Anne Boleyn

Anne is, for me the most interesting of all Henry's wives, I cannot decide on weather it was ambition or love when thinking of her marriage to Henry.  Needless to say whichever it was she did not deserve her beheading, and neither did the five men that she was alleged to have had seduced.

Anne arrived into the court of Henry VIII in 1522 after spending 7 years in the French court.  She first caught the attention of the King when playing the part of "perseverance" in a pageant.  Anne was betrothed to Henry Percy, however this was not supported by Henry Percy's father and Cardinal Wolsey refused the match.

Anne came from an ambitious family, her uncle, Thomas Howard was highly ambitious to me a really unlikeable person.  No doubt that he would have pushed for Anne and her sister Mary to get in the Kings way and into his bed.  I do not believe that he would ever have thought that Anne could go as far as she did though.

People really began to take notice of Henry and Anne in 1527 when Henry began to seek an annulment from Catherine of Aragon, and more so in 1528 when Anne became a prominent figure at court.

Henry had kept Anne's sister Mary as a misstress for some time, however Mary was not the innocent as portrayed by Philippa Gregory in "The other Boleyn Girl", far from it.

Henry and Anne's love letters to each other still survive today and are held in the Vatican I believe.  Such a shame they are not kept at Hever Castle, or Hampton Court Palace for people to see.

Henry and Anne did not consummate their marriage until the divorce from Catherine of Aragon was final (or rather almost was).  Anne and Henry held out for a very long time for this divorce and I don't think that can be ignored, although it could be argued that ambition would allow her to wait that long.  However, for me, from Henry's point of view he would not have waited so long if he did not love her.  If it was pure lust then I think he would have tired of waiting and found another woman.  They were married in January 1533, and the marriage latest just three years.  Anne gave birth to a baby girl, Elizabeth in September 1533 and bore no further surviving children.

From what I understand Henry and Anne's relationship was a very intense one.  There was deep affection, but also blazing rows and heated tempers.

It would seem to an outsider that Anne perhaps grew "too big for her boots". Anne was dominant in court and not as queenly in her duties as Catherine was.  She, to me did not understand her place, and while she could previously had got her way as far as Henry was concerned, time changed that.  She was his wife and queen and expected to behave in an appropriate way.  Anne was very vocal and perhaps shouldn't have been.  After three years of marriage Henry had had enough, although this is under debate as he seemed very much in love prior to her trial.  I think to give Anne's trial the write up it deserves (I'll try my best), it would require a separate post.

Rumours of Anne's alleged infidelity circulated and Anne was put on trial along with five men (including her brother George), along with charges of witchcraft (Henry believed that Anne had bewitched him).  Anne was sent to the scaffold and beheaded in May 1536.

Anne's death was incredibly tragic and undeserved.  But to add a different train of thought, I don't think if Henry simply wanted divorce she would have accepted that.  Although Catherine did not either, she was dignified and stayed out of the way so to be speak, once the divorce was final and she was moved away.  In Anne's case, this wouldn't have happened.  Anne was very headstrong.  Perhaps Anne and Henry were too similar in character and this is why the marriage broke down.