On 18th May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn, who had prepared herself to die that day, was informed by Sir William Kingston, Constable of the Tower of London, that she would be executed the following day…
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I write from Italy. I accidentaly ceme ti listen ti your YouTube videos a couple of months ago. My english Is not very good but I under stand them well in general. I knew almost nothing about Ann Boleyn before and I find her story and the way you tell It fascinating. The Tudor period was not easy even for aristocracy, that had to “surf” in wavy seas always carefully having tò choose the right wave to go on. What about usual people living poorly at that time: are there any knowledges regarding the behaviour of Ann Boleyn towards this people and in particular towards humble women? Another question: do you think that Ann Boleyn would have accepted tò run away from her last days situation if She had had the opportunity to be saved by being taken far away from England along with her daughter to a safe Place? Thank you for your attention!
Anne after hearing the news that her brother had died boldly after giving a long and eloquent speech possibly yearned for death herself, she had been stripped of her titles, she had lost her status as queen, her husband had abandoned her and she knew she would never see her daughter again, what was there for her to live for? The night of the 17th May was the most terrible one she had ever gone through as she prepared herself for death, she made an oath on peril of her soul that she had been a true and loyal wife to the king and in front of witnesses, so this could be reported back to the king, but as we knew and Anne very likely did herself that it would carry little weight, she was with her almoner all through the night, and he would have given her some comfort, that Sir William must have felt deep pity for her and I believe her women must have softened towards her as well, for now she was going to lose her life, all through the long night she prayed and was ready for her execution, we cannot understand how she felt unless we have been in the same situation ourselves, but she was controlled and composed and still Kingston had not arrived to escort her to the scaffold, so she sent a note and maybe in a sudden flash of hope, she may have thought she was not going to die after all, but the king had decided to let her live and banish her to a nunnery, how awful to have that thought in one’s mind how desperate ! However William Kingson did come to see Anne and he had some news for her, by now this was at noon and she had been waiting for many hours, he told her the execution had been postponed for tomorrow the 19th of May, she said the famous words that has gone down in history, ‘I will be known as queen lack head’, and she laughed whilst a grim faced Kingston stood looking at her, when she had first arrived at the Tower she had babbled and laughed and cried, and now she was laughing at her death, it could have been black humour, she could have been merely trying to make herself feel better, making light of one’s awful predicament the way humans do, Kingston told her the death would be so subtle she would hardly feel a thing he said, she was fortunate for she was having the swordsman from France to decapitate her, not the awful axe where she would have had to lay her head down on the piece of rough wood and pray he was skilful enough to take it off in one clean stroke, left alone now with her women one of whom was kingstons wife, she had yet another night to go through, we can truly sympathise with this tragic queen who had been given absolutely everything, only to lose it all and at the end, her very life, only her courage her faith in god and the knowledge she was innocent sustained her through the following day and night.