Anne Boleyn painting at Hever Castle. Photo credit - Wikipedia

The second wife of Henry VIII of England, queen consort from 1533 until 1536, and mother of Queen Elizabeth I.

Anne Boleyn was born to an aristocratic family in Blickling Hall, Norfolk, England. In 1513, Archduchess Margaret of Austria invited Anne to join her wards in Mechelen (today in Belgium) and expand her knowledge. She studied arithmetic, grammar, reading, writing, history, and her family genealogy. The following year, Anne traveled to France as a maid of honor to King Henry VIII’s sister, Queen Mary, and later to the queen’s stepdaughter Queen Claude. During her six years in France, she developed interests in poetry, literature, and religious philosophy, leading her to explore religious reform.

In 1522, Anne returned to England and made her royal court début, serving as lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII’s wife, Catherine of Aragon. With her distinguished fashion style and vitality, she soon became an accomplished member of the court and the center of attention at every social gathering. She had many pursuers and even was briefly engaged to the son of the Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy.

In 1526, Anne caught the attention of the king, who began to court her. She refused to become one of his mistresses and declined a sexual relationship with him without marriage. Despite his marriage to Catherine, the king proposed, and she accepted.

By then, Henry and Catherine had been married for 17 years and had only one living child, Mary I; Henry became doubtful about the marriage’s validity. Before marrying Henry, Catherine was married to his older brother, Arthur, who died at 15, only a few months after their wedding. Since the teenage newlywed didn’t consummate their marriage, Catherine could marry Henry. But now, wanting to marry Anne, Henry concluded that Catherine probably lied and consummated the marriage with his brother, causing a punishment from God that did not give him a male successor.

In 1527, Henry asked Pope Clement VII to annul his marriage with Catherin and to permit him to marry Anne. Figuring his request would be approved within a few months, Anne became more dominant in the court and took her place at the king’s side in policy and state. Some sources say that at the time, she brought Henry a copy of William Tyndale’s book “Obedience of a Christian Man,” arguing that God’s words hold the supreme authority enshrined in the Bible and not the Pope.

By 1532, the Pope did not approve the annulment, but Anne, who became the Marquess of Pembroke, was already pregnant. To legitimize her child as heir to the throne, Anne and Henry secretly wed on January 25th, 1533. Only five months later, Henry declared his marriage to Catherine illegal, stripping her title as queen, and sent her off the court. On June 1st, 1533, finally recognized as Henry’s legal wife, Anne was formally crowned Queen of England.

This series of events ignited the Church of England’s reformation and independence in 1534 when Henry broke with the Roman Catholic Church and set himself as the Supreme Head of what would become the Church of England. That led to political and religious fighting and struggles in Britain for the next 200 years.

Three months after their wedding, Anne gave birth to her daughter, which later became Elizabeth I of England. Henry was disappointed that once again he had a girl and not a boy to succeed to his throne, and after Anne’s miscarriage in the following year, the king gradually distanced himself from her.

In 1536, Catherine of Aragon died, which meant that Henry was now free to marry without any suspicion of illegality. A few months later, Anne gave birth to a stillborn boy, and Henry, who was already in a relationship with Anne’s cousin and maids-of-honor, Jane Seymour, felt betrayed by Anne, accusing her of bewitching him.

Looking for a way to get rid of Anne and remarry, Henry found people who claimed that while married to him, she had several affairs, including with her brother. Anne was trialed for treason, adultery, and incest and was unanimously convicted. On May 17th, 1536, Anne and Henry’s marriage was annulled, and two days later, Anne was executed in the Tower of London.

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Fun Facts

Her year of birth is not confirmed. Some scholars say she was born in 1501, married Henry at 32, and was executed at 35. Others argue that she was born in 1507, married Henry at 26, and was executed at 29.
Before they met, her older sister, Mary, was Henry VIII's mistress.
She is known for being the first Queen of England to be publicly executed.
Although treason was traditionally punished by burning at stake, Henry chose to behead her instead.
She was written out of the history books by Henry, who chiseled out her name off the fabric of Hampton Court and destroyed most of her portraits. One of her few contemporary surviving depictions is a medal known as "The Moost Happi Medal," made in 1536. Later, her daughter Queen Elizabeth I worked to restore her reputation by declaring her a martyr and heroine of the English Reformation.
She was demonized by the Catholic church, often described with a wart under her chin, a projecting tooth under the upper lip, and a six finger on her right hand.
Henry's love letters to her during their courtship were discovered in the 17th century at the Vatican.
The Royal College of Music in London holds a songbook believed to have been owned by her and that she wrote one of the songs. In 2016, a choir performed songs from the book.
Throughout the years, there were various reports of her ghost haunting the Tower of London, Hever Castle, Bickling Hall, Salle Church, and Marwell Hall.
In addition to the musical Six, dozens of TV shows and movies have been based on her life.
In the Harry Potter Universe, she is accused of being a witch while being a squib.
Her portrait is hanging along the staircases at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films.