AnneBullen,

This is an interesting question, and one I have pondered myself. Anne's execution secured her a position in history, and centuries of fascination. The sheer fact of her death, and the shock surrounding it, lead her to be an intersting historical figure. I've always thought of this is terms of, had Anne given Henry a son, lived out her life as Queen Mother to her son, would she be so studied? Perhaps for different reasons, but the manner of her death, the reasons for it, and the events of May 1536 are still debated by historians. But, yes, I do feel there is a correlation between Anne's death and her fame. I am not comfortable saying there is a caustion between the two. However, I would never want to wish Anne's fate on anyone, not even my enemy.

Anne came to the throne through  a scandal….Henry's divorce.  

Henry loved her.

She also precipitated the reformation of the Church, which changed England. 

Seems to me she would have been remembered to this day for those reasons.

If she gave Henry a son, she wouldn't have been executed, and there would be no other wives.  People today would think Henry made a wise choice by divorcing Katherine and marrying Anne.  Henry would have been known as the King who fought to marry the woman he loved with all of his heart.  That would have made Anne very popular even today.

The execution is the first thing that grabs our attention.  Why would Henry execute Anne and what did she do that she deserved to die that way?  We all look for the answers and we discover what a wonderful woman she really was. We eventually come to know that it was because of Anne that the history of England was changed forever. 

Either way, I think she would be a memorable Queen today.

Her execution was an absolute tragedy, not just for herself, but for the impact it had on so many others. However, would Elizabeth have been the great monarch she is remembered to be? A lot of her decisions and the way she led her life, I believe, came from what happened to her mother.

If she had survived, I still like to think that she would be perhaps the most remembered of Henry's queens if only for her vivacious personality (and famous temper!)

Sarah

I agree that Elizabeth would not have been the same if Anne had not met such a terrible end.  I think Anne's fate shaped and molded her daughter's and, consequently, that of England, Christianity, and the world. And Melissa, you're absolutely right!  There's a certain air of romance and intrigue about a family member of someone who has been executed.  Usually during this time, an execution meant that one had both risen high and stuck to his or her beliefs through tough times.  All in all, I think that Anne would have been famous if she hadn't been executed, but her death made her more well-known than she would have been already. 

I'm a bit on the fence about this…

Executing an innocent person is never a good thing. Although her death empowered her daughter, and brought the truth to her situation eventually to light, the manner of her death was not positive.

I believe if she had lived, there would be like Claire stated, a growth in art, education, literature, among other things. Her daughter would have the love of a mother she desperately craved, and perhaps she may have married. However if her parents produced a son, there would be no “Virgin Queen”, or “Elizabethan era.” She would've been able to live the life she wanted, without the stresses of a parliament begging her to marry when it was clear she did not want to…

It's a big “what if,” but an interesting one.

AnneBullen said:

Was Anne Boleyn's execution really such a bad thing? I mean if you think about it, that's part of the reason why she's so famous. SHe was the first queen in english history to ever be executed. When I ask people how the first heard about her, most people would tell me it was because she was the first queen to be executed. But then, if she wasn't executed, do you really think that she would be the most famous wife? OR do you think if she did give Henry the longed for son, and she did survive, do you really expect her to be as famous as she is now?

This is just my opinion, but I really don't consider Anne's trial and execution the most remarkable things about Anne.  Lots of people are executed, and in Anne's day plenty of innocent people were executed. 

What makes the charges against Anne and the joke of a trial and her subsequent execution so bizarre IMHO is that it's probably the LAST thing REGULAR people imagined would happen to her.  I mean, for the decade prior, Henry VIII turned his entire country upside-down, defied the Pope, turned his back on his virtuous, loving wife and abandoned his daughter allegedly all for love of Anne Boleyn.

We now understand Henry did NOT do all these things for Anne; he did them for himself and to chase his pipe dream of breeding dozens of sons to inherit his kingdom.  However, at the time, Anne was perceived as the cause of the king's incredible behavior.

It's not unlike the infrequent tabloid reports in the present day where some high-profile, popular celebrity man who “has it all” ( success, looks, popularity, beautiful family) dumps his blameless wife of X years to persue a relationship with the nanny or the babysitter or whatever. In a year or two, Nanny's out of the picture and Mr. Celebrity's friends, family, and fans are all thinking “He threw away his family/happiness/career to be with her and they didn't even last a year.”

I don't think regular people would have been shocked by Henry divorcing Anne or annulling their marriage, but I think the trial and execution was probably beyond the pale, not only because Anne was an annointed Queen of England, but because (supposedly) Henry loved her so much.

I'm with La Bell Creole on this one.   Anne captured the heart of a King and kept him at arms length for seven years. She was a fascinating, clever and intelligent woman. Henry put away Katherine, broke with Rome, was excommunicated, and murdered many of his 'friends' just to make her his wife.  For these things alone Anne would have earned her place in history.

BUT.. having moved Heaven and Earth to get Anne and make her his anointed Queen, Henry quickly tired of her!  Were it not for her terrible and sudden downfall, the ridiculous trumped up charges (including incest!) the faux trial and her tragic execution, would she be the subject of so many films and books today?  Probably not.  Anne Boleyn's life and death is a story you couldn't make up.

Wendy said:

I'm with La Bell Creole on this one.   Anne captured the heart of a King and kept him at arms length for seven years. She was a fascinating, clever and intelligent woman. Henry put away Katherine, broke with Rome, was excommunicated, and murdered many of his 'friends' just to make her his wife.  For these things alone Anne would have earned her place in history.

 

BUT.. having moved Heaven and Earth to get Anne and make her his anointed Queen, Henry quickly tired of her!  Were it not for her terrible and sudden downfall, the ridiculous trumped up charges (including incest!) the faux trial and her tragic execution, would she be the subject of so many films and books today?  Probably not.  Anne Boleyn's life and death is a story you couldn't make up.

Really, when you think about Anne's accomplishments in her brief life, it's interesting to wonder what else she might have achieved had her life not been cut short.

I think even people who disapproved of Anne must have also admired her in a way.  I'm not an AB fangirl.  In fact, there's many aspects of Anne's behavior I frequently shake my head at, but she really had the nerve and the style to push the envelope and to reach as high as she possibly could. 

I'm with Sabrina–I'm a bit on the fence too. I think that Anne's execution definitely made her more famous, but the idea that it could have been a “good” thing appalls me. Like Sabrina said, how is executing an innocent person good? But yes, it probably added to her fame greatly, although I believe she would still be renowned to an extent.