Anne Boleyn: A Victim of Politics Essay

Henry’s attention and rewards by trying to make the ladies in their families his mistresses. However, that strategy changed when Anne went from being his mistress to becoming queen of England. This meant that they weren’t just playing for money and power but they were now fighting for a place on the throne. This became increasingly more difficult after Anne’s execution when Henry showed that no one was safe and wining the throne was a dangerous play. Still, families like the Seymour and the Howards tried to gain power this way. For the most part, the Seymour succeeded in this endeavor by giving Henry what he most desired, a male heir. The Howards however failed with Anne and her daughter Elizabeth and then with Catherine who though young and fertile gave Henry no children and was later discovered as an

After his brother's death Henry VIII not only gained the title of being next in line for the throne, but also a betrothal to his brother’s now widowed wife, Catherine of Aragon. Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII remained only betrothed to one another until after the death of Henry’s father Henry VII. 1509 marked the death of Henry VII, this also became the year that Henry VIII, at the age of 17, and Catherine of Aragon were married and crowned at Westminster Abbey. At the beginning of Henry VIII’s ruling he supported the Catholic church and the papacy, he never went against their statements and he even had Thomas Wolsey, a catholic cardinal, help him with both his foreign and domestic policies from 1514-1529. Henry VIII had no problems with the papacy until he wanted to have an annulment between him and Catherine of Aragon approved by the

In Anne’s adolescent years, she reached the minimum age of “Fille D’Honneur” and moved into the court of Archduchess Margaret Fraser in France where her love of fashion was sparked. After serving on the Archduchess’ court, Anne went on to be in the court of Mary Tudor, sister of King Henry VIII and wife of King Louis XII. Because of Anne’s high profile position, she had to keep with the latest French fashion trends such as the French hood and dress styles. When Mary Tudor returned to England, Anne decided to stay in France for the next six to seven years and continued her education in the ways of the French court. The young Anne grew into a delightfully charming young lady, blessed with all the social graces a courtier at that time could possibly hope for. During that time King Henry came to France to meet the French King, Francis I, and it was here that King Henry most likely first met Anne.

Desiring marriage to his mistress Anne Boleyn, and a subsequent male heir to the throne, King Henry VIII of England stood before the pope with a plea. He wanted to divorce his then wife Catherine of Aragon, who he had come to despise for failing to produce a male heir, and instead marry Anne. However, this request was met with adamant refusal by the pope, who deemed the divorce unholy as it was against the Catholic faith. Upon hearing that his request was denied, Henry became livid and, in with the Act of Supremacy, ordained himself the head of the Anglican Church. He then proceeded to divorce Catherine and take Anne as his new bride. But Henry’s actions against the Catholic Church did not stop there.

The Child King Henry VII got married in 1509, 1533, 1536, 1540 (twice), and 1543 - why?

The split from Rome had made England vulnerable and Thomas Cromwell had suggested his next wife to be of a political match, much like the first. Anne of Clebes was the chosen match. The marriage took place on January 6, 1540, and by then Henry was already looking for ways to get out of the marriage. The King did not find his new bride attractive and had found an attraction to a young Kathryn Howard. Anne gave the King no problems with his annulment proceedings.

Cramner appealed to Parliament to confirm that Henry’s marriage to Catherine was invalid. Henry secretly marries a lady in his court, Anne Boleyn, in 1533. He decides to officially break with the Catholic church the following year and makes himself the head of the Church of England. He appoints Cramner as his new Archbishop and Cramner publicly declares the marriage between King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon as invalid.

As king of England, Henry has the power and the unquestionable authority to act based off his own desires even if they are not legally or morally acceptable. Because his current wife, Catherine, who was also his brother’s widow, has failed to birth a son, he wishes to divorce her and take Queen Anne as his new wife. Without a male heir to the throne, Henry’s lineage will come to an end and England will be left without a successor. He admits this to More during their meeting in Act 1, saying,

We can clearly see that there is more than one reason why Henry wanted to gain an annulment to Catherine in 1529, and that it wasn’t purely down to reasons all diplomatically related. Although saying this, it’s also clear that the diplomatic situation at the time was a huge contributing factor for the failure. It most definitely did slow down the progress Henry made in achieving his annulment. At the time of the annulment, it was known that the Pope was hugely influenced by Charles V, who at the time was the Holy Roman Emperor. Due to Charles’ role

There had always been tension between the two religions, but after rumors of a Protestant Reformation, uncertainty was among all English citizens. Anne Boleyn became the new English Queen, but still could not produce any male heirs. Although Anne was Catholic, “Religious reformers and protestants sensed that Anne was on their side” (Stewart 70). This did not help Anne or Henry’s case, because rumors of a Protestant Queen on a Catholic throne of England could have ruined Henry VIII’s ties with other Catholic countries. Anne did not do much as queen besides giving birth to Elizabeth I, who later on in history would become very important for England’s history. However, she would always want to try and include herself in things she did not belong (Weir 145). Henry was always very controlling and never let his wives partake in business because Kings were considered superior to Queens. Henry VIII’s job was to maintain peace and rule throughout England, and Anne’s job was to give birth to male heirs to succeed Henry. Again habits continued, and Henry grew tired of Anne, and even finding her annoying. With no healthy male heirs, she became useless, and after three years of marriage, Henry executed her for treason and adultery. “In many ways, Anne was her own worst enemy: she

Even Though she was important in english history there is much known about her in her early years. She was born between 1500 or 1509. Anne got married to Henry on the 25th of January in 1533 in the palace of Whitehall. Anne was mainly known for her sixth finger and a giant mole on her neck. Anne spent part of her childhood at the court of the Archduchess Margaret. from there she moved to The Household of Mary which it King Henry’s sister. King Henry’s Passion for anne was astounding he didn’t write letters much himself but he wrote 17 love letters to Anne himself. Anne’s emergence on the court was on 1528. Anne also showed real interest in religious reform and may have introduced some of the 'new ideas' to Henry, and gaining the hatred of some members of the Court. Sometime near the end of 1532, Anne finally gave way and by December she was pregnant. To avoid any questions of the legitimacy of the child, Henry was forced into action. Anne was executed on may 19, 1536 at the tower of London. Before kneeling down on the Scaffold Anne made a short

And like Catherine before her, Anne was falling out of favor with the king. This opened up an opportunity for her enemies to usurp her and her influence. Before long, some nobles, which included Cromwell, had falsely accused Anne of adultery against her husband, witchcraft and conspiracy against the king (Inside). Unfortunately for Anne, Henry believed the rumors and had Anne sent to the Tower Green inside the imposing fortress the Tower of London (Layton). Anne pleaded with Henry to let her live, but he was already courting one of Anne’s chambermaids, a lady by the name of Jane Seymour. Anne was beheaded on May 19, 1536 via a sword (Inside). Even many years later, nobles could recall chilling tales of Anne Boleyn’s ghost haunting the tower and crying for her daughter Elizabeth

During this time, religious reformation was happening all across Europe. In England, Henry VII came to power and made a big deal out of trying to establish a male heir to the throne. He was initially married to Catherine, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, who gave him a daughter named Mary. After she failed to provide him with a male heir, he insisted on getting an annulment from her. Henry VII went to Pope Clement VII claiming that his marriage to Catherine was invalid. Pope Clement procrastinated making this decision, for Catherine was related to Charles VI who was very powerful at the time. Finally, after years of waiting, Henry VII took matters into his own hands and named himself “supreme head” of the Church of England. By doing this,

Henry VIII was the King that would change England’s religious system and make it his legacy. The religious system would carry on after his reign and become the predominant religion of England. The question is: How did events connected to key historical figures during Henry VIII’s reign cause for a permanent shift in the religious system of England? This question will be answered by analyzing events related to key historical figures during Henry VIII’s reign. These events will not be a biographical representation of any one historical figure, but relayed in connection to the topic of this paper in order to provide an answer for the essay question. This method is being utilized because it provides an analytical perspective, while also providing a personal appeal by tying the facts in with historical figures. History is not just facts, it is a story, and like any good story it should pull a reader in and make them interested. The historical figures utilized will be Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell, and Thomas Cranmer due to their direct correlation to the change in the religious system of England. The sources utilized were chosen and implemented in relation to how they encompassed concepts related to historical

Swoosh! Splash! Swish! A pirate ship sails through the salty ocean. Three pirate ships sail across the same deep glimmering marine. They all meet around the cove, but they all get ready for rivalry. One ship starts dismissing their cannons at their enemies. Just then, the other two ships began to sail away, but one cannonball proceeded towards one ship, and struck the ship leaving it to sink. Pirates used ships to get to their destination, and to be ready for their enemies.