Anne Boleyn

They don’t teach much English history in British schools. Historical education here is all about the war-mongering bogey men of twentieth century Europe and greed inspired conflicts in Eastern sand-pits. I’m ashamed to say everything I know about the Britain of the past two thousand years I learnt from watching Time Team. That is however, excluding the Royal house of Tudor, which was taught to me in primary school by a scary elderley lady with wrinkles in her tights. I guess old Henry and his scandalous six wives are perfect for enchanting the enquiring mind of an eight year old. They certainly made an impression on me. Of Henry’s six wives staring back at me from a crumpled text book page it was always Anne Boleyn who excited me the most. It could have been because she seemed the most glamorous of an exceptionally unglamorous bunch, or that my Mother has always maintained she named me after Anne’s daughter, the first Queen Elizabeth, or maybe it was just the circumstances of her untimely demise… Anne just seemed interesting. As a grown up I stumbled across season two of The Tudors and my love of Anne was re-newed. Natalie Dormer’s Anne was, while not entirely historically accurate, the most mesmerising creature. It inspired me to begin reading about her life and background, even inspiring a fruitless treasure hunt around London’s National Portrait Gallery, in search of her most famous portrait. I could write all evening about the colourful life of the daughter of the Earl of Wiltshire and eventual Queen consort, but instead I’ll leave you with some pictures from The Tudors and the answer I received upon taking the Which wife of Henry VIII would you have been? quiz on Facebook. I think it sums her up well.




You use your wit and wiles to raise yourself from commoner to queen. When you have set your sights on a goal there is no turning back. You are wickedly smart and seductive and you are not going to let a little thing like the Holy Roman Empire sway you from your desires. You will live in infamy for wrapping a King around your finger and changing the course of history in England. Henry practically had to declare himself God to have you as wife. Unfortunately, the people of England despise you for replacing their beloved queen and the dangerous business of manipulating a man with a god-complex backfires. He has you convicted of witchcraft, adultery, incest and treason and you are beheaded after only 3 years of marriage. Well, you deal in high stakes. Perhaps it is some consolation that your daughter by Henry inherits your willful determination and becomes one of England's greatest Monarchs..