Claire | September 7, 2023
On this day in Tudor history, 7th September 1533, at three o’clock in the afternoon and less than two weeks after she had taken to her chamber, Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, gave birth to her first child at Greenwich Palace (Palace of Placentia).
Claire | August 23, 2023
Did you know that Anne Boleyn had big plans for Hampton Court Palace?
Well, those of you in the UK who have access to the Mail on Sunday may already know that she did as you may have read the recent article “What Anne Boleyn really wanted in the bedroom”.
This article wasn’t about Anne Boleyn’s sexual habits – sorry! – It was actually about Anne Boleyn’s plans for the refurbishment of Hampton Court Palace during Henry VIII’s reign, and was based on the research historian Gareth Russell carried out for his newly released book “The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsor, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court”.
Claire | August 9, 2023
Anne Boleyn used the motto “The Most Happy”, or “La Plus Heureuse”, when she became queen, but did you know that it wasn’t the only motto Anne used?
Another motto that Anne used was “Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne”, which translates to “Let them grumble, that is how it is going to be”. Anne made use of this motto for a few weeks in around late 1529/early 1530 during the Great Matter, Henry VIII’s quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. He was courting Anne at the time. Anne had the motto embroidered on her servants’ livery and, as historian Eric Ives pointed out in his biography of Anne, the motto was a play on the imperial motto “Groigne qui groigne et vive Bourgogne!”, or “Grudge who Grudges, Long Live Burgundy!”, a motto that Anne would have been familiar with from her time at Margaret of Austria’s court.
Claire | July 26, 2023
Did you know that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn used a special love motif? As well as using a cypher incorporating their initials, H and A, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn used honeysuckle and acorns (I assume H for Henry and A for Anne). As historian and author Natalie Grueninger notes, “Honeysuckle has long been […]
Claire | July 12, 2023
Did you know that Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, was pregnant three times during her marriage to Henry VIII? And did you know that we don’t know what happened with the second pregnancy? Anne Boleyn’s first pregnancy was in 1533. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl, a girl who would grow […]
Claire | June 14, 2023
#WednesdayFact – Did you know that Mary would have been better off accepting the deal offered her by Anne Boleyn than what she got while Jane Seymour was queen? It’s true! Let me explain in more detail… This is something that came up in my recent “Henry VIII and His Six Wives” event, in the […]
Claire | June 9, 2023
As it has recently been the anniversary of Anne Boleyn’s coronation, I thought I’d test your knowledge of Anne Boleyn’s coronation, the celebrations of which lasted four days. Good luck!
Claire | June 7, 2023
Did you know that Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second queen consort, was crowned with the monarch’s crown? Find out more about St Edward’s Crown…
