Anna heroine of the reformation crossword puzzle 6 letters. Love Story: Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

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 Queen of England, 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. The probable dates were 1501 and 1507. They were taken from surviving letters from Anne Boleyn herself - one addressed to her father, Thomas Boleyn in 1514. The French language in which it was written was not her native language, but her handwriting had managed to form well. Therefore, a version appeared that she was 13 then. This was the minimum age when a girl could be accepted into Margarita’s retinue. Another letter from the end of the 16th century was preserved, testifying that the year of her birth was 1501. But based on two other sources, memoirs of friends, she was not even 29 years old at the time of her death. And in William Camden's almanac the year of her birth is indicated - 1507. Camden had access to state archives.

Family

Anne Boleyn's father became Earl of Wiltshire thanks to his daughter, and he was also Earl of Ormond. 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 maid of honor for two queens - Elizabeth of York and Catherine of Aragon. Both Anne's father and mother had relatives among the Plantagenets in their family history.

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

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

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

Appearance

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

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

Thus, 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 breasts, her eyes were dark and beautiful.

The French poet Lancelot de Carle called her “so graceful that she looked more like a Frenchwoman than an Englishwoman.”

Simon Greene wrote in 1531 that Anna was “young, pretty, dark.”

But the 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 a sallow color, as if after “jaundice.” They say she had a prominent 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 seen that Boleyn was temperamental, direct, frank and prone to command. She's like anyone strong man, not everyone liked it, but adherents appeared around it. In particular, attracted by her attraction to Luther in matters of faith.

Court life

By 1522, relations between France and England had become tense. At the same time, Anne Boleyn made her first appearance at the court of Henry Tudor. 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. Anne Boleyn's biography of this period was full of positive aspects - she enjoyed everyone's attention, but as befits real seductresses, she did not show that she cared. Also, aware of the many rumors circulating about her sister Mary at court, she kept her life a secret. Mary, as was then believed, had an affair with King Francis I, a number of court men, and also with Henry Tudor. Anne Boleyn, however, had an affair with him herself.

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 was difficult and took with it the lives of many, including noble persons.

Because of her, the king and Anna left the city, moving from place to place. However, Boleyn's beloved maid soon became infected. And her mistress fell ill. After leaving, the king wrote to Anna that he was sure that she would recover, since women more often recovered from the disease. He provided her with the best doctors who could be found at that time.

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

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

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

Anna survived the first day. Then the doctor fed her his own potion 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 product, 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, testing 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 always died.

In the end, no cure for the disease was ever found. After a while it became quiet and then disappeared completely. On this moment sweating fever does not exist, and doctors are scratching their heads over what kind of disease it was.

Queen

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

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

From this moment the love story of Anne Boleyn and Henry began. 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 being a wife, not a mistress. At that time, the king’s marriage to Catherine was falling apart. The impulsive king did not like his wife; he was indignant about her because they did not have 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, he was unrestrained in his betrayals; he had many favorites. The wife understood all this. Next to the impulsive and dangerous king, one after another, her children were born weak and died in infancy. His subsequent wives, who lived under great stress, suffered miscarriages. Despite the fact that Henry changed many wives, he never achieved an heir with such tactics: after his death, the country was ruled by girls.

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 became inflamed with feelings for Anna, he turned to the Vatican to annul the union with his wife. A special examination was needed so that the king would not have the consequences of this marriage. Catherine protested: such a decision meant life in a monastery for her, 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 the king fought for marriage with Boleyn.

And it was precisely 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 wedding with Anna. In 1531 he moved his ex-wife Ekaterina. 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 in marriage. Having charmed the king, Anna preserved the alliance and protected the child from the indifferent cruelty of her father. Anna was afraid for the fate of her daughter. Elizabeth was sent to Hatfield House with her own court.

He had already deprived his first daughter from Catherine, Maria, of her title and all privileges. He recognized her as illegitimate and having no right 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, Rome issued a bull stating that the king's previous marriage to Catherine was valid. Rome ordered him to return to his lawful wife. However, the response from Henry was the First Act of Succession, which emphasized that Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was illegitimate.

Heinrich did not refuse his new passion anything, increasing the staff of her servants compared to his 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, as a year after the birth of Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, the queen suffered a miscarriage. The couple's relationship worsened. Once again the king sets out in search of a new wife.

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

Personal life

Before her relationship with Tudor, Anne Boleyn communicated with her admirer Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. The Count fought for his marriage to Anna, but it was all in vain when the King intervened. Boleyn herself was unhappy when her independence was challenged.

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

Charges and execution

In 1536, news came of the death of Catherine of Aragon. The next day, Anna and Heinrich put on yellow clothes. In England, this color symbolized celebration, and in Spain, the homeland of the deceased, it was considered the color of grief, complementing black. This was 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 Catherine's death, the king could marry and divorce freely. He has also already started flirting with Jane Seymour. On the day of Catherine's funeral, probably due to severe nervous tension, Anna suffered a miscarriage.

A stillborn male child marked the beginning of the end of the marriage. When the woman came to her senses, the king announced that he was forced into marriage with her by witchcraft, and it was concluded against his will. At the same time, Henry gave chambers to his new favorite at court.

Historian Eric Ives has theorized that Boleyn's execution was planned by her former ally Thomas Cromwell. He argued with her over the distribution of church income, which had been confiscated. She wanted to use them for charity and the development of education in the country, and to support the alliance with France. And he planned to appropriate part of the funds for himself, and use part 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 treason and marital infidelity. 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 brother George.

In 1536, Henry's servants arrested her musician Mark Smeaton, who denied 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 having a love affair with her.

People of noble birth were not tortured. All the “lovers” denied having 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 imminent execution. She was aware of what was happening and was preparing for a death sentence. When Cromwell died, Anne's last letter to Henry was discovered among his papers, which he never delivered to him. Boleyn assures the king that she is devoted to him and asks for an open, fair trial in 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. Its original has not survived to this day.

On May 12, 1536, 3 of the 4 accused men denied their guilt in court, and Smeaton, who was tortured, admitted his guilt. Three days later, Anna and her brother George were accused of incest and high treason, which was believed to threaten the rights to the throne and was punishable by hanging, drawing 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 ex-lover. When the jury's unanimous decision about Anna's guilt was announced, he lost consciousness. He died 8 months later, leaving no heirs.

On May 14, 1536, Cranmer declared that the marriage of the king and Anne was invalid. All accused were executed on May 17. Henry 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 made a short speech on the scaffold, her robe with ermine was removed, and her hair was tucked under her headdress. Having said goodbye to the ladies-in-waiting, she knelt down and 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 out that the presence of six fingers on her hands was nothing more than a myth invented later.

Details of the sentence

Anna's trial took place in the Tower, where 2,000 spectators gathered. The Queen entered the hall calmly and calmly. She sat there all the time while Cromwell read out the charges. She was accused of adultery, sexual relations and seducing men “through shameless speeches, gifts and other deeds,” and they “due to the basest incitement and lure of the said queen succumbed and bowed to persuasion.”

It was indicated that later 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 Henry’s death.

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 injuries. Probably, it was about the case when Henry fell from his horse at a 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 categorically denied all this.

Many of those who were in the courtroom, initially pursuing the goal of enjoying the fall of a noble person, were already touched by the absurdity of the charges and the injustice of the trial. When the verdict was read, Count Norfork, who announced it, cried.

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

Anna experienced mood swings in those days. She sometimes joked that her new nickname would be “Headless Anna.”

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

Rehabilitation

The queen has a 2-year-old daughter left to live. After the death of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth began to rehabilitate the image of her mother.

The birth of Elizabeth did not make anyone happy; her father was saddened and angry at her birth. Nevertheless, a magnificent celebration was held in her honor. The parents rarely visited their daughter, who lived at Hatfield House, although Anna was attached to her. When Henry married again, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. All the king's marriages had no legal consequences.

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

When Jane died, Henry married three more times. He executed some of his wives and divorced others. All this was observed by Elizabeth, who survived the murder of her mother by her father. At the age of 9, the girl, at the age of 9, became especially attached to Henry’s last wife, her stepmother. And her execution shook her to the core.

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

She eventually became queen. From that time on, Anne Boleyn was perceived as a heroine of the English Reformation, a martyr. All this led to her being recognized as one of the most influential queens of England.

In fact

No accusations against Anne Boleyn of adultery can be considered 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 reigned, 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. This was a simple path, following which there was no need to provide help to people and wait until they regained material wealth.

At that time, wool prices were rising. Keeping sheep became profitable, and landowners increased rents. As a result, peasants became unable to pay for plots of land, since their cost exceeded the profit they received from the crop. For this reason, there were many ruined peasants. And their king gave the order to hang them. During the reign of the extravagant king, 72,000 people were executed.

The king indulged his desires, putting them above state interests. Cruelty extended to subjects, children, and 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 original portrait of the queen has survived during her lifetime, which would not raise questions among specialists, Anna often appears in works of painting. There are many portraits of her.

The opera "Anne Boleyn" was written in 1830. It is still staged to this day. Dozens of films about Anne Boleyn were released until 2015. In them, the queen was played by Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer and many other stars. Each film repeats the story of this bright personality.

Almost 500 years later, its story excites many minds. Alison Ware wrote a book about her, Anne Boleyn: The Passion of a King. In the work, the author makes an attempt to restore justice to this dramatic figure in the history of England. The woman was hated by her subjects and slandered 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 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 scoundrel, a disgrace to human nature, a bloody and greasy stain in the history of England,” as described by Charles Dickens, chose an executioner from France. There are several versions as to why this was done.

According to one of them, having learned that the king’s false accusation required the queen to be beheaded, the executioners were filled with horror and abandoned 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 mercy. Since the called executioner was a professional known for cutting off a victim's head in one fell swoop, this made for a quick death.

Throughout the Middle Ages, and in some places the tradition is still observed, before execution the executioner dined with the condemned. And on this score, the story concerning 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, going through imprisonment, torture and many trials.

Legends

Stories have been preserved that the bringing of the executed Anne constantly struck fear into the Tower guards until the 19th century. Dozens of soldiers were court-martialed for leaving their posts or fainting when they saw a white silhouette holding its head in its hands.

One day, a guard noticed that the windows of the locked chapel were shining from the inside, and looked into it. In complete darkness, he saw a massive ghost - Anna with the entire retinue of the royal court, after this incident he conducted excavations in that place. The remains of Anne Boleyn were discovered under the floor. Then they were buried again with all honors, and then the ghost stopped terrorizing the guards.

Anne Boleyn's Tower Ghost is the only officially recognized ghost of this place. He is called the "White Lady". Sometimes he is seen in a funeral carriage driving by with headless horses. In addition, every year on the eve of her execution, Anna walks through 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 County, where she lived happily for several young years. In 1837, during excavations in a chapel in this area, a heart-shaped box was discovered right in the wall, with a handful of ashes inside.

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

14 August 2011, 12:03

The execution of Anne Boleyn has been interpreted differently by biographers and historians. 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, a hysterical woman, an arrogant and arrogant “plebeian,” as Henry himself called her after the passion. And she also tried to conduct her own politics right under the king’s nose, and this was more than palace intrigue. Others present her as a victim of the morally flawed Henry VIII, a usurper and tyrant. But, probably, the truth is somewhere in the middle. And most likely, Anna and Henry 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. In terms of her origin, Anna, born at the end of 1501 (or 1507 - the exact date is unknown), stood at a higher level than the three subsequent English wives of the king. But this fact will not prevent Henry VIII from subsequently calling her a plebeian, unworthy to take 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. Henry once said that he had never met a more dexterous and cunning negotiator. His son George, an Oxford graduate, inherited his father's diplomatic talents and was a good poet, having begun 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 special trainings with Margarita, famous for her education. It was difficult to think of a better start for the beginning of a court career. Anna knew her father's demands - to learn not only manners, but also the ability in the future, when she became a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, daughter-in-law of the most powerful king in the world, Charles V, to put in a good word at court for members of the Boleyn family. She easily mastered the French language, the secrets of court social and political life and the art of intrigue, without which, as well as without knowledge of the language of courtly love, the court would have looked 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 into their hearts too deeply. 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. Learned a lot about 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 thing about Anne Boleyn's appearance. Her figure was not very impressive - short, with small breasts. High cheekbones, prominent nose, narrow mouth, strong chin. They often mention a large wen on a slender long neck and a very unpleasant defect - something like the sixth finger on the right hand, although in fact it was a small process similar to 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 cannot be extra, ugly and fused fingers, an eyesore, etc. That is why she was often considered a witch. However, in portraits she does not have a sixth finger, which does not mean anything, because before Cromwell portraits were painted without all the sores. Anna behaved more like a Frenchwoman: she knew how to be a witty conversationalist, her movements were distinguished by grace and liveliness, her outfits were elegant, which certainly made her stand out in the company of other ladies. Anne's first admirer at the English court was Henry Percy, heir to the Earl of Northumberland, who served under the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, the main and all-powerful minister of Henry VIII. Anna reciprocated the passion that Percy showed her, not at all within the framework of courtly worship. They secretly decided to get married. But then Wolsey, who did not like Thomas Boleyn, intervened. He considered his daughter an unworthy bride for one of the most noble aristocrats in England and convinced the king of this. Henry did not give permission for the marriage. The Earl of Northumberland, in turn, threatened to deprive his son of his title and inheritance. Percy held on steadfastly and even drew up a marriage contract, according to which he undertook to marry Anna. But lawyers found a way to cancel the document. Anna vowed to take revenge on the cardinal - he dared not only to hinder her passion by belittling her origin and dignity, but also dared to resist the independence that she put at the forefront of her life position. After all, only she herself will decide who she marries. There was another enemy against whom she swore revenge - the king himself. It must be said that Anna knew how to love and hate with all her soul - the future will show this - and there is a lot of evidence of this that Henry Percy remained her love almost for the rest of her life. And the king, for better or worse, prevented them from being together. And Anna played back as best she could. Well, at least in the heat of passion she could imagine 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 brought delight to the poetic ear, but soon Thomas was captivated by the very sensuality that nature endowed Anna with in abundance. Although Anna was flattered by Wyatt's passion, it was more likely an episode than a separate chapter in her love book. He was married, and she was not ready to lose her head over 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 bride's fair, setting herself a seemingly impossible goal - to become Queen of England. And the king, hoping only to spend the night with the woman who arouses such interest among his courtiers, encountered unexpected resistance. The chronicle of the relationship between Anne 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 call, 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 the third letter a year later, Heinrich insists on an answer: does she love him as much as he loves her? But he still doesn’t offer her his hand and heart. And this is exactly what Anna is now waiting for, more than confident in her feminine power. Without waiting for offers more serious than the status of “the only mistress to whom he will completely devote himself to service,” she disappears for a while, forcing him to experience a hitherto unfamiliar feeling of guilt and loss. For the first time, Henry was forced to build a relationship with a woman with his own hands. At this time, he was already trying to find a way to divorce Katerina, who, having lost her charm and gentle disposition by the age of 40, was unable to bear him an heir, and Henry had long since 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 his wedding to Katerina). It is said in the Bible: a man who marries his brother’s wife will have no heirs. Katerina gave birth to his daughter, and she had 6 miscarriages. This means that now he must get married like the first time, for real. In response to the marriage proposal, Anna confessed her love back and sent the king a gift. A toy boat with a woman and a diamond carved on the bow. The ship is a symbol of protection, the diamond is a heart filled with the same strong intentions as a precious stone. Along with the gift, she promised to give him her innocence - but only when she became his wife. From then on, Anna would check and calculate her closeness with the king with the accuracy of a calculator. Henry wrote to his bride: “My heart will forever belong to you alone, seized by this desire so strongly that it will be able to subordinate to it the desires of my body.” Henry Is it worth commenting on this “novel” and can it be called love? Probably 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 commonly called “lust.” And Anna has the fulfillment of her cherished desire: to become a queen. And on this path - all means are good. The divorce process began and lasted about seven years. While waiting for the decision of the Pope, Henry was exhausted from 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. For the time being, Catherine showed wisdom: as long as the wife is tolerant of the lady of her heart, threats seem to and does not exist, and even helped Anna repel the king’s love attacks. Anna allowed herself to create scenes for Henry: her youth was passing aimlessly, the wait was too long, she was in danger of becoming an old maid. And living under the same roof with the queen also infuriated her. In response, Henry broke loose - no one dares argue with him, much less reproach him for anything. He can return her to the place where he took her 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, as well as by the fact that she was not afraid to challenge him, known for her indomitable and cruel temper, - a magnificent maneuver of a far-looking woman. Well, the courtiers expected a “reasonable step” from the king - marriage with French princess. France had always been England's ally against Spain and Charles V, and therefore this marriage would have strengthened international situation countries. But Henry seemed omnipotent even without this. Although, being a despot, he needed from time to time the decisions he made to be prompted by someone or approved. Until now it was Cardinal Wolsey, a man who had a magical (in the opinion of the courtiers) influence on the king, who knew how to solve both internal and international problems to the benefit of England and the king. Anna was too cunning and resourceful to limit herself to scenes and female hysterics. A skilled politician, she was able to create a faction (the most effective behind-the-scenes method of court warfare at that time) from a circle of people close to the king, but who supported her plans and bet on her future. Now access to the king's mind was completely blocked by his bride. She even opened the hunt, like the goddess Diana, not one step behind Henry, and during important backstage meetings her figure was visible in the shadow of the window opening. Therefore, neither Wolsey nor Thomas More managed to convince the king to abandon his decision to dissolve his marriage with Katherine. Thomas More was defeated. Anna used not only her feminine power over Henry, she in every possible way exploited 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 become higher than 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 him anti-clerical literature. She even organized a kind of propaganda, ordering heretical manuscripts to be brought from abroad and distributed in England. Heinrich and Anna hunting At the end of 1528, Henry finally ordered Katerina to leave the court, although he left her with 200 servants and 30 ladies-in-waiting. But she continued, which especially angered Anna, out of a long-term habit of keeping an eye on 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 for 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, having dinner with Anna in her apartment, was informed, according to tradition, of the cardinal’s arrival, Anna said contemptuously: “Is it worth announcing this so solemnly? To whom else, if not to the king, should he come?” And Heinrich nodded his head in agreement. The Cardinal begged the King not to send the Pope a radical petition, provoked by Anne's faction, in which Rome, in essence, was accused of refusing to annul Henry's marriage to Katherine, 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 matter 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 mixed 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 on the way to his first interrogation. His overthrow is Boleyn's first serious victory. And Henry for the first time publicly declared himself “the sole protector and head of the Anglican Church and clergy.” And Boleyn received the title of Marchioness of Pembroke, a patent to belong 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 as a last resort wants her children to be legal heirs, but also had a hand in composing this ambiguous decree. ...A storm in the Strait of Dover turned ships into splinters. The wind did not allow passers-by to stick their noses out into the narrow streets of Calais. Recently, a meeting between Henry VIII and the French king ended here. In London, in St. Paul's Cathedral, they prayed for the monarch's safe return to his homeland, but he was in no hurry: while the bad 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: “Somehow I fell in love with apples.” - “Darling, this is a sure sign of pregnancy.” On January 25, 1533, the lovers secretly got married. Henry simply dared to fool the priest who performed the sacrament of marriage. Does he really believe, 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 quickly. The lawyer Thomas Cromwell and Archbishop Cranmer, armed with the necessary bills, managed to obtain permission from both houses of parliament to declare the previous royal marriage invalid.
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, unprecedented celebrations were prepared. On May 29, 1533, the coronation took place. 50 barges, accompanied by countless boats, set off from Billingate to the Tower. Flags, bells, gold foil and gold banners shimmered in the bright summer sun. And the number of guns probably exceeded safety on such a congested 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 cancelled, but Henry took the news about the girl surprisingly calmly. Well, sons will certainly follow their daughter. The christening was 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 - she encouraged education and learned men, was the patroness of many students and educational institutions, especially Oxford and Cambridge. Anna understood that the correct creation of the image was the little that could help her win 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 have dared to despise all laws and split the country into two parts - conformists and true believers, and sow confusion among the 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 - she allowed innocent blood to be shed only because More refused to appear at her coronation. Moreover, he dared to declare that on that day the entire English nobility and all adherents of the true church were “publicly deflowered.” Boleyn tried to make friends with Mary, Henry's daughter from Katherine. But the princess refused to recognize the new queen. Boleyn, unlike Henry, who was enraged by his daughter’s disobedience and known for his attacks of cruelty towards her, wanted to see Mary at court. Of course, on the condition 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 miscarriage. Anna blamed her husband for this, who dared not only to sleep with one of her court ladies, but also to show her courtly signs of respect. Soon she became pregnant again. And at the beginning of 1536, Catherine of Aragon died. There was even a ball held at court to mark the 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 the 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 tore off Jane's necklace. Then Henry made peace with his wife and she became pregnant again, instilling in him yet another hope of an heir. Anna during pregnancy...Usually Henry stayed with Anna if she could not accompany him on the hunt. But this time he did not give up his favorite entertainment. During the trip, the king stayed at the house of Jane's parents. And on January 24, 1536, Henry Norris burst into Anna’s apartment (he occupied 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 had been unconscious for several hours. Boleyn screamed, convinced that Henry was dead. The king recovered with difficulty, but his wife again gave birth prematurely - this time dead boy. Henry's anger was all the more terrible because what happened again returned his thoughts to humiliating suspicions about his own male inadequacy. Women who dealt with the Tudors often had problems with childbirth - miscarriages, difficulty getting pregnant and the rare birth of boys. These problems were associated with Henry’s illnesses - they suspected either syphilis, which was fully explained by the monarch’s love of love, or genetic abnormalities, but how could the all-powerful 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, it means that it must be declared invalid and replaced by a 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 the decisive moment in her fate. Cromwell, having already realized that the current queen had no future, enlisting the support of the Seymour family, supporters of Princess Mary, promised to overthrow her from the throne and help the king take Jane as his wife. 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 tantamount by 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 Anne complained to her about Henry's inability to make love? And on April 29, Anna loudly and furiously quarreled with Henry Norris. That same day, the entire court and the king were aware of a suspicious scandal. And Anna’s carelessly thrown phrase “Don’t count on being able to take the king’s place in the event of his death” became key in her indictment process. On this same sad day for Anna (and so lucky 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 down a little after her quarrel 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 admitted to adultery with the queen, after which he was taken to the Tower. The next day, May 1, right during the knightly tournament, the king showed himself more than ever: he personally ordered Henry Norris and George Boleyn to confess their affair with his wife. Despite protestations of innocence, they were sent to the Tower after Smeaton. Boleyn was charged with incest - his wife had long argued that he spent too much time with his sister. Henry, known for his capacity for self-pity - one of the most repulsive traits of his personality - declared that Anne had cheated on him with more than a hundred men, and even immediately tried to compose a tragedy dedicated to his grief. After which he went for consolation to the Seymours' house. There, sobbing, he complained about the queen, assenting to his owners, who had long been trying, at Cromwell’s instigation, to feed him the version that she poisoned Katherine of Aragon and only an accident prevented her from sending him and Princess Mary to the next world. Jane, meanwhile, charmed Henry with her inaccessibility (a technique that Anne herself successfully used) and the fact that she was the complete 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. Having passed through the gate, she lost courage and, falling on her knees, begged to be taken to the king. "Will you send me to prison?" - Without getting up from her knees, she asked Kingston, Const:) Tower in a trembling voice. “No, madam, you will go to the royal apartments.” The feeling of relief provoked a nervous release - Anna began to go into hysterics for many hours. Kingston, at Cromwell’s request, with the pedantry of an experienced jailer, conveyed all the words, phrases and even interjections that, along with screams, tears or laughter, came out of her mouth. A 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 king’s courtiers and her friends Francis Weston and William Brereton... Henry compensated for the feeling of guilt and pity with a touching permission not to send his wife to the stake. He ordered a French executioner from Calais, who masterfully wielded a sword. Having learned about this, Boleyn burst out laughing and, clasping her throat with her hands, said: “I heard he is a good master, but I have such a small neck.” Anne Boleyn and her brother George were put on trial on 15 May 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 the judges - 26 peers led 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 if the king died, no, she did not poison Katherine of Aragon and did not try to poison her daughter Mary. Not to mention the fact 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, the peers passed on to each other, consisted of one single word - guilty, guilty, guilty... Count Norfork announced the verdict. He cried as he sent his niece (and then his nephew) to her death - but weren’t these tears of relief because the tip of the ax was not aimed at him? In her last word, Anna said that she was ready to die, but she regretted the loyal servants and friends of the king who would 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, fainted after delivering his verdict. Anna in the Tower Shortly before the queen was allowed to die, the king declared the marriage to her invalid. Elizabeth became illegitimate. The formal announcement was made by Archbishop Cranmer on June 17, the eve of the queen's execution. The basis for it was old story with the Earl of Northumberland, as well as the king’s relationship with Anne’s sister Mary (according to the law, this was also contrary to the marriage of both parties) and, finally, an argument drawn from the latest “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 Maria, nor the first wife stood in the way of a new marriage and the appearance of heirs. Henry, in the event that his 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) - under the leadership of the mayor of the city came to witness the first execution of the queen in the history of England. She, in a dress of gray damask trimmed with fur, climbed to the first step of the scaffold and addressed the crowd: “I will die according to the law. I am not here to accuse anyone or talk about what I am accused of. But I pray to God that he will save the king and his reign, for there never was a kinder prince, and to me he has always been a 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, accept my soul. O almighty God, sorrow for my soul." Her lips were still moving when it was all over. The ladies covered the queen's body with a simple, rough sheet and carried it to St. Peter's Chapel, passing along the way the fresh graves of her “lovers” executed a few days earlier. Then they stripped her and put her in a small, carelessly put together coffin, barely able to fit the severed head there. Henry, who received news of the execution, immediately ordered Jane Seymour to be brought to him. 11 days later, on May 30, 1536, they got married. Jane Seymour died, giving birth to the king's son, for whom he entered into a deal with the devil so many times. And in 1558 the unexpected happened, as often happens in history - fate smiled on 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 Londoners and the roar of the Tower artillery, Elizabeth occupied the fortress as Queen of England and remained so for many years. Elizabeth. future queen

King Henry had favorites. As a rule, he took on new lovers during his wife’s pregnancy. For Catherine of Aragon this was not news, and she turned a blind eye to such pranks of her husband. One of these favorites was the sister of the future queen, Mary Boleyn. Anna and Maria came from an old family, their family occupied a high position in the circles of the English aristocracy. Both girls were raised at the court of Queen Claude of France. There they studied language, dance, etiquette, singing, literature, music, religion and philosophy. Maria left the French court before Anna, most likely in connection with a sex scandal. Anna had to return to England in 1522 after relations between the two powers cooled. Henry's first meeting with her occurred, presumably, at the same time.

Anne Boleyn: the Queen's new lady-in-waiting

Returning to England, Anna was presented to the court, where she had great success. She was well educated, attractive, and knew how to carry on a conversation. Not much is known for certain about Boleyn’s personality; the characteristics that were awarded to her in books and films are mostly speculation. The queen's appearance is also described very differently. Thus, Catholic propagandist Nicholas Sanders claimed that Anna had 6 fingers on one hand, as well as a huge wart on her neck. It is not surprising that such a demonic appearance is contained in the description of an ardent Catholic preacher. In other sources there are much more prosaic notes. Anna was of average height, fragile build, with dark hair, olive skin and deep brown, almost black, eyes. She looked more French than English, with her milky skin and blue eyes.

At the English court, Count Henry Percy courted Anna; the lovers wanted to get married, but the engagement was terminated by their parents, perhaps not without the participation of the king himself. Anna was sent to the family estate. She returned back to the court only in 1526 as a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon.

It is not known exactly how and when Henry became interested in Anna; most likely, he paid attention to her during one of the court holidays. The king showed Anna signs of attention, sending expensive gifts and love letters in which he openly offered to become his mistress, but was refused. One day the king sent as a gift a gold pendant in the shape of a whistle and a touching note: “If you whistle, I will come running.” Anna gently rejected advances and teased Henry: she only wanted to be a wife, but not a mistress.

Henry and Catherine of Aragon: divorce

The same pendant in the shape of a whistle. (wikipedia.org)

Henry had long been looking for a reason to dissolve his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and take new wife, which he hoped would bring him an heir. Having received Anna's consent, the king decided to turn to the Vatican with a request to annul his union with Catherine. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was entrusted with this issue. As the main argument, the cardinal was going to use the fact that the king and Catherine, who was the wife of the sovereign’s late brother, were considered relatives, and therefore Pope Julius II did not have to give consent to this union. In May 1527, the first court hearing took place, which did not bring the desired results: the jury demanded a theological examination, which was supposed to confirm or refute the legality of the marriage.

Meanwhile, Catherine herself did not even want to hear about the annulment of the marriage, or about voluntarily going to a monastery. In this case, in addition to the loss of the title and all bonuses due, her own daughter- Mary Tudor - would have lost the right to claim the throne and would have been declared a bastard. Catherine's nephew, Charles V, takes Pope Clement VII prisoner, and therefore the issue of Henry's divorce is postponed indefinitely. However, the pope, one way or another, refused the king of England.

It is believed that it was Anne Boleyn who pushed Henry to break off relations with the Catholic Church and make England independent of the power of the pope. Most likely, her influence on the king is somewhat exaggerated: Henry himself was not satisfied with the position of a vassal of the Vatican. However, now he had another good reason - the long-awaited marriage with Boleyn. His new adviser, Thomas Cromwell, a supporter of the Reformation, also pushed the king to take this decisive step.

Portrait of Henry and Anna. (wikipedia.org)

In 1531, Catherine was removed from the palace, and her chambers were given to Anna. A year later, the secret wedding of the lovers took place; the future queen was already pregnant. The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declared Henry's previous marriage illegal and recognized the new union. The official wedding took place in London on January 25, 1533. That same year, Pope Clement VII excommunicated Henry from the church.

Queen Anne

On September 7, 1533, Princess Elizabeth was born. Henry was disappointed. The feast prepared in honor of the birth of the heir had to be cancelled. However, the king was still under the influence of Anna’s spell, and therefore decided to secure Elizabeth’s position by depriving his first daughter, Mary, of all possible privileges. In 1534, the Vatican issues a papal bull, which states that Henry’s marriage to Catherine is considered legal, and therefore the king of England must return to his “legitimate” wife. In response to this attack English parliament adopts the First Act of Succession to the Throne, according to which Mary is declared illegitimate and deprived of all rights to the throne. Elizabeth becomes the heir.

What about the new queen? Anna bathes in luxury and is never denied anything. Its staff of servants was expanded to 250 people. She spends England's money on clothes, hats, fashionable furniture, horses, and jewelry. The people treated the new queen with more than restraint, if not hostility. It is believed that Anna took an active part in state affairs almost on a par with Henry: she met with ambassadors and diplomats, attended official events and presented petitions. Anna, of course, had influence on the king, but it is unlikely that she conducted really vigorous political activity.

At the end of 1534, Anna had a miscarriage. The relationship between spouses is cracking. The fickle Heinrich is already thinking about a new divorce. At the same time, to Anna's great displeasure, he welcomes new favorites. The monarch's wife sometimes has to put up with her husband's infidelity and pacify a woman's pride. But Anna was not fully ready for such a role. She is jealous and openly expresses her complaints to Henry, which infuriates her husband. The couple separates, however, not for long.

Henry's love letter to Anna. (wikipedia.org)

In 1535, Anna became pregnant again. She understands the fragility of her position and desperately wants to give birth to an heir for Henry. But, alas, a miscarriage occurs. By that time, the king had already found a new favorite - Jane Seymour, Boleyn's maid of honor.

It becomes obvious: the fall of Anna and her entire family is inevitable. The king's wife was accused of witchcraft, treason and incest. At the trial, Boleyn behaved with restraint and calmly denied all charges. However, she was found guilty and sentenced to death penalty through cutting off the head.

A sword was chosen as a tool instead of the usual axe. It is believed that this was the last “mercy” shown by the king to his disgraced wife. While imprisoned, preparing for execution, Anna writes her last letter to Henry, where she assures him of her love and devotion. Nevertheless, on May 19, 1536, the sentence was carried out, and on May 20, the King of England secretly became engaged to his new wife, Jane Seymour.

Who was Anne Boleyn - a woman with a disgusting character who forced her husband to fulfill his every whim, or simply a victim of venerable court intriguers interested in breaking relations between England and the papal throne in Rome? 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 are inclined 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 was Elizabeth Howard, who belonged to an ancient aristocratic family.

After a short time homeschooling Anna and her sister Maria were sent to Paris to receive an education. 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 to their homeland took place in 1520, and was due to two reasons. The first reason is that Anglo-French relations have deteriorated. Second, Thomas Boleyn decided to marry Anne to Lord Butler. But his plans were not destined to come true.

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

First meeting of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII

Henry in Love

King Henry VIII saw Anne at a reception in 1522 on March 4th. 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 marriage. His Majesty liked Miss Boleyn so much that he upset the wedding. Henry was urgently married to another aristocrat, and Anna was sent to a distant estate.

After Miss Boleyn returned to court, the king began to seek the attention of the 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 someone else. He proposed to Anne Boleyn, which she happily accepted.

The divorce turned out to be long and difficult. In those days, for a woman this was tantamount to the loss of honor and dignity, and children born in a dissolved marriage were declared bastards and had no right to inheritance.

Henry, passionately in love, 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 his religion. This move allowed the king to proclaim himself head of the Church and, by his decree, to annul his marriage to 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 never recognized the divorce as legal. She died in 1536.

Capricious Queen

Having become a legal wife, Anna showed herself not with the best side. Forcing Henry to indulge her whims, she demanded that he remove his best friends from himself. The king fulfilled all her whims in the hope of having a son, but in the fall 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 and spent crazy amounts of money on outfits and jewelry. The couple often quarreled. The king is tired of his eccentric wife. He already had his maid of honor Jane Seymour in mind and decided to get rid of his wife. The court sentenced Anna to death for treason against the king. Her head was cut off with a sword in 1536 on May 19th.

Anne Boleyn in the Tower

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