ANNE BOLEYN
Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII and the mother of Elizabeth I. She was a lady-in-waiting to Henry's previous wife Catherine of Aragon. Henry's obsession with her, coupled with his inability to get the Pope to grant him a divorce from Catherine, led to him breaking with Rome and instituting the Church of England.
Precocious, arrogant and unpopular at court, Anne was Queen for a just under three years before she was beheaded, on almost certainly trumped up charges of adultery and incest, after the King grew bored of her and she had fallen foul of court power-broker Thomas Cromwell. Her life and persona have enjoyed much re-analysis lately in the popular works of Hilary Mantel, Philippa Gregory and others.
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Tracy Borman is joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust. Her book, Elizabeth's Women: the Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen, was Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4. Her latest book, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant published in January this year was a Sunday Time and Times best seller. |
