Anne Boleyn and the Downfall of her Family

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• 1. Introduction
• 2. Sexual magnetism
• 3. Accusations
• 4. Sorcery
• 5. Social ostracism
• 6. Find out more
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Introduction

On the 19th May, 1536 at 8.00am, a thirty-six-year-old woman took her place on a scaffold dressed in a robe of black damask covered by an ermine mantle of white. Instead of denying her guilt as an adulteress and disciple of witchcraft, she delivered a generous speech praising her former lord and lover Henry VIII. After being blindfolded, she waited only a few seconds before a French swordsman severed her head from her delicate neck.

Greek tragedy

The story of the Boleyns could be likened to a Greek tragedy. They were an accomplished family, ennobled within a short period of time, only to find themselves the victims of the very prominence so desperately sought and attained by Anne's father, Sir Thomas Boleyn. His daughter's rapid ascension to the throne due to his own influence was also to be his entire family's undoing when Anne was accused of treason.

'The story of the Boleyns could be likened to a Greek tragedy.'

Thomas, only fourteen years older than Henry himself, was a respected mercer with a talent for languages and diplomacy. He was already established at the Royal Court well before Henry became King in 1509. Even his marriage to the well-connected Lady Elizabeth Howard seemed to work to his advantage, enhancing his ruthless ambitions.

A father's master plan

Their three children, George, Mary and Anne, were all well-educated and formed part of their father's grand master plan to attain greater power and status. Anne, the youngest of the sisters, was extremely close to her brother George but possibly had a more distant relationship with her elder sister Mary, exacerbated by the fact that the latter became a discarded mistress of Henry.

The young girls spent their teenage years in France as ladies-in-waiting to Henry's sister the French Queen. Later they were to part when Anne was transferred to the court of the new French Queen, Claude, while Mary returned home. Anne arrived back in England when she was about twenty and was immediately placed in the household of Henry's wife, Katherine of Aragon, as maid of honour.

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Published: 2001-05-01