Anne Boleyn
Crowned queen: 1533
Executed: 19th May 1536
In this article to commemorate the downfall of Anne Boleyn and the Boleyn family, on the 488th anniversary since she was executed. This shall discuss the wider context and attitudes that should be taken into account when discussing her. This is to reinstate her as a woman rather than a pawn that was used as part of the agenda for the Henrician reformation. Therefore, it is important to understand and discuss how and why these attitudes and ultimately criticisms occurred towards Anne.
Anne Boleyn/Bullen was the second wife of Henry VIII. An intelligent young woman and a pious protestant. She was strong willed and defiant and that was not what Henry required. This is important especially as she is seen as everything other than determined. He may have liked it for a while but when Anne undermined his authority he needed to get rid of her. Her sexuality in the Tudor court is always discussed but a woman is far more than a sexual being. Yet this is what male historians have often criticised and focused on. Anne Boleyn attempted to try and make herself socially mobile and improve the relationship with the king for the benefit of her family. She has a multitude of myths surrounding her including that her trial accused her of witchcraft. This is a false myth and interpretation of Anne Boleyn, she was rather charged with incest, adultery and conspiring against the king. She was never therefore accused of witchcraft.
Anne Boleyn was prominent in ensuring Henry VIII had the Henrician reformation, the Kings Great Matter was due to the influence that Anne Boleyn and Cromwell. This had helped to make Henry realise that if he became head of the church he could grant annulment and then marry Anne. Until, despite the miscarriages that Anne had suffered and then giving birth to Elizabeth, Henry realised that she could not provide anything that was needed. This was because Henry was so desperate for an heir.
The trauma that Anne would have gone through by suffering miscarriages in the name of being a pawn for a minor nobility family in English society at the time is phenomenal. She had been sent to the French court with her sister Mary and then to be used as bait by her father just so he could be in the kings favour is dehumanising. Her body was seen as property of the country and an extension of power for Henry VIII. Anne Boleyn’s purpose much like queen regnants and consorts was to provide for the future of the dynasty. The way that the body of queen consorts like Anne Boleyn were seen as vessels further dehumanises Anne. This conveys how the body of the queen was integral to guarantee success or not. This illustrates how Anne’s inability to deliver a male heir conveys how her legacy and image becomes one that is negative. Though in late medieval and early modern England it was such a defining factor for the success of the queen consort or regnant.
Though these women including Anne Boleyn are far more than just a ‘baby machine’. Anne’s ability to gain influence over Henry in court is especially prominent for acts which helped with ensuring that Henry could be supreme head of the church by the act of supremacy (1534). Though many contemporary and early secondary sources tend to solely judge these women on the success of providing an heir. The influence she had over Henry even before she was married to him by Cranmer in January 1533. This indicates a degree of love and care initially by Henry until the abuse of power occurred. The idea that Anne was sexually promiscuous has been picked apart especially due to the over exaggeration caused by the victorian narrative towards her. This is another example of double standards as Henry could sleep around with other women but Anne was expected to stay loyal. She would have understood that however it does not mean that it isn’t hard to see that happen from the perspective of Anne.
The Victorian narrative is arguably to blame for the idea that Anne practiced witchcraft. It is arguably due to the fact that if she was accused of witchcraft it made more sense to why she had kept failing to bear a pregnancy to term. However, this has led to many history students being taught this myth and taking it as fact, which has taken multiple historians time to debunk this myth.
Anne Boleyn is often misunderstood and this resurfaces during the time of her downfall. This is highlighted by the idea she was a witch that had cursed the Tudor dynasty with not being able to provide a male heir. Though this was not the case rather a combination of factors but Anne was a dutiful wife until Henry VIII became more abusive with the power he held. Ultimately, the power that Henry asserted over her is most prominent when on the 19th of May 1536 she was sent to be beheaded. This saw the whole family fall from favour as well as this alongside the failure of the marriage to Anna von Cleves that leads to Thomas Cromwell’s well deserved downfall. Cromwell tried to deflect onto Anne and this is prominent in many of the decisions he chose to make.
Anne Boleyn as a queen, woman and individual is someone to admire, though her sexual promiscuity and attitude tends to be often portrayed as the centre of who she is. This is predominantly indicated through modern media but also the discourse around her in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Often the wives of Henry VIII are remembered solely as the wives not as individuals this was until the reassessment bought in by feminist and gender historians. This is misconception around Anne is illustrated by the Six song ‘Don’t lose ur head’ which tells her story however still pushes this narrative of the accusation that she was a witch. However, it is engaging for younger audiences though if being picked apart by a Tudor historian the accuracy is not there nor does it debunk any myths. Additionally, Netflix’s ‘blood, sex and royalty’ (2022) is the story of her life and the meeting of Henry VIII but as the title states it focuses on the dramatised sex life of her and Henry VIII. Both media portrayals reinforce how sexually promiscuous of an individual she was. However, this mitigates from the rest of her life, which is important as Anne was an individual trying to survive in the turmoil of the Henrician reformation.
This conveys how the downfall of Anne Boleyn needs to be humanised and not just based on the rumours and accusations that men created both from contemporary and secondary sources. The patriarchal nature of the early modern period has led to Anne Boleyn being demonised as a temptress whereas it was rather the lack of accountability. She was used time again just to push a political agenda, she was an intelligent woman and deserves to be remembered as such. This abuse of power ultimately led to Anne being beheaded like a lamb to the slaughter. She is an individual but is more often written in antiquity and by men as an object that was just an element to the stages of the Henrician reformation. Her story and life is owed to be done more justice than just that. The fact that she attempted to place Henry in his place is remarkable and shows her true personality.
In conclusion, it is important to remember when discussing the downfall of Anne Boleyn that she was much more than her trial. She tried to do what was best for her, it was never her fault that she was tried and found of these accusations. She was never a witch or believed to be so and she was a scapegoat for everything that went wrong with the break from Rome. It was easier for Henry VIII to sacrifice her than take accountability. As women during the early modern period were expected to do whatever was needed by their husband. Therefore, the downfall of her needs to be understood in the wider context of Tudor society but also within her life.
Secondary sources:
History, ‘How Anne Boleyn lost her head’ https://www.history.com/news/anne-boleyn-beheaded-facts Accessed 3/05/2024
Netflix, 2022. ’Blood, Sex and Royalty’
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