Why does Anne Boleyn's Story continue to captivate?
Dear Fellow History Lover!
I hope you have had a pleasant fortnight since I last wrote. I was away last week conducting ‘The Private Life of Anne Boleyn’ Tour alongside the brilliant and witty historian, Gareth Russell. (You can listen to me talking about it on this week’s podcast - click here.)
This week:
Opinion Piece: Why does Anne Boleyn’s story continue to captivate?
Put your questions to historian Gareth Russell
Find out how you will be able to access the talks delivered on this year’s British History Tours’ tours
Why does Anne Boleyn's story continue to captivate?
I saw a funny meme earlier this week, actress Jennifer Lawrence was recently on a chat show where they eat chicken wings with progressively hotter and hotter chilli sauce on them. The host must have told her that the next one is hotter if he shakes it so, with tears in her eyes still from the heat of the last one, she repeatedly asks him “Wait, what do you mean?….what do you mean?” The meme was titled something along the lines of “Anne Boleyn being asked how she felt about being one of Henry VIII’s six wives”. The joke of course being that when she died she would have had no idea that her husband would not only become notorious for having his wife killed and breaking away from Rome, but would be the “king with six wives”.
So, there is one reason why Anne’s story endures as, for little other reason is the tyrannical, narcissist King Henry VIII one of England’s most famous kings other than for marrying six times and the actions he took in order to do that. However, it did also make his Queens well known too.
I have the fortune to run at least one tour each year around Anne Boleyn and her story. This year, in May, I ran ‘The Anne Boleyn Tour’ which focussed on the events of 1536 when Anne became the first Queen in English history to be executed, an event which was as shocking then as it should be now. Familiarity has led many to take for granted in some way that the leader (in secular and religious matters) of England had his wife beheaded, to the point that posts regarding her execution inevitably end up with comments below such as “well she treated Katherine and Mary so badly”. Whether she did or not is irrelevant to my mind when we are talking about ending the life of a human being. I digress. I also ran ‘The Private Life of Anne Boleyn’ Tour, during which we were able to look at Anne’s entire life and learn more about the woman herself.
The tours allowed the group to look at Anne and her life in more detail, with incredible historians such as Tracy Borman, Jonathan Foyle, Gareth Russell and Kate McCaffrey. Would you like to see the talks from the tours? Join my Patreon - the talks will be released on a monthly basis beginning with Tracy Borman’s talk on Anne and Elizabeth (I). There are 6 talks from tours so far this year, with more to come following ‘The Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots’ Tour which is happening this September.
I am learning more and more about Anne all the time. Her life was complex and full and, her ideas and intellect still developing at the time that her life was cut short. Historians entering the field are bringing new research and new perspectives on Anne’s story. For instance, the recent investigations by Kate McCaffrey into Anne Boleyn’s printed Book of Hours not only led to the discovery of since ‘cleaned’ inscriptions, but that both Katherine of Aragon and Thomas Cromwell also owned the same book. Curious for two reformers and one ideologue to own the same book, and this has indeed challenged some of the accepted history of all three people. The answers may not be known yet to the questions but the fact the questions are being asked shows that there is new history, and new understanding of existing history, to be uncovered. It’s a great exercise in keeping one’s mind open and flexible to accept new ideas. You will be able to watch Kate McCaffrey talk about Anne’s Book of Hours and the discovery of Thomas Cromwell’s book and what questions and challenges to the accepted narrative that has thrown up, as one of the talks which will be available in Patreon.
I don’t know about you, but I still find it hard to accept that it was deemed right for a person to be beheaded under clearly false pretences. Not just Anne of course, five men; George Boleyn, Henry Norris, William Brereton, Francis Weston and Mark Smeaton, lost their lives alongside her and many more lives were destroyed through the loss of their children, husbands, brothers and fathers.
Anne was clearly intelligent, learned, talented but, we can only wonder what type of Queen she would have become if Henry had remained as besotted. For example, could she have prevented the full scale dissolution of the monasteries, for she was becoming increasingly concerned with the plans?
So, I think Anne’s story endures for its brutality, tragedy, complexity, brevity, and because, through her story, we are continuing to learn more about her and the times in which she lived.
Would you like to join The Anne Boleyn Tour in 2024?
**New Dates to be Released**
Due to the huge demand for The Anne Boleyn Tour, I have decided to put another one on in 2024! The dates will be 30th April - 4th May 2024, the price will be the same as for the tour which is running 16th - 20th May.
The itinerary will differ slightly to the 16th - 20th May one but the elements will remain largely the same. Our Tower of London visit will coincide with the day on which Anne was brought to the Tower, a prisoner. She has never left.
If you were already on the waiting list for 2025, you will have received an email from us to ask if you would potentially be wishing to come on these new dates. Thank you to all of those who have replied. It looks like we have enough people to run the tour! So, ensure you get first “dibs” by joining Patreon, where spaces will be available 7 days prior to general release.
Put your questions to Gareth Russell
Gareth is a historian, author and royal commentator. He has written nine books, including The Palace (which will be released later this year), The Ship of Dreams, Young and Damned and Fair, The Emperors, and Do Let’s Have Another Drink.
I will be interviewing Gareth soon and Patrons are being requested to put forward their own questions for Gareth, on any part of his work. The Patron questions will be asked after the end of the main interview and make up the extended, ad-free Patreon only episode, to which Patreons get access to 7 days before the interview is released on Youtube.
This week I am away to a very special place, with 500 years of history. I shall tell you all about it next week. Also, keep and eye out on my Instagram page to see what I am up to - click here to go to Instagram.
Until next time, take care
Philippa x