Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn: a love story. Love is like death

Anne Boleyn: a ghost with a residence permit It is said that at least one ghost "lives" in every castle in the UK. The Tower of London is especially popular among the "ghostly brethren", which is not surprising: after all, this is one of the most ancient buildings in England - its age

Anne Boleyn (c. 1500-1536) ... no sovereign has yet had a more devoted wife and more true love than you found in the person of Anne Boleyn ... Anne Boleyn was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Ormond, and Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, Duke

Anne Boleyn to Henry VIII (May 6, 1536) Sir, Your Grace's displeasure and my imprisonment came as such a surprise to me that I have no idea what to write and what to apologize for. Since you sent to me (wanting me to confess or plead for your indulgence)

Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn My beloved and my friend, my heart and I place ourselves in your hands, in humble prayer for your kindness and that your affection for us would not decrease while we are not around. For there will be no greater misfortune for me than

Anne Boleyn was born between 1501 and 1507. Her father, Thomas Boleyn, was the son of a wealthy man, William Boleyn. Her mother Elizabeth Howard came from an old family.

Of all the wives of King Henry VIII of England, Anne Boleyn is the most famous. She fascinated the English king more than 500 years ago, but to this day her personality is subject to various characteristics and rumors. She was called a whore and a destroyer family hearth, a soulless intriguer and a peasant who would stop at nothing to advance, without having any convictions of her own.

Anne Boleyn was rarely called a beauty, but even the most sworn enemies recognized her as a charmer. Heinrich was defeated by her one look, just her smile. A pretty face, a lively mind, a modest but cheerful look, swarthyness and black hair - everything gave her an "exotic" look in that environment, accustomed to seeing beauty in milky pallor. Anna's eyes were especially striking - "black and beautiful," like those of a gazelle. The monarch fell in love so quickly and so passionately that those around him attributed his feeling to the action of magic spells.

For years, Anne Boleyn defended herself from the persistent harassment of Henry VIII, refused to become his mistress, and was able to turn his lust into an instrument of her power. At first, Boleyn flirted with the king, believing that such flirting was safe for her. She did not want to enter into a close relationship at all, but the king, of course, wanted more. Anna was stubborn, because she wanted the marriage for which she had always been prepared - a respectable, respectable marriage with a worthy nobleman.

She retired from the court and did not want to return there even accompanied by her mother, but the king did not weaken the pressure. Anna could refer to her desire to preserve honor and chastity, but Henry VIII did not honor these virtues. She hoped that sooner or later he would be able to switch to another maid of honor, but this did not happen either. She did not have the slightest opportunity to successfully marry, since any potential chosen one knew about Henry's attitude towards her.

At the beginning of May 1527, French ambassadors arrived in England to negotiate the marriage of the growing Princess Mary, and the king decided to arrange a holiday in honor of the guests. After the invariable tournament in such cases and the masquerade that followed it, Henry VIII, to the unspeakable amazement of the ambassadors, went to the feast not with his lawful wife, but with a young black-eyed woman. He had danced with her before at various holidays, but this time he appeared officially for the first time, and two weeks later he took the first, still secret, steps to achieve his goal - to achieve a legal marriage with Anne Boleyn.

The king thought that it would be easy to convince the pope of the necessity of his new marriage, and therefore he was not particularly worried about this. Anna was much more worried, because not all subjects and even courtiers could fully support Henry VIII. As head of state, the king was supposed to strictly observe the rules of conduct and be guided by moral principles no matter what actually happens behind closed doors royal quarters. But as soon as the marriage is known, there will be such a public excitement that it will be difficult to calm down, and besides, it may be complicated and international situation.

The king talked about divorce: Henry needed a son, and the only way to do this was through a divorce from Queen Catherine of Aragon. If the queen agreed to go to the monastery, then the spouses could quite officially divorce, and then the king could take new wife legally.

For Catherine of Aragon, this step was not a sacrifice, since at that time there were monasteries in which people of noble birth led a secluded life, resting from the bustle of the world and not particularly burdening themselves with observing the charter of monastic life. They were even allowed to surround themselves with luxury, inaccessible to ordinary monks, and enjoy almost complete freedom. Such a decision could suit everyone, and Heinrich even decided to give ex-wife a valuable reward and leave her daughter the right to inherit the throne if the new queen had no sons.

Among the people, there was a wary attitude towards Anna, and even openly hostile. Is their king really going to leave his lawful wife for her sake? After all, it is known that for a long time she lived in France - this vicious and hostile country to England, and therefore does not deserve any other name than "French whore". The situation for Anne Boleyn was worse than ever: the subjects hated her even before she became their queen. Henry could have married Anna if Pope Clement VII had deemed his marriage to Catherine of Aragon illegal. But the supreme pontiff, when resolving this issue, was clearly dragging out time, and the king was burning with impatience.

The marriage between the king and Catherine of Aragon had to be officially terminated by someone. This was done by decision of the church court, which sat in the monastery of the city of Dunstable. And on May 28, 1527, Anne Boleyn officially became Queen of England. The king made every effort to make Anna's coronation a festive event, but the birth of Princess Elizabeth was a heavy blow for Henry VIII, because court astrologers unanimously assured that he would have a son.

Heinrich had already prepared a speech and ordered the organization of a tournament with which the birth of an heir should have been celebrated. The tournament was canceled and the festivities cut down to the level of a girl's birth. But the christening passed with due solemnity.

The passion of the king after that did not fade at all. They were with Anna not only lovers, but also allies in the struggle against Catherine of Aragon and against the Pope. But the death of the unborn son put an end to this all-consuming passion. The very features that Anna once captivated and fascinated Heinrich now fed up with him, and he began to get involved in other women. And then the day came when the new passion of the king was not an accidental affair. Heinrich decided that he was in love again - in love with Jane Seymour, who was very different from Anna.

As at the beginning of courting Anna, Henry this time did not even think about marriage: his subjects still hoped that he would leave Anna Boleyn and return to Catherine of Aragon. But to reject Anna and marry again - this could cause not only a scandal, but also civil war. In addition, he himself could become a laughingstock for all of Europe.

After the death of Catherine of Aragon, Anna had one hope left, but it was the greatest hope: she was again expecting a child. Whatever love affairs Heinrich entertained, she would be safe if she bore him an heir. But this time the child was not born either ... Anna is not able to give him a son, which means that she, like Catherine of Aragon, is not a “real” wife. And the king decides to get rid of her and marry Jane Seymour.

Edward Seymour, brother of the new royal favorite, became close to the supporters of Princess Mary (daughter of Catherine of Aragon) and quickly became involved in a conspiracy against Anna. But she did not recognize the illegality of her marriage to the king, just as Catherine of Aragon did not recognize him. She also does not recognize the announcement of her daughter as illegitimate: since there is no son, Princess Elizabeth will inherit the throne. Edward Seymour and his accomplices gave Jane instructions on how to deal with Henry VIII, and she obediently carried out their advice.

The conspiracy was expanding, and Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex, had to quickly find something that would justify the king's hatred of Anne and easily force his pliable conscience to bow to the death sentence. Cromwell decided that adultery might be appropriate in this case. In itself, of course, it is not punishable by death, but in the case of Henry, everything can be different: if the queen has a lover, then she wants to marry him.

And it will be possible to do this only in the event of Henry's death; but to hope for the death of the king is already a crime, this is already treason and a conspiracy. But even here one must be on the alert: they will begin to compare the merits of rivals, and if the alleged lover turns out to be young and handsome, then the queen has turned away from the powerless old man. If the lover is old and unattractive, it will come out even funnier: some kind of garden scarecrow has set its horns on the king. It would be good to catch Anna in connection with one of the servants who were most often with her. And even better, if the queen turns out to have more than one lover, so that she appears in her insatiable and unnatural passion as a real monster. Then no one will dare to blame Heinrich, because he was bewitched by a woman whose depravity is akin to Satanism.

Once the queen was talking with the royal groom Henry Norris, who was one of her friends. He had long been engaged to one of her ladies-in-waiting, and Anna asked why he did not marry. Henry Norris replied that he would wait a little longer, but it seemed to Anna that he was in no hurry to marry the maid of honor because the position of the queen herself was very precarious. And she attacked him with accusations that he decided to marry ... on her.

Norris was dumbfounded and began to prove that he did not even think about anything like that. Between Anna and him in front of everyone there was a noisy quarrel. Only after calming down, Anna realized what she had done - after all, the witnesses could think about the close relationship between them! And she ordered Norris to go to D. Skip - the royal manager for the distribution of alms - and "swear that the queen is a respectable woman." Unfortunately for both, Norris agreed.

T. Cromwell, meanwhile, did not stop his search and soon discovered another suitable victim - the court musician Mark Smeaton, who was clearly in love with the queen and sighed that she was unattainable and represented only a poetic dream for him. But one day the musician said that it was enough for him just to see Anna, and this was immediately put on the list of evidence against Anna by T. Cromwell. Smeaton was captured and taken to the house of T. Cromwell, where he was interrogated for a whole day: “Where did he get such beautiful clothes? Did the queen give him money? Were they alone in her quarters? Did they agree to kill the king?

It was said that Smeaton's confession was torn out under torture, because he had not been distinguished by stamina before, and now he completely lost his spirit, especially after T. Cromwell called for "two strong fellows", and they either tightened or loosened the rope around his neck . Or perhaps the musician was simply threatened with the death of a traitor: they won’t hang him, they’ll gut him alive. People of a noble family, as a rule, avoided this kind of fate, and convicts from the estate of M. Smeaton, who were recognized as treason, were supposed to be punished "in full". And the court musician told the investigators everything they wanted to hear: yes, he carnally knew the queen, and she paid him money for this. After that, he was imprisoned in the Tower and shackled.

After some time, Norris was accused of adultery with Anna. The amazed courtier began to deny such an obvious absurdity, but also ended up in the Tower. A few hours later, Anne Boleyn was also arrested, accused of adultery with Norris, Smeaton, and another man whose name has not come down to us. Henry ordered her to be imprisoned in the Tower - in the very chambers where she spent the night before the coronation. Her jailer testified that at first Anna fell to her knees and began to cry, "and being in such grief, now and then burst into loud laughter."

However, soon Anna realized that she was doomed. “Mr. Kingston,” she turned to the jailer, “will I really die without justice?” To this he primly replied that "even the lowest of the king's subjects is granted justice." But Anna, in response, only burst out laughing: should she not know what the king's justice was!

Meanwhile, Heinrich hesitated. He wanted a divorce from the queen, but he was ready to let her drag out her life peacefully if she confessed everything. But Anna wrote the following:

Sovereign! Your Majesty's displeasure and my arrest are so strange that I don't know... what am I to blame. I immediately understood the meaning of your offer of pardon, for my old sworn enemy passed it on to me. If, as you say, a frank confession can ensure my safety, then I am ready to carry out your order. But don't think that your wife will ever be forced to plead guilty to a crime she never thought of. In truth, no sovereign had such a faithful, devoted and loving wife, which you found in Anne Boleyn, and she would remain so forever, if it were pleasing to God and you ...

You have chosen me, your loyal subject, to be the queen and friend of your life, which I did not want and was not worthy. If you, for your part, found me worthy of such an honor, then do not deny me your royal favor ... do not allow an undeserved spot to darken your good reputation faithful wife and the infant princess, your daughter. Put me on trial, good king, but let the trial be lawful, and do not let my enemies be my accusers and judges...

This is a bold demand for legal and open court confused the queen's enemies, because they did not have a single direct evidence against her, and there were not many chances to get them. Four women were assigned to her. All of them were her enemies. But this was the intention of T. Cromwell, who expected that they would report everything to the jailer; he, in turn, will inform him, and he will whisper to the king what he considers necessary.

Anne Boleyn's father was not arrested and was not even accused of anything, but he was so afraid of the very possibility of arrest that he did not dare to ask Henry for anything, rightly judging: the less they remember him, the better. And the daughter? Well: if she could not stay on the throne, then she herself is to blame for what happened. Other courtiers did not stand up for the queen, and only Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, mourned her. He even hinted to Heinrich that perhaps he was making a mistake:

“I am so perplexed that my mind is in confusion, for I have not held a better opinion of any woman than of her, which leads me to think that she is innocent.” However, the king wanted to believe in the guilt of the queen, and the archbishop did not dare to do more, so that he himself would not be recognized as Anna's supporter. Heinrich also made sure that the queen's friends did not bother him with requests or any information about her that could make him change his mind.

The trial took place in the Royal Hall of the Tower, where 2,000 spectators crowded. The queen entered, keeping calm and composure throughout the whole time, while T. Cromwell read out the accusation. Anne Boleyn was accused of adultery and treason, as if she seduced men "by means of shameless speeches, gifts and other deeds," and they "by reason of the meanest incitement and enticement of the said queen, succumbed and bowed to persuasion." Subsequently, the queen and her lovers "thought and pondered the death of Henry VIII", after which she promised to marry one of them as soon as the king died. And she had miscarriages because the queen satisfied her lust during pregnancy.

Anna was even accused of the fact that Henry VIII, having learned about her debauchery, was very upset, and this sadness caused him bodily injuries [It is not known whether the king was falling from his horse during the tournament or about the ulcer on his leg that bothered the king].

The queen was also accused of poisoning Queen Catherine of Aragon and plotting to poison her daughter Mary. To this Anne Boleyn replied with a categorical “No!” Many spectators who came to the court to laugh at the fall of the queen, and who did not doubt her debauchery, were already then touched by the obviously ridiculous accusations against her and the injustice of the trial. But the court and jurors still found her guilty and sentenced her to death by burning or beheading - "at the discretion of the king."

Anna's mood in the days that remained for her often changed: either it seemed to her that the king would cancel the sentence and send her to a monastery, then she began to imagine a picture of her death, or she burst into laughter and assured that her new nickname "Anna Sans Tete" ("Anna Headless"). She spent a lot of time in prayer, finding solace in religion, which always meant a lot to her.

Jailer Kingston testified: “I happened to see many men, and even women, awaiting execution, and they were sad and mourned. This same lady finds death joyful and pleasant. The last hours allotted to her for earthly life, the queen spent before the crucifixion. She became very weak and often fainted. But when she found out that Heinrich had decided to execute her anyway, whether she was guilty or not, her courage returned to her again.

Death came for Anna on May 19, 1536. The jailer gently explained to her that death would be painless, since the king called for an executioner with a sword, and the sword would do its job faster than the ax. Anna ran her hands over her neck and laughed: "I heard that the executioner is a master, and my neck is thin."

T. Cromwell and some of his supporters wanted a secret execution, but, despite Taken measures, the people still gathered. Anne Boleyn wore a gray dress trimmed with ermine fur; her hair, tucked under a net, exposed her white neck. The scaffold was deliberately made so low that people could not see the execution in all its details, but two women were allowed to stay with the queen until her last minute. She asked for forgiveness from everyone whom she had once offended; and she herself forgave everyone - even the murderers who put her to death. She was very sorry for the king, but did not reproach him for anything. The reflection of the sun flashed on the blade of the raised sword, and Anna Boleyn's head rolled away from the chopping block ...

She died 477 years ago, after all the English nobility watched with interest her ascension to the throne. For her sake, he decided to hint at a divorce from the current Queen of England. Their union was not accepted by the public, but living together was bright, allowing you to experience the whole range of feelings from love to hate ...

She…

Thanks to the benevolence of Henry VIII to Anna's father, a successful politician and an ambitious man, the girl was placed among the ladies-in-waiting of Margaret of Austria, Regent of the Netherlands. She spent her childhood in Belgium, where she was warmly spoken of. Later, Anna and her sister will go to France to become ladies-in-waiting in the retinue of the pious Queen Clodia of Valois. Unlike her sister Mary, Anna did not succumb to the temptations of the French court - she was not attracted to becoming just one of François I's mistresses. The girl had far-reaching plans. When relations between France and England became, to put it mildly, cool, among the ladies-in-waiting English queen Catherine of Aragon appeared and the Boleyn sisters. Anna was of a delicate build, with long black hair and dark eyes, plus her education, knowledge of languages ​​and talent as a poetess. She also supported the translation of the Bible into English language and patronized the people of art. In addition, it was she who introduced the fashion for the French hood headdress. She was witty, charming and lively. At the French court, she was called the "mirror of fashion." But in England in those days, the generally accepted canons of beauty were completely different parameters.

However, as soon as her engagement to the Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, was decided, the King of England intervened...

He…

Together with the crown, after his sickly brother Arthur, Henry received his wife, Catherine of Aragon - in 1505, an agreement was reached between the English and Spanish courts that Catherine would marry younger brother when he is 15 years old. Pope Julius II issued a dispensation - a special permit for the second marriage of Catherine, despite the commandment of the Bible: "If anyone takes his brother's wife, it's vile; he discovered his brother's nakedness, they will be childless ..."

England rejoiced - a sporty, fit, charming, first-class archer inspired hope for a brighter future for his loyal subjects. He was adored by scientists and reformers for his enlightened mind. He was a polyglot (Latin, Spanish, French, Italian!) and played the lute well.

Catherine of Aragon

However, evidence from contemporaries has survived that the education of the king "miraculously" coexisted with despotism and numerous vices. Alas, despite the "family castling", the marriage of Heinrich and Katerina did not bring long-awaited results - Katerina could not conceive, and, consequently, the throne was left without an heir. Until she appeared on the horizon ...

For the first time, Henry VIII saw Anna on March 1, 1522 at the court masquerade "Virtue": the King had a costume of "Sincerity", Anna - "Perseverance". Anna went on the "offensive" immediately after Henry, in conversations with her, began to regret his childless marriage with Katerina. But for a long time the king did not dare to offer Anna anything higher than the status of "the only mistress." This, of course, did not suit her. For Heinrich, such relationships were new - for the first time in his life, he independently sought an approach to a woman. Anna for some time disappeared from the field of view of the king. And he decided to divorce Katerina - she had long lost her ability to give birth. In addition, Henry found an excellent reason for his unsuccessful marriage: Pope Julius II should not have given the green light to their wedding.

Anna is back. And agreed to belong to Henry body and soul. In addition, Anna's pregnancy became an additional reason for the decisive actions of the English King. The divorce from Katerina dragged on for seven years. January 25, 1533 - before receiving official papers from the Pope - took place secret wedding Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. Anna's coronation took place on May 29 of the same year. It is noteworthy that the bow of the ship on which Boleyn went to the coronation was a dragon spewing flames. Alas, the birth of his wife brought Henry disappointment - a girl, the future Elizabeth I, was born. In addition, he was extremely surprised and annoyed that Anna decided to breastfeed the baby on her own. Perhaps this was the beginning of a split within the family - Anna was capricious and jealous, and she flatly refused to obey her husband (unlike the complaisant Katerina). The old wound, which opened after a fall from a horse during a tournament in 1536, added fuel to the fire. The character of Heinrich was rapidly deteriorating - he was bothered by the claims and jealousy of his wife. In addition, young Jane Seymour appeared on the horizon - she fully met the canons of beauty in England (besides, the people did not like their new queen). Thoughts of divorce began to stir in Henry's head again. And thanks to Prime Minister Thomas Cromwell, Anne was accused of treason. The process has begun.

Anne Boleyn's trial took place in the main hall of the Tower. The king was not present. Anna calmly listened to both the accusation of treason, and witchcraft, and the sentence. As a "privilege", instead of a fire for the execution of the Queen of England, an executioner from France was specially sent out, who executed her on May 19, 1536 by cutting off her head with a sword ... The scaffold was covered with black cloth, and the sword was hidden between the boards. Spectators - about a thousand, only Londoners (no foreigners) - led by the mayor of the city, came to witness the first execution of a queen in the history of England. She, in a gray damask dress trimmed with fur, climbed the first step of the scaffold and addressed the crowd with a speech: “I will die according to the law. I'm not here to blame anyone or talk about what I'm being accused of. But I pray to God that he save the king and his reign, for there has never been a kinder prince, and to me he has always been the most gentle and worthy lord and sovereign. I say goodbye to the world and from the bottom of my heart I ask you to pray for me. Boleyn fell to her knees and repeated: “Jesus, take my soul. O almighty God, grieve for my soul." Her lips were still moving when it was all over. The ladies covered the queen's body with a simple coarse sheet and carried it to the chapel of St. Peter, bypassing the fresh graves of her "lovers" who had been executed a few days earlier. Then they undressed her and put her in a small, carelessly knocked together coffin, barely placing a severed head there.

Henry, who received the news of the execution, immediately ordered Jane Seymour to be brought to him. Eleven days later, on May 30, 1536, they got married. Jane Seymour died, giving birth to the king's son, for whom he had so many times entered into a deal with the devil.

And in 1558, the unforeseen happened, as often happens in history - fate smiled at Elizabeth, Boleyn's daughter, who looked like her father and who fully inherited from her mother her character and ability to influence people, manipulating their thoughts and feelings. The people called the princess to the throne, and to the cheers of the Londoners and the roar of the artillery of the Tower, Elizabeth occupied the fortress as the Queen of England and remained so for many years.