Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn (born in Norfolk 1501 - died in London 1536) was queen consort ofEngland by her marriage to Henry VIII and the first Marchioness of Pembroke.

Anne was the second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I. Anne was the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, later first Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond, and his wifeLady Elizabeth Boleyn (born with the name of Elizabeth Howard), daughter of second Duke of Norfolk. There were rumors that Anna suffered polydactyly and a birthmark ormole on the neck (both considered symbols of the devil), who always wore a jewel. He had two siblings: Mary, who was older than she, and George Boleyn, the younger brother.

As an adult, Anne, did not keep a very close relationship with his father, although in childhood. Her relationship with her sister Mary seems to have been cordial but not intimate. Ana had a closer relationship with her ​​mother and her brother George, whoseemed to feel closer. The tradition that Boleyn was a family of merchants in London is unfounded, in fact, were aristocrats. Ana was among their grandparents with a mayor, a duke, an earl, twoaristocratic ladies and a gentleman. Surely birth was nobler than Jane Seymour orCatherine Parr, two of Henry's other wives.

Ana's father was a diplomat respected for his talent for languages. In Europe ThomasBoleyn had many admirers because of his professionalism and charm, among them were the Archduchess Margaret of Austria, daughter of Maximilian I. He was soimpressed he offered Thomas Boleyn's daughter this, Anna, a place in her house.Generally, the girls must be 12 years to hold this honor, but Anne Boleyn was an exception. Margaret referred to her affectionately as "La petite Boleyn". Made a good impression in the Netherlands by way of her and her dedication, lived there since the spring of 1513 to the father ordered her to continue her education in Paris.

In France, Ana, was maid of honor of Claude of France and also acted as interpreterwhenever there was an important guest at the court it was English.  At the home of the Queen of France completed his studies of French and acquired adetailed knowledge of French culture and protocol. European education ended in 1523she, when she returned to England following the orders of her father.

Ana was not beautiful according to the conventions of her time. She was thin and felt thather skin was too dark. People seemed primarily attracted by Anne's charisma It causeda good impression with their fashion sense and inspired many trends among the ladiesof the court. She was a devout Christian in the new tradition of Renaissance humanist movement, made generous donations and sewed shirts for the poor. In his youth he was sweet and happy and enjoyed gambling, drinking wine and gossiping. She was brave and emotional. However, Ana could also be extravagant, neurotic, bitter and sullen.

When Anne Boleyn came to court, the first wife of Henry, Catherine of Aragon, was popular despite not participating in politics nor in the life of the court for some time.

Anna debuted in the court in a costume, accompanying the king's younger sister, several great ladies of the court and her sister Mary. A few weeks after this performance, Boleyn, was known as the most fashionable womanof the court and referred to her as "the mirror of fashion."

At that time, Henry Percy Ana court did, in fact it was rumored that they had engaged to be married in secret. However, a Catholic priest, George Cavendish, who was a friendof Henry Percy, stated categorically that they never had been lovers.

According to Cavendish, where this rumor came to light in court, Anne was sent to the farms of his family. When she returned to court, brought a coterie of friends and admirers and became famous for his ability to keep men away. In 1525, Henry VIIIbecame enamored of her and began to chase her.

Anne resisted attempts to seduce the king and refused to become his lover. He rejected the initial proposals of the king, saying "I beg your Majesty to desist seriously, and thismy answer in good part. I'd rather die than honesty." The king was attracted even moreafter this refusal and pursued relentlessly, even after she left the court to travel to Ken.  In the end Henry proposed marriage and she accepted. However, Anne decided not tosleep with him before marriage, since the marital relationship meant that if they had a son, it would be illegitimate. This decision of Henry ventured to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, so the king and his ministers sought the annulment of marriage tothe Holy See in 1527. At first, Anne, kept it a secret but in 1528 it became public knowledge the impending divorce of Henry with Catherine and his marriage to Anne.

  Her relatives supported the cause of it and had many supporters in court. At first, shestayed out of political life, reveling in their newfound lifestyle, Henry paid for everything, and accumulated a large amount of clothing, furs and jewelry. She was assigned his own servants, several bridesmaids and new units in the palace.

In 1531 Queen Catherine was banished from the court and the old quarters of it were given to Anne with Catherine out of court and Cardinal Wolsey died, Ana became themost powerful person in the court. She possessed considerable power to appoint members of government and political affairs.

The exasperation of Anne by the Vatican's refusal to convert to a queen directed her towards a new alternative. She suggested that Henry should follow the advice ofreligious radicals like William Tyndale who denied Papal authority and thought it was the monarch who should lead the Church. When William Warham, Archbishop of Canterburyconservative, died, Ana appointed chaplain of his family, Thomas Cranmer, for the position. It also supported the rise of Thomas Cromwell radical who became the new favorite of the king.

During this period, Ana also played a big role on the international scene in England, solidifying the French alliance. Established an excellent relationship with the French ambassador, Gilles of Pommeraye, who was captivated by Boleyn. With your help, she prepared a conference in Calais, where Enrique hoped to gain the support of Francis I of France for his new marriage.

Before leaving for Calais, Henry gave Anne the marquisate of Pembroke. Ana's relatives also took advantage of the relationship, her father as Viscount Rochford, wascreated Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond. Thanks to the intervention of Anne, her widowedsister Mary received an annual pension of 100 pounds and her son, Henry Carey, was educated in a prestigious Cistercian monastery.

The conference of Calais was a political triumph, as the French king gave his support to King Henry VIII in his marriage to Anne Immediately after returning to Dover, England, Henry and Anne celebrated their nuptials in a secret ceremony. She became pregnant in a few months and, as was customary among the royalty, there was a second marriage ceremony in London on January 25, 1533. On 23 May the same year, Thomas Cranmer (Archbishop of Canterbury) annulling the marriage existed between King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. 5 days later, Thomas Cranmer, declared legal marriage between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Ana it was, finally and after 7 years, wife of Henry and Queen of England. Catherine was formally stripped of her title as queen in time for the coronation of Anne, the June 1, 1533. Defying the Pope, Cranmer declared the Church of England was under the control of King Henry VIII and not subject to the control of Rome. This marked the end of England as a Catholic country. The new Queen Anne was delighted with this event because he believed that the influence of the papacy corrupt Christianity.

After his coronation, Anne settled into a quiet routine to prepare for the birth of their daughter. She was greatly distressed when Henry became infatuated with a lady of the court, which led to his first serious confrontation. The affair was brief, as Henry wanted nothing to compromise the pregnancy of his wife.

The daughter of Henry and Anne was born, prematurely, on September 7, 1533 at the Palace of Placentia. He was given a splendid christening, calling the name of Elizabeth, in memory of this grandmother, Queen Elizabeth of York. But Anne feared that Mary  (daughter of Catherine) threatened the position of the Princess Elizabeth. Henry calmed these fears by separating Mary from her servants and stripping it of its titles, also sent Isabel to Hatfield House, where the princess lived with her own staff of servants, the country air was good for the health of the princess, and Ana was a loving mother who made ​​frequent visits to her daughter. The Queen visits were also signs of friction between her and her stepdaughter, Princess Mary, who referred to her as "my father's mistress," while Princess Anne called Mary "that cursed bastard".

Ana had a larger staff of servants than Catherine: 250 servants to attend to her personal needs, from priests to stable lads. There were also over 60 bridesmaids who attendedand the accompanying social events. She also employed several priests who acted asconfessors, chaplains and counselors.

Queen's reputation as a religious reformer spread through Europe and was hailed as a heroine by Protestant figures, to Martin Luther saw it rise to the throne as a positive sign. She also saved the life of the French reformer Nicolas Bourbon, who had been sentenced to death by the French Inquisition. Bourbon would refer to it later as "thequeen who loves God." Although advocated by religious reform, especially translatingthe Bible into English, did not challenge the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation. Also, when her husband objected to the majority of Lutheran doctrinal reforms, Anna had to becareful as to lead England to what is often called the "New Learning". She was also a generous patron of the charity, distributing alms to the poor and donating funds to educational institutions.

As queen, presided over a magnificent court. Anne spent huge sums of money onjewelry, dresses, hats, ostrich feather fans, equipment mounting and furniture upholstery and finest from around the world. Numerous palaces were renovated to meet her extravagant tastes.

Ethnicity:

- Elizabeth, 1533, Princess of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

- An abortion, 1534.

- An abortion 1535.

- An abortion, 1536.

In January 1536, Catherine died of cancer. After the news of his death, Henry and Anneadorned with bright yellow clothes. After Catherine's death, Anna tried to improve relations with the daughter of the late Queen, Princess Mary, but was rejected again.

During the day of the funeral of Catherine, in 1536, Anna had an abortion. This personal loss was the beginning of the end of the royal marriage. When Anna said of her abortion, Henry declared that his marriage was cursed by God. Jane Seymour, then aking's mistress, was moved to new quarters and the brother of Anne, George, was notaccepted into the Order of the Garter, which instead was awarded to the brother of Jane Seymour.

In the last days of Anne, a flamenco musician named Mark Smeaton, who was servingthe queen was arrested and tortured by Thomas Cromwell. Under torture he confessedto have had illicit relations with the queen, along with another courtier, Sir Henry Norrisfriend of both Anna and the King. Norris denied his guilt and innocence dela appealed to the queen.

Sir Francis Weston was arrested on the same charge. As William Bereton, a boy king's private chamber, who was also arrested for adultery, but that really was the victim of an old grudge held by Thomas Cromwell. The final defendant was the brother of Anne,George, arrested on charges of incest and treason, accused of having sex with his sister during the last months.

On May 2, 1536 Anne was arrested during lunch and taken to the Tower of London. In the Tower, she suffered a nervous breakdown less demanding to know the whereabouts of her family and the charges against her. 4 defendants were tried in Westminster onMay 12, 1536. Weston, and Norris Bereton public maintained his innocence, onlySmeaton supported the Crown by pleading guilty. 3 days later, Anne and George Boleynwere tried separately in the Tower of London. She accused of adultery, incest and high treason. Popular suspicion against Henry and his mistress, Jane Seymour, who were seenfeasting on the Thames, was widespread. Several pamphlets circulated in London to support the unfortunate queen.

George and the other defendants were executed on May 17, 1536. Mr. and Mrs.Kingston, in charge of the Tower, reported that Anne seemed very happy and ready to continue his life. She had said, when Mr. Kingston brought the news that the king hadcommuted the death sentence of cremated by decapitation and had hired a swordsmanfrom Calais, instead of beheading the queen with the common ax: "No have muchproblem because I have a very small neck will be known as the Headless Queen! "

They came for Anne on the morning of May 19 to take her to the Tower Green, where itshould be allowed the dignity of a private execution. Once there, Ana addressed the following words to Lord Kingston: "Kingston Lord, I hear that will not die before noon,and am sorry for this, because I thought I was dead for that hour and in front of my suffering. I heard you say the executioner is very good, and I have a very small neck"having said this, she put her hands on her neck, laughing heartily.

The Queen wore a red petticoat under a dark gray gown of damask,trimmed with fur. Her hair was tied back and wearing his customaryFrench headdress. She made a brief speech: "Good Christian people, I have come here to die, according to the law, and by the lawjudges that I die, and therefore will not say anything against it. I camehere not to accuse no man, not to say anything like that, that I amaccused and condemned to die, but I pray to God to save the Kingand give him long to reign over you, for the most generous princemerciful and me he was always good, a gentle and sovereign lord.and if someone intrudes in my cause, I require that they deem best.and so I take my departure from the world and all of you, and cordiallyask you to pray for me. Oh Lord have mercy on me, I commend mysoul to God ".

Then she knelt upright (in executions in the French style, with a sword, there was no block to support the head). The final sentenceshe was to repeat, "I commend my soul to Jesus Christ, the LordJesus, receive my soul." Her ladies removed the headdress and tied a blindfold over his eyes. The execution was swift, consisting of asingle stroke: according to legend, was so considerate fencer Annasaid, "Where is my sword?" Or "Waiter, bring my sword" and then slit her throat, so she thought I had a few more moments to live, notknowing that the sword was coming.