On this day in history, Tuesday 2nd May, Queen Anne Boleyn was informed that the king’s council required her presence in the council chamber of Greenwich Palace. When she got there, the council informed her that she was being accused of having sexual relations with three men: Mark Smeaton, Sir Henry Norris and an unnamed man. She was informed that Smeaton and Norris had confessed.
Anne denied the charges but it was no good. The council ordered her arrest and later that afternoon she was rowed to the Tower of London and escorted to the royal apartments, which would act as her prison.
Her brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, was also arrested on 2nd May 1536 and taken to the Tower.
Here is an excerpt from the audio version of my book The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown, giving more details on what happened on this day in 1536.
Picture: The Tower of London, copyright Tim Ridgway.
