Anne Boleyn is probably the one among Henry VIII’s six wives that most people are familiar with. The „great seductress,“ the alleged reason for the English Reformation, the mother of one of England’s greatest queens, and, last but not least, the first of Henry’s wives to die on the scaffold.
Anne Boleyn, the Hope of the Family
So much about Anne Boleyn remains a mystery to this day. Even her year of birth is uncertain: she was born either in 1501 or 1507 as the daughter of diplomat Thomas Boleyn and his wife Elizabeth Howard. Her father belonged to the lower nobility, unlike her mother, who was the daughter of the 2nd Duke of Norfolk and part of one of England’s most powerful families. Thomas Boleyn harbored great ambition, which extended to his children Mary, George, and Anne. He placed Anne at a young age at the court of Margaret of Austria, governor of the Netherlands, from where she eventually continued her education at the French court.
Anne was an inquisitive child. She quickly became fluent in French, received an excellent general education, and acquired all the skills desired at court at that time: dancing, music, and conversation. Though she may not have been as stunningly beautiful as often described today, she knew how to use her charisma and intelligence. When she returned to England in 1523 and began serving as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon at court, she was more French than English, bringing French fashion and culture with her and gradually captivating nearly every man at court.
A price to conquer
One of the most sought-after bachelors, Henry Percy, heir to the Earl of Northumberland, soon courted Anne. For Anne, who was ultimately not of particularly high status, he was an excellent match. Percy was young, wealthy, and infatuated with Anne. Had they succeeded in marrying, Anne might have grown old and died in her bed—but no one would know her name today.
The reason why Henry’s minister Cardinal Thomas Wolsey broke off the relationship between the two lovers is not entirely known. Either the king, who had to approve every noble marriage at the time, deemed Anne too low in status for Percy, or Henry VIII had already set his sights on Anne himself. Whatever the case, Anne was deeply unhappy and offended and made Cardinal Wolsey her sworn enemy.
Anne’s sister Mary Boleyn had a slightly different approach to life and her future. She too had spent several years at the French court for her education, where she was rumored to have been King Francis I’s mistress. Shortly after her return to England and before Anne came back, she became Henry’s mistress. Mary was soon married off to a courtier, which likely did not put an end to her affair. However, she did not receive any ongoing benefits from it, as was customary for royal mistresses. When Henry eventually lost interest in Mary, she was left empty-handed and ridiculed by the court. It was probably around this time (around 1526) that Henry began to take an interest in Anne. Anne, however, had her sister’s example as a warning—and while she did not reject the king’s advances outright, she made it clear that he would only gain access to her bed if he made her his wife.
Henry VIII was not accustomed to being denied anything, and it seemed to drive him mad with desire. The question of whether his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, which had produced only one daughter, was legitimate was already being raised. Henry’s desire for Anne likely spurred him to pursue this question more aggressively.
Anne played a dangerous game. Although Henry’s true cruelty and lack of scruples were not yet fully evident at that time, people were aware of what it meant to incur the king’s displeasure. And Anne demanded much in exchange for her favor. To marry Anne, Henry had to confront the only authority he had hitherto considered above himself: the Church.
The King’s Lady
The divorce proceedings dragged on for a long time, and as Henry could not make Anne his queen, he showered her and her family with titles and lands. Before long, Anne became officially recognized as the king’s “companion.” Meanwhile, court life continued as usual, forcing Catherine and Anne to interact with one another. Anne believed herself close to achieving her goal and even once stated that she would rather see Catherine hanged than acknowledge her as her mistress. Such behavior soon earned Anne enemies both at court and among the populace. And still Catherine refused to yield.
Eventually, Anne, who was receptive to the ideas of Luther and his associates, gave Henry William Tyndale’s “Obedience of a Christian Man.” This book argued that authority over the Church should belong not to the Pope but to the king. Henry began walking down a path that would culminate in breaking ties with Rome and establishing the Anglican Church with himself as its head.
Queen Catherine was banished from court without Henry bidding her farewell after more than 20 years of marriage. Cardinal Wolsey also fell victim to the divorce proceedings; Anne had after all vowed revenge against him.
Toward the end of 1532, Anne played her final card and gave herself to Henry fully. She quickly became pregnant—a further “proof” that she could ensure the Tudor dynasty’s continuation where Catherine could not. Henry now had to hurry if the child was not to be born illegitimate. He and Anne married in a secret ceremony. Henry declared his break from Rome, and his new church declared his marriage to Catherine invalid. Anne’s path to the throne was clear.
Queen of England
On May 31, 1533, she entered London in a grand procession through a large but only moderately cheering crowd. On June 1st, she was crowned queen in Westminster Abbey.
Her pregnancy was already well advanced, and everyone believed she would certainly bear a son. Letters announcing the birth of a prince had already been drafted. But on September 7th, 1533, those letters had to be hastily amended when Anne gave birth to a daughter named Elizabeth.
Henry and Anne put on a brave face despite their disappointment, and a law was passed declaring Elizabeth the legitimate heir ahead of Catherine’s daughter Mary, who now stood as illegitimate.
Henry had likely found Anne’s fiery temperament, sharp tongue, and boldness attractive during their courtship. However, once married, these traits led to increasing tension between them. When Anne suffered a miscarriage in 1534, Henry began contemplating whether he could rid himself of her without returning to Catherine. The couple seemed to reconcile but dark clouds lingered on their horizon.
Henry once again turned his attention to other women. Unlike Catherine—who likely learned from her mother that a woman in her position must discreetly overlook such affairs—Anne refused to tolerate being betrayed by Henry. This led to numerous arguments during which Henry reportedly told Anne that he could humble her just as quickly as he had raised her.
Anne also faced discord with both the Boleyns and Howards within her own family circle. Increasingly insecure about her position—aware that she herself had once displaced a queen—she came to view even her own ladies-in-waiting as threats. In Protestant tradition, she ordered plain clothing for them; however, this did nothing to deter Henry.
Anne’s unpopularity grew steadily worse among the commoners as well. Many blamed her for the executions of those who refused to recognize the king as the head of the Church, often by beheading or burning at the stake. She was also held responsible for the plight of the beloved Catherine, who was forced to live in poverty in deteriorating castles. In the eyes of the people, Anne became „The Great Whore,“ accused of leading their righteous king astray and into moral and spiritual corruption.
Anne knew that she would be safe forever if she could bear Henry a son. The mixture of joy and fear she felt when she was once again with child is understandable. A healthy son would have meant her salvation, while a miscarriage would likely have been her downfall. Under this enormous strain, she suffered a miscarriage in 1536. It was a boy.
The innocently Guilty
Henry blamed Anne entirely for their misfortunes and was now determined to get rid of her for good. Another annulment was out of the question, as Henry did not want to risk ending up with a second Catherine, who had defied him until her dying breath (on January 7, 1536). So, Henry’s minister, Thomas Cromwell, was tasked with finding a more “definitive” solution. By this time, Henry had already found a new love interest in lady-in-waiting Jane Seymour, and Anne was now an obstacle.
Cromwell soon found evidence that, with enough malicious intent, could be shaped into an accusation of adultery against Anne—a charge that amounted to high treason. A court musician who had been in Anne’s favor was allegedly subjected to torture until he confessed to committing adultery with the queen. Four other men, including Anne’s own brother George, were also arrested, and on May 2, 1536, Anne was sent to the Tower of London—where she had last been on the night before her coronation.
The constable of the Tower was obligated to record every word Anne spoke while imprisoned, so we know today that she fluctuated between despair and hope.
In two trials with outcomes predetermined, all the accused were found guilty. Anne’s own uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, presided over her trial. Henry Percy, Anne’s former love, was among those who declared her guilty. After uttering the verdict, Percy collapsed and had to be carried out of the room; he died childless eight months later.
Anne maintained her innocence, admitting only to jealousy and a lack of humility. Nevertheless, the verdict stated that Anne Boleyn, according to the king’s wishes, would either be beheaded or burned. Two days later, her alleged lovers were executed. On the same day, Anne’s marriage to the king was declared invalid—highlighting the absurdity of the entire situation. If Anne had never been Henry’s lawful wife, how could she have committed adultery?
Anne’s execution was scheduled for May 19. Her demeanor turned macabre. She reportedly remarked that she had heard the executioner was very skilled and that she had a small neck. In his “mercy,” Henry had ordered a swordsman from Calais to be brought for the execution. This method was much quicker than the axe traditionally used in England. However, in an era without telephones or airplanes, the swordsman would have had to be summoned before Anne’s trial even began—so much for an impartial judgment.
Despite her unpopularity, as Anne’s execution approached, she garnered sympathy from the people—especially women—who saw her as a mother being torn from her not-yet-three-year-old daughter. Anne ascended the scaffold on Tower Green and addressed a few words to the spectators, praying for God to protect the king and grant him a long reign.
With a single stroke of the sword, Anne Boleyn was executed and buried quietly in an unmarked grave in the chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula within the Tower grounds. During restoration work in Queen Victoria’s time, her remains were discovered, and a floor slab now marks Anne Boleyn’s final resting place.
Inspiration for Generations
Though Anne Boleyn may have had her flaws—pride, arrogance, and selfishness—her determination and intelligence were remarkable, particularly for a woman of her time. Her complex personality, meteoric rise, and tragic death have made her a legend. Her daughter Queen Elizabeth I ruled England for more than four decades and ushered in a golden age. While Elizabeth herself rarely spoke of her mother, English Protestants long revered Anne as a liberator from Catholic oppression.
In the centuries following her death, Anne Boleyn became a favorite subject for painters, composers, and filmmakers. As such, she stands as one of the most famous queens England has ever known.
Stories & Legends About Anne Boleyn
- Every year on May 19th, Anne’s death anniversary, an anonymous sender places a bouquet of roses on her grave in the Tower of London.
- To defame Anne, physical abnormalities were falsely attributed to her as evidence of witchcraft. However, when her body was re-examined during her reburial in the 19th century, claims such as having a sixth finger were debunked.
- Anne’s ghost is said to be quite busy; she reportedly haunts the Tower of London as well as Blickling Hall and Hever Castle, two family estates.
- In the 18th century, a Sicilian community spread the legend that Anne Boleyn burns forever in Mount Etna as punishment for her heresy—a story designed to boost tourism.
- Anne’s body was buried in an arrow box because no coffin had been prepared for her. With her head included, she would not have fit inside.
- When Anne was executed, Henry reportedly played tennis and afterward traveled to see Jane Seymour.
- Before parting from her daughter Elizabeth, Anne allegedly gave her a ring with a portrait of herself inside. Elizabeth wore this ring until her death.