Love Anne Boleyn? We do, too!

Anne Boleyn: The Most Happy

We are so excited to launch our brand new blog with these facts about one of our all time  favorite misunderstood queens! If you know us, you know that we think Anne Boleyn was totally innocent (not perfect! but innocent!) of the crimes that caused her downfall. Read on to learn more about Anne Boleyn, The Most Happy Tudor Queen.

Anne Boleyn: Henry the 8th's Second Wife

Our girl Anne Boleyn was born in either 1501 or 1507 and had two siblings: Mary and George. Anne lived in both The Netherlands and France where she received her education and grew up in court. We like to call her the OG Francophile - girl loved French fashion, was an expert in courtly love, and was said do be full of all kinds of charm. Her father, Thomas Boleyn, was pretty ambitious (we don't know how ruthless he actually was - lots of shows like to depict him as power hungry, though!) and, around 1522, Anne came back home to Hever Castle to marry her cousin.

The marriage fell through, Anne fell in love with Henry Percy, and the two became secretly engaged. Percy's father thought Anne was beneath him in status so, despite the secret betrothal, the marriage never came to be. Before meeting Anne, Percy had been engaged to Lady Mary Talbot. They married when Anne returned to court. And when she got to court? Anne got real cozy with King Henry VIII, a middle aged man going through a middle life crisis.

Anne's Courtship with Henry

In the 1520s, Henry VIII really, really wanted an heir. He'd married his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon, and, at the time had been totally obsessed with her. Several years his senior (but not old!), Henry trusted Catherine with all things - so much so that she gained the reputation of being a warrior queen. Catherine of Aragon was a total baddie and her daughter, Mary, was constantly used as a political bargaining chip for different marriage alliances. Mary's story is really sad, but that's not what we're talking about today!

We're talking Anne Boleyn!

Remember Anne's sister, Mary? Before Henry met Anne, Mary was Henry's mistress. Some say that he fathered her first daughter - Catherine Carey - and, while she was probably William Carey's child, we like to say she was Henry's just for the plot... and also because it gives an extra "ick" factor to this whole story, lol. What's a sixteenth century girl supposed to do? Pursued by a married king who'd already taken on her (married) sister as a lover, Anne didn't have a lot of options. So she did something that people and historians have debated about ever since: She refused to become Henry's mistress.

Anne went home to Hever Castle and Henry wrote lots of letters. 

Anne Boleyn Becomes Queen

Eventually, Henry VIII decided to have his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled.

But remember! Catherine had been married to Henry's brother for a very short time. To be married, they had to have permission from the pope. And the pope? He wasn't too keen to grant permission for a divorce that would basically say his first verdict was wrong. All of this (and more!) led to The Reformation. This was a huge moment in history and there's literally hundreds of books about it that can give way more insight into it than we ever could here at Opal and June, lol. Not even going to try!

The most ironic part of this mess? Catherine of Aragon may or may not have consummated her marriage with Arthur, the OG Tudor Prince of Wales. She said she didn't and we believe her. Henry though? He definitely had relations with Anne's sister. Henry made Catherine's consummation with Arther an enormous deal when attempting an annulment, citing Bible sources and all kinds of rules but, at the end of the day, he was the one married to the sister of his former mistress. If that's not drama, what even is?!

Before becoming queen, Anne promised Henry an heir. She also began operating like a queen - she could grant petitions, receive important visitors, and was acting like queen all but in name. She was also not super wonderful to Mary, Henry's daughter. And honestly? We don't blame Mary for her dislike of Anne. We'd dislike her if we were Mary, too!

Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII wed in secret on January 25th, 1533. She was crowned queen in June 1533. Catherine and Mary were separated from one another - Catherine was put away from court; Mary remained in and around court without her mother.

Henry Gets the Ick

When Anne didn't deliver (literally), a male heir, things started going downhill real fast. Henry knew there was no way fathering a girl was his fault - his mistress Bessie Blount had birthed him a son! - and, in his bones, he knew it was the woman's responsibility to determine the sex of her child (spoiler: it's not!). Anne fell pregnant (lol) two more times but, sadly, both pregnancies ended in miscarriage.

Around this time, two things happened! First, Henry had a jousting accident. A lot of historians think the accident changed his personality and led him to become the King Henry VIII we know and dislike today. Second? Henry found a new Tudor babe to focus on: Jane Seymour. And like Anne? Jane refused to become Henry's mistress.

Passionate and fiery - the very things that drew Henry to Anne in the first place - Anne once broke a necklace off Jane's neck that Henry had given her. There's no telling if this story is real or not but, at Opal and June, we choose to believe it is (we like it for the plot!). Ultimately, Anne's spunk and inability to provide Henry a male heir (in less than a thousand days), led to her downfall.

The Downfall of Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was charged with adultery, incest (with her brother George), and high treason. When she was found guilty, her former secret fiancé, Henry Percy, collapsed in court and had to be carried out. Several of Anne's male friends - Mark Smeaton, Henry Norris, William Brereton, Francis Weston, and her brother George - were all also convicted and executed for treason against King Henry VIII.

Anne was executed on May 19th, 1536.

Henry became engaged to Jane Seymour on May 20th, 1536.

They married ten days later on May 30th, 1536.

Anne Boleyn's Legacy

Honestly, we'll never know exactly what Anne Boleyn was like or if she schemed to be queen. After her death, there were nonstop rumors about her - that she was a witch, that she'd bewitched Henry, that she had six fingers on one hand, and so many other rumors passed down through centuries that we'll never know exactly what the young (and she was young!) queen was like. But one non-rumor?

Anne Boleyn was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I, one of the most popular English queens (if not THE most popular English queen) of all time. Anne was a total baddie - and her daughter was, too!

Anne, we'll never stop defending you!

XOXO,

Opal and June

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P.S. We're sharing historical gossip, not historical textbooks. Some of this info may be slightly wrong, outdated, or overly dramatic... just like we like it!