir William Kingston treated her with chivalrous courtesy and went to great lengths to praise her courage. He took no pleasure of her misery, like the way did to all who had been and will be his prisoner. Anne turned to Kingston in a panic, “Master Kingston, do I go to a dungeon?” “No, Madam”, he replied soothingly, “you shall go into your lodging that you lay in at your coronation”.
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IMPRISONMENT
Anne was pretty lucky enough to be imprisoned at a room and still had nine servants left from her original 250 servants. It was clearly because she’s still the Queen of England. Among these nine retainers, she liked Mrs. Mary Orchard, who had been her governess at Hever Castle and Mrs. Stonor, who was fairly innocuous and conscientious. She also had no problems with the young messenger boy or two grooms provided by the Tower. The ones she wasn’t pleased of was Lady Kingston, her gaoler’s wife; Mrs. Coffin abd her estranged aunts — Lady Amata Boleyn and Lady Anne Shelton. These four would often bully her by not answering her questions or answering them with insilt. Once she asked if the accused lovers of her had someone to make their beds for them in prison. One answered her that it was her interest in their beds that brought her to such situation. And since it is forbidden to talk to her unless she spoke, Anne just kept quiet so the ladies would be silenced too. Anne began “weeping at great pace, an in the same sorrow fell into great laughing and she hath done many times since”. She would sometimes ask her gaoler again, “Master Kingston, shall I die without justice?” Kingston would reply, “Madam, even the poorest subject of the King hath, has justice”. Hearing this answer, Anne laughed. It was hard to say so which one did she found — Kingston’s naivete or the peasant having justice. One of her unwelcome ladies mentioned that Sir Francis Weston was being interrogated by the council as part of the investigations of her private life. Anne was suddenly seized with fear and became very agitated. It was logical for her to act that way if she really had an affair with him. Other theories suggest that Weston had an affair with her brother George or knew about George being a bisexual and Anne was afraid for this to be revealed. Another reason was about the conversation during the celebration held for Whitsunday a year earlier. Anne teased Weston about the fact that he spent far more time in her rooms flirting with her ladies than he did visiting his wife. Weston jokingly replied that it was his way to conceal his undying love for the Anne, the Queen. This gave Anne the suspicion that Henry Norris must have the same reason for visiting her apartments, though Weston’s was only a joke. Weston himself might have suspicion about Norris’ feelings and Anne feared to have this confessed on the Council. Anne also panicked about the plight of others and even called Mark Smeaton as “poor Mark”. She fell in distress knowing her brother was arrested for incest. She also worried about how parents would feel, especially her mother who was ill, about her arrest. She, too, was obsessed to know who the third lover was. Every word from Anne Boleyn was used against her. Lady Kingston reported it to her husband, as she was the most trustworthy of all. And Lord Kingston had Anne Boleyn’s worries, obsessions and panics reached Thomas Cromwell, the man behind this master plan. Seven men were accused and arrested — Mark Smeaton, Henry Norris, George Boleyn, William Brereton, Sir Thomas Wyatt and Sir Richard Page. Smeaton fared the most whereas it was believed that Thomas Wyatt and Richard Page, being friends of Cromwell despite of their past relationships with Anne, were released. It was said that the two were only arrested as to show that the government was really investigating all accused fairly. That if they were innocent, they could go free. It was believed that Anne wrote a ltter to her husband, asking for a fair tria, mercy for her fellow prisoners and hinted at Jane Seymour being the reason for her downfall. It was found on Cromwell’s papers 1540, indicating that Cromwell never sent it to the King. However there were many anomalies in this letter such as that her handwriting was different and the letter was signed “Bullen” whereas she signed “Boleyn” and “Anne the Queen” when she was wed. Ub tge letter she referred to herself “from low estate” which us impossible because her ancestors included King Edward I though Anne could have used hyperboles. There was also a theory that it was just a copy thus, the misspelling of ‘Boleyn’ or it could just be forgery. Investigations and interrogations continued, nonetheless, Anne was ready to defend herself. She knew the truth as she says it to the council members with anger, “It has all been done as I say, because the King has fallen in love with Jane Seymour and does not know how to get rid of me. Well, let him do as he likes, he will get nothing more out of me and any confession that had been made is false”. The following statements are the charges on Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, recorded by the court:
• TREASON
“despising her marriage and entertaining malice against the King and following daily her frail and carnal lust”.
•SEDUCED FIVE MEN WHO WERE ALSO CHARGED WITH TREASON AND HAD PLOTTED THE KING’S DEATH
“On October 6th at the Palace of Westminster…and on various other days before and after, by sweet words, kissing, touching and other illicit means…she did procure and incite…Henry Norris…a gentleman of the Privy Chamber of our Lord the King, to violate and carnally know her by reason where of the same Henry Norris on 12th October…violated, stained and carnally knew her..”
• INCEST
“tempted her brother with her tongue in the said George’s mouth and the said George’s tongue in hers”. Completely innocent actions, such as giving money to courtiers and dancing with her brother, were used as evidence against her. She had 12 alibis on the occasions when she was meant to be committing adultery, but it didn’t mattered. Anne was also charged with witch craft and furthermore, five men, apart from Norris were also charged with sodomy. So not that only Anne committed adultery but had slept with “evil” homosexuals. On her trial, Anne fearlessly defended herself. It took place on May 15, 1536. Her brother was also tried but separate from her, she at Westminster and Georg at the Tower. The court was presided by her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk as lord steward. They unanimously declared Anne guilty of all changes, though she pleaded not guilty. Her uncle said:
“Because thou has offended our sovereign the King’s grace in committing treason against his person and here attainted of the same, the law of this realm is this, thou gas deserved death, and thy judgment is this: that thou shalt be burned here with the Tower of London, on the Green, else have to gave thy head smitten off, as the King’s pleasure shall be further known of the same”.
Anne Boleyn then gave the following speech:
“I don’t say that I have always borne towards the King the humility which I owed him, considering his kindness and the great honour he showed me and the great respect he always paid me; I admit too, that I have taken it into my head to be jealous of him..But God be my witness if I have done him any other wrong”. Henry Percy, now, Earl of Northumberland and first love of Anne Boleyn was present at the court. He had to pronounce her guilty. Hearing her sentenced to death made him collapsed and had to be taken out of the room. Her brother too was found guilty.
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DEATH
All men found guilty, including her brother were executed on May 17, 1536. Anne’s marriage to the king was dissolved on the same day. Leaving a question of how could she be still executed with adultery as crime of her now she’s unmarried. However, the other charges remained. Henry VIII changed her execution from burning to beheading. He also hired an expert swordsman named Jean Rombaud from SAin-Omer in France. Anne would be now beheaded with a sword not an axe which terrified her because it sometimes takes several blows before the head was severed with the axe. And so as this story started thus it will end — with her death. On May 19, 1536, Anne made preparations for her death. Early in the morning she heard a mass and received a Holy Communion. She had sworn to God, with Lord Kingston as witness, that she is innocent. Previously that night, she had written a poem (as generally believed). The poem was entitled “Oh Death Rock Me Asleep”. Here is an excerpt:

“Oh Death
Rock me asleep
Bring on my quiet rest
Let my very guiltless soul
Out of my careful breast
Ring out the dolefull knell
Let it sound
My death tell
For I must die”.

It reveals that Anne as exhausted with her suffering and wanted death to come to her and end everything. Her wish now heard and on this springday she must die. As Author Gareth Russell commented, “It was hard to die on such a lovely day”. But Anne was now fetched by her four ladies-in-waiting from the Queen’s House. As she passed the crowd, it was said she showed a “devilish spirit” and looked “as gay as if she was not going to die”. She made her 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 now blindfolded and without any precious stone on her body, knelt. Even the swordsman was touched by her. His hands were shaking and the queen was constantly looking behind. She was afraid that he might strike and she’s not ready. The swordsman said that he’ll give her a warning. With the right momentum, he shouted, “Where is my sword?” then severed the head. He did so to make Ann feel that she still has a few seconds to live. It was a pitiful lie. Canons fired to announce Anne’s death. Her corpse was laid on an arrow chest. It was too small so her head was put beside her body. It was buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula. Her remains was said to be identified during Queen Victoria’s renovations if it was held true, she now rests in a marked marble floor.
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AFTERMATH The king had it all now. He could marry Jane Seymour which he did eleven days after Anne’s execution. Jane gave him his most awaited heir, Edward VI. It was all thanks to Cromwell but he shouldn’t be the scapegoat. Cromwell might have a conflict with Anne about the distribution of the church’s wealth but it was still Henry who wished for everything. After her death, all memories regarding Anne were commanded by the King to be removed. However at Hampton Court, you could still see their initials engraved on a gate’s ceiling. The gate was called Anne Boleyn’s Gate because her apartments were directly above it. Elizabeth was only three when Anne died, too young to understand everything. Yet when she was stripped of her title as Princess, she noticed it and asked her governess, “How haps it governor, yesterday my Lady Princess, today but my Lady Elizabeth?” She was neglected because of her father’s “new family” but someday it was Anne Boleyn’s daughter who became a great queen.

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SUMMARY
Because of the lack of parish records during her time, Ann Boleyn’s birth date is uncertain. Most historians record between the years 1501-507. She was either born at Blicking Hall or at Hever Castle. But most of her childhood was spent at the latter. Her parents were Thomas Boleyn, an ambitious and selfish courtier and Elizabeth Howard, also ambitious and proud, a former lady-in-waiting of Catherine of Aragon. She was the one of the three surviving Boleyn children, the two being Mary and George. Her Howard relatives include King Edward I of England, making her the most of noble birth among the other English wives of Henry VIII. She learned both the basic and domestic skills at home and also engaged in sports. Her education was continued in foreign courts.

She was first sent to Hapsburg Empire in 1513 as a maid-of-honor to the regent Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy. The duchess found her so bright and so pleasant for her young age. By the winter of 1514 or 1515, she was transferred to France to be one of the attendants of Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII and wife-to-be of French king, Louis XII. There Anne was reunited with her sister Mary. Anne became an interpreter to Queen Mary and her stepdaughter, Claude while her sister became a mistress of Francis I, Claude’s husband. When King Louis XII died, Mary Tudor went home because she was not pregnant of an heir. Francis I took over the throne. All attendants went back too but Anne remained and continued serving Claude. For the seven years of living in the French court, Anne was highly influenced by the powerful women around her. She acquired their interest in the Protestant movement.

The moment she came back to England, she was now an educated and cultivated Renaissance lady who caught the eye of many. She was extremely unique because she was thin and of average height; has dark-olive skin, thick brown hair and dark brown eyes. She wasn’t a great beauty but her vivacity, wittiness and bravery outshone others. She was believed to have a large mole at the neck, a sixth finger and a third breast, signs of being a witch.
Thomas Wyatt, a poet, was said to be in love with her and created poems on her honor. Anne became secretly engaged to Henry Percy, a gentleman in the court. However the engagement was broke by Cardinal Wolsey, Henry VIII’s chief minister. It was unknown when the king was bewitched with Anne but his courtship started with sending love letters. He wanted Anne as a mistress but she desired for marriage. Anne doesn’t want to be like her sister, being used then left. Henry VIII realized too that he needs a legitimate heir and his wife, Catherine only gave him a daughter. He sent Cardinal Wolsey to Rome to ask the Pope for an annulment. The proceedings were much delayed. The King and Anne was suspicious of Wolsey’s loyalty, therefore he was fired from work. Henry VII was displeased of waiting so long. Anne suggested him an alternative. She shared about the Reformation, in which the monarch can renounce papal rule in the church and be the head of the church himself. The king did it so and broke with Rome. He implemented the act of supremacy 1534 that recognizes him as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and Anne as his lawful wife. Thomas Crammer, the Archbishop of Canterbury annulled Henry’s marriage to Catherine.
Henry VIII and Anne were wedded on January 25, 1533 in London. It was a private ceremony. Anne’s lavish coronation took place on May 1533. Like the tradition, there was a procession form the Tower of London to Westminster Abbey. Henry sent Catherine to Kimbolton Castle. The pope excommunicated Henry VIII and Thomas Crammer. Many loathed and condemned Anne Boleyn, both in England and in foreign countries. Her only ally was the king himself and his minister, Thomas Cromwell. But despite of these, she seemed to enjoy the luxury of being a queen and chose the motto “The Most Happy”. On September 7, 1533 Anne gave birth to Princess Elizabeth. Physicians and astrologers predicted that she’ll bear a male instead but it was only a quite disappointment. Anne was very affectionate on her daughter. She and the king will often play with her and carry her. It caused a great rift between them and Mary, Catherine’s daughter.
Anne was also an active reformist. She was pious and taught the scriptures to her ladies-in-waiting. She protected scholars translating the Bible in English. She was generous to the poor, sewing clothes for them and donating educational funds. But Anne’s reign didn’t last. With no sons for the king, no support was on her. Slowly, Boleyn was betrayed. Henry VIII had himself attracted to Jane Seymour, Anne’s lady-in-waiting. Thomas Cromwell possibly instructed or not by the king, plotted a conspiracy on Anne. On May 2 1536, she was arrested for committing adultery. Anne surrendered with grace and was brought to the Tower. She wasn’t imprisoned at a dungeon but rather in the same room she stayed in during her coronation. Anne would sometimes weep then fall into laughter. She often asked Master Kingston, the Constable of the Tower, “Shall I die without justice?” She has nine servants in the tower. She hated four of them and they would often bully her.
Seven men were accused and arrested—Mark Smeaton, Henry Norris, George Boleyn, Francis Weston, William Brereton, Sir Thomas Wyatt and Sir Richard Page. Wyatt and Page were released. Whenever she heard any news about these men, she would panic and became seized with fear. This response of her was used to incriminate her. Anne knew that the king loved Seymour and did this to get rid of her so she defended herself fearlessly.
Her final trial took place on May 15, 1533 at Westminster Abbey. They declared her guilty of treason and incest. The men were executed on May 17, 1536 and her marriage was dissolved on the same date. Her execution was changed from burning to beheading. The King hired an expert swordsman, Jean Rombaud from France. May 19, 1533—the day of her execution came. She heard the mass first in the morning and swore to God, with Kingston as witness that she’s innocent. Then she was escorted by her crying ladies-in-waiting to the scaffold. She looked gay as if she was not going to die. She made a short speech, thanking the king for all his kindness and asked God to watch over him. Anne removed her jewels and was blindfolded. She knelt before the swordsman. And with pity, the swordsman shouted, “Where is my sword?” and then severed the head. Canons were fired, announcing the queen’s death. Her body was put on an arrow chest and was buried in an unmarked grave at the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula. All memories of Anne were removed in the palace and Henry VIII got the heir he wanted from Jane Seymour. But Anne still had a legacy, the future queen Elizabeth I.

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CONCLUSION
People, especially of the United Kingdom, up to present, still have a split opinion on who was really Anne Boleyn. She was a martyr of heaven, according to Protestants, leading their country to the right path in the midst of contradictions. However, in the eyes of a large number of historians, college students and even ordinary persons; Anne was still known as a witch and whore who deserves to burn in hell.
I highly believe that that is too harsh for Anne. It’s only her religion, physical features and temperament, all different from the people of her time, which contributed more to her “wickedness”. I would say that she’s not that evil and, due to the lack of substantial proofs, I would disagree on the fact that she’s a criminal and traitor. But neither was she an angel. Anne was ambitious, much like her father. If she wasn’t so, she should have then given the king a final “no”. Yet in order to rise with power, she took advantage of the king’s affection and gave him a condition. Even though she might truly love the king, Anne was definitely out of the line for he already has a wife who is still alive. Of course she was aware of that yet she still played with fire. It was rudeness for Catherine and in a funny spin of events Anne felt that same disrespect and even more when Seymour entered the scene. It is only right for Anne to know how it is to be set aside but it doesn’t mean that the king should indeed get a new wife to teach her a lesson. The way Henry VIII or Thomas Cromwell got rid of her was too cruel and unjust albeit she was not naïve and has the right to be blamed for her downfall. Still for me, she doesn’t deserve to die. To be banished and live in disgrace would have been a better option. Anne Boleyn’s life shows the danger and destruction that politics, ambition and desire bring. It proves that in a game, no one shall be trusted because any time one of your allies could just stab you at the back. It also presents all the women of the past, being just used then replaced whenever they failed to fulfill their main duty in life—to give birth. Howbeit, Anne surpassed the burden of her gender, shown in being intellectual and outspoken. She exhibited the bizarre power of a woman by being able to enrapture the King, enough for him to change the religion of an entire kingdom.

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RECOMMENDATION
I would recommend this research on Anne Boleyn for history enthusiasts. It is a helpful tool for students learning or majoring on World, European or English history.
Further information is available on different books. “The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn” by the well-known biographer, Eric Ives is a complete biography of the most controversial queen consort of England. It is a carefully researched book that discusses Anne’s influence, spirituality and love for intellectual debate and the issues around her. A book by Retha Warnicke entitled “The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn” is a different yet argumentative view on the reasons of Boleyn’s downfall. It focuses on sexual intrigues and family politics pervading the court. Rather than being a product of schemes, Warnicke explains Anne’s death to be a consequence of Henry’s need to continue the Tudor dynasty. There is also a book dedicated on Anne’s final days. “The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn” is a book written by a popular historian named Alison weir. This book offers a true-to-life description from the chilling countdown to Anne’s death up to the violent execution itself.
For a larger scope of events, you could read “The Six Wives of Henry VIII” also by Weir and “The Tudors: The Complete Story of England's Most Notorious Dynasty” by G.J. Meyer. Based on biographies, letters, memoirs, account books, and diplomatic reports, Weir creates another splendid work about the six colorful women behind Henry VIII and his reign. Meyer brings to life the intriguing Tudor monarchs from King Henry Tudor VII to Queen Elizabeth I. He tells their various stories of victories, crimes and death that shaped history and shows their significance in the modern British government. Anne Boleyn is of high importance. All accounts, books, paintings and artifacts related on her life should be preserved in order to bring her story up to the coming generations and do more researches that might possibly clear the clouds around her.