I love looking into history on a more personal level, to look into the more private moments from history rather than just the huge and magnificent events. So, I want to discover more about the last hours of Anne Boleyn’s life.
Anne was arrested on the 2nd of May 1536 at Greenwich Palace, she was taken to the Tower of London and was held in the Queens House. On the 15th of May 1536, she was found guilty of treason. The charges against her included adultery and plotting the king’s death, accusations that many people believe are untrue. Whatever the truth is, she had been found guilty, and Anne was now forced to face execution.
Religion was hugely important in the sixteenth century, and it influenced nearly everything people did. Anne was well known for her interest in reformist religious ideas. She spent the evening of the 18th of May preparing for her death, a priest was sent for to hear her final confession and to administer the last rites. She reportedly took Holy Communion and swore upon the sacrament that she had been faithful to the king. This must have been hugely emotional, to say this in front of God and a priest, suggest to me that she was being honest. She would have wanted to leave the world with her conscience clear.
Anne had been told earlier that her executioner would be brought from France, Henry had arranged for a swordsman to be used to carry out the sentence. The delay in him arriving meant that for a while she was unclear when the sentence was going to be carried out. This must have given her both hope and anxiety. She may well have seen this as an opportunity for Henry to change his mind, sadly it was not to be. On the morning of the 19th of May she is said to have asked the constable of the Tower when it would happen. When she was told that it would not happen until later on, she nervously joked about her “little neck.” It seems that even when her situation was unimaginably dire, she was absolutely determined to maintain her composure and dignity.
During these final hours Anne spoke with her ladies, they had been attending her during her time in the Tower. They had watched her fall from favour, and were said to all be really upset. Anne seemed determined that she would face death with dignity. Some accounts suggest she tried to comfort them, showing a remarkable calmness that surprised those around her. I am not sure I could keep the same composure myself. Whether this was courage, resignation, or the strength she saw was expected of a former queen, it must have taken extraordinary self-control.
For me one of the hardest parts of her final hours for me, was the fact that it seems she was not allowed to see her daughter Elizabeth, who was not quite three years old at the time. Elizabeth was living at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, away from London and court. It is difficult for us to understand how Anne must have been feeling, but what I can say for sure is that she would have definitely been thinking about her child in those final hours. This must have affected them both so profoundly, it seems like an additional punishment from Henry.
During her final hours Anne also made practical arrangements. She gave away her personal belongings and prepared herself for what was awaiting her. Witnesses would go on to say that Anne paid particular attention to how she looked, she chose clothes that were suitable. She also ensured that her hair could be easily moved from the neck for the swordsman’s. It seems that although she was very much out of control of the situation she was in, she was determined to have composure, controlling the very little things could.
Shortly before the execution she was taken from her chambers to the scaffold that had been built in the Tower. A small crowd of witnesses had already gathered there. Anne addressed them briefly, she even avoided any direct criticism of the king and instead she asked that people to pray for him. Was this genuine loyalty, protecting her daughter, or simply the expectations placed upon someone facing death in this way. We will never know her reasons or inner most thoughts, but she faced death with grace.
Moments later she knelt down calmly and was blindfolded. Those present also noted the remarkable composure she continued to show. Whatever fears she had, she didn’t show them, she remained an image of dignity and acceptance as the French executioner carried out the sentence. What a remarkably strong women.
Do you think that Anne believed she would be remembered positively by history?
Image info:
Posthumous painting of Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle, c. 1583
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