Anne
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Intelligent and well mounted pieces on the life and times of the enigmatic Anne Boleyn. She was highly intelligent and accomplished, witty, sophisticated, emotional, cunning, perceptive, ruthless (at her enemies), determined, pious, fun loving, creative – so many qualities, but above all she was incredibly brave.
Please check out my Facebook page – ‘Mistress Anne’…..
Alex
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I agree with every word that Alex said. Anne Boleyn with all of those personality traits made her place in the fore front of history. When one thinks of King Henry VIII one instantly thinks of Queen Anne Boleyn before the other wives. I especially like the word, “Brave” as without this trait she would have become a weak figure in history, just another of Henry’s conquests so to speak. But Anne stands out because of her strength, she stood up to Henry and it took quite the woman to do that indeed! I have on my living room wall the heads of King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn by Bossons. When I look at them I often say, “See Henry, on my wall you are still with her, and you did not succeed in removing her from your life, as history did not allow that to happen.”
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Just a question-
I’ve always been someone who has never worn makeup, since I have no need for it, so I was wondering if Anne might have worn any. Was she a natural beauty? or did she use forms of makeup to try and make herself look like the other girls in court? (fair hair, creamy skin.. etc:) Would she have used anything?
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A Reply:
January 22nd, 2011 at 5:07 pm
Yes Lady Anne Boleyn most likely used make up because she wasn’t known for her beauty and Henry enjoyed beautiful women. So she still tried.
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Natea Reply:
January 27th, 2011 at 4:54 am
YOUR GONNA DIE
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Claire Reply:
January 27th, 2011 at 5:20 am
I think we all are, aren’t we?
Hannah Reply:
January 21st, 2012 at 12:25 am
*You’re
Bruno Thor Reply:
November 15th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
I have read different books about Anne Boleyn published at different times. Earlier accounts of Anne’s looks tended toward the negative as those books also portrayed Anne as a villain. Today’s books about Anne Boleyn generally paint a more positive picture of her and along with the elevation of her character, her looks are praised more highly. Whatever her appearance was, Henry VIII liked it as he went to such trouble to secure her affections and he married her after waiting several years.
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Eve Reply:
December 4th, 2011 at 11:25 am
I have recently read The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn which painted Anne in a much more positive light. It also takes into question whether or not Anne had anything to do with the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey or if she were an innocent bystander. Might want to give it a go anyway.
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ANNE BOLEYN HAD 3 BRESTS AND A EXTRA FINGER ON HER LEFT OR RIGHT HAND.NO WANDER HENRYVIII DIVORCED HER.SHE WAS UGLY ANYWAY LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Claire Reply:
January 27th, 2011 at 4:55 am
I assume you’re joking, Natea.
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DivineAverage Reply:
September 2nd, 2011 at 6:00 am
That is the funniest thing I have ever seen. Natea, your post just made my morning. I believe your assumption is correct, and your reply most amusing, Claire. Anyhow, thanks for making such a comprehensive site on one of the most interesting women in English History. And for putting up with the commentary of goofy youngsters, as is the responsibility of any good webmistress! Keep up the good work!
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Claire Reply:
September 2nd, 2011 at 6:03 am
Thank you, DivineAverage, I’m so glad you enjoy using the site, I love running it.
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on the contrary they say she was sumthing beautiful, do u really believe the king of england is going to marry a woman with birth defects such as 6 fingers? i dont think so, as well as this being an era when deformities were hidden away. there are tons of rumors regarding anne simply because of her ‘haters’ thru out time. and obvisouly it would take a beauty to have the king of england annual his 1st marriage and break away with the catholic church. in my opinion henry was a pompous ass . they say elizabeth looks just like anne except for the red hair which comes from the tudors.
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Catherine Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 9:23 am
You are absolutley right about Henry Jennifer!
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Melissa Crisp Reply:
September 14th, 2011 at 5:47 am
I definately agree!!!
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Lorna Wanstall Reply:
December 28th, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Melissa.. I have to ask are your parents Steven and Jill Crisp?
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Melissa Reply:
January 7th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
no they are not my parents……
Lorna Wanstall Reply:
December 28th, 2011 at 4:33 pm
In todays world Anne would just be passable but certainly not beautiful. She was considered beautiful back in tudor times but I think that was down to the way she worn her clothes, her humourous lighthearted behaviour and her learning. You can see why Henry was attracted to her.
Henry turned the world upside down for her only to turn inside out to get rid of her. Would he have executed her if she gave him a son? I don’t think so but I certainly feel he would have divorced her at some point. Rumour has it that he tried to plea bargain with her prior to her execution by offering her her life if she gave up all rights to the throne and took Elizabeth and went abroad. She naturally refused as she knew that if she did she would be hunted down and killed, along with Elizabeth and because she was abroad the king could claim that they died of some disease or something, nobody would be any wiser and no one would question the king’s story..
To me Anne is my heroine as she was a remarkable, intelligent and humourous person, and she gave the ultimate sacrifice herself so that Elizabeth could rule and put the Great in Britain. Henry never admitted it but of the 3 children Elizabeth was his favourite, and she always said that she may not be a lion but she is a lion’s cub. How right she was. She certainly showed that she had her fathers fire and her mothers wit when dealing with William Cecil concerning the succession and said to her Madam you must marry and produce an heir. She rounded on him and said ” If I had been born crested and not cloven you wouldn’t have dared speak to me like this.. I’ll let you draw your own conclusion to that one..
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and furthermore they could dig her remains up and do dna just to prove the false lies. then all would be known
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Sebastian Reply:
June 24th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
I heard they actually did dig up her corpse and that they found no evidence of a sixth finger.
Alison Weir’s book, “The Six Wives of Henry VIII”
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Well, Natea, I assume with Claire , that you are joking, and really , if your going to say thingd like that , you should use proper spelling. Breast is spelled B R E A S T . Im no English teacher, but really, do it right !
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I forgot to add , 3 breasts? ??????? That is entirely false? What evidence is there for that? and an extra finger , come now, I admit to a small mole or blemish, but I think its highly exaggerated
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The history books have left out a very important fact. Girls, women, had no say in their lives back in those days. Their fathers, husband, uncles, brothers, whoever was head of the family dictated what they did. Anne Boleyn for example, her Uncle the Duke of Norfolk decided her fate, her father gladly went along because it meant power for him. If Anne had refused she would have been beaten and thrown out with nothing. Secondly, who would dare to refuse the King whatever he wanted. That was Henry’s major problem he always got what he wanted when he wanted it. Jane Seymour had no choice with her father and eldest brother pushing her into the marriage. Katherine Howard had little choice pushed by her Uncle who also had pushed Anne Boleyn. And Katherine Parr she was a widow, who had been left penniless and had no choice either. Anne Boleyn was no witch, whore, home wrecker, the men in her life were. Wake up History! It’s about time you got things right, don’t you agree?
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Amber Reply:
September 10th, 2011 at 11:04 am
Would just like to point out, Katherine Parr was not left penniless. She inherited her husbands fortune and was a independently wealthy widow. She had plans to marry Thomas Seymour. But unfortunately for her, she then caught the kings attention.
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When in London – taking a tour of the Tower – the guide did tell us that when a tiny woman’s skeleton was found under the floor of the chapel, there were, indeed, six fingers on each hand. He should know.
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Claire Reply:
September 5th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
The things that guides tell people makes me so cross. Diann, I have the full report of the 1876 renovation of the Chapel which includes the pathologist’s report of the remains believed to have been Anne Boleyn and she had the normal amount of fingers. Why they have to embellish the facts is beyond me, the story is interesting enough as it is.
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Oh, yes, the guide also told us that the long sleeves with the gathered “ruff” that goes over the hand was used by Anne to make her hands less obvious.
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Claire Reply:
September 5th, 2011 at 11:19 pm
George Wyatt, Thomas Wyatt’s grandson, wrote that Anne had some kind of blemish on one hand but I’ve never read of her wearing ruffed sleeves to hide it.
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mel Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 8:23 pm
i doubt very much that Anne had six fingers, but if she did, so what??? Why should anyone care?? She was still quite a force in the history of England and the church. I doubt that Henry had her beheaded because she had six fingers. He loved her at one time, and i have no doubt that he regretted his orders, Henry was a dumbass and most likely ill.
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A good majority of the things I have read on Anne Boleyn has stated that she had a double fingernail on her pinky finger. That is a far cry from an extra finger. Anne was controlled by her family and at first was a pawn to her uncle’s ambitions. The tragic truth is that she fell for Henry as much as he did her. They have found love letters that he supposedly sent to her. He sent her expensive gifts, left his true wife, suffered excommunication from the Catholic church to have her. For what? To jump at the next woman that was shoved under his nose. Anne made too many enemies and that was ultimately her down fall.
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The existence of an additional finger does occur though it is rare. Today when it happens, it is amputated immediately upon birth. It usually appears almost like an appendage to the pinky but is definitely separate from it.
With regard to the “three breasts”, there may be some confusion regarding terminology. The incidence of having a third nipple is also known to occur and is not all that rare. The nipple is clearly visible though it is undeveloped but close examination would clearly show it to be a nipple.
I have no idea whether Anne Boleyn had an extra nipple or a sixth finger on one hand but I thought I’d offer the above information as possible explanations if it is factual.
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The sixth finger myth is related to early witch hunters who believed the physical characteristics of a witch were “devils marks” such as moles or third nipples or extra fingers. If the myth was even a little bit true, don’t you think that these things would have come out during her trial as proof of witchcraft so that she could be burned? Surely if it was true Chapuys the Spanish ambassador would have mentionned it in his dialogues at the time, instead of it only becoming false proof when George Wyatt claimed it at the end of the sixteenth century. Given that she was such a prominent figure at court, if there was any truth to it, don’t you logically think that someone would have commented on it earlier?
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I AM NO EXPERT ON THE LIFE OF ANN BOYLEN, BUT FROM WHAT IVE READ, SHE WAS A STRONG PROTESTANT WOMAN WITH GREAT MORAL CHARACTER. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE PEOPLE HATED HER FOR THAT, AND HER INFLUENCE ON THE KING. THE WAY THEY PORTRAY HER IN MOVIES AND BOOKS SEEMS TO BE VERY NEGATIVE. COULD THIS BE BECAUSE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH STILL HAS INFLUENCE IN HOLLYWOOD? I REALLY HAVE NO IDEA, JUST A THOUGHT. I BELIEVE HER DEATH WAS VINDICATED BY HER DAUGHTERS LONG RULE.
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This is a brilliant website. Thank you.
Do you know if Henry ever gave Anne a dog as a gift?
Thank you,
Carol
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Well I think the rumors of queen anne are ridiculous and imature and untrue I love the story of henry VIII and his six wives in my opinon anne was great woman who was just simply ahead of her time and produced one of the greatest queens in english history and natea I’m sure she would have crushed u for treason u are clearly a childish man with no restpect for women or the history of england anne bolyen was a powerful woman and I do not for one second belive the accusations agaist her were true she was to powerful a woman in those times (she had an opinion) and that led to her death
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I think the story about the six fingers has retained life after so many years because there was some kernel of truth to it. I suggest she had perhaps a double fingernail. She was known for fashionable long sleeves that may have minimized people seeing her hand. I doubt it was truly a full finger, because that would have been mentioned by contemporaries, especially before she became famous. Yet, it is not mentioned in correspondences
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hte fact abou tthe three breast and six fingers may not be real
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Hi, I just want to mention that I´ve become a hugh fan of all the Anne Boleyn history by just wanting to practise my English listening skill when finding a documentary about Anne. Now, I´m totally interested in her life and the period of time when she was a queen! Emmanuel from Mexico, city.
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