Prince William
Famous Astronauts
Nelson Mandela
Kanye West
My Ghost Story
I Survived
Liberace
Leonardo DiCaprio
Annie Oakley
I Survived
Quick Facts
Best Known For
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, served as queen of England in the 1530s. She was executed on charges of incest, witchcraft, adultery and conspiracy against the king.
Videos see all videos
-
-
Henry VIII - Did You Know? (2:05)
Henry VIII - Did You Know?
You know he had six wives, but there was a lot more to this famous king.
Quiz
Think you know about Biography?
Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.
Play NowAnne Boleyn. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 10:51, Jun 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/anne-boleyn-9218155.
Anne Boleyn. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/anne-boleyn-9218155 [Accessed 19 Jun 2013].
"Anne Boleyn." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 19 2013, 10:51 http://www.biography.com/people/anne-boleyn-9218155.
"Anne Boleyn," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/anne-boleyn-9218155 [accessed Jun 19, 2013].
"Anne Boleyn," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/anne-boleyn-9218155 (accessed Jun 19, 2013).
Anne Boleyn [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/anne-boleyn-9218155.
Anne Boleyn, http://www.biography.com/people/anne-boleyn-9218155 (last visited Jun 19, 2013).
Anne Boleyn. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/anne-boleyn-9218155. Accessed Jun 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Anne Boleyn was born circa 1501, likely in Bickling (Norfolk), England. She was the second wife of King Henry VIII—a scandalous marriage, given that he had been denied an annulment from his first wife by the Roman Church, and that his mistress was Anne's sister, Mary. Thusly, King Henry VIII broke from the Church to marry Anne. She gave birth to a daughter, but could not sire a son. On May 19, 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed on false charges of incest, witchcraft,
Quotes
"I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord."
"Your wife I cannot be, both in respect of mine own unworthiness, and also because you have a queen already. Your mistress I will not be."
adultery and conspiracy against the king. Her daughter, Elizabeth, emerged as one of England's greatest queens. Anne Boleyn died on May 19, 1536, in London, England.
Early Life
Anne Boleyn was born circa 1501, likely in Bickling (Norfolk), England, the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, who would later become earl of Wiltshire and Ormonde, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Howard. Living in France for a time during her youth, Anne returned to England in 1522 and soon established a residence at King Henry VIII's court as maid of honour to Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's queen consort at the time.
By the mid-1520s, Anne had become one of the most admired ladies of the court, attracting the attention of many men, among them Henry Percy, the 6th earl of Northumberland. When Henry VIII caught wind of Lord Henry Percy desired marriage with Anne, however, he ordered against it. Around this same time—whether it was before or after Percy's interest in Anne developed is uncertain—the king himself fell in love with the young maid. What is known is that Anne's sister, Mary Boleyn, one of the king's mistresses, had introduced her to Henry VIII, and that the king wrote love letters to Anne Boleyn circa 1525.
In one of the king's letters, he wrote to Anne: "If you ... give yourself up, heart, body and soul to me ... I will take you for my only mistress, rejecting from thought and affection all others save yourself, to serve only you." Anne replied with rejection, however, explaining that she aimed to be married, not a mistress: "Your wife I cannot be, both in respect of mine own unworthiness, and also because you have a queen already. Your mistress I will not be."
Anne's response surprised Henry VIII, who is believed to have had several mistresses at that time, reportedly entering into these adulterous relationships because he badly wanted a son, and Catherine of Aragon had not borne a male child. (Queen Catherine would not bear a son that survived infancy throughout the duration of their marriage, from 1509 to 1533; the couple's first child to survive infancy, Princess Mary, was born in 1516.) But Henry was desperate to have Anne, so he quickly configured a way to officially abandon his marriage with Catherine. In his petition for annulment to the pope, he cited an excerpt from the Book of Leviticus stating that a man who takes his brother's wife shall remain childless, and claimed that he and Catherine (who was his brother's widow) would never have a son who survived infancy because their marriage was a condemnation in the eyes of God.
profile name: Anne Boleyn profile occupation:
Your Connections
Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.
Profile Connections
Included In These Groups
-
Loved to Death
View groupWhen one lover attacks another in a moment of unbridled emotion—or tries to eliminate their romantic competition—it's traditionally been known as 'a crime of passion.' These days, fits of rage over lost love are often chalked up to 'temporary insanity.' Whatever you call them, crimes committed in the name of love have been part of our cultural history since ancient times. Here are some of the most famous examples of passion-gone-wrong, from those who couldn't bear to part with their true love to those who found themselves on the receiving end of an obsessive romance.
Loved to Death 18 people in this group
-
Beheaded
View groupWhether by sword, axe or guillotine, death by beheading was historically considered the most humane form of death sentence—as long as the executioner was swift, strong and good at hitting his mark. While the practice was never legally supported in the United States, we do give the method a nod in this country whenever we use the term "capital punishment"; the word "capital" is derived from the Latin "capitalis," which translates to "of the head." Here are some of the most famous victims of this gruesome form of execution.
Beheaded 14 people in this group
-
Famous Queens
View groupThey are the famous women who were born into royalty, or found their way to it by marriage, and grew up to be the ecelectic empresses who have inspired countless stories, books, plays and films. As Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, a celebration of her 60 years on the throne, the queens who have long been admired—some for thousands of years—for their grace, public charm, dedication to philanthropy, finesse and fashion sense, come back into the spotlight. Explore the lives of notable queens such as Cleopatra VII, Queen Rania and Anna Ivanovna, from the time they were crowned, to their tragedies and milestones as rulers and consorts.
Famous Queens 30 people in this group
