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ANNE BOLEYN

 

Anne Boleyn

Date of Birth: between 1500 and 1509

Date of Death: 5 /19 / 1536

Crime: High Treason

 

Biography:

Henry the VIII became smitten with Anne Boleyn at a very young age while she was in Queen Catherine’s court.  Anne was very vocal in politics, especially religious reform, during her time in court and Henry VIII often took her advice.  Henry quickly fell out of love with Catherine and sought a divorce from her and secretly wed Anne in 1533.  Anne failed to produce a male heir for Henry VIII and fell out of his good graces because of this. She did give Henry VII a daughter who would later become Elizabeth I.  As Queen, Anne was not able to accept the quieter role that was required of her.  Due to the lack of attention that Henry VIII had started to show her, she would throw tantrums and ask for passionate reconciliations with Henry VIII.  Henry VIII felt that a wife should be dutiful and submissive.

 

Trial & Execution:

An enemy of Anne convinced Henry VIII that Anne was guilty of sexual misconduct and had Ann arrested and tried. Anne’s official arrest was for adultery, incest and plotting to kill the king.  The king provided false testimony, along with Jane Rochford, the wife of George Boleyn, to the church that Anne was having incest and adultery with her brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford.  Both were found guilty of high treason and their sentence was read by their Uncle, Thomas Howard.  Their sentence was either burning at the stake or beheading.  Anne was beheaded May 19th, 1536.  An expert swordsman from Calais was summoned.  Henry VIII gave a small sum of money to Anne so she could pay the swordsman to ensure her clean execution.  She made a small speech at her execution and even though had fallen out of the good graces of Henry VIII, she asked the onlookers to continue to pray for the king and she also stated that he had been good to her. The expert swordsman did his job as her beheading was done with one single stroke. 

 

Historic Significance:

This execution was the first of two of Henry VIII’s wives to be beheaded.  The execution symbolizes that Henry had the power to take away life and silence the tongues that would criticize him or make him look like a fool.