Anne Boleyn: a ghost with a residence permit It is said that at least one ghost "lives" in every castle in the UK. The Tower of London is especially popular among the "ghostly brethren", which is not surprising: after all, this is one of the most ancient buildings in England - its age

Anne Boleyn (c. 1500-1536) ... no sovereign has yet had a more devoted wife and more true love than you found in the person of Anne Boleyn ... Anne Boleyn was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Ormond, and Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, Duke

Anne Boleyn to Henry VIII (May 6, 1536) Sir, Your Grace's displeasure and my imprisonment came as such a surprise to me that I have no idea what to write and what to apologize for. Since you sent to me (wanting me to confess or plead for your indulgence)

Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn My beloved and my friend, my heart and I place ourselves in your hands, in humble prayer for your good will and that your affection for us would not decrease while we are not around. For there will be no greater misfortune for me than

In the early morning of May 19, 1536, a young woman in an ermine robe climbed onto the scaffold erected opposite the White Tower of the Tower. It was the dethroned wife of Henry III, Anna Boleyn, whose biography became an example of how short the path is from the love of the august persons to hatred and from the throne to the chopping block.

The Childhood That Wasn't

The future queen, born in 1501, and so sadly ended her life on a damp morning dew scaffold, came from an ancient and influential family, which included the famous Plantagenets. This alone obliged her to meet the requirements that were imposed on the lucky ones, whom fate had prepared to enter the circle of the highest aristocracy. That is why Anna's childhood, spent in the Khiver family castle, was filled not with games and fun typical of this happy time, but with endless classes with the best mentors of that time.

Anna was eleven years old when she and her younger sister Maria received an invitation to continue their education in Vienna, at a privileged school patronized by the Empress Margaret of Austria. After studying for two years and having succeeded in studying arithmetic, grammar, foreign languages, dances and many more disciplines that are mandatory for girls from high society, which also includes horse riding, archery and playing chess, the sisters went to France.

Life at the court of Philip I

They arrived in Paris as part of the retinue of Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII. Here the girls complete their education, learning not only the French language, but also comprehending the intricacies of court flirting. Very soon, Anna's sister, Maria, was so carried away by this science that she did not notice how she was among the mistresses of the ardent but fickle King Philip I.

There is reason to believe that Anna herself was tempted to respond to the love of the crowned seducer, but, as the future showed, she had far-reaching plans, and the role of one of the countless concubines of the king did not seduce her at all. We must pay tribute, she did not waste her years in Paris. Communicating with the most enlightened people of that era, Anna not only acquired a taste for high poetry and literature, but also imbued with the ideas of religious reformation. Subsequently, it was she who owned the initiative to translate the Bible from Latin into English.

Return to London

When in 1522, due to political differences, relations between England and France deteriorated, Anna returned to London. Here she receives a marriage proposal from her cousin, the Irish aristocrat James Butler, and spends some time as his bride, but then the wedding is upset. Obviously, the reason for this was the exorbitant ambitions of a young girl. By this time, fate is preparing a sharp turn in Anna's life. At the court masquerade held on March 1, 1522, King Henry VIII himself invites her to dance.

The king's family problems

By this time, the English monarch was married to. Having ascended the throne after the death of his younger brother Arthur, Henry was forced, for political reasons, to inherit his wife, the daughter of the king of Spain. However, the marriage was not only unhappy, but also dynastically unsuccessful. During the years of marriage, Catherine was unable to produce an heir to the throne. All of her children died in infancy, with the exception of her only daughter, Mary, the future Queen Mary I of England.

It is known that King Henry 8 Tudor, who received the throne after a long and bloody war of the Scarlet and White Roses, was extremely scrupulous in the matter of succession to the throne. Therefore, even before meeting Anna, he was full of desire to dismiss his unfulfilled wife and enter into a new marriage. This idea was of great difficulty, since according to church canons, divorce was not allowed, and the Pope would not give his blessing.

Then, having found a formal, but convincing, in his opinion, pretext, the king tried to recognize the marriage itself as illegal and achieve its annulment. This, to put it mildly, ugly story dragged on for several years, and by the time Anne Boleyn danced with him at the festive masquerade, King Henry 8 managed to send his unfortunate wife to a distant castle and consoled himself in the company of several young favorites.

Ambitious maid of honor

He intended to include Anna among them. Recently arrived from France and distinguished by the elegance of manners, she knew how to captivate the male gaze with the thoughtfulness of her outfit, which combined puritan stiffness with refined coquetry. But, to his amazement, she rejected the gifts and did not allow him to approach more than etiquette allowed. In him, accustomed to female submissiveness, this caused amazement.

However, everything was explained simply: Anna did not want to share the fate of her younger sister Mary, who became the mistress of Philip I for a short time and was soon abandoned by him. This woman knew her worth and played big. When the king spoke to her about the childlessness of his wife, she realized that fate was giving her a chance. Poor Anna, she had no idea that she would become just another chapter of the tragedy, which can be conditionally called "The villain Henry 8 Tudor and his wife"...

An intrigue that succeeded

Once in France, observing the mores of the Parisian court, Anna was a good student and perfectly mastered the "science of tender passion." She understood: nothing kindles male ardor so much as the visible coldness of the chosen one and the danger of losing her forever. Anna takes a risky but justified step - for a long time she shuts herself in her family castle Khiver.

When, finally, she reappears in the palace, the king, weary of separation and jealousy, becomes her easy prey. Having lost hope of limiting her presence in the palace only as another favorite, the amorous king makes an offer to Anna to become his lawful wife, and she agrees.

Illegitimate but beloved wife

However, before Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn can marry, the issue with Catherine of Aragon must be resolved. Sent by her husband to a distant estate, she still remains his lawful wife and is not going to make any concessions. As mentioned above, the case of recognizing her marriage to the king as invalid dragged on for several years, and for a number of reasons could not be resolved in the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Anna, introduced into the royal chambers, albeit on illegal grounds, behaved like a true arbiter of the fate of the state. Having unlimited influence on Henry, she unceremoniously interfered in all state affairs, reshaping them in her own way. Letters from Spanish and French diplomats have been preserved in which they warned their colleagues that before resolving issues in English parliament, you need to get Anna's approval.

Reformation of the Church and its consequences

At this stage, the newly appointed First King's Counsel Thomas Cromwell played an important role in her life. A staunch supporter of the Reformation of the church, he managed to convince Henry to free himself from the supremacy of the Pope and proclaim the priority of secular power over church power. This step had far-reaching consequences both for the state, which had left the control of the Holy See, and for the king himself, no longer obliged to seek permission to annul a marriage in Rome. Soon the desired document was received.

After the official recognition of the royal marriage as invalid, Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn got married. At first, this ceremony was performed in secret from outsiders, but on January 25, 1533, when Anna announced her pregnancy to her husband, an official coronation took place, the purpose of which was to give legitimacy to their marriage. A description of the celebration left by one of its participants has been preserved. In it, he tells how the wedding procession moved through the streets of London. The bride sat in a gilded palanquin, and the most noble barons held a snow-white canopy over her head.

Thirst for the heir to the throne

From that day on, Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn were busy with one concern - waiting for the birth of the heir to the British crown. In order to remove his wife as far as possible from the bustle of the court, the king settled her in his favorite residence of Greenwich, where she was surrounded by the cares of numerous servants. All doctors and astrologers unanimously predicted the birth of a son, but, contrary to expectations, on September 7, 1533, Anna gave birth to a girl named Elizabeth.

This was a considerable disappointment to the spouses and the first step on Anna's path to the terrible platform that would be built for her opposite the White Tower of the Tower. By this time, Henry's passion, which accompanied the first days of marriage, was replaced by satiety, followed by boredom and dislike for the woman who once occupied all his dreams. In addition, the issue of the heir to the throne remained unresolved, and this left an imprint on their relationship.

The story of Anne Boleyn and Henry 8 enters a completely different phase. The queen understands that she will not be able to return the love of her husband, and therefore relies only on the opportunity to give birth to his much-desired son. A year later, she is pregnant again. The king surrounds her with the same care and showers her with gifts. Seemed to be back better days their love. But suddenly everything breaks. At the end of December 1534, she had a miscarriage.

The death of last hopes

Having lost hope, he begins to speak openly with those close to him about the dissolution of the marriage. Another misfortune awaits Anna: at this time, a young maid of honor Jane Seymour appears at the court, taking her place in the heart of the king. The last hope was a new pregnancy, which she informed her husband about after they spent the summer of 1535 together. A few months later came the news of the death of the former wife of Henry VIII - Catherine of Aragon.

On a cold January day, during the funeral of her predecessor, Anna again had a miscarriage. Perhaps its cause is the unrest she experienced when a few days earlier the king fell off his horse during a tournament, or the despair that seized her when she saw the hated Jane Seymour sitting on her husband's lap. But anyway, it was the end.

After the misfortune that happened during the funeral of Margaret of Aragon, Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn actually ceased to be spouses. She was evicted from the royal chambers, which were occupied by a happy rival. Soon, Henry declared that he was forced into marriage by the power of witchcraft, and therefore considers it invalid.

One among countless enemies

Here it is appropriate to recall the name, which, according to the researchers, could provoke the fall and subsequent execution of the queen. It was he who initiated the Reformation of the Church, which was then carried out by Henry 8. England got out of the influence of Rome, and as a result, significant church income was confiscated. Anna demanded that they be used for charity, and Cromwell demanded that the money be transferred to the treasury, with the deduction of significant amounts in his favor. On this basis, a deadly enmity arose between them.

To eliminate the disgraced queen, and to be able to enter into a new marriage, Henry 8 Tudor accused his wife of treason. Since the king was the personification of the nation, in this case adultery was legally equated with high treason and punishable by death. Men from her inner circle were named as lovers. Their confessions were gone - they were obtained with the help of experienced executioners.

In early May 1536, Anne Boleyn was also taken to one of the cells of the Tower. England reacted to her arrest without sympathy, since she did not enjoy the slightest popularity among the people. The prisoner understood that the upcoming trial would be demonstrative and formal, so she had no doubt about what sentence she would be given.

The last morning of her life

The execution of Anne Boleyn was scheduled for May 19, but two days before that, Tower Constable William Kingston reported to the king that the convict was ready to accept her fate with humility. It is difficult to say whether mercy moved in the chest of Henry VIII or he was guided by other feelings, but at the last moment he replaced her with burning at the stake, which was customary in such cases, by cutting off her head with a sword. Humanity sometimes has the most unexpected manifestations.

In the early morning of that fateful day, when the sentence was to be carried out, a revival reigned under the arches of the Tower. Bishop Boleyn arrived here, despite the odd hour, and confessed Anna in the presence of the constable. In the face of imminent death, she swore on the Bible that she had never been unfaithful. But this could no longer affect her fate. Those who, in the hands of the executioner, recognized themselves as her lovers were executed two days ago. Following them, Anna Boleyn had to accept death. The biography of this woman was coming to its sad end.

So, back to the scene with which this story began. A woman in an ermine robe climbed onto the scaffold built near the White Tower of the Tower. It was the now former Queen of England, Anne Boleyn. The Tudors, cutting off the heads of the condemned, performed this procedure with the ax accepted in such cases, but in this case Henry VIII ordered to chop with a sword. I had to call a specialist from France, because among my executioners there was no such craftsman.

When Anna said goodbye to several ladies-in-waiting, who found the courage to see her on her last journey, they took off her mantle, and tucked her hair under her headdress. The constable blindfolded Anna and helped her to her knees. The Frenchman did not disappoint and did his job with one swift blow. Members present as witnesses of the execution and standing around the platform State Council led by Thomas Cromwell began to silently disperse. As a contemporary wrote, some of them looked like people who had just committed a crime.

The death of the old schemer

Henry 8, whose biography is replete with marriage tragedies, survived Anna Boleyn by eleven years. In 1547 he died suffering from excessive obesity. and the voluptuary became so fat that he could only move with the help of special devices. It is said that this was retribution for everything he had done during his lifetime.

Henry 8 Tudor and his wives, of whom he had six, later became the material for the plots of countless novels and plays. This is not surprising, because he divorced two of them, executed the other two, one died herself, but under very strange circumstances, and only the last of them was destined to outlive her husband.

Anne Boleyn was born in 1501 according to some sources and in 1507 according to others. She was executed on May 19, 1536 in London. She was the Queen of England, the second wife of King Henry VIII Tudor of England from 1533-1536. Anne Boleyn is the mother of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the last of the Tudors.

Date controversy

The exact date of Anna's birth has not been established due to the fact that parish records from that period have not survived. Probable dates were 1501 and 1507. They were taken from the surviving letters of Anne Boleyn herself - one addressed to her father, Thomas Boleyn in 1514. The French language in which it was written was not native to her, but the handwriting was well formed. Therefore, a version appeared that she was then 13. This was the minimum age when a girl could be accepted into Margarita's retinue. Another letter from the end of the 16th century has been preserved, testifying in favor of the fact that the year of her birth is 1501. But based on two other sources, the memoirs of her friends, at the time of her death she was not even 29 years old. And in the almanac of William Camden, the year of her birth is indicated - 1507. Camden had access to government archives.

Family

Anne Boleyn's father became the Earl of Wiltshire through his daughter, and he was also the Earl of Ormonde. He was a gifted diplomat who enjoyed the favor of King Henry VIII. The latter often sent him on diplomatic missions to different countries.

The mother of the future Queen Anne Boleyn is Elizabeth Howard, a woman from an old aristocratic family. She was a lady-in-waiting to 2 queens - Elizabeth of York and Catherine of Aragon. Both Anna's father and mother had relatives among the Plantagenets in their family history.

At the time of the appearance of Anne and Mary Boleyn, the history of their family was very respected in the country. They were prominent representatives of the aristocracy of their time. They lived in Blickling. The education of the sisters was the most typical for girls in their position.

They studied arithmetic, family genealogy, grammar, history, reading, spelling, household management, needlework, foreign languages, dancing, singing, good manners. Like any aristocrat of England, Anne Boleyn was engaged in archery, horseback riding, playing cards, chess.

When future queen was not yet 12 years old, Margaret of Austria drew attention to her and invited her to the court. Anne Boleyn's life at the Tudor court began with Mary Tudor's retinue. Initially, the sister of Henry VIII was supposed to marry the French king Louis XII, but he died. Mary Tudor returned to England. Subsequently, for 7 years, Anna was the maid of honor of the French Queen Claude of France. Then she completed her education.

Appearance

Contemporaries composed the portrait of Anne Boleyn as follows: a girl of medium height, slender, her dark hair was thick. She had dark eyes, full lips, and her skin was an olive hue. She was distinguished by a sharp mind, elegance and cheerfulness, at the same time she was a strong character.

Those who saw her noted that she was attractive, but they created different portraits of Anne Boleyn.

So, the Venetian Marino Sanudo, who met her in 1532, noted that she was "not the most beautiful woman in the world", had an average build, dark skin, a long neck, a wide mouth and low chest, her eyes were dark and beautiful.

She was described by the French poet Lancelot de Carles as "so graceful that she looked more like a Frenchwoman than an Englishwoman".

Simon Greene wrote in 1531 that Anna was "young, pretty, swarthy".

But descriptions of her, compiled half a century after her death by Nicholas Sanders, were as follows: “Anne Boleyn was quite tall, with black hair, an oval face of an earthy color, as if after “jaundice”. They say she had a protruding tooth under her upper lip, and six fingers on her right hand. She had a "hair cyst" under her chin, so to hide the defect, she wore a dress with a high collar ... She was attractive, with beautiful lips. Of course, after the reburial of Anna's remains, it became obvious that she had five fingers, but not six.

It can be traced that Boleyn was temperamental, direct, outspoken and prone to command. She is like anyone strong man, not everyone liked it, but adherents appeared around her. In particular, attracted by her gravitation in the matter of faith to Luther.

court life

By 1522, relations between France and England were strained. Then the first exit at the court of Henry Tudor Anne Boleyn took place. And it was a performance in which the girl herself played along with other aristocrats.

She became more and more popular. Those who knew her noted the sophistication of her manners, pleasant voice, lightness and energy. The biography of Anna Boleyn of this period was full of positive moments - she enjoyed everyone's attention, but, as befits a real seductress, she did not show that she cares. Also, knowing about the many rumors that circulated about her sister Mary at court, she kept her life a secret. Mary was then thought to have had an affair with King Francis I, a number of court men, and also with Henry Tudor. Anne Boleyn, however, herself had an affair with him.

Disease

Anna's life in 1528 was under great threat. This year, an epidemic of sweating fever broke out in London. This disease is shrouded in mystery to this day. It proceeded hard, took with it the lives of many, including noble persons.

Because of her, the king, along with Anna, left the city, moving from place to place. However, Boleyn's beloved maid soon became infected. And her lady fell ill. After leaving, the king wrote to Anna that he was sure that she would recover, since women more often recovered from illness. He gave her the best doctors that could then be.

In reality, the sick man was doomed, but more resilient female body in 50% of cases he prevailed over sweating fever. According to the surviving descriptions, the symptoms of the disease were as follows. At first, a strong chill set in, and after 3 hours the person was sweating very much, then delirium began with severe pain in the heart.

It all started suddenly and developed within 24 hours. After this period, the patient often died. If he fell asleep during the day, he instantly died. However, if after 24 hours he was still alive, then he went to recovery.

Anna moved into her parents' house and prepared for the unknown. The doctor sent to her by the king fought desperately for her life. The methods of treatment were as follows: the patient had to be constantly warm. Therefore, in her room they always kept the fire in the hearth, closed all the windows and doors so that the heat would not go away. The clothes in which Anna was dressed were preheated over a fire. She drank only warm water with wine, to which herbal tinctures were added to support her heart.

Anna survived the first day. Then the doctor soldered her with his own drug with dozens of herbs. The thing is that in those days they believed that a medicine with less than three ingredients was ineffective. The more expensive the remedy, the more herbs it contained.

The entire population considered the epidemic a divine punishment due to Henry's cruelty. And he, trying to justify himself, invented his own medicines, trying them on court women. It was women who usually survived, and Henry took advantage of this, declaring that he had found a panacea. He spread the drug throughout England, but people died invariably.

In the end, a cure for the disease was never found. After a while, she calmed down, and then completely disappeared. On this moment sweaty fever does not exist, and doctors are puzzled over what kind of disease it was.

Queen

Henry and Anna met for the first time at a solemn event in 1522. Henry did not express much sympathy for his future wife until 1526, he was married to Catherine of Aragon for 17 years, cheating on her. He justified himself by the fact that he did not have a son with his wife.

During this period of time, Anne was betrothed to Count Henry Percy. But the couple's parents were against their marriage, and the wedding did not happen. According to some reports, Anne Boleyn and Henry had a hand in the destruction of the marriage: he liked the girl. She lived for several years in the family estate, and only in 1526 returned to the court as a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon.

From that moment began the love story of Anne Boleyn and Henry. He gave her many expensive gifts, wrote letters, offering to be his mistress. However, the girl always remained at a distance from him, refusing his proposals. She aimed at wives, not mistresses. The marriage with Catherine at that time was breaking up with the king. The impulsive king did not love his wife, he was indignant at her because of their lack of a son, as he announced to everyone.

He needed a wife to strengthen the power of his dynasty, and he wanted a male heir. Moreover, in his betrayals, he was unrestrained, he had many favorites. The wife understood this. Next to the impulsive and dangerous king, one after another, her children were born weak, died in infancy. His subsequent wives, who lived in great tension, had miscarriages. Despite the fact that Henry changed many wives, he never achieved an heir with such tactics: after his death, girls ruled the country.

The biography of Anne Boleyn is notable for the fact that this girl influenced the most important event in the history of England - independence from the Vatican. When the king was inflamed with feelings for Anna, he turned to the Vatican to annul the union with his wife. Special expertise was needed so that the king would not have the consequences of this marriage. Catherine protested: such a decision meant for her life in a monastery, deprivation of her title, and her daughter from Henry would become a bastard. Catherine persuaded her relative to take the Pope hostage, and the examination was postponed. 7 King fought for marriage with Boleyn.

And it was this move that provoked the King of England to break off relations with the Catholic Church. From now on, England did not depend on the will of the pope. Having done this, he achieved a marriage with Anna. In 1531 he moved his ex-spouse Catherine. Henry and Anne Boleyn got married a year later. Soon they had a child. Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, becomes a disappointment for the king. Only his love kept him married. Having charmed the king, Anna kept the union and protected the child from the indifferent cruelty of the father. Anna felt fear for the fate of her daughter. Elizabeth was sent to Hatfield House with her own court.

His first daughter from Catherine - Maria - he has already deprived of the title and all privileges. He recognized her as illegitimate and without rights to the throne. Thanks to the efforts of the new queen, the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn managed to live in peace for some time.

In 1534, a bull was issued by Rome stating that the king's previous marriage to Catherine was valid. Rome ordered him to return to his lawful wife. However, Henry's response was followed by the First Act of Succession, which emphasized that Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was illegitimate.

Heinrich did not refuse anything to his new passion, having increased the staff of her servants in comparison with the disgraced wife to 250 people. Taking money from the country's budget, he bought a lot of jewelry, new furniture and dresses for his beloved. This did not please the people, who blamed the queen for everything.

Anna herself begins to actively participate in political life England. She helps the king and holds meetings with a number of ambassadors and diplomats. But her reign did not last long, because a year after the birth of Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, the queen has a miscarriage. Relationships deteriorated. Again the king sets off in search of a new wife.

Anna does not hide her emotions, she expresses her indignation, and for a while the couple breaks up. The king finds a new favorite - the maid of honor Jane Seymour.

Personal life

Prior to her connection with the Tudors, Anne Boleyn communicated with her admirer Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. The count fought for the marriage with Anna, but it was all in vain when the king intervened. Boleyn herself was dissatisfied when her independence was challenged.

Her connection with the poet Thomas Wyatt is known. He was disturbed by Anna's sensuality. He himself was married, and Anna did not have special feelings for him, openly declaring that she was not interested in the role of a mistress.

Accusations and execution

In 1536 news came of the death of Catherine of Aragon. The next day, Anna and Heinrich put on yellow robes. In England, this color symbolized the holiday, and in Spain, in the homeland of the deceased, it was considered the color of grief, complementing black. This is probably how the king and queen expressed their condolences.

The newly pregnant Anna understood that she was in an extremely dangerous position if a male heir did not appear in the family. With the death of Catherine, the king could marry and divorce freely. He also started flirting with Jane Seymour. On the day of Catherine's funeral, probably due to severe nervous tension, Anna had a miscarriage.

A stillborn male child was the beginning of the end of a marriage. When the woman came to her senses, the king announced that witchcraft forced him to marry her, and he was imprisoned against his will. At the same time, Heinrich gave chambers at court to the new favorite.

Historian Eric Ives theorized that Boleyn's execution was planned by her former ally Thomas Cromwell. He argued with her over the distribution of church revenues, which were confiscated. She wanted to send them to charity and the development of education in the country, to support an alliance with France. And he planned to appropriate part of the funds for himself, and part - to send for an alliance with Charles V. But many historians do not agree with this version.

To enter into a new marriage, the king decides to eliminate Anna. He accuses her of high treason and infidelity in marriage. This was punishable by death. As lovers, he put up the woman's friends - Henry Norris, William Brerton, Francis Weston, Mark Smeaton and even her own brother George.

In 1536, Henry's servants arrested her musician Mark Smeaton, who denied having any connection with the queen. However, he was tortured, and subsequently retracted his first testimony and confessed, most likely for the promise of freedom in the presence of a love affair with her.

People of noble birth were not subjected to torture. All "lovers" denied a love affair with the queen. But that didn't stop anyone.

Already in May 1536, Anna was arrested and taken to the Tower. Anne Boleyn was aware of the nearness of execution. She was aware of what was happening and was preparing for a death sentence. When Cromwell died, among his papers was found Anna's last letter to Henry, which he never delivered to him. Boleyn assures the king that she is devoted to him, asks for an open, fair trial, at which her innocence will be proven. She asked for the release of the innocent. However, the authenticity of the letter is still disputed by historians. The original has not survived to this day.

On May 12, 1536, 3 out of 4 accused men in court denied their guilt, and Smeaton, who was tortured, admitted his guilt. After 3 days, Anna and her brother George were accused of incest and treason, which, it was believed, threatened the rights to the throne and was punishable by hanging, disembowelling and quartering for men and burning alive for women.

It is curious that the jury that decided on the execution of Anne Boleyn was chaired by Henry Percy, her former lover. When the unanimous decision of the jury that Anna was guilty was announced, he fainted. He died 8 months later, leaving no heirs.

On May 14, 1536, Cranmer announced that the marriage of the King and Anne was invalid. All the accused were executed on 17 May. Heinrich replaced the execution by burning alive with beheading with a sword for Anna, who was killed two days later.

According to some reports, while awaiting execution, the queen wrote a poem. But its authorship is disputed. On May 19, 1536, before dawn, Boleyn confessed and swore that she had not cheated on her husband. In the morning she gave a short speech on the scaffold, they took off her mantle with ermine, her hair was removed under her headdress. Saying goodbye to the ladies-in-waiting, she knelt down, she was blindfolded. One blow was enough to kill her. She was buried in an unmarked grave. Her remains were discovered in 1876, then, during the reburial, and it was found that the presence of six fingers on her hands was nothing more than a myth invented later.

Details of the verdict

The trial of Anna was carried out in the Tower, where 2000 spectators gathered. The queen entered the hall coolly, calmly. She sat like that the entire time Cromwell read the accusations. She was accused of treason, sexual intercourse and seduction of men "by means of shameless speeches, gifts and other deeds", and they "because of the meanest incitement and enticement of the aforementioned queen, succumbed and bowed to persuasion."

It was pointed out that in the future, Anna and her lovers “thought and pondered about the death of the king,” and then the queen agreed to become the wife of one of them immediately after the death of Henry.

The prosecution also pointed out the reasons for the queen's miscarriages - she allegedly had sexual relations with men during pregnancy, which is why there were such consequences.

The text of the accusation even contained passages that she was guilty of the fact that when the king found out about her debauchery, he was so upset that he suffered bodily harm. Probably, it was about the case when Heinrich fell off his horse at the tournament a few days before the trial, or about the ulcer that he had on his lower limb.

Boleyn was also accused of poisoning Catherine of Aragon and plotting to poison her daughter, Mary. Anna flatly denied all this.

Many of those who were in the courtroom, originally pursuing the goal of enjoying the fall of a noble person, were already touched by the absurdity of the accusations and the unfairness of the process. When the verdict was read out, the Earl of Norfork, who announced it, wept.

But if the king decided to do it - he went to the end. To argue with him meant certain death for everyone along with Anna. Boleyn was sentenced to death by the court and jury.

Anna experienced mood swings during those days. Sometimes she joked that her new nickname would be "Anna without a head."

According to her jailer Kingston, she prayed a lot while in captivity. “I happened to see many men, and even women, awaiting execution, and they were sad and mourned. This same lady finds death joyful and pleasant,” he said.

Rehabilitation

The Queen has a 2-year-old daughter living with her. After the death of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth took up the rehabilitation of the image of her mother.

The birth of Elizabeth did not please anyone, her father was saddened and angry at her birth. Nevertheless, the celebration in her honor was magnificent. Parents rarely visited their daughter, settled in Hatfield House, although Anna was attached to her. When Henry married again, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. All of the king's marriages had no legal effect.

In 1537, the new queen, Jane Seymour, gave birth to the king's son, Edward. She tried to reconcile Heinrich with his innocent daughters. But he did not want to see the Boleyn daughters.

When Jane died, Heinrich married three more times. He executed some of his wives, divorced others. Elizabeth, who survived the murder by her mother's father, watched all this. To the last wife of Heinrich, her stepmother, a girl at the age of 9 was especially attached. And her execution shook her to the core.

Elizabeth grew up as a girl who protested against marriage. She never married.

In the end, she became queen. Since that time, Anne Boleyn was perceived as a heroine of the English Reformation, a martyr. All this led to the fact that she was recognized as one of the most influential queens of England.

In fact

No allegations of treason against Anne Boleyn can be recognized as reliable. Henry VIII was considered an unusually cruel and extravagant monarch. He had many health problems. According to recent studies, the irreversible changes in his psyche that made him an unhealthy person were caused by a genetic disease.

The 16th century, when this king ruled, is considered a shameful page in the history of England.

Henry passed the "vagrancy law". According to him, all the ruined peasants were simply hanged. It was a simple way, following which it was not necessary to help people and wait until they regain material wealth.

During that period, wool prices rose. Keeping sheep became profitable, and landowners raised rents. As a result, the peasants became unable to pay for plots of land, since their value exceeded the profit they received from the harvest. For this reason, there were many ruined peasants. And their king gave the order to hang. During the reign of the mad king, 72,000 people were executed.

The king indulged his desires, placing them above the interests of the state. Cruelty extended to subjects, and to children, and to wives. Human life was absolutely not valuable to him, and the slightest offense was enough for execution. Anne Boleyn became the wife and victim of such a person.

Memory

Although not a single lifetime original of the queen's portrait has been preserved that would not raise questions from experts, Anna often appears in paintings. There are many portraits of her.

The opera Anna Boleyn was written in 1830. It is set to this day. Dozens of films about Anne Boleyn came out until 2015. Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer and many other stars played the queen in them. Each film repeats the story of this bright personality.

Almost 500 years later, her story excites many minds. Alison Weir wrote a book about her, Anne Boleyn: The Passion of a King. In the work, the author makes an attempt to restore justice in relation to this dramatic figure in the history of England. The subjects hated the woman, slandered her in front of her husband. But the book sheds a different light on her life.

Among other things, there are legends that her ghost roams in England. She is seen in various buildings. The girl was so energetic and cheerful that it is believed that even after 5 centuries she is present among the living. Someone shows the ghost of Anne Boleyn in a photo.

Last wish

It is known that for the execution of his wife, Henry, "the most intolerable bastard, a disgrace to human nature, a bloody and greasy stain in the history of England", according to the description of Charles Dickens, chose an executioner from France. On the topic of why this was done, there are several versions.

According to one of them, having learned that, on a falsified accusation of the king, it is required to behead the queen, the executioners were filled with horror and refused this role. Even money was not a convincing argument for them. And the authorities ordered otherwise, calling an executioner from another country.

According to another version, it was his grace. Since the summoned executioner was a professional known for chopping off the victim's head in one fell swoop, this made death quick.

Throughout the Middle Ages, and in some places the tradition is still observed, before the execution, the executioner dined with the condemned. And on this account, the story of Anne Boleyn has survived to this day. According to her, while communicating with the executioner, she asked him to fulfill her last wish. And he fulfilled it, having gone through imprisonment, torture and many trials.

legends

There are stories that the bringing of the executed Anna constantly terrified the guards of the Tower until the 19th century. Dozens of soldiers were court-martialed for leaving their posts or fainting at the sight of a white silhouette holding its head in its arms.

One day, the guard noticed that the windows of the locked chapel were shining from the inside, and looked into it. In complete darkness, he saw a mass ghost - Anna with a whole retinue of the royal court, after this incident, he excavated in that place. Anne Boleyn's remains were found under the floor. Then they were buried again with all honors, and then the ghost stopped terrifying the guards.

The Tower Ghost of Anne Boleyn is the only officially recognized ghost of this place. They call him the "White Lady". Sometimes he is observed in a funeral carriage, passing with horses without heads. In addition, every year on the eve of the date of her execution, Anna walks around the fortress in London, holding her own head in her arms.

There is another legend concerning the queen. So, according to her, her heart was removed when she died. He was taken to Suffolk, where she lived happily for several young years. In 1837, during excavations in a chapel in this area, a heart-shaped box was found right in the wall, in which there was a handful of ashes inside.

The lead box was buried with honors and a plaque was placed at the burial site in memory of Anne Boleyn.

The execution of Anne Boleyn is interpreted by biographers and historians in different ways. Some say that the English King Henry VIII sent Queen Anne to the scaffold because she - at that time - fully deserved it: she was an intriguer, hysterical, arrogant and arrogant "plebeian", as Henry himself called her after the passion passed. And right under the nose of the king, she tried to conduct her own policy, and it was more than palace intrigues. Others represent her as a victim of the morally flawed Henry VIII, a usurper and tyrant. But perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle. And most likely, Anna and Heinrich were worth each other. Thomas Boleyn, Anne's father, was a noble courtier, while her mother Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, belonged to one of the oldest English families. By origin, Anna, born at the end of 1501 (or 1507 - the exact date is unknown), stood on a higher step than the three subsequent English wives of the king. But this fact will not prevent Henry VIII from subsequently calling her a plebeian, unworthy of taking the royal throne. Thomas Boleyn knew French and Latin better than all the courtiers and corresponded with Erasmus of Rotterdam, from whom he even bought several excerpts from his works. Heinrich once mentioned that he had not met a more dexterous and cunning negotiator. His son George, an Oxford graduate, inherited his father's diplomatic talents and was a good poet, starting his court career as a page. In 1513, Anna was sent abroad - and she lived in Europe for nine years. First, at the Habsburg court in Brabant, as one of the 18 ladies-in-waiting of Margaret of Austria (she was regent for her nephew Charles of Burgundy). This courtyard was considered the center for the education of future princes and princesses. The European elite sent their offspring to a kind of training to Margarita, famous for her education. It was difficult to come up with a better start for the beginning of a court career. Anna knew her father's requirements - to learn not only manners, but also the ability in the future, when she becomes the maid of honor of Catherine of Aragon, the daughter-in-law of the most powerful king in the world, Charles V, to put in a word at court for members of the Boleyn family. She easily mastered the French language, the secrets of court secular and political life and the art of intrigue, without which, as well as without knowledge of the language of courtly love, the courtyard would look like a withered garden. At the same time, her mentor Margarita was known not only as an adept at court games of love, but also strictly guarded the morality of her young ladies-in-waiting. Chastity and inaccessibility are excellent ways for a woman to achieve her goal, much more effective than promiscuity. Anna also learned other lessons from her mentor - kings do not marry for love, and women should not let love for men go too deep into their hearts. It was then that Anna decided that her motto would be "all or nothing" ... Flanders at the beginning of the 16th century was considered the heart of the cultural life of Europe. The maid of honor learned to understand painting and the art of book design, music. Got a feel for expensive fabrics and jewelry, Anna spent a total of seven years in France and returned to England only at the end of 1521. Beautiful black hair and bright eyes- the most attractive in the appearance of Anne Boleyn. Her figure was not too impressive - short, with small breasts. High cheekbones, prominent nose, narrow mouth, determined chin. They often mention a large wen on a slender long neck and a very unpleasant defect - something like a sixth finger on the right hand, although in fact it was a small process that looked like an ingrown nail. But for many in those days, and even now, such a detail is very eloquent: they say, this is all from the devil, normal people there can be no superfluous, ugly and fused fingers, an eyesore, etc. That is why she was often considered a witch. However, she does not have a sixth finger in the portraits, which still does not say anything, because before Cromwell, portraits were painted without all the sores. Anna behaved more like a Frenchwoman: she knew how to be a witty interlocutor, her movements were distinguished by grace and liveliness, her outfits were elegant, which certainly distinguished her in the company of other ladies. Anna's first admirer at the English court was Henry Percy, heir to the Earl of Northumberland, who served with the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, the chief and all-powerful minister of Henry VIII. Anna reciprocated the passion that Percy showed her not at all in the framework of courtly worship. Secretly, they decided to get married. But then Wolsey intervened, disliking Thomas Boleyn. He considered his daughter an unworthy bride for one of the most noble aristocrats in England and convinced the king of this. Heinrich did not give permission for the marriage. The Earl of Northumberland, in turn, threatened to deprive his son of his title and inheritance. Percy steadfastly held on and even drew up a marriage contract, according to which he undertook to marry Anna. But the lawyers found a way to annul the document. Anna vowed to take revenge on the cardinal - he dared not only to impede her passion, belittling her origin and dignity, but also dared to oppose independence, which she put at the forefront of her life position. After all, it will be up to her to decide who she will marry. There was another opponent she swore revenge on - the king himself. I must say that Anna knew how to love and hate with all her heart - the future will show this - and there is a lot of evidence that Henry Percy remained her love almost for the rest of her life. And the king, for misfortune or grief, he prevented them from being together. And Anna did her best. Well, at least in the heat of passion, she could represent her lover in the place of the king - and not be afraid that she would mix up the name. Anna's next admirer was Thomas Wyatt - the first great poet Tudor. At first, conversations with her simply delighted the poetic ear, but soon Thomas was captivated by the very sensuality that nature endowed Anna in abundance. Although Anna was flattered by Wyatt's passion, it was rather an episode than a separate chapter in her love book. He was married, and she was not ready to lose her head because of a man who could only offer her the role of "mistress" of his heart, so common at court. Moreover, the king himself drew attention to her in 1527 (immediately after he lost interest in her older sister Mary). 26-year-old Anne Boleyn disappeared from the brides fair, setting herself the seemingly impossible goal of becoming Queen of England. And the king, hoping only to spend the night with a woman who is of such interest to his courtiers, ran into unexpected resistance. The chronicle of the relationship between Anna and the king is best traced in the 17 love letters of Henry VIII - it is known that the king did not like the epistolary genre. One of the first is full of reproaches that Anna not only did not answer his love appeal, but also did not deign to write a letter. (How cunning and far-sighted Anna was - to resist the temptation to answer the king!) The message was accompanied by a gift - a duck killed the day before. In a third letter a year later, Heinrich insists on the answer: does she love him as much as he loves her. But he still does not offer her a hand and a heart. Namely, this is what Anna is now waiting for, more than confident in her feminine power. Without waiting for proposals more serious than the status of “the only mistress to whom he will completely give himself into the service,” she disappears for a while, forcing him to experience hitherto unfamiliar feelings of guilt and loss. Henry for the first time was forced to personally build a relationship with a woman. At this time, he was already trying to find a way to divorce Katerina, who, having lost her charm and tender disposition by the age of 40, did not manage to give birth to an heir to him, and Heinrich had long stopped visiting her bedroom. Then he came up with an undeniable, from his point of view, argument in favor of divorce - the Pope made an unacceptable mistake by allowing him to marry the widow of his brother Arthur (he died almost immediately after the wedding with Katerina). It is said in the Bible: a man who marries his brother's wife will have no heirs. Katerina bore him a daughter, and she had 6 miscarriages. So now he must marry like the first time, for real. In response to the marriage proposal, Anna confessed her love in return and sent a gift to the king. A toy boat with a woman carved into the prow and a diamond. The ship is a symbol of protection, the diamond is a heart filled with the same strong intentions as a precious stone. Together with the gift, she promised to give him her innocence - but only when she became his wife. Since then, Anna will verify and calculate her closeness with the king with the accuracy of a calculator. Heinrich wrote to the bride: "My heart will forever belong to you alone, seized by this desire so strongly that it will be able to subordinate the desires of its body to it." Henry Is it worth commenting on this "romance" and can it be called love? Probably, it is possible, but with one caveat: each participant in this story had their own plans. The king has an heir and, of course, the satisfaction of what is called the usual word "lust." And Anna - the fulfillment of her cherished desire: to become a queen. And on this path - all means are good. A divorce process began, which lasted about seven years. In anticipation of the decision of the Pope, Henry was exhausted with passion, and Catherine of Aragon hoped that Clement VII would not allow the marriage to be annulled, because Rome was under the influence of her nephew Emperor Charles V. Catherine showed wisdom for the time being: as long as the wife is tolerant of the lady of the heart, threats seem to and does not exist, and even helped Anna beat off the king's love attacks. Anna, on the other hand, allowed herself to arrange scenes for Henry: her youth passes aimlessly, the wait is too long, she is threatened with the fate of an old maid. Yes, and existence under the same roof with the queen, too, infuriated her. Heinrich, in response, broke loose from the chain - no one dares to argue with him, let alone reproach him for anything. He can return her to the place where he took it from, he has already done too much for her, others would be happy. But the anger subsided as quickly as it flared up. The king, like, in fact, anyone else in his place, was aroused by Boleyn's inaccessibility, and also by the fact that she was not afraid to challenge him, known for her indomitable and cruel temper, - a magnificent maneuver of a far-seeing woman. Well, the courtiers expected from the king a "reasonable step" - marriage with french princess. France has always been an ally of England against Spain and Charles V, and therefore this marriage would have strengthened international position countries. But Heinrich, even without this, seemed omnipotent to himself. Although, being a despot, he needed from time to time his decisions to be prompted by someone or approved. Until now, it was Cardinal Wolsey, a man who had magical (according to the courtiers) influence on the king, who knew how to solve both internal and international issues to the benefit of England and the king. Anna, on the other hand, was too cunning and resourceful to confine herself to scenes and female tantrums. A skilled politician, she was able to create a faction (the most effective undercover method of court warfare even at that time) from a circle of people close to the king, but supporting her plans, who staked on her future. Now access to the mind of the king was completely blocked by his bride. She even opened the hunt, like the goddess Diana, not a step behind Heinrich, and during important backstage meetings, her figure was visible in the shadow of the window opening. Therefore, neither Wolsey nor Thomas More succeeded in persuading the king to abandon his decision to annul his marriage to Katherine. Thomas More was defeated. Anna used not only her female power over Henry, she exploited in every possible way his idea that the king, as the highest sovereign over people, has power not only over their bodies, but also over their souls. He, Henry VIII, is able to prove to Rome and the whole world that he can rise above the Pope and lead the Anglican Church. This meant the realization that he was the only monarch in the world who dared to give himself such a status. Warming up Henry's mood, Boleyn delivered anti-clerical literature to him. She even organized a kind of propaganda, ordering heretical manuscripts to be brought from abroad and distributed in England. Heinrich and Anna on the hunt At the end of 1528, Henry finally ordered Katerina to leave the court, although he left her 200 servants and 30 ladies-in-waiting. But she continued, which especially angered Anna, following her long habit of watching Henry's linen and clothes, giving orders to wash, clean or throw away his nightgowns or camisoles. “... I don’t care about her or her family members. Let all the Spaniards sink to the bottom of the sea!” Boleyn raged at Katerina. At the same time, she was implementing her plan of revenge on Wolsey, who, in fact, not wanting to quarrel with Henry, had long been trying to turn the divorce case entrusted to him in favor of the king and his lady of the heart. But Anna convinced the king that Wolsey was sabotaging the divorce case and negotiations with the Pope. When the king, who was having dinner with Anna in her apartments, was traditionally informed about the arrival of the cardinal, Anna contemptuously threw: “Is it worth it to announce this so solemnly? To whom else, if not to the king, should he come? Heinrich nodded his head in agreement. The Cardinal pleaded with the King not to send the Pope a radical petition, instigated by Anna's faction, in which Rome was essentially accused of refusing to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine, depriving the English people of hope for the future. But she was sent. The king, under the influence of Boleyn, decided to secretly complete the business in England, entrusting the relevant work with the Parliament to Wolsey and the papal legate Campeggio. But the hearings failed. And in 1530, Henry received a decree from the Pope "to remove Anne Boleyn from the court." Here is evidence of Wolsey's double game - Anna's rage interfered with triumph. Now the cardinal will not be able to use his famous "magic". He was removed from business and deprived of all property in favor of the king, and soon the latter signed a decree on his arrest. Wolsey died en route to his first interrogation. His overthrow is Boleyn's first major victory. And Henry for the first time publicly declared himself "the only protector and head of the Anglican Church and clergy." And Boleyn received the title of Marquise of Pembroke, a patent for belonging to the highest English nobility, along with lands. For the first time in history, this title went to a woman, and Anna not only convinced the king that, in the most extreme case, she wanted her children to be legitimate heirs, but also had a hand in writing this ambiguous decree. ... A storm in the Strait of Dover turned ships into chips. The wind did not allow passers-by to poke their noses into the narrow streets of Calais. Recently, the meeting of Henry VIII with the French king ended here. In London, in St. Paul's Cathedral, they prayed for the safe return of the monarch to his homeland, but he was in no hurry: while the weather was raging, Boleyn finally "gave herself" to Henry. The right moment has come. In November 1532, she realized that the king was ready to disobey the Pope. And then one day, in the company of courtiers, she said: “Something I fell in love with apples.” - "Honey, this is a sure sign of pregnancy." On January 25, 1533, the lovers were secretly married. Heinrich simply dared to fool the priest who performed the sacrament of marriage. Does he really think, the king said in response to a request to show the necessary papers with the Pope's permission for marriage, that he, Henry VIII, is a liar? The king acted swiftly. The jurist Thomas Cromwell and Archbishop Cranmer, armed with the necessary bills, were able to obtain permission from both Houses of Parliament to invalidate the previous royal marriage.
Courting Anna But Henry's victory could not be considered complete without the coronation procedure of the now official "most precious and beloved wife." Boleyn was 6 months pregnant, and the king was in a hurry - in just two and a half weeks they prepared unprecedented celebrations. On May 29, 1533, the coronation took place. Fifty barges, escorted by countless boats, left Billingate for the Tower. Flags, bells, gold foil and gold banners shimmered in the bright summer sun. And the number of guns, perhaps, exceeded the safety on such a crowded waterway. Leading the procession was a ship with an iron dragon on its prow, spewing flames - and with Boleyn on board. It turned out symbolically ... On September 23, 1534, Anna gave birth to a healthy girl - Elizabeth. The knightly tournament in honor of the birth of the heir had to be canceled, but Henry took the news of the girl surprisingly calmly. Well, the sons will certainly follow the daughter. The christenings were organized by Cromwell with the same deliberate pomp as the coronation. The young mother, recovering from childbirth, participated in political affairs, strove for what would later be called humanitarian Christianity - encouraged education and pundits, was the patroness of many students and educational institutions especially Oxford and Cambridge. Anna understood that the correct creation of the image is the little that can help her win the people's trust. After all, she was still considered a woman of easy virtue, a "thief" who stole the king from his wife. Katerina would never dare to defy all laws and split the country into two parts - conformists and true believers, sow confusion among aristocrats and clergy. In vain Cromwell tried to control the situation, stopping all conspiracies and attempts to denigrate the Queen. A special decree was even issued commanding all men - regardless of their origin, to take an oath of allegiance to Anna. And those who did not want to obey were poisoned on the chopping block. The situation became especially aggravated after the execution of Thomas More - it was she who allowed innocent blood to be shed only because More refused to appear at her coronation. Moreover, he dared to say that on that day all the English nobility and all adherents of the true church were "publicly deflowered." Boleyn tried to befriend Mary, Henry's daughter by Katerina. But the princess refused to recognize the new queen. Boleyn, unlike Henry, enraged by his daughter's disobedience and known for his bouts of cruelty towards her, wanted to see Mary at court. Of course, provided that she renounces all claims to the throne and becomes only the stepdaughter of the new queen, obedient as a lamb. ... The queen's new pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Anna blamed her husband for this, who dared not only to sleep with one of her court ladies, but also to show that courtly signs of respect. She soon became pregnant again. And at the beginning of 1536 Catherine of Aragon died. The court even arranged a ball on this occasion. Well, Henry continued to wait for the heir, disappointed and amorous, he had already turned his attention to Jane Seymour, the former maid of honor of Catherine of Aragon, who only recently, thanks to her influential brothers, had the opportunity to return to court. Boleyn saw with her own eyes how one day this unremarkable person sat on her husband's lap and he played with a necklace around her neck. Then the queen plucked Jane's necklace. Then Heinrich reconciled with his wife and she became pregnant again, inspiring him with one more hope for the appearance of an heir. Anna during pregnancy... Usually Heinrich stayed with Anna if she could not accompany him on the hunt. But this time he did not give up his favorite pastime. During the trip, the king stayed at Jane's parents' house. And on January 24, 1536, Henry Norris burst into Anna’s apartment (he held one of the most prestigious and important positions of “groom at the king’s stool” and was his close friend) with terrible news - Henry fell from his horse and has been unconscious for several hours. Boleyn screamed, certain that Henry was dead. The king with difficulty, but recovered, and his wife was again prematurely relieved from the burden - this time dead boy. Henry's anger was all the more terrible because what happened again returned his thoughts to humiliating suspicions of his own male insolvency. Women who dealt with the Tudors often had problems with childbearing - miscarriages, difficulty getting pregnant and the rare birth of boys. These problems were associated with Henry's illnesses - either syphilis was suspected, which was fully explained by the loving nature of the monarch, or genetic abnormalities, but how could the omnipotent Henry VIII know about this? Therefore, he preferred to return to the already tested model - since God does not want to reward him with crown princes in this marriage, then it is necessary to recognize him as invalid and replace the woman who has not fulfilled her destiny. This is the will of the king. In the spring of 1536, Anne had a serious quarrel with her patron, Thomas Cromwell. This quarrel became a decisive moment in her fate. Cromwell, who had already realized that the current queen had no future, enlisted the support of the Seymour family, supporters of Princess Mary, promised to overthrow her from the throne and help the king marry Jane. To convince the king of this, Boleyn should be accused of treason - in the literal sense of the word, because the queen's betrayal of her husband is equivalent in law to treason to the crown. It is no coincidence that soon after the loss of the child, rumors appeared - was the unfortunate 6-month-old "male fetus" the result of the queen's adultery with one of her courtiers? Didn't her brother's wife boast that Anna complained to her about Heinrich's inability to make love? And on April 29, Anna loudly and furiously quarreled with Heinrich Norris. On the same day, the whole court and the king were aware of a suspicious scandal. And Anna's inadvertently thrown phrase "Do not count on you to take the place of the king in the event of his death" became the key to her accusatory process. On the same sad day for Anna (and so successful for Cromwell) Mark Smeaton, a young musician of "low" origin, expansive by nature, allowed himself to behave too freely in her chambers. Anna loved music and called Mark to calm her down a bit after her fight with Norris. Cromwell immediately ordered the musician to be taken into custody, he was brought to the house of the royal secretary, and at the 24th hour of torture he confessed to adultery with the queen, after which he was escorted to the Tower. The next day, May 1, right during the jousting tournament, the king showed himself as never before: he personally ordered Henry Norris and George Boleyn to confess in connection with his wife. Despite assurances of innocence, they were sent to the Tower after Smeaton. Boleyn was charged with incest - his wife has long claimed that he spends too much time with his sister. Heinrich, known for his ability to feel sorry for himself - one of the most repulsive traits of his personality - declared that Anna had cheated on him with more than a hundred men, and even tried to immediately compose a tragedy dedicated to his grief. Then he went for consolation to the house of the Seymours. There, sobbing, he complained about the queen, assenting to the owners, who had long been trying to feed him the version at the suggestion of Cromwell that she had poisoned Catherine of Aragon and only an accident prevented her from sending him and Princess Mary to the next world. Jane, meanwhile, fascinated Heinrich with her impregnability (a technique that Anna herself successfully used) and the fact that she was the exact opposite of his current wife. At dawn on May 2, Boleyn, accompanied by hostile guards, arrived at the Tower along the same waterway as three years earlier on the occasion of the coronation. As she passed through the gate, she lost her courage and, falling on her knees, begged to be taken to the king. "Will you send me to the dungeon?" - without getting up from her knees, she asked in a trembling voice of Kingston, const:) Tower. "No madam, you will go to the royal apartments." The feeling of relief provoked a nervous discharge - Anna began to have many hours of hysteria. Kingston, at the request of Cromwell, with the pedantry of an experienced jailer, conveyed all the words, phrases and even interjections that, along with screams, tears or laughter, escaped from her lips. The nervous breakdown of a woman who had lost control of herself turned Cromwell's impromptu into a brilliant accusation that deprived Boleyn of her last hope of salvation. And at the same time he brought to the Tower two more hostages of the conspiracy from the Boleyn faction - the courtiers of the king and her friends Francis Weston and William Brereton ... Henry compensated for his feelings of guilt and pity with a touching permission not to send his wife to the stake. He ordered a French executioner, who wields a sword masterfully, to be discharged from Calais. Upon learning of this, Boleyn burst out laughing and, clasping her hands around her throat, said: "I heard he is a good craftsman, and I have such a small neck." Anne Boleyn and her brother George were put on trial on May 15, 1536. In the Royal Hall of the Tower, special stands were built for 2,000 invited spectators and a separate bench with a high back for judges - 26 peers, headed by the Duke of Norfolk, the Queen's uncle. Anna, raising her right hand, declared her innocence. No, she did not cheat on the king and did not promise to marry Henry Norris in the event of the death of the king, no, she did not poison Catherine of Aragon and did not try to poison her daughter Mary. Not to mention that she could not have had so many lovers (according to the articles of the prosecution) during her three years on the throne. But the verdict, which, according to tradition, was passed to each other by peers, consisted of a single word - guilty, guilty, guilty ... The Earl of Norfork announced the verdict. He wept as he sent his niece (and then his nephew) to her death - but weren't these tears of relief that the ax was not aimed at him? In her last words, Anna said that she was ready to die, but regretted the loyal servants and friends of the king who had to die because of her, and asked not to execute the innocent. Suddenly, a small incident attracted everyone's attention. Henry Percy, Duke of Northumberland, Anne's former lover, passed out after his verdict. Anna in the Tower Shortly before the queen was allowed to die, the king declared her marriage null and void. Elizabeth became illegitimate. Formally, the announcement was made by Archbishop Cranmer on June 17 - the eve of the Queen's execution. It was based on old story with the Earl of Northumberland, as well as the connection of the king with Anna's sister Mary (by law, this also contradicted the marriage of both parties) and, finally, the argument gleaned from the most recent "evidence" - the king's doubt that Elizabeth is his daughter, and not already executed Norris. The royal lawyers tried to ensure that the king got what he wanted - now neither Anna, nor her daughter, nor Mary, nor the first wife stood in the way of a new marriage and the appearance of heirs. Henry, in case the new wife did not give birth to the desired prince, had the right to name his successor in a special decree before his death.
Anna's execution The scaffold was covered with black cloth, and the sword was hidden between the boards. Spectators - about a thousand, only Londoners (no foreigners) - led by the mayor of the city, came to witness the first execution of a queen in the history of England. She, in a gray damask dress trimmed with fur, climbed the first step of the scaffold and addressed the crowd with a speech: “I will die according to the law. I'm not here to blame anyone or talk about what I'm being accused of. But I pray to God that he save the king and his reign, for there has never been a kinder prince, and to me he has always been the most gentle and worthy lord and sovereign. I say goodbye to the world and from the bottom of my heart I ask you to pray for me. ... Boleyn fell to her knees and repeated: “Jesus, take my soul. O almighty God, grieve for my soul." Her lips were still moving when it was all over. The ladies covered the queen's body with a simple, coarse sheet and carried it to the chapel of St. Peter, bypassing the fresh graves of her "lovers" who had been executed a few days earlier. Then they undressed her and put her in a small, carelessly knocked together coffin, barely placing a severed head there. Henry, who received the news of the execution, immediately ordered Jane Seymour to be brought to him. Eleven days later, on May 30, 1536, they got married. Jane Seymour died, giving birth to the king's son, for whom he had so many times entered into a deal with the devil. And in 1558, the unforeseen happened, as often happens in history - fate smiled at Elizabeth, Boleyn's daughter, who looked like her father and fully inherited from her mother her character and ability to influence people, manipulating their thoughts and feelings. The people called the princess to the throne, and to the cheers of the Londoners and the roar of the artillery of the Tower, Elizabeth occupied the fortress as English queen and remained so for many years. Elizabeth. future queen

Who was Anne Boleyn - a woman with a disgusting character, forcing her husband to fulfill all her whims, or just a victim of venerable court intriguers interested in breaking off relations between England and the papacy in Rome? And to this day, scientists have not come to a consensus.

Family and French education

Even the date of Anna's birth is considered controversial. Some researchers tend to 1501, others to 1507. The girl's father was Sir Thomas Boleyn, valued by King Henry VIII for his diplomatic talents, and her mother, Elizabeth Howard, belonged to an ancient aristocratic family.

After a short home schooling Anna and her sister Maria were sent to be educated in Paris. The girls are sent to the French capital as part of the retinue of Her Highness Marie Tudor, in 1514. The princess was preparing to marry Louis XII.

The return home took place in 1520, and was due to two reasons. The first reason is that Anglo-French relations worsened. The second - Thomas Boleyn decided to marry Anna to Lord Butler. But his plans were not destined to come true.

Contemporaries noted that Anna was elegant and graceful in French. She had excellent taste and an extraordinary mind.

Heinrich in love

King Henry VIII saw Anne at a reception in 1522 on 4 March. By that time, she was beginning an affair with Lord Henry Percy, a relative of the Duke of Northumberland, and things were quickly moving towards a wedding. His Majesty liked Miss Boleyn so much that he upset the marriage. Henry was urgently married to another aristocrat, and Anna was sent to a distant estate.

After the return of Miss Boleyn to the court, the king began to seek the attention of a young beauty. At that time, Henry was married to Catherine of Aragon. Anna did not want the fate of the royal favorite for herself, so she kept His Majesty at a distance. The king could not forgive his wife for not bearing him a son, and believed that by divorcing her, he could marry another. He proposed to Anne Boleyn, which she gladly accepted.

The divorce was long and complicated. In those days, for a woman, this was tantamount to a loss of honor and dignity, and children born in a divorced marriage were declared bastards and did not have the right to inherit.

Passionately in love, Henry could not wait long for the pope to give permission for a new marriage, and at the suggestion of his adviser Thomas Cromwell, he changed religion. This move allowed the king to proclaim himself the head of the Church and, by his decree, annul the marriage with Catherine of Aragon.

This decision caused discontent among the people, who sympathized with the former queen. Ordinary people blamed Anne Boleyn for everything. Despite everything, in January 1533, the lovers got married. By that time, Anna was already pregnant, and the king hoped for the birth of an heir.

Catherine of Aragon spent the rest of her life in a monastery, but she never recognized the divorce as legal. She died in 1536.

Capricious Queen

Having become a legal wife, Anna showed herself not with better side. Forcing Heinrich to indulge her whims, she demanded that he remove his best friends from him. The king fulfilled all her whims in the hope of having a son, but in the autumn Anna gave birth to a daughter. The girl was given the name Elizabeth. She later became Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Meanwhile, the behavior of the king's wife deteriorated completely. In the absence of her husband, Anna threw rich balls, spent crazy money on clothes and jewelry. The couple often quarreled. The king is tired of his eccentric wife. He already had in mind the maid of honor Jane Seymour and he decided to get rid of his wife. The court sentenced Anna to death penalty for betraying the king. She was beheaded with a sword in 1536 on May 19.

When Anne Boleyn's daughter, Elizabeth, came to power, she completely rehabilitated her mother. Consciously or not, but Anna contributed to the separation of England from the Roman Church, and this earned her place in the history of foggy Albion.