(1501 or 1507-1536)
Anne was Queen consort of England from 1533 to 1536 after becoming the second wife of King Henry VIII. Despite reigning for only approximately 1,000 days, Anne’s marriage to Henry arguably played a crucial role in the beginning of the English Reformation. Anne and Henry were the parents of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth ruled England and Ireland from 1558 until her death in1603.
It is widely believed that Anne Boleyn was born at the Blickling Estate in Norfolk. The exact year of her birth is debated among historians, but the most convincing argument suggests she was born in 1501. She was the second daughter of Thomas Boleyn, a politician and diplomat, and his wife, Elizabeth Howard, an English noblewoman and daughter of the 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Anne had one sister, Mary, and one brother, George.
Anne’s early childhood was spent at Hever Castle in Kent after her father inherited it in 1505. Hever Castle was perfectly positioned for her father’s career as a politician and diplomat as it allowed him to quickly travel to court in London as well as more readily cross the Channel to the continent.
At around age 12, Anne moved to the Low Countries where she finished her education and joined the court of Margaret of Austria. Due to changing alliances between England and other European states, Anne moved to France. In 1514, she joined the French court as a companion to Henry VIII’s sister, Mary, who had recently married Louis XII of France. After Louis XII died in 1515, Anne stayed in France for 7 more years as an attendant to the new French Queen Claude, wife of Francis I.
By 1522, Anne had returned to England. She and her elder sister, Mary, both became ladies in waiting to Henry VIII’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon. In 1526, Anne became the object of Henry VIII’s pursuit whilst he was still married to Catherine. Henry’s marriage to Catherine became increasingly more strained when no male heir had been produced. Henry became focussed on ending his marriage to Catherine so that he would be free to marry Anne.
The King’s advisor, Thomas Wolsey, petitioned the Vatican for an annulment to Henry’s marriage, but ultimately failed. Subsequently, Henry sought to sever England’s ties to the Catholic Church and thus began what became known as the English Reformation.
In November 1532, Henry and Anne married in a covert ceremony. After Anne became pregnant, a second marriage service took place in January 1533 which followed the rules of The Liber Regalis (the Royal Book). In May 1533, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declared Henry and Catherine’s marriage null and void, and Henry and Anne’s relationship valid. In June of that year, she was coronated, and in September, their daughter Elizabeth was born. Significantly, Elizabeth was their only child and was not a male heir.
Anne was executed in 1536 after another one of Henry’s advisors, Thomas Cromell, accused her of adultery, incest with her brother, George, and treason which was punishable by death. Most historians believe these accusations to be unconvincing. She was charged and tried at court and was found guilty. On 19th May 1536, Anne was beheaded at the Tower of London. She protested her innocence until the last moment. Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymore, 11 days later.
Researched and written by Grace Lyons
Norfolk Record Office 