The Downfall of Anne Boleyn

Witchcraft, high treason and incest were just a few of the charges leveled against the beautiful Anne Boleyn. She was the second wife of Henry VIII although all accounts of the time say she was not the favorite for this position. Anne Boleyn was the reason for Queen Katherine of Spain being set aside but it is questionable whether she did it for political advantage or for the love of Henry. She was the first of Henry's wives to get her head chopped off.

Anne Boleyn's big downfall came in the year of 1536 but it started almost as soon as she was placed on the throne. Her first job as Queen of England was to produce an heir to secure the throne. Her first attempt at this failed as she produced a girl child. Her first child named Elizabeth was born in 1533. Several different sources claim that after Anne's first child, she gave birth to several still born children and had a few miscarriages. The only documented children by historians however after Elizabeth were a still-born son named Edward born in 1534, another still-born son named Edward in 1536 which she lost at 4 months gestation and a miscarriage at 15 weeks of gestation in 1536 that would be her last.

As Anne recovered from her last miscarriage, the plots of the court thickened. Rumors abounded that Anne Boleyn was a Witch due to the nature of what the last miscarried child looked like. Due to the lack of information at the time a miscarried child at 15 weeks gestation would look like a monster or a demon child to some. This confirmed the suspicions of many, confirming that Anne Boleyn had dealings with the devil.

Not only was Anne accused of witchcraft but she was accused of incest with her brother George Boleyn, Adultery with several Nobles and Aristocrats of the time and High Treason against the King. She was held to a trial among her peers and although from all accounts the arguments against her were unconvincing she was found guilty on all charges.

The men who were charged with adultery with the Queen were found guilty and were executed on May 17, 1936. After a month in the Tower of London, Anne Boleyn was released to walk to the Tower Green where she would be beheaded. Several accounts say that she was poised, maintained her innocence and was happy to be done with life.

Before her beheading she made a short speech in which she prayed that God save the King and commended her soul into the hands of Jesus and God. She knelt in the French style to await the axe while repeating her commendation to Jesus. The execution was swift with the completion of the beheading in one swift stroke.

That was the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Her failure to produce a male heir at the time would be used against her. Her beauty and quick wit were a threat but the people of the time would change their tune 25 years later when Anne's only surviving child Elizabeth took the throne as Queen Regent. Queen Elizabeth I would reign over England for 45 years holding the country together.

Anne Boleyn's legacy includes the Reformation of the English Church, her daughter Queen Elizabeth I and being remembered as one of the most important and influential Queens in history.For more information on Anne Boleyn check out these books:
The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Allison Weir
The Wives of Henry VIII by Lady Antonia Fraser
Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey
Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen by Joanna Denny
The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives