A Thousand Days a Queen: The Execution of Boleyn 1536
The raven-haired and dark-eyed Anne was elegant, intelligent, witty and cultured, with effortless continental sophistication
On May 19, 1536, Anne Boleyn, the woman for which King Henry VIII cast aside a Queen, broke with the Catholic Church, and drove his country to the brink of civil war, climbed the scaffold to meet her death at that same King’s command.
Queen Anne, always a trendsetter, was the first Queen of England to be legally executed (but not the last.)
Many people believe Henry VIII was content with his first wife Catherine of Aragon until he was seduced by the vixen, Anne Boleyn. This is simply not the case. By the time Henry met Anne, he was already looking for a way out of his marriage, as the union had not produced a desperately needed son to inherit the throne of England.
Henry was completely obsessed with fathering a son, which is actually pretty understandable. The Tudor Dynasty was a new one, and his father Henry VII’s claim had been tenuous at best. He needed an heir and hopefully a few spares to legitimize their dynasty and keep the Tudors on the throne.
King Henry convinced himself his lack of a living son could only be due to one reason. His…
