Annes Final Legacy Is One Of Which She Would Have Been Entirely Unaware. Although Anne Can Never Have

“Anne’s final legacy is one of which she would have been entirely unaware. Although Anne can never have realised, she was to be only the second wife of England’s most married monarch. When Anne met Henry he had been married to Catherine of Aragon, a foreign princess, for many years and Henry’s marital career was entirely conventional. Henry and Catherine had no son and, after Catherine’s death he would have been expected to quickly remarry, perhaps to a French princess or another lady of the imperial family. Anne Boleyn changed all this. By insisting on marriage and driving Henry onwards, she broadened the king’s horizons. Marriage to Anne showed Henry the possibility of choosing his own wife from amongst the noblewomen of his court. The marriage also showed other women, most notably Jane Seymour, the possibility of becoming a second Anne Boleyn. More pertinently, the break with Rome gave Henry the ability to rid himself of wives quickly and easy whenever he saw fit. Thanks to Anne, Henry never found himself married to another Catherine of Aragon clinging determinedly to her position. Instead Henry was able to change his wife whenever the mood suited him. This was the work of Anne Boleyn although she can never have expected or wanted it.”

— Elizabeth Norton, “Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII’s Obsession”

doomed couple: ↳ Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII 

The love affair between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is shrouded in historical myth, romantic legend, cliché and half-truths. Much of their story remains fiercely debated by historians – everything from why Henry fell for Anne, to why he destroyed her in the end.

Queen Elizabeth I in exquisite needlework, c1580, possibly originally applied to the front of a purse which would have contained sweetmeats or money. The symbolism worked into such a small piece is staggering and typical of the glorified mythological image of Elizabeth.

#actual historical quote

eh, it’s not a contemporary quote insofar as it wasn’t recorded at the time it was said. william roper is the source , and he was writing of his father-in-law saying this allegedly in the 1520s, but the book itself was written nearly twenty years after his death (1535). he also reported in this book an exchange that heavily implied that more predicted anne boleyn’s execution so.... it would seem some anecdotes are a little too prescient to be taken at face value .

Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1833.

I have received a letter from a cousin of mine. He is Duke Philip of Bavaria and he would like to come to England to pay court to you…

The Tudors | The Undoing of Cromwell