Anne Boleyn is a name known by most of people. I suppose that if you ask someone about her the first thing that will come to their minds could be : the second wife of Henri Tudor, a women that was decapitated, a queen...
Or other things.. I suppose that those qualifications are true. But who she really was ? Was she a witch, practicing the skills of obscure arts like her husband said ? Did she truly committed incest with her brother ? I suppose that those questions will always be left unanswered. All we can do now, is try to understand who she was, and if she could have done such things.
In our days, they are lots of differents representation around her. Starting by exemple with the vision of Philippa Gregory in his book “The Other Boleyn Girl” where Anne Boleyn have the part of the calculating and manipulating woman. In his book Philippa Gregory agreed with the hypothesis of her being a witch, who even buried her unborn babies in the gardens. With this image he showed her like Henry Tudor wanted her to be seen : as an evil and manipulating person.
In the famous show “The Tudor”, she is shown as a women who took advantages of her charms, someone clever but also a good mother ; towards her daughter Elizabeth. Her weaknesses are shown, as well as her husband emotional instability.
Who was Anne Boleyn ? Was she more like the witch described by Phillipa Gregory or more like the woman portrayed by Natalie Dormer ?
We do not know the exact birthdate of Anne Boleyn, we know that she was born around 1500, and that she had a sister named Mary.
Mary had an affair with the king during his marriage with Catherine Of Aragon, his first wife.
The two sisters came from a little noble family, Anne had passed some years in France for her education and so had a french fashion style.
Iconic with her round headpiece (popular in France at that time). Her sister Mary, was at court and was one of the mistresses of King Henry.
Who will later become the husband of her sister. After her years in France, Anne came back in England and so at the royal british court.
There she knew quite a success, among her peers, for her fashion style but as well for her charms. Her contemporaries described her as a charming and beautiful women.
“She was the perfect woman courtier…her carriage was graceful and her French clothes pleasing and stylish; she danced with ease and had a pleasant singing voice, played the lute and several other musical instruments as well, and spoke French fluently… a remarkable, intelligent, quick-witted young noblewoman with a personal knowledge of many of the players in European politics”-Retha Warnicke
It is Mary who presented Anne to Henry, and in 1525 the King started writing her love letters. Asking her to become his mistress, which she refused. She did not wanted to be the mistress of someone, she wanted to be married.
It is approximately at that time that he took the decision to divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Using the fact that she did not gave him a son and her numerous miscarriage as well. He also used her previous and short marriage with King Henry older brother ; Arthur Tudor.
He and Anne got married in secret in 1532, Anne was already pregnant with a baby that will later be one of the greatest monarch of England, Elizabeth the first.
So why did Henry had decided to in a way "get rid off her" ? He was madly in love with her so why did he do that ?
Henry had already gotten a first divorce with Catherine of Aragon, she did not gave him a son. He was in love with Anne and wanted her as his wife. So he got rid of her, with getting the divorce.
In the case of Anne, the same thing happened : Henry was madly in love with her and was at her feet. But all she gave him was one daughter Elizabeth. She had numerous miscarriage, losing two children, one boy in January 1536.
It is at this moment that her downfall started, King Henry had mistresses during their marriage, pretending a search for a male heir, one of his mistress was Jane Seymour (his next wife).
Unlike his precedent wive, Anne was not silent about the affairs that her husband had. Their marriage were falling apart, and ressentiment tore them apart, Henry wanted a son and so did Anne (or I suppose).
But she also wanted her husband to not cheat on her.
So as Anne couldn’t give a son to him, he was not so fond of her anymore, he had a new mistress, so that meant that he could have a new chance of having a male heir.
Jane was younger and so maybe he had more chances of giving him a son, an heir for his crown.
He could not divorce of her, like he did with Catherine, rumors say that the old friend of Anne ; Thomas Cromwell, plotted against her, for her downfall.
On the 15 May 1536, her trial started under the accusations of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft.
On May 19 her marriage with King Henry was declared invalid. It is in the Tower in London, that she is going to be executed.
“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, where of 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”
Before being executed she kept saying, down on her knees..
“To Jesus Christ I commend my soul; Lord Jesus receive my soul”
On the May 19 of the year 1536, Anne Boleyn was beheaded, she died being approximately 36 years old. Leaving behind her, her daughter Elizabeth (who became a bastard due to the annulation of her parents marriage), she was two years old.
Anne was a woman of faith, and if she truly committed those crimes that she were accused of, why did she commended her soul to Jesus ? If she had done witchcraft and committed incest as well as treason, she could have not commended her soul to Jesus.
Because she was not a saint, but a sinner, on the words of her husband.
So did Anne committed those crimes ?
I believe that Anne never was a witch, that she never committed treason and adultery.
King Henry obsession with producing a male heir for his throne costed the life of Anne Boleyn, Jeanne Seymour (due to the lack of care after giving birth to a male heir) and Katherine Howard (beheaded as well, for adultery).
He had in total 6 wives, three died, two divorced and only one survived.
He was ready to do everything for a male heir, he used for that divorces and executions while using the same pattern : adultery, lack of producing a male heir and such..
Anne was a women that did not fitted the standards of that era. She was a woman of her own:
“That Tudor rarity, the self-made woman … [who] was where she was by virtue of her own abilities and what she had made of herself, not by virtue of wealth or family” -Eric Ives
She knew her charms and her value and so she wanted to use it for herself, and not for others, not for a man. She was as well clever, and had a logical mind. I believe that her look may have taken the attention of King Henry but it is definitely her brilliant mind that made King Henry fall for her.
She definitely had enemies, and people envious of her, so when King Henry started doubting her, and falling for Jeanne Seymour, court people saw an opportunity. And I believe that they took it.
She was a woman, a woman who had power and influence.
Men, no matter the era never accepted such a thing.
For those people she was a threat, and they needed to get rid of her.
King Henry desire to have a male heir, mixed with the strong character of Anne, added with the fear and resentment that people at court had for her, were enough for her downfall to happen.
For me Anne Boleyn was a strong and fierce women, she had to fight for what she wanted and she tried to secure for herself, and her daughter a future.
She was someone whose behavior could not be controlled, she was her own woman and I admire that in her.
She died due to the unhealthy obsession of her husband for a male heir, for more power.
She was someone innocent, someone who deserved respect, love and kindness.
Cover art by Keith Robinson