oscanisaac:

History Meme: (1/?) Women >> Anne Boleyn

Anne was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and Elizabeth Howard. She made her début at the Château Vert pageant in honor of the imperial ambassadors in March 1522, playing Perseverance. As a Queen’s maid, Anne spent most of 1526 trying to tactfully dodge Henry’s advances, but by February, he made a public declaration of his interest, hoping the attention of the court would pressure her into giving into his advances. In 1527, Henry asked Anne to marry him. The royal proposal was not a request. A woman did not turn down a proposal of marriage from a king. Plus, she faced pressure from her family who benefited from the situation. It is important to note that Henry and Catherine of Aragon’s marriage was already rocky before he had met Anne. He thought she couldn’t bear sons as a punishment from God for her already consumating her previous marriage. Henry and Anne married in a secret ceremony on November 14, 1532. Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterburry, pronounced their marriage valid in May the following year.

Anne was crowned Queen Consort in June of 1533 at Westminister Abbey. In September, the future Queen Elizabeth was born. Anne later went on to have a miscariage. By 1956, she was pregnant again and knew that if she failed to have a son she would be doomed. At this time, Henry was courting Jane Seymour, one of her maids. She miscarried what appeared to be a son. Henry needed a way to get rid of her. In May, Anne and George Boleyn were tried separately in the Tower of London, with modern historians believing it was conjured up to get rid of them. She was accused of adultery, incest, and high treason. Anne Boleyn was executed within the Tower precincts on May 19.

“Yet what does come to us across the centuries is the impression of a person who is strangely appealing to the early 21st century: A woman in her own right—taken on her own terms in a man’s world; a woman who mobilised her education, her style and her presence to outweigh the disadvantages of her sex; of only moderate good looks, but taking a court and a king by storm. Perhaps, in the end, it is Thomas Cromwell’s assessment that comes nearest: intelligence, spirit and courage.” -Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn

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hellcheerful:

Chrissy, this is for you.

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