Anne Boleyn

"Good Christian people, I have come here to die according to the law, and thus yield myself to the will of the King, my lord. And if in my life I ever did offend the King's grace, then surely with my death I do now atone. I pray and beseech you all to pray for the life of the King, my sovereign lord and yours, who is one of the best princes on the face of the earth, who has always treated me so well. Wherefore, I submit to death with a good will, humbly asking pardon of all the world. If anyone should take up my case, I ask them only to judge it kindly. Thus I take up my leave of the world, and of you. And I heartily desire you all to pray for me." Anne's execution speech
Anne Boleyn is the second wife of Henry VIII. She is introduced to Henry by Thomas Boleyn, her father, after her sister Mary fails to keep Henry's interest prolonged. Anne Boleyn was Henry's wife for three years and four months before her execution, however Henry likely didn't believe the accusations against and simply wanted an excuse to be rid of Anne, of whom he was rapidly tiring. By March of 1536, Henry was courting Jane Seymour, and because Anne found Henry and Jane kissing she miscarried a son. This was Anne's last chance to have a lasting marriage with Henry; shortly after she was accused of adultery, incest and treason, and she was executed at the Tower of London on May 19, 1536. One of the major factors that played a part in Anne's downfall was her failure to produce a male heir. She was caught in political trouble and paid the price for it with her life. She was unique as a wife and queen in many ways, refusing to let Henry get away with adultery and taking mistresses, but became too intemperate.
==Season 1==
Anne serves Catherine of Aragon as one of her ladies in waiting, although it is during this time that Henry begins to admire Anne. In episode 2, Henry's friend the French king Francis I points out Anne and her sister Mary Boleyn, but Henry doesn't seem too interested in either of them. At the end of episode 2 Anne's father Thomas tells her to keep the King's interest prolonged - Anne complies but doesn't believe she can truly make the King love her. However, in episode 3 at a pageant Henry gazes at Anne from afar and becomes infatuated with her. This infatuation leads to an obsession, and Henry dreams of Anne. She tells him to seduce her and send her poems. Then Henry jerks up in bed sweating, although he assures his nearby courtiers that he is fine.
However, this dream is proof that Henry is obsessed with Anne Boleyn, and he finds himself unable to control his lust - he sends her love letters, jewelry and tells her he'd sacrifice his kingdom for an hour in her arms. The dream leads Henry to believe he must seduce Anne.
He kisses Anne later, but she says she has to get back to her ladies and breaks off the kiss. In episode 5 Henry visits Anne and asks her to be his official mistress. However, Anne declines and tells him he already has a queen and she will not be his mistress. He storms away in a fury, leaving an unhappy Anne realizing she has upset the King. However, we see them making out later on a bed, and Henry promises to honour Anne's maidenhead until they marry. Anne, in return, promises the King a son, and although neither is sure of this happening Henry complies.
A plague breaks out and Henry is greatly distressed upon being informed that Anne has caught the sweating sickness. He tells the physician to save Anne's life, however he, Thomas Boleyn and George Boleyn (Anne's father and brother) are informed there is no hope and Anne will dead by morning. However, in the morning she is still alive. Her brother is greatly relieved although her father only seems to care that Anne is alive because she can improve his social standing by marrying the King. Henry rides on horseback to meet Anne, leaping off his horse and running to her. They reunite and kiss joyously, and Anne seems to have realized that she truly loves the King.
In episode 8 Henry and Anne are walking together and Henry informs her that for a while, he'll have to keep sleeping with Catherine. Anne is angered, especially when Henry says it's nothing, and he becomes sceptical that she trusts him. He leaves despite Anne telling him she loves him, and she herself storms away in a fury. However, they make up later. At the Legatine Court Queen Catherine easily gets everybody on her side and Henry is brought to tears, however his love for Anne does not abate.
In the season 1 finale, Henry horserides with Anne to the forest. He begins kissing her and stripping off her clothes, and the two engage in a long sexual encounter. However, when Henry tries to get Anne pregnant, she pushes him off her and says he musn't. Henry screams and storms away in a fury, and season 1 ends.
==Season 2==
Henry and Anne are to be wed. Anne is bowed down to when she walks and she orders people around as though she is queen. When she discovers Catherine of Aragon still makes Henry's shirts, she is greatly angered and yells at Henry, who subserviently forces Catherine to stop making his shirts. Henry bestows the title of 1st Marquess of Pembroke on Anne. At the end of episode 2 Henry comes to his chambers to find Anne waiting for him, and she is ready to have sex. He then makes love to her. In episode 3 Henry marries a pregnant Anne Boleyn in secret. The marriage is supposedly valid and lawful. Catherine is banished from court and from seeing her daughter Mary. Henry has affairs, something that deeply bothers Anne, who lashes out and becomes hurt, angry and jealous of Henry's mistresses.
She gives birth to a girl, much to Henry's disappointment, and the girl is named Elizabeth. Henry begins to tire of Anne and in fact takes a new mistress named Eleanor Luke. Anne has Eleanor sent away and chooses Henry's new mistress, Madge Sheldon. Henry sleeps with Madge despite her not being very good-looking.
Anne becomes pregnant again, but miscarries for unknown causes. It is not revealed whether Henry's adultery has anything to do with this, but Anne's father Thomas Boleyn asks her what she did to kill the baby, although Anne has done nothing of the sort.
Anne becomes pregnant one last time, this time with a son. She walks in on Henry kissing Jane and Henry desperately tries to console her to no avail. Later that night while Anne's ladies are playing cards they hear Anne scream out and run to her chambers, where she is bleeding and has miscarried a son. Henry is informed of the news and storms furiously to Anne's chambers, reprimanding her for losing his boy. Anne tells him he has no one to blame but himself for this, saying she loves him so much it broke her heart to see he loved others. Henry secretly tears up but his tears evaporate and he tells Anne they will speak when she is well.
However, losing a son has cost Anne her chance at a lasting marriage with Henry. He begins to tire of her and wants Jane Seymour. As his affections shift to Jane, Queen Anne is accused of adultery, incest and treason. She has supposedly slept with her brother George and betrayed Henry with over 100 men. She and four of her supposed lovers, including her brother George and trusted friend Mark Smeaton, are sentenced to death. Anne watches while they are executed at the Tower, and she howls with anguish. However, her execution is painfully delayed by the executioner's late arrival. Her execution is postponed twice, and she feels that perhaps the king is testing her.
However, Anne is indeed going to be executed. She comes out to her own execution and makes a speech. The executioner begs Anne to forgive him for what he must do, which she gladly does. Everybody prays for her soul. The executioner shouts at a flock of birds, which fly away as Anne distractedly watches them. While she is distracted, the executioner strikes her with his sword. The episode finishes with melancholy music.
==Season 4==
Anne makes a very brief appearance in the series finale, telling Henry of her innocence of the crimes she was accused of and the cruelty she and her cousin Katherine Howard suffered, and Henry is about to tell her not to go but she disappears.
==Physical Appearance==
Physically, Anne is extremely beautiful, having long brown hair and deep blue eyes. She wears typical clothing and jewelry of a queen, and in reality her exotic looks were part of what attracted Henry to her. She has pale skin that looks more olive depending on the light and possesses great beauty. Contemporaries wrote of Anne, one stating she was 'very beautiful' and her eyes were 'black and beautiful.' Anne in the series differs from the real Anne physically although she is still very attractive.
==Personality==
Anne was a spirited, talented and passionate person. She was very loyal to the people she cared about, mainly her friends, family and her husband, who in turn loved her deeply. She was also musically talented. However, the things that Henry initially liked about her became an affront to him after they married; she was too demanding, tempestous and temperamental to make a good wife. She could also be rather jealous and high strung. However, she wanted to give Henry a son as much as he wanted her to and she was extremely loyal to him throughout their marriage, however it is implied Francis I knew something of Anne being adulterous. She was bright, intelligent and exciting, especially as a mistress, but Henry had trouble keeping her under control during their marriage. As queen, she was the only wife of Henry who ever stood up to him. However, Anne also possessed a dark side. She was happy when hearing of Catherine of Aragon's death, smiling and stating she was queen. She was hostile towards her enemies and broke up Henry and Catherine's marriage in a way.
==Relationships==
Henry- Anne's most prominent relationship in the series, her relationship with Henry started off happily without many flaws but deteriorated later on as he began courting Jane Seymour. Henry initially liked Anne's outspoken, brave and willful personality but this became an affront to him after they married and helped in Anne's own undoing. Henry, however, despite being adulterous and laying the blame at Anne's door for not producing a son, loved her deeply and stuck up for her several times at the beginning of the second season. He wanted the people of England to love her as much as he did but this could never happen no matter how much either of them tried.
Thomas Boleyn- Anne's father cared little for her and her siblings, he in fact used them all to improve his own social standing. When Anne was young, her father was very affectionate and seemed to love her but this disappeared as she grew up and he saw a chance to improve his social standing. He also cared nothing for Anne being executed and walked away from her.
George Boleyn- Anne and her brother George were very close and Anne stated she used to tell him everything. However, as they grew up Anne knew her brother would tell his father and uncle of any secrets Anne told him, making the need for secrecy. Anne howled as George was executed, and he did love his sister, this is shown by his devastation when Anne caught the sweating sickness and nearly died. George was accused of sleeping with his sister and executed for this.
Mark Smeaton- He was the court musician and one of Anne's closest and trusted friends. He too was falsely accused and executed for sleeping with Queen Anne, although he had done nothing of the sort. Mark and Anne initially flirted at first but never took things further.
Francis I- Anne was introduced to Francis I at a special occasion. His wife had refused to come, not wanting to meet Anne Boleyn, but she and Francis hit it off. Anne subtly implied that Francis knew something of her being adulterous, saying, "There are things Your Majesty knows about me that I would rather you didn't tell His Majesty."
Mary Boleyn- Anne's older sister, Mary Boleyn was shown to have a good and positive relationship with her sister. However, this turned sour when Mary revealed she married a commoner and was with child. Anne banished her from court along with her husband William Stafford. Mary was never seen again in the series, however her sister's cruelty might have been due to their father's pressuring.
Lady Mary Tudor- Henry's daughter and Catherine's, Mary despised Anne as much as most of the court did. Anne promised to have Mary back at court if she accepted her as queen, but Mary refused and said she would recognize no queen but her mother, and stated Anne was just the King's mistress. Mary's statement of never accepting another queen was proved untrue as she befriended Queen Jane Seymour in season 3.
Jane Seymour- Jane was "sworn in" as one of Anne's ladies in waiting in season 2, episode 8, much to Anne's unhappiness, most likely because she knew Henry liked Jane. Anne considered Jane a wench, and walked in on Henry kissing Jane which led to her miscarrying a son. Anne was hostile towards Jane and ripped Henry's locket off Jane's neck so hard that it drew blood. The two had very little interaction but it is certain Anne didn't like Jane because Jane was being courted by Anne's husband.
Thomas Cromwell- The two shared a mutual dislike of each other. Anne would frequently threaten and stand up to Cromwell, however in the end it was Cromwell who was alive to see Anne's execution and she was not alive to see his execution. Anne would often say things could go to better uses, such as helping the poor or for religious reasons. Cromwell assured Henry he would love Anne, although this was untrue. He despised Anne with a passion like so many members of the court did.
Thomas More- Anne disliked Thomas More and would often push and urge Henry for his execution. More was executed but Henry screamed in regret when it happened. Henry blamed More's execution on Anne, although she never knew of this. It should be noted that Anne never really directly spoke with More, although they may have spoken in reality.
Charles Brandon- He would always call Anne a whore and hated her, platonically loving and respecting Catherine of Aragon, whom Anne hated. However, when Anne was sentenced to death Charles evidently felt for her, and despite hating her he had never wished for her to die. Anne in return disliked Charles just as much as he disliked her, and openly shunned him in front of Henry, although Henry took Charles' side.
Madge Sheldon- As one of Anne's ladies in waiting, Margaret "Madge" Sheldon was close to the queen and would be concerned if Anne was in a bad situation. She, like several of Anne's other ladies, mourned when Anne was sentenced to death. Madge slept with Henry after Anne presented her to him, as there was no threat of Henry marrying Madge and tiring of Anne because of her.
Jane Boleyn- She was a bitter and abused person. She suffered having been abused by Anne's brother George, who would hit Jane and cheat on her with men. Anne failed to help Jane, who was known as Lady Rochford, previously Countess of Rochford. Jane made pleas to Anne to help her, but Anne never did and couldn't care less about Jane's situation, however Anne never showed any hostility towards Jane.
Katherine Howard- Anne's cousin, it is likely Katherine was very young at the time of Anne's execution. Anne felt remorse and sorrow for Katherine having been executed, assuring Henry of herself and Katherine's innocence.
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey- She was not fond of Wolsey. He called her a silly girl and was previously hostile to her until Henry began to love her, which was when Wolsey realized that being hostile to the King's love would land him on the scaffold. Awkward tension would hang in the air between them but it was clear they disliked each other and neither was fond of the other.
==Quotes==
*"They say all his liasions are soon over. He blows hot, he blows cold..." Anne about Henry.
*"Seduce me. Write letters to me. And poems, I love poems. Ravish me with your words. Seduce me."
*"My sister is being called the great prostitute by everyone!"
*"Your Majesty!"
*"I have an audience with His Majesty."
*"Sometimes I wish all Spaniards were at the bottom of the sea."
*"I care nothing for Catherine. I'd rather see her hanged than acknowledge her as my mistress."
*"He will tire of you, like all the others." - Queen Catherine. Anne: "And what if he does not?"
*"What do you think is going to happen?" - Henry. "What usually happens." - Anne.
*"I remember, I told you everything."
*"I can't. You'd share them."
*"You think it's nothing to go back to bed with your wife?"
*"I trust you! I love you!"
*Anne: "I have a new motto. Do you know what it is?" Henry: "Where is it?" Anne: "On a ribbon, hidden somewhere. You'll have to find it."
*"No, you musn't!"
*"Don't let her spoil everything."
*"You can't have three people in a marriage! Why can't you see that?"
*"And do you believe them?" - Anne to Henry on the rumours about her and Thomas Wyatt. "If I did, you wouldn't be here with me." - Henry.
*"I love you a thousand times more than Catherine ever did!"
*"If only you will accept me as queen."
*"God bless you."
*"Surely my father could do a much better job?"
*"He keeps having affairs."
*"My Elizabeth."
*"I can just order their deaths!" (Anne laughs)
*"You know, everyone's talking about how sick she is. Why doesn't she just die?" Anne on Catherine of Aragon.
*"And I am indeed Queen." A maid arrives and whispers in Anne's ear that Catherine has died.
*"It is foretold in ancient prophesies that at this time a queen shall be burnt. But even if I were to suffer a thousand deaths, my love for you would not abate one jot."
*"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. What is this? What is this?" Anne walks in on Henry kissing Jane.
*"It is not all my fault. You have no one to blame but yourself for this. I was distressed to see you with that wench Jane Seymour."
*"Catherine is dead! And I am carrying the King's son. We are on the edge of a golden world!"
*"I only have a little neck."
*Henry VIII: "Why are you here?" Anne Boleyn: "To see my daughter. She was the only pure thing in my life and I neglected her. Since she was only a girl and I wanted so much to give you a son but now I am so proud of her. She is so clever and though she is like me in so many ways, she is not as intemperate as I was. You must be proud of her too, Henry?" Henry: "I am, I am very proud of her and I know how clever she is. And I wish I could love her more, but from time to time she reminds me of you and what you did to me." Anne Boleyn: "I did nothing to you. All the accusations against me were false. I thought you knew. Poor Katherine Howard, she lies in the cold ground next to me. Poor child. It was not her fault either. But we were moths drawn to the flame and burned." Henry: "Anne, please don't!" (Anne disappears)
==Trivia==
*Historically and in the series, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour were somewhat favoured by Henry, arguably his two most loved wives.
*Anne is portrayed by Natalie Dormer.
*She is preceded by Catherine of Aragon and succeeded by Jane Seymour.
*Anne and her brother George were exceptionally close and had little use for their older sister, Mary Boleyn, whom neither of them were close to.
*She was betrothed to Lord Henry Percy before the marriage would not be sanctioned by Lord Henry Percy's father.
*Anne was nicknamed a "whore" by everyone, and Wolsey would call her "the black crow".
*Anne's birthdate is still debated by historians. One historian suggested a date of 1499, while others tend to favor 1501 and 1507.
*Catholic priest Nicholas Sanders suggested Anne had six fingers, however her unearthed skeleton showed ten perfectly formed and slender fingers. There is no conclusive proof to support this suggestion despite its popularity and inclusion in many modern textbooks. It should also be noted that Sanders had never seen Anne before in his life at any point and never did.
*Natalie dormer said of her character, "Anne was that rare phenomenon [in Tudor times], a self-made woman. But then, this became her demise, because she was a challenging personality, and wouldn't be quiet and shut up. So all the reasons that attracted [Henry] to her, and made her queen and a mother, were all the things that then undermined her position. What she had that was so unique for a woman at that time was also her undoing."
*Anne really did say she'd rather see Catherine hanged than acknowledge her as her mistress.
*Many people suggest that Henry believed nothing of the accusations against Anne and in fact trumped them up with his courtiers so he could be rid of Anne and wed Jane Seymour. There is no solid proof to support this but it is likely true, and Anne's failure to produce a male heir was one of the things that made Henry tire of her. When he began courting Jane Seymour, Henry was still married to Anne Boleyn, of whom he was rapidly tiring.
*Anne was also accused of witchcraft. Henry believed his marriage to her null and void, and the marriage really was anulled.
*Historians debate whether Jane Seymour had a role in bringing Anne Boleyn to the scaffold. No proof has been found of this but it may have been true.
*The sex scene with Henry and Anne in the forest at the end of season 1 is thought to be the top sex scene and sexiest sex scene of the series.
*Anne is shown having sex with Henry three times in the series. Ironically, she gave him three children although two were miscarried, including a son.
*Elizabeth I was Anne's daughter, who later went on to be one of the greatest and most powerful rulers that England had ever seen.
*Henry and Anne Boleyn are considered the best couple in The Tudors by the majority of the show's fanbase.
*Anne promised Henry a son in season 1, in season 2 she lived up to this promise, but unfortunately by walking in on Henry kissing Jane she became overly upset and miscarried the boy. Henry saw this as not living up to Anne's promise.
*It was rumoured that Anne had poisoned Catherine of Aragon, causing her death, although this is most likely untrue.
*Anne and her cousin Katherine Howard were the only two of Henry's six wives that were executed. Both were accused of adultery and treason. This ironic, considering they were cousins and accused of doing the same thing although Anne was innocent and Katherine Howard was indeed guilty.
*Feminist historian Karen Lindsay has suggested that Anne suffered as a silent victim of sexual harassment. This could be true. Henry pursuited Anne at Shrovetide from 1526 and she dodged his advances for over a year. Anne sent Henry the gift of a Symbolic Jewel as a way of saying yes to Henry's proposal of marriage, despite initially being reluctant to marry Henry.
*By the beauty standards of Tudor times, Anne was not a "looker", however several contemporaries admitted she had a dramatic allure, while one contemporary read that she was 'very beautiful.' The following paragraph is an excerpt on a book on Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives on Anne's physical appearance:
She was never described as a great beauty but even those who loathed her admitted she had a dramatic allure. Her dark complexion and black hair gave her an exotic aura in a culture that saw milk-white paleness as essential to beauty. Her eyes were especially striking: 'black and beautiful' wrote one contemporary, while another averred they were 'always most attractive', and that she 'well knew how to use them with effect.'
The following paragraph is excerpted from Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII:
Anne's charm lay not so much in her physical appearance as her vivacious personality, her gracefulness, her quick wit and other accomplishments. She was petite in stature, and had an appealing fragility about her...she shone at singing, making music, dancing and conversation...not surprisingly, the young men of the court swarmed round her.
*Anne was crowned on June 1st, 1533, her marriage was anulled on May 17th, 1536 and she was executed on May 19th, 1536.
*Anne was either born at Blicking Hall in Norfolk or Hever Castle in Kent: the best evidence suggests Blickling Hall.
*The series innaccurately shows Anne having two miscarriages: in reality, Anne had three miscarriages. Also, in the series it is not revealed what the sex of the baby Anne miscarried first was, however it was likely a girl as Henry would have been more mournful and furious had it been a boy.
*Anne pretty much pushed Catherine of Aragon off her throne. Henry may have wanted an annulment simply so he could be with Anne Boleyn. It is unlikely he was that bothered by his dead brother's marriage to Catherine of Aragon.
*In regards to Queen Anne's household, it is estimated that Anne had approximately 60 ladies in waiting and 250 servants.
==Appearances==
*In Cold Blood
*Simply Henry
*Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!
*His Majesty, the King
*Arise, My Lord
*True Love
*Message to the Emperor
*Truth and Justice
*Look to God First
*The Death of Wolsey
*Everything Is Beautiful
*Tears of Blood
*Checkmate
*The Act of Succession
*His Majesty's Pleasure
*The Definition of Love
*Matters of State
*Lady In Waiting
*The Act of Treason
*Destiny and Fortune
*Death of a Monarchy
==References==
=====Catherine of Aragon=====