Henry VIII Tudor is one of the brightest kings of England. In his actions, he was guided by intelligence, political will and, at the same time, by love. To make his adored Anne Boleyn queen, he neglected a political alliance with Spain, quarreled with the Pope himself and changed the religion of his country. But for the insane love of the sovereign, Anna had to pay with her life.
Henry before meeting with Anna
Prince Henry was born in 1491. His parents were the reigning king of England Henry VII Tudor and his beloved wife Elizabeth. The eldest son in the family was Arthur. But in 1502 he died, and Henry became Prince of Wales, heir to the throne.
And Arthur left behind a young wife - Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of a powerful couple of Spanish monarchs. Henry VII decided not to lose an important dynastic alliance. He received permission from the Pope to marry his daughter-in-law with his second son. The prince did not contradict his father.
In 1509, the king died and his heir began to rule as Henry VIII. He soon married the widow of his older brother.
Catherine was six years older, but by the time of the wedding with the seventeen-year-old king, she retained her beauty and youth. The first years of their marriage were quite successful. Henry ruled, and Catherine was his faithful and intelligent assistant - not forgetting, however, about the interests of his native Spain.
But the main task of the wife of any monarch is the birth of an heir. Catherine could not cope with her main mission: either the birth of a still child, or the early death of the heir, or a miscarriage … Only her daughter, named Maria (born in 1516), survived. She had rights to the future throne, but in those days a male heir looked preferable. The marriage of the reigning queen would mean a change of dynasty.
Meanwhile, the king has matured. He became less interested in the opinion of his wife in politics, and the absence of a son caused him disappointment. In addition, the queen, exhausted by constant childbirth and grief from the loss of children, began to grow faint …
Naturally, Henry had favorites, some of them gave birth to children from the king. Heinrich even officially recognized one of the sons and was one step away from proclaiming the boy heir.
Anna before meeting with Henry
Anna was probably born in 1601 (the exact date has not been established) into a noble family. As a child, she went to Paris in the retinue of the English princess Mary, who married the king of France. There, young Boleyn spent several years studying French, playing musical instruments, refined manners and etiquette.
The girl returned to her homeland in 1522. The father intended to marry her off to a young relative. The engagement was upset. But then another important event awaited Anna - a presentation to the English royal court.
Was Anna beautiful? Both the portraits that have come down to us and the written testimonies are somewhat contradictory. But it is known that Anna was witty and charming, dressed exquisitely, sang pleasantly and danced beautifully. In addition, the girl spoke excellent French and possessed graceful manners. She knew how to charm - despite her rather complex character.
Hever Castle, where Anna spent her childhood
The beginning of a relationship
The first meeting between Anne and Henry took place in March 1522 in York during a festive performance. The girl, among other court ladies, performed a dance. Soon, the enchantress took possession of the king's heart.
Henry began to pay attention to her. Any lady would be happy - but not Anna! The role of a mistress - even the king himself - did not appeal to her. Whether this was from the very beginning a firm expectation of something more is difficult to say.
Perhaps Anna was stopped by the example of her older sister Mary. She previously had a love affair with Heinrich, although she was married. But the young woman received neither happiness, nor wealth, nor power. Heinrich just cooled down to her after several years of relationship.
Or maybe Anna, not without the help of influential friends, planned everything in advance. Intelligent and ambitious, she could not help but understand that a dynastic crisis was brewing in the country: Henry still did not have a prince-heir. It became obvious that the king would be looking for a way out of the situation - and perhaps he would decide to divorce?
Be that as it may, Anna dared not to reciprocate her sovereign. Moreover, in 1523 she was going to marry the young and noble Sir Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. But Henry, inflamed with a burning passion for the uncompromising beauty, did not agree to this marriage. Anna left the yard and went to live in her father's estate.
In 1525 or 1526, she returned to London as the maid of honor to the Queen. Meanwhile, Henry did not forget Anna, and separation from her only inflamed his passion. He again began to surround the girl with attention and gifts. She accepted his advances - but still did not respond to love.
Finally, the king made up his mind. He invited Anna to become his wife and queen after he divorced Catherine. The unthinkable became a reality - and Anna agreed.
Divorce of Henry and Catherine
In the 16th century in Christian Europe, the dissolution of a marriage was an extraordinary affair, for which really good reasons were needed. For example, the betrayal of a wife, which in the case of the queen was interpreted as high treason. Or the departure of a spouse to a monastery. Even the monarch could not easily divorce, especially if he was married to the princess of a powerful house.
The situation was difficult for Henry:
- Catherine did not give a reason for divorce;
- she did not want to voluntarily go to the monastery;
- the dissolution of a marriage, authorized and consecrated by the Catholic Church, required the permission of the Pope;
- a divorce from Catherine meant difficulties in relations with her relatives in Spain.
Henry decided to divorce on the grounds that his union with Catherine was sinful. He married her after her brother, and the Bible condemns this.
But the Pope was not convinced by the argument. Especially in the conditions that Rome at that time was in the hands of the Spanish emperor Carlos, Catherine's nephew. The queen herself did not agree at all.
The process dragged on for years. The king, who longed to marry Anna, became angry and changed his advisers. Boleyn herself waited patiently, supporting his resolve in the king.
Her position at court changed. Henry bestowed on his beloved the title of Marquise of Pembroke, and yesterday's maid of honor became almost equal to the members of the royal family. Her relatives also received titles and various honors. The king listened to Anna and in matters of politics.
It is not known exactly when they became lovers. The girl often spent time with the king. But some researchers believe she continued to keep her bedroom doors closed.
Finally, Heinrich and his advisers found a radical solution. The Church of England came out of subjection to Rome and the king himself stood at its head. In 1532-1534, the parliament adopted the necessary legislative acts for this. The main obstacle to the king's new marriage was removed.
Note that in the separation of the Anglican Church from Catholicism, Henry was guided not only by personal reasons. In Europe at that time, the Reformation unfolded - a movement to reduce the power and wealth of the church. There were many supporters of this view in England, and, apparently, Boleyn was one of them.
Henry and Anna got married in 1532 - at first secretly, since the question of divorce from the previous wife of the king had not yet been finally resolved. A few months later, a second, open and magnificent ceremony was held. The marriage of the monarch with Catherine was declared illegal.
Many were unhappy with the new wife of Henry, who considered her an upstart, who, with intrigues, removed the real queen. But the royal couple did not care. The king had prepared an answer to all those who were dissatisfied: proclamation as a traitor, the Tower, execution.
Henry was happy: Anna finally became his wife. And she was pleased with her inconceivable elevation. In addition, they were already expecting a child - a long-awaited heir, as they both believed …
Queen of England
In the summer of 1533, Anna was solemnly crowned. It was her finest hour: all her efforts reached the goal! There was only one thing left - to give birth to an heir.
Childbirth came in early September and turned into Anna's first fiasco. A daughter was born. She was named Elizabeth.
The king was very upset, but did not stop loving his wife. Elizabeth was proclaimed heir to the throne (the daughter from her first marriage, Mary, was declared illegitimate). Of course, the baby was seen as a "temporary" Princess of Wales. The royal couple were counting on Anna's new pregnancy.
The next year, the queen suffered again, but there was a miscarriage. Heinrich immediately became so disappointed that he began to think about a divorce. Fortunately for Anna, the couple got back together a few months later and conceived - as it turned out - a son.
But fate was already leading the queen along the path of an unjustly insulted predecessor. Despite expecting a child, Heinrich is fond of the young and modest Jane Seymour. Anna understood: if she did not give birth to a son, she would lose everything and endanger her daughter Elizabeth.
At the beginning of 1536, Catherine of Aragon died. And soon Anna threw out the stillborn boy. Heinrich decided that the second wife, exactly like the first, was not capable of giving him an heir. The queen's influential opponents, of whom there were many, "helped" to come to this opinion …
A lawsuit was started against Anna, imputing treason to the king. In the same case, several men close to the queen were arrested, including her brother. Henry's wife and her "lovers" were found guilty of high treason. There was only one punishment - death.
Anna did not admit her guilt. On May 19, 1536, the former queen was beheaded.
After Anna
The king married Jane Seymour the day after Anna's execution. The following year, his young wife fulfilled his wish and gave birth to an heir, Edward. But Jane herself died of childbirth fever.
Heinrich was married three more times. His spouses were:
- Anna of Cleves, German princess. The king quickly divorced her because he did not like the girl;
- Catherine Howard, cousin of Anne Boleyn. She repeated the fate of her cousin, being executed for treason. In this case - valid;
- Ekaterina Parr. Outlived her husband.
Henry VIII died in 1547, broken by disease, and was buried next to Jane.
All three of his children born in wedlock ruled, replacing each other. First, Edward ascended the throne, and after his early death - Maria, the daughter of his first wife. When the queen died in 1558, Anne Boleyn's daughter, Elizabeth, became the ruler.
She was destined to become one of the greatest monarchs in English history.
