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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
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.”
I love your post, David. i found it funny.
haha well written
Well said.
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?
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.
YOUR GONNA DIE
I think we all are, aren’t we?
*You’re
I have read that the typical idea of beauty at the time was light hair and eyes. Anne had dark hair and eyes. I believe she was considered attractive but not not in the typical way. In several books its said that Anne was the most desired by the men at court
I think she had magnetism and charm. I’ve known women who weren’t what we’d generally call good-looking but who have oozed sex appeal and carry themselves confidently, the kind of people who turn heads. I think Anne was one of those women.
Olive skin is beautiful! Anne must have been stunning.
Me encanta Anne Boleyn bien bonita pero ella respeta que mal …..Diis te bendiga.
How could just guess that ? I’ve never even read anywhere that Anne used make up, although when grown up her daughter, Queen Elizabeth 1 did wear make up. Anne wasn’t unattractive, but wasn’t considered a great beauty. She was likely attractive enough, just not a “stunner”.
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.
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.
Ann bolyen was a very beautiful women.so discuss in the book ‘The Other Bplyen Girl’ its says she grew weary of smileing and always happy for the king and it made her skin pale and her face tired looking.she ended up wearing face makeup I believe to cover dark circles and a weary face.hope this helps a little!
-Rushunda Hall
The other Boleyn Girl, was based on Henry’s account more than her side, that is what I believe anyway. I pointed her out as a harlot. If you think about it there was no way that any person would talk to Henry VIII the way she supposedly did in that movie. Not to mention if you follow the history in that movie her sister supposedly had a little girl Naughty Boy, and other historical events are not correct. That is my opinion anyway. It’s all just Hollywood!
He not I…sorry auto correct
I wish you could edit after you read what you have written. Lol… I wrote she had a little girl not a boy…
I have always thought that she didn’t fit the idea of beauty at the time but the one compliment ‘her eyes are black and beautiful’ is a huge clue to her charm, eyes the windows…blah blah…but there was something Anne had..it is the ‘it’ factor, you know them when you meet them, they take over and fill the room, and they usually can’t help it!! I prefer to think of her in good terms. I can imagine she may have used something to accentuate her eyes and probably something was used for the lips.I wish there was a really good portrait of her that I could actually get a measure of her face.
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I assume you’re joking, Natea.
In response to Ann Boleyn having six fingers, three breasts, numerous warts, slimy skin, two heads, a tail, and god knows what other defects she’s been branded with, surely to god her enemies would have had a field day with the evidence. Henry and Cromwell would have milked any defects for all they were worth. Remember he thought nothing of publicly declaring Ann of Cleves, stinky, and complained bitterly about her supposedly saggy breasts, so why did he not do the same to Ann? Not a chivalrous man at the best of times.
I have always loathed him for that remark about Anne of Cleves — among so many other things. I’m sure an obese man with oozing leg ulcers smelled like a flower garden… NOT.
I think he was schizophrenic and paranoid and he made it so many lies about her. Unfortunately those stories have carried on through time.
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!
Thank you, DivineAverage, I’m so glad you enjoy using the site, I love running it.
I am so thrilled to have stumbeled upon your site cheers and thank you
Painting your own portrait? Dear, dear.
Makes me think now that you’ve got to get off the bottle dear, for you’ve once again mistaken the mirror for Anne’s portrait!
no she did not she had a mole on her chest and thats why she wore that necklace all the time she did however have an extra little finger in which she hid with her sleve
I may have to correct quite a many few of you, Anne Boleyn did not in fact have an extra finger as when she was dug up and moved to a more respectful situated place she was said to have had no signs of a birth defect aka. an extra finger!
That’s not true, Abigail, I have the report from the doctor who carried out the examinations of all the remains exhumed in 1876 and he stated categorically that there was nothing unusual about her fingers and no extra one was found.
OK First off greeting from a fan here in the USA and I have been doing alot of reading on both Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn and Henry had an ego the size of this globe and I really do not think that Henry would marry a women who had several deformities. So I think that the 6th finger and 3rd breast and so on so was made up from the very people who did not like her and wanted to take her down.
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.
You are absolutley right about Henry Jennifer!
I definately agree!!!
Melissa.. I have to ask are your parents Steven and Jill Crisp?
no they are not my parents……
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..
I love your assessment of Anne and her relationship with Henry! I can just see the two together..I’m so fascinated with English history. I’m American but English and Scottish in heart. My heritage is Scottish and English.
I have so often wondered how is it possible to love someone so much that you literally kill old and trusted friends and then have someone kill her. His deplorable treatment of Catherine and Mary do him no favours, but the murder of someone he professed to love only 3 years earlier…wow. His ruthlessness in his mind I think was, sanctioned on high, but I would love to know if the man had any feelings of guilt. I think not..I really do believe he truly was a sociopath.
He portrayed her that way, I am sure of it. Think about it he wanted to make himself look better. He threw a hissy fit to the Pope so he could get a divorce. Then abt. 3 or 4 years later divorces the woman he caused so much rift raft over, to marry another woman that he had set his eyes on… Seriously?! I’m sure he ranted and Raved to all the guys ( in the locker room) that she has saggy boobs, that turned into three boobs, and she was disgusting and deformed. He also said that she had an affair with her younger brother. I don’t believe one bad thing that was said about Ann. She was a woman of her time, that held her King in the highest regard. No matter what false accusations he held against her. History repeats itself, that is why he was married so many times.
and furthermore they could dig her remains up and do dna just to prove the false lies. then all would be known
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”
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 !
I agree with Jenny and Claire. It’s “you’re” and “breast” and you if you are going to join this site you shouldn’t make idle threats as well. Get off.
never mind, Natea mistook the mirror for Anne’s portrait… She’s really got to get off that bottle!
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
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?
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.
As Anne did and, au revoir Henry Percy!
At last a comment on how it was for women in those times Anne Boleyn was undoubtedly controlled and manipulated by the men in her family to merely empower and benefit them. Anne would have had no choice other than to carry out her father and uncles wishes or orders. She was used in what was a man,s world. Whether she was beautiful, had any extra fingers or breasts is not the issue. As she was most definitely a brave and strong woman who would not be controlled by any man. She put her daughters future first which is what any good mother would do. She is who we all remember as henry vIII,s wife. Give anne Boleyn some credit!
I couldn’t agree more, Lennice. I have always believed that once Henry cast his eye her way and her uncle and father became aware, her path was drawn and she probably would have had little to say about it. It is clear that Henry was a womanizer and the women in his court were his personal playground, I bet it was prudent to keep him happy. Anne obviously possessed some quality or qualities that kept Henry coming around. If anything I feel so sorry for women of the time, I am sure we would all end up being beaten and executed.
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.
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.
I believe tour guides would make something up indeed to catch the crowds attentions and keep it for sure. My one surprise is the Elizabeth did not dig up her mothers remains and give it a proper burial does anyone know why?
Lizzy knew what she was doing. Her throne was not entirely stable and few people liked me since they supported Katherine. It would be unwise politically to call attention to me being her mother. I understand perfectly and believe she made a wise decision. I couldn’t be more proud of her.
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.
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.
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.
From everything I have read on her and her sister it was a extra nail and she wear dresses with long sleeves to cover it
It was “a small show of nail” according to other sources. What could that be? Who knows? But nail does not a finger make.
Oh yes, in fact the sixth finger fell off one day onto the carpet in her room and she threw it into the fire pretending it was the last chicken bone from dinner the night before.
Ann Boleyn was hideous
Hideous looking? Hideous personality? Since we none of us knew her that seems a bit cruel.She had alot of people profoundly jealous as well as scared of the new ideas about religion, which it appears Anne was supportive of. Always remember history is written by the winners and Anne was not the winner here, her peers had much to lose. Also, when is the other woman ever portrayed as anything but a loose woman, ugly and bad.Katherine of Aragon had many supporters here and I think few people really understood Henry’s very real fear of dying without a male heir.
lol
lmao
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.
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.
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?
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.
This is a brilliant website. Thank you.
Do you know if Henry ever gave Anne a dog as a gift?
Thank you,
Carol
Purquoy was her little dog but not from Henry. If he had given her one, I’m sure somebody ate it.
Anne had a dog indeed not just one but two! 🙂
She had a wolfhound named Urian and a little lapdog called Purkoy or pourpoi but as for wether they had both been a gift from the king or not is anyones guess as they could have both been given to Anne by her family nobody really knows for sure as no records exist stating one way or another unfortunately to say.
The little dog was “pourquois”, which means “why” …
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
Do use punctuation…
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
hte fact abou tthe three breast and six fingers may not be real
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.
There is a book about the “Other Boleyn Sister” that might be of interest to you. It is primarily about Anne’s sister. Anne is in it a great deal.
Helllo all! This is a very interesting website! On to the topic. If we take a broader perspective of these times as some of you have already mentioned. We understand that the male sex dominated and women had to follow instruction. In my opinion Anne’s Uncle did play a major part in this affair, however I also think that they did fall in love with each other. With her Uncles support and the Kings attention Anne, caught up in the moment may have acted above her station. Due to Henrys position, changes where not easy and the relationship became more difficult. As a result Anne would constantly make promises to keep the King and her Uncle interested and satisifed. This is when Henry may have grown tired, and with the influence of Court gossips things began to change. In my opinion Annes Uncle was to blame, power and money hungry, Anne was a pawn in this game who innocently got carried away, upsetting many people. From the perspective of a King during this period, Henry would not know who to trust in court. Every man out for his own ambissions. So although I don’t condone the outcome it is understandable why he did what he did, he was probably hurt and acted with force to maintain his own image.
Woman in the court of England were very fair skined w/ light eyes and Anne had Olive skin w/ darker eyes. This is what attracted the king and along w/ the way Anne was from her teachings and spending time in the court of France. This is where I believe she
learned most. Why be Henry’s mistress if you can be his queen. Henry only gave up what he wanted and he was a selfish person. He wanted set free from the queen to bare more children because he wanted a son. He believed (fat head) that “I’m King” and the Knig does what he wants. He never really loved anyone. He had nothing to do w/ his daughters because they were females and females did not rule and not important
to him. Woman were bargaining tools for the country. When Anne did not give him a son he was ready to move on to Jane. He plotted to find away to have her killed. Brave yes but she didn’t have a choice. She made the choice to be with a married man and it cost her her life. No good ever comes out from bad. I believe she had some presure from her family because of what they would gain if she became Queen.
Elizabeth never married because she did not want a man to rule her country or her. This is what would have happened. She would have been pushed a side. She could have never born a child w/ out marriage. A virgin she was not but like her mother she watched and learned. No man would chop her head off!! She aloud her people to worship threre own religion. Smart lady! One of the best rulers.
What a wonderful thing freedom of informaion is! Although, in alot of circles, it is the same info that has been ciruclating for years, nearly 500 in fact. From a humanist point of view, i think there are things to take into account, as everyone has cleverly reflected here (btw, you are all clever clogs, insightful and interesting) firstly, the mentality of roman catholicism towards sex, and towards sin. Tudor times although seeming liberal sexually, were still heavily oppressed, people with wealth, primarliy men, were conducting multiple and frequent affairs with women, but would have carried the stigma of guilt and self depreciation with them due to the catholic mentality. The women would have had no choice, and i am guessing there would have been a large amount of statutory and ‘date rape’ at this time. Henry was an egotist, having been taught his whole life that he was annointed by God (something our current queen elizabeth also takes very seriously) His family had only just taken rule, after 100 years of bloodshed. Women had ruled England many times in the past, Beudacea (spellt wrong?) and Mathilda, Mathilda being a notorious failure apparently. Henrys own mother was a beacon of ambiton and self proclamation. But at the tudor time, Roman catholicism had long ago taken hold as the only religion (they didnt have the choice we do, and women were considered fodder for mens enjoyment, and predominantly pawns to be used by men for power. Henrys court was filled with social climbers, he was chastised publically for hiring and enobling many many men of humble birth into his court, and one woman stood out, she being Anne Boleyn. Annes family were notorious social climbers, ambition being a sin according to the catholic church, yet another reason catholicism was clearly becoming outdated. The common mistake people make is crowning of Anne Boleyn as a scapegoat. There were many reasons Henry wished to abolish the catholic faith, this is abundantly obvious, Anne was just the excuse people around him made. Henry was an erratic and passionate ruler, often giving orders, then punishing those who carried it out after later changing his mind! His court was a rumour mill, of his appointted people spreading gossip and lies to cover his weaknesses (and he had many!) and his many mistakes. Anne was brilliant, her whole family were, and she stood out, she was ‘different’, and she was opinionated in a time when women were not allowed or expected to be. Our mistakes now lie in us believing the only written text and recordings of that time, which all state these rumours and lies. As king Henry would have been responsible for all official statements and recordings. They didnt have the freedom of info we have now, most people couldnt even read! And the fact that we keep using this biased bs info now, recycling it and taking it a gospel, is to me just silliness. People with half a brain know not to believe all they read, and no one believes everything they are told. And that is precisely what most info from the tudor time is.
I have no insight into the feelings of Anne Boleyn or Henry VIII, but here is what I believe based on my reading:
1) The Boleyns did not hesitate to pimp out the female members of their family in order to seize of hold power. They were determined to keep a Boleyn woman in Henry’s bed.
2) Anne was one of the savviest and most determined women of her time. She held off the king of England – one of the most self-indulgent and egotistical people alive – for SEVEN years in order to become queen and promote her preferred religion.
3) Henry VIII was a serial killer but has never been acknowledged as such.
4) The reason Anne fell was simply that she was not fertile enough. Henry was obsessed with the succession and when she only managed one live birth during their marriage, and a girl at that, he decided that he needed a new wife. A boy-bearing wife. And so he began wondering aloud if he had been bewitched into marrying her. Nine months later she was an adulterous, incestuous, headless witch.
1) The Boleyns did not hesitate to pimp out the female members of their family in order to seize of hold power. They were determined to keep a Boleyn woman in Henry’s bed – There is absolutely no evidence of this and actually evidence that Thomas Boleyn was not happy about Anne’s involvement with Henry.
2) Anne was one of the savviest and most determined women of her time. She held off the king of England – one of the most self-indulgent and egotistical people alive – for SEVEN years in order to become queen and promote her preferred religion. – How would she know that saying “No” to Henry would lead to an offer of marriage, surely it would have been more likely that he would chase after an easier “lay”.
3) Henry VIII was a serial killer but has never been acknowledged as such.
As much as I don’t agree with some of Henry’s policies, he was a product of his time dealing with challenges to his throne. He was brutal but in a brutal world. Look at Mary I too.
4) The reason Anne fell was simply that she was not fertile enough. Henry was obsessed with the succession and when she only managed one live birth during their marriage, and a girl at that, he decided that he needed a new wife. A boy-bearing wife. And so he began wondering aloud if he had been bewitched into marrying her. Nine months later she was an adulterous, incestuous, headless witch. – Henry spoke of Anne bewitching him but his wording did not refer to actual real witchcraft, it was more a case of him falling under her spell as we all do when we are in love. She was never charged with witchcraft. There were lots of things happening in 1536 which led to Anne’s fall and it’s not quite as simple as him wanting a son.
I am a little uncomfortable in the remark her family pimped her out as well. Her father was my 15th great grandfather. I have been reading and doing so much research on the Shelton family. My grandmother was a Shelton, and my 2nd cousin is the last male to carry on the Shelton name in my family. If you are wondering, Queen Ann Boleyn’s father was my 15th great grandmother, her parents my 16th great grand parents built the church in Shelton, Norfolk England. They were very Christian, and when Ann was beheaded, they took care of Mary and Queen Elizabeth the I, and they raised them, until it was time for Mary to take the throne. They had to hide Elizabeth in the tower for protection from Mary until she passed. Once Elizabeth took the Throne, she gifted the family that raised her the church with no taxes. Apparently she held them in a high regard. Just saying that is what is in my family history.
” Queen Ann Boleyn’s father was my 15th great grandmother”
What?
I think Anne has bewitched us all 🙂 otherwise we wouldnt all be adamantly pursuing her cause 500 years late! For any woman of anytime to have made such an impact on the world, she would have been something very special. I kind of imagine that no one pushed Anne into anything. It was the norm to save your virginity, not an exception, and i think it is a beacon of her strongwill and amazing strength that she had held out for 7 years, but although i totally understand her religous beliefs, she being along with Cromwell great advocates of a new religion, in my imagination, she must have felt love and passion for henry. She was a hot blooded passionate woman, i find it hard to believe that those seven years of celebacy didnt give her many sleepless nights! And as a mother of 1 beautiful daughter, myself suffering many miscarriages, i know the innate strength I have passed onto my own daughter, i feel she attones many of my mistakes and follies, and what a wonderful legacy Anne left behind in her daughter Elizabeth.
What do you think about the subject of witchcraft Claire? You have done so much research and have probably come across the concept a great deal. I feel so very undecided on the subject. We supposedly come from a long line of gypsies or ‘witches’ in our family. My great great grandmother, labelled the gypsy, apparently ensnared my great great grandfather, the illigitimate son of cln redvers buller, and somehow managed to have 27 children! She is in the 1980 guiness book of world records! Furthermore, and this makes me giggle a little, my mothers name is Gay Anne! Like Queen Anne, the most gay lol I think the women in my family must have a wicked sense of humour!
Ever since I was about seventeen I became intrestant in Anne Boylen. I’d read her story in a book I found in my English teachers class room and began reading. I’d hear the history of Henry the 8th but never really knew much about it. SO when I started reading the book I thouhg “Wow” but when I came to Anne’s story I became horrifed ,upset and down right angry.
I couldn’t get over what had happen to Anne. Let alone Elizabeth. Suddenly I found myself resurching and reading all I could about Anne and Elizabeth. To this day I’m still learning more and more about them. I feel connected to these two because I like Elizabeth lost my mother a younge age. So I know what it must have been like for Elizabeth. I also what it was like to have your father’s family not like your mother. Believe me.
But all in all I wish I could help prove to the world the anne was innocent and that she didn’t derve to die a horriable death. Nor should she have been in tombed in a chest under an old church. She have been giving a proper furneal and been allowed to be buried with her daughter. But as they say the past is the past and we can’t change it.
But to the point. I love this site and I love that you are helping to keep Ann’s story alive.
Hey Claire, I just had a q about the membership of the falcon (GREAT name!) is the price in pounds or american dollars?
Hi Tash,
It’s in $ so it works out at approx £32 per year. Do let me know if you have any questions. Our next webinar is on 23rd Aug.
Thanks Claire. Im not sure how much the aussie dollar is but i know american dollars are worth less and pounds much more so i think its about $48 aus bucks atm. I’ll see if I can swing it before 28th but am not working atm so it might be later in the year.
Thankyou for your quick reply, and for the site.
Cheers.
I am by no means an expert or scholar regarding the Tudors. I have a basic grasp of the characters and events, though, and I’ve always viewed the relationship between Anne and Henry VIII in a particular way. I’ve been reading through articles and comments on this site and have yet to find anyone who shares my view. I thought I might throw it out there in the hopes others might comment or shed some light. Again, this is only my personal view, based on my cursory understanding of the story and personal experiences with human nature.
As king, Henry certainly came to expect that he would always get what he wanted when it came to his sexual interests. I imagine that, originally, he found Anne to be exotic and desirable and assumed he could have her as well. Anne, however, ignored him. What a powerful aphrodisiac that must have been, particularly to a man like Henry who was athletic and competitive. To be so powerful that women would fall into your bed at the merest suggestion that you wanted them there, and then suddenly, here is a challenge! Here is someone to be pursued, as like in a hunt. The chase itself must have been quite invigorating. But what happens once the chase is ended and the prey caught?
All marriages require a great deal of work. We’re not really built for monogamy. Now imagine waiting for and wanting someone for seven years, building the fantasy up in your mind of what it will be like. Real life was perhaps a disappointment when measured against a fantasy powerful to sustain one through such a prolonged time. Anne’s strong personality, her willingness to argue and berate–often in public– probably did much to exaggerate Henry’s feelings of disappointment and disillusionment. The fact that Anne gave him a daughter and subsequently suffered miscarriages may have provided too powerful a sense of deja vu for Henry, as well.
At any rate, I generally have a positive view of Anne. I also think that recent theories that suggest Henry may have been Kell positive and suffering from McLeod syndrome deserve a lot of merit, and therefore am willing to cut him more slack than most. I simply wonder why no one has considered the effect that a long-held fantasy versus reality may have had on the strength of Henry’s passions (and perhaps Anne’s as well since it seems she was disappointed with his prowess between the sheets). It seems to me that such scenarios carry themselves out even today in extramarital affairs that become “legitimized” later.
Any thoughts/ideas/opinion are appreciated. We can never really know, of course, but speculation is always fun.
An intelligent and well thought through view.
ok Natea what is your problem? Please learn how to spell also
What a great forum…put everyone’s opinions together and we have the makings of a great soap opera..the great thing is that no one can categorically say that your wrong..All our differing opinions have been gleaned from what we have read..all differing in their conclusions…carry on carrying on!!!
I think that History Love affairs are no different from the nowadays ones. It is always better to be a mistress for a number one womaniser like Henry than his wife. No matter how beautiful and clever you are. If Anne even gave him a so-much-desired son, that would probably have saved her life, not Henry’s love though. However, if Anne as a mother to his son continued to stand up to him, make endless domestic scenes and make his life uncomfortable, he would possibly have thought as how to get rid of her anyway. Since a divorce would not have been an option – a little accident, perhaps?
I am getting to know my ancestor more and .more as I read. I wish could been a fly on the wall to get hear everything that was said about her. I believe she was definitely railroaded by Cromwell and Henry. They did everything to get rid of her. Anne was already found guilty even though she was still considered innocent. If this was a crime drama, Anne would be innocent before the jury even deliberated. Cromwell was definitely the most despicable..
I read in some book — can’t remember which one — that Henry’s leg was already absessed so badly that when he married Anne he could be smelled from two rooms away. Have you heard this, Alex, and do you believe it?
I’m not 100% sure but wasn’t this didn’t become a problem until he had his serious accident whilst jousting just before Anne’s last miscarriage in 1536. It became constantly infected causing terrible pain which, as theories go, caused him to become the tyrant we know him to be. Henry was still athletic and handsome during his marriage to Anne. This is what I have read.
Me encanta la historia de la vida “Henry Vlll es Rey tudor del londres.
I have a theory that Henry made the decision to have Queen Anne beheaded as a simple divorce would not have sufficed. I don’t think that Anne would have agreed to the divorce and would have put up a bigger fight than Catherine. Quite rightly too. I know that Henry would have got the divorce due to his own laws regardless but Anne was such a strong character that she would have spoken up for the rest of her life. She had lost her younger years through henry and after a divorce from the King, it would have made it even more highly unlikely that she would find happiness. I do believe that Henry truly loved her and did so until he died and regretted his decision. I think that his subsequent marriages were done, not only to gain a son but, to get the same kind of passion he had with her through them. Yet, they all disappointed him.
all of this is just evil and tragic
one man mission to sleep with as many women as he wanted…in fact Henry the 8th is a mass serial killer
plane and that simple!
*Playn
Plain
Very interesting page, but being a distant relative of Boleyn I cannot understand the premature accusations about Anne’s physical state. It is well known in the family that Anne had two toenails on her ring toe and also three kidneys. I can’t believe how childish you all are to believe those forged doctor’s notes. We have never truly forgiven them, or the Tudor dynasty for their crimes against our family.
Hmmm… well, I’d be more inclined to believe primary source accounts and a pathologist’s report on her remains and I don’t think that it’s childish to do so. But I’m assuming you are joking or being sarcastic…
How very dare you, we are currently working on the petition as I type. I wish you would include actual balance to your website. This page is so two-dimensional. I would at least like some investigation rather than a dismissal. Us Boleyn’s are proud of Anne’s deformity’s, this page acts as if it is a travesty and tries to hide it.
I dare because I base my work on primary sources rather than my imagination. I would prefer to be 2-dimensional and accurate rather than make up deformities that have nothing to back them up.
Oh dear. How much research have you actually done? Claiming you are a descendant counts for nothing without research. Do you have access to the contemporary accounts? I do and believe your statement is nonsense. When you say ring toe, do you mean what we in England refer to as the big toe? If you are a distant relative then most institutions will allow you to access original documents from the period.
Anne, please just delete all the garbage comments ! You’re too nice and you put up with it.
🙂
Hi Claire,
I wish the troll and harassing, silly comments would be deleted. It detracts from and muddles your website. More serious,respectful readers have to wallow through the muck of some pretty unpleasant or pointless comments to find the better quality discussion/comments.
Thank you.
I don’t know if I can watch the movie now. It’s just too, too sad.
Hi Claire,
I was wondering if you can share the pathologist report on the remains of Anne Boleyn , I would like to read it. It sounds interesting for such a infamous Queen like Anne Boleyn
Question: Do you all think that our Beloved Queen Ann Boleyn wanted to leave the Tower, go to the scaffold and be beheaded, or go to the sc afford and tell some reasons for accepting her tragic end, to her thousands of supporters, both past and present? I think, think,the latter. Beloved Queen Anne, Rest in Peace.
I am a historian who is passionate about Anne Boleyn, as is my mother. I am enjoying your site and would like to make the following comments:
1. If you are a Boleynista, read everything you can about her and then form your own decisions about her looks, character etc. Simply reading “The Other Boleyn Girl” and then using that as your sole research makes you look ill-informed.
/cont
2. I have read everything I possibly can, including contemporary reports, and it is my belief Anne had the beginnings of a tiny nail just to the side of her little finger – probably on her left hand. Remember, in those days, even the slightest deformity could give credence to accusations of witchcraft, hence her designing sleeves to hide it.
3. Please monitor the comments for the silly troll remarks which jar when reading interesting and constructive comments.
Otherwise I am enjoying the site and comments and I wholly support your theory as to Anne’s original execution spot. I, too, have been highly suspicious of the Tower Green theory – it does not make sense.
Thank you for reading.
to be honest, I’ve always enjoyed the myth that Anne had a eleventh finger and wart on neck, because Anne still won Henry’s heart, and to me it shows how smart and charismatic she was. if she was really that ugly, she managed to charm the King with her wits and education as well as many men at court.
I do believe she had an extra nail or bump on her finger (like a callous or something) and a mole on neck, not six fingers though.
to be honest, I’ve always enjoyed the myth that Anne had a eleventh finger and wart on neck, because Anne still won Henry’s heart, and to me it shows how smart and charismatic she was. if she was really that ugly, she managed to charm the King with her wits and education as well as many men at court.
I do believe she had an extra nail or bump on her finger (like a callous or something) and a mole on neck, not six fingers though.
Anne was not considered beautiful for the times. In fact she was considered ugly. For some reason blondes were considered more submissive (lol I am a blonde), such as Jane Seymour, I guess because of the whole lights=good, dark=bad thing? Anne had dark hair and eyes, maybe even skin. I do not think she was black but probably very tan like a nice olive color. Yes, it was her charms that ultimately seducted Henry, because she was not pretty for the day’s standards, but today she would be considered a goddess and I’ve always seen her as pretty even if the Tudors wouldn’t have. I think she would have looked like a slightly younger version of Kate Beckinsale who is considered pretty attractive 🙂
I always wondered if there is any sign of Henry feeling remorse for what he did to Anne. Perhaps by the end of his life..
Anne Boleyn was one of the bravest women period people always ask me why do you like Anne so much what is your opinion about her and I always say without hesitation she was innocent everyone knew their minds were just poisoned by the king and I think she was ambitious, kind, clever, brave and so much more I’m 14 years old and the six Tudor queens history has a pull on me and that’s when I decided to be a historian my family asks me why but I always say in Anne Boleyns death speech she said if anyone should take up my case I ask them to judge it kindly and not many people do so I want to write about the side not many people see