From my doleful prison in the Tower, the 6th May.
ANNE BOLEYN’S SPEECH, on hearing the verdict against her:
My lords, I will not say your sentence is unjust, nor presume that my reasons can prevail against your convictions. I am willing to believe that you have sufficient reasons for what you have done; but then they must be other than those which have been produced in court, for I am clear of all the offences which you then laid to my charge. I have ever been a faithful wife to the King, though I do not say I have always shown him that humility which his goodness to me, and the honours to which he raised me, merited. I confess I have had jealous fancies and suspicions of him, which I had not discretion enough, and wisdom, to conceal at all times. But God knows, and is my witness, that I have not sinned against him in any other way. Think not I say this in the hope to prolong my life, for He who saveth from death hath taught me how to die, and He will strengthen my faith. Think not, however, that I am so bewildered in my mind as not to lay the honour of my chastity to heart now in mine extremity, when I have maintained it all my life long, much as ever queen did. I know these, my last words, will avail me nothing but for the justification of my chastity and honour. As for my brother and those others who are unjustly condemned, I would willingly suffer many deaths to deliver them, but since I see it so pleases the King, I shall willingly accompany them in death, with this assurance, that I shall lead an endless life with them in peace and joy, where I will pray to God for the King and for you, my lords.
Anne Boleyn’s Speech at her Execution:
Good Christian people, I have not come here to preach a sermon; I have come here to die, for according to the law and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak of that whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the King and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never, and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord.
And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. 19th May 1536
Author’s Note:
Anne Boleyn is one historical figure who most people recognise without thought. Volumes have been written about her, historians still argue over her, and there is even a faction which believes she was guilty of the charges for which she was condemned. I think that is rubbish.
In his confession, Mark Smeaton named various places and dates when he slept with her. Anne was never at those places on those dates; she was elsewhere and with the King, so he knew perfectly well Mark’s confession was false. I doubt that mattered to him; he was, as always, about to get his own way and that was all that concerned him.
I have heard many different opinions about her, and that is what they are – opinions. I have heard that she and King Henry were very much in love, I have heard that she manipulated him to become Queen, I have heard that she deliberately set out to climb to those heights.
If Anne’s letter to the King from her prison in the Tower is genuine, it is interesting to note that she says, quite clearly, that she never asked to be Queen, that she was quite content to be simply Anne Boleyn, gentlewoman. It is that very fact that convinces me of the letter’s authenticity.
But let us look at those opinions more closely. Anne was in love with Lord Henry Percy, she wanted to marry him, she believed she would marry him. For a brief time, she was happy.
It is said that she despised Cardinal Wolsey for the rest of his life because he separated her from Percy. She might well have hated him for the public way in which he did so, but he was acting on the orders of the King and she came to know that.
George Cavendish, Wolsey’s servant, in his ‘Life of Cardinal Wolsey’, states quite clearly that this was the reason, although nobody but Wolsey knew it at the time. Some historians have questioned this, but Cavendish was there. His account is an eye witness account and I prefer to believe someone who was present, than someone who questions more than four hundred years later.
When Anne discovered it was the King who refused her marriage, because he had his eye on her, is it likely that she ever loved him? I think not. Henry VIII was a tyrant who had too much power for his own good and could twist anything into treason if it suited him. This is evidenced by his treatment of Anne herself at the end.
She could not get away from him and I have never believed that she refused to have sex with him to keep him interested. I believe she did that because she simply did not want him, hoped he would go away.
Did he love her? He divorced the very royal Katherine of Aragon, risking war with Spain, banished his own daughter and stripped her of her status, risked his soul (according to his time and his own beliefs) by breaking away from the Church of Rome, all so he could have Anne Boleyn. Then he discarded her after a mere three years of marriage. He annulled his marriage to her, citing his previous relationship with her sister (which, of course, he knew about when he married her) so there was no reason for her to die. There could be no charge of adultery if they were never legally married. Despite that, he anticipated her death with as much lust as he’d once had for her body. He spent the night before her execution poring over plans for the scaffold, he went out hunting and dancing while she awaited death, he got himself betrothed the day after her execution. Doesn’t sound to me like a man who loved her, or who had ever loved her.
When Henry’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was found guilty of adultery, he was devastated. He thought he had finally found a woman who loved him, who was pure, only to discover she was writing love letters and giving herself freely to his servant, Thomas Culpepper. Then he discovered she was no virgin when he married her.
He was heartbroken then, so why was he not heartbroken when he discovered the same of Anne? Probably because he knew very well the charges were false.
Once he had discovered how much more power and wealth he could have by being the head of his own church, he turned on his closest friends to achieve it. When he wanted to be rid of Anne, he implicated Sir Henry Norris, a man who had been his close friend for years. He must have known he wasn’t guilty, but so what? It suited the King for him to die, so that was his fate.
I think Anne is one of the most tragic figures in history, an innocent victim of a spoilt King who would not accept there was something he could not have.
That is my opinion; it is not fact, it is how I see it.
Thank you for reading For the Love of Anne. I hope you have enjoyed it and if you have, please also consider my other books:
THE LOVES OF THE LIONHEART: History’s Forgotten Princesses
Historical Fiction Novels:
The Outcasts
To Catch a Demon
The Minstrel’s Lady – Winner of 2017 e-festival of Words Best Romance
The Cavalier’s Pact
A Man in Mourning
The Romany Princess
The Crusader’s Widow
Shed No Tears
The Wronged Wife
Conquest
The Adulteress
The Gorston Widow
Historical Fiction Series:
Holy Poison – Also available as a boxed set
The Judas Pledge
The Flawed Mistress
The Viscount’s Birthright
Betrayal
The Heretics
Consequences
Pestilence – Also available as a boxed set
The Second Wife
The Scent of Roses
Once Loved – Winner of the 2017 efestival of Words Best Historical
The Elizabethans – Also available as a boxed set
The Earl’s Jealousy
The Viscount’s Divorce
Lord John’s Folly
The Hartleighs of Somersham – also available as a boxed set
A Match of Honour – Finalist 2018 efestival of words Best Historical Romance
Lady Penelope’s Frenchman
Ye Olde Antique Shoppe –
The Edward V Coin
The Anne Boleyn Necklace
Others –
Old Fashioned Values – Be Careful What you Wish For
The Surrogate Bride – A Historical Fantasy
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Did you love For the Love of Anne? Then you should read The Loves of the Lionheart by Margaret Brazear!
Little Princess Alys, daughter of the King of France, was sent to live with the family of the King of England at the age of only eight. She was to be betrothed to his son, Richard, later to be called Richard the Lionheart for his military skill and bravery.But Richard had little interest in Alys. Alone and vulnerable in a foreign land, she was easy prey for the lecherous King Henry II and became his mistress when he deemed her of an age. He had no qualms about seducing his son's betrothed, but when Richard discovered the affair, he refused to marry her.
When Richard became King of England, he chose his own bride, Princess Berengaria of Navarre. It was said to be a love match, but having Navarre on his side helped.
Queen Berengaria was the only Queen of England never to set foot in the country and when Richard died, she was left penniless by his brother and successor, King John.
These are history's forgotten princesses, two women who have almost faded from memory, despite their association with one of England's most famous kings.
Read more at Margaret Brazear’s site.
Also by Margaret Brazear
The Gentle Giant: Caring for the Newfoundland Dog
For the Love of Anne
The Loves of the Lionheart
Watch for more at Margaret Brazear’s site.
About the Author
I was born in London in 1948 and have studied English history for over fifty years. I try to stick to the facts in my books, despite them being fictional. I detest when history is mangled to suit a tale.
My second passion is dogs, especially enormous dogs and for ten years I had the privilege of sharing my life with three Newfoundland dogs.
I have written stories for as long as I can recall and I am delighted to have found a following.
Read more at Margaret Brazear’s site.
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