When was Anne Boleyn born?

Historians once believed that Anne Boleyn was born around 1506 or 1507 but it has now come to light, from letters that Anne wrote to her father, that Anne was a maid of honour at the court in Brussels in 1513, a position that would not have been open to a girl of 6 or 7. A birthdate of 1501 seems more reasonable, making Anne 35 when she died. We do not know the day or month of her birth.
See Chronology for more information on her life.

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7 thoughts on “When was Anne Boleyn born?”
  1. I realise that there are no records of Anne’s birth (although I agree that 1501 is the most likely), however are there no records of any gifts made to Anne by Henry to celebrate her birthday in the court expenses that may give a clue as to the day and month of her birth?

    1. No, just Anne Boleyn. Middle names were not generally used in the Tudor period. There was also no standardized spelling so “Boleyn” was spelled in many different ways in the primary sources – Boleyn, Bullen, Bullein, Bulleyne, Bouleigne…

  2. How can anyone hate Anne Boleyn? She was just as much a victim of the political climate of the time as poor queen Katherine was.

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