Hi Hannah,

Alison Weir writes about this in her book \”Lady in the Tower\”. She states that Henry VIII ordered the French swordsman from Calais and although Friedmann mentions in his book that Anne may have request this style of execution, there are no contemporary records to support this theory. Also, for the swordsman to reach London from Calais by the original planned date of execution (18th), he would have had to have left Calais before Anne's trial had even taken place – the 14th at the latest and perhaps even as early as the 12th. Weir writes of how The Spanish Chronicle states that Henry \”sent a week before to St Omer for a headsman, and nine days after they sent, he arrived\” which suggests that the swordsman arrived on the 18th/early 19th and that he was sent for on the 9th/10th.

So, Anne would not have requested the swordsman seeing as she hadn't even be tried yet and Weir thinks that Henry may have used the idea of a swifter and more merciful death as a bargaining tool to get Anne to agree to the annulment of their marriage.

You make an interesting point about the difference in execution methods between Anne and Catherine H and perhaps this was because Anne had been crowned Queen, whereas Catherine never had a coronation, or because Henry wanted to use the sword style death as a bargaining tool with Anne but had no need to bargain with Catherine. Another reason could be that Anne was the mother of Henry's daughter, Elizabeth, and Henry recognised this. Yet another reason may be that Henry wanted to show Europe that he was being merciful to Anne, even though she had betrayed him, but just wasn't bothered by what people thought when it came to Catherine!

You should write a screenplay, Impish!! Love it!

Yes, Jasmine, it is crazy that Anne was executed for adultery if her and Henry were never married!! I think Henry just wanted to wash his hands of her and the annulment wiped away any trace of their marriage in his eyes.

I am still haunted by Anne's execution. As I said in a recent post, it was a dream about her execution that made me start The AB Files, and I still find it hard to come to terms with her execution. When we are so bombarded with violence in movies etc. and special effects, I'm not sure that people think deeply about what Anne must have gone through. To be waiting to die like that and to be thinking about your daughter's future and worrying about it, she must have been distraught and terrified. To think that an innocent woman went through all that chills me to the bone. I know that people say I get too emotional about it all sometimes but I cannot help it and I think we do need to get emotional about it, whatever we think of Anne as a person.

Ooops, got on my soapbox again lol!

It will be a wonderful day at the Tower but I think I will need to take a big box of tissues! I know people think it's silly to get so emotional and passionate about someone who died over 400 years ago but I won't apologise for getting emotional about such a tragic miscarriage of justice. What a waste of six lives!

I so want to understand Henry, how he ticked and what drove him, but I find it impossible. As you say, Paudie, his behaviour was completely \”manic\” and he seemed to be able to just turn his emotions off at the flick of a switch. It's not just his treatment of Anne that I don't understand, it's his treatment of many people that he once loved so fiercely, such as More, Wolsey, Cromwell etc. The death of Thomas More I find so sad. More was such an influence on Henry and a real friend to him and Henry let him down. I know that Henry felt he had to act against those who would not support his remarriage and his supremacy but More was not a trouble maker or stirrer and always showed Henry the greatest respect. So sad.

Perhaps Cromwell did advise Henry about the sword, perhaps he thought it would be a good move politically to show Anne a little mercy.