ANNE BOLEYN & HENRY VIII.   Term Paper ID:20489 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Relationship of king & his second wife, her role in history of England, her lovers, politics, charge of adultery & beheading.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Relationship of king & his second wife, her role in history of England, her lovers, politics, charge of adultery & beheading. Paper Introduction: Anne Boleyn was the second of the wives of King Henry VIII of England, and she was reported to be his favorite wife. The details of her life can be given in a short space--she was only 28 or 29 when she died at the hands of her husband, beheaded because she did not provide him with the heir (male) that he desired (she was the mother of Elizabeth I). She was born around 1507 and died in 1536. Henry became infatuated with her while he was married to Catherine of Aragon, and in order to marry the girl he had to divorce his wife, a step that required breaking with the Roman Catholic Church. Anne and Henry were married in January 1533, and Anne gave birth to Elizabeth in September. Henry soon lost interest in Anne, however, and after the stillbirth of a boy in 1536, he had her arrested and tried for adultery. She was beheaded on May 19, 1536. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Anne was then given a place among thewomen of Queen Catherine (Lofts 95). Anne had determined that shewould be queen or nothing, and she seduced Henry into the same frame ofmind. Ever since the sixteenth century there has been disagreement over this, and even sedate scholars of the later twentieth century seem strangely committed in their attempts at demonstrating that Anne did or did not share Thomas Wyatt's bed (Ives 83-84).This may have been only a matter of courtly love, a form of Platonic lovebased on certain principles of admiration-from-a-distance: Courtly love was an integral element in chivalry, the complex of attitudes and institutions which was central to the life of the Tudor court and elite. The situation that developed when Henry persuaded Anne to become hisbride would bring the nation into conflict with the Roman Catholic Church.At first, the machinations were carried on in secret, but in time thepeople learned through rumors of Anne Boleyn's candidacy to replace theQueen. Anne Boleyn might be considered the best-known of all England's Queenconsorts. Catherine was cheered wherever she went, while Wolsey and Campeggio(ambassador to the papacy) were stoned and cursed. Works CitedAlbert, Marvin H. He alsobeheaded another wife, accusing her of unchastity as he had Anne. Percy fought back but was crushedby Henry's position and threats. The Challenge of Anne Boleyn. Theprincipal source for the Percy story is a biography of Cardinal Wolsey inwhich George Cavendish writes as an apparent eyewitness. Of particular interest here is Henry's marital career, which beganbefore he became king when he married Catherine of Aragon, the daughter ofFerdinand II and Isabella I of Spain. Percy was married off to a daughter ofthe earl of Shrewsbury, and Anne then nursed an implacable hatred forWolsey. In addition, she was guided by her father, who saw that Annehad to react to the king's wooing with maidenly unavailability, feigningmodesty as Henry's passion for her expanded (Erickson 76). Henry was born at Greenwich on June 28, 1491,and was the second son of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty, andElizabeth of York. The final act of the story was the disintegration of Percy, whosucceeded his father as sixth earl of Northumberland but whose marriage andpersonality collapsed thereafter. In fact, chivalry was an idiom through which society managed to say many things and regulate many important relationships (Ives 84-85). She wasborn around 15 7 and died in 1536. Henry VIII was king of Englandfrom 15 9 to 1547, and he instigated the Reformation of the English churchin order to secure a divorce Catherine of Aragon, as noted. The popular view wasthat Henry had simply tired of his old wife and wanted a new one, while amore practical segment of the population thought that this signaled abreach between England and Spain, which would harm the wool trade. By this time the king had in factfallen in love with Anne Boleyn. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1965."Anne Boleyn." Academic American Encyclopedia, online edition, Grolier Elecdtronic Publishing, Danbury, Connecticut, 1993.Bruce, Marie Louise. The mostlasting effect of the liaison with Anne was the creation of the Church ofEngland, an institution that stands today. Henry was angryand dismissed Wolsey, replacing him in 1532 with Thomas Cromwell, whoproposed that England break with the papacy so that the archbishop ofCanterbury, the highest officer in the English church, could grant thedivorce. The birth of Elizabeth was met with criticism. With great respect, it is suggested that there are certain persons, Henry being one, who can entertain diametrically opposite opinions at one and the same time, with equal conviction (Chapman 72).At any rate, Henry was successful in persuading the City Fathers to hispoint of view (Chapman 71-72). Anne urged Henry to forge stronger bonds with France as a way ofgaining support, and so the affair between the two did indeed harmrelations with Spain to a degree. But, either because of virtue or ambition, Anne refused to become his mistress and thus follow the conventional, inconspicuous path of her sister; and the more she resisted, the more, apparently, did Henry prize her (Scarisbrick 149). Percy was attracted to the girl, but Henry admired herand had Wolsey warn Percy to stay away. The Wyatts moved in thesame social circles as the Boleyns and were also neighbors. New York: Basil Blackwell, 1986.Lofts, Norah. . Henry VIII. Henry moved against the Pope by declaring that Englandshould be free of all Papal rule. Erickson also finds that Anne was morethan a desirable girl who aroused his passion: She was an elixir of hope. These bare facts do not explain much about the woman or her role inthe history of England. At the worst she could have only anticipated divorce (Lofts 97). To modern eyes this may appear a tissue of artificialities which fails to disguise the ephemeral nature and conspicuous waste of tournaments, pageants, dances, and masques. Anne and Henry were married in January 1533, and Annegave birth to Elizabeth in September. . Henrywas now free to marry Anne, and the Church of England was also establishedas an independent national church, no longer in communion with the RomanCatholic church or the pope (Academic American Encyclopedia, onlineedition, 1993). It is not likely that Henry sought therupture with Rome, though as things developed that rupture was seen asindispensable to England's sovereignty. Charlesdominated Italy during this period, and because of his influence PopeClement VII could not grant Henry's request. Whatever the truth of the relationship between Anne Boleyn and ThomasWyatt, her relationship with Henry was marked by a resistance on her partthat fired him all the more. New York: Summit Books, 1984.Hackett, Francis. He said he really had no wish to part fromCatherine but had no choice: Not unnaturally, this piece of oratory has been described by most historians as one of unblushing insincerity and brazen disingenuousness. But, far- sighted as [Anne] was she could hardly, one thin=ks, foresee the end of the road for which this miscarriage was the beginning. Anne Boleyn. "A Woman's Place?: Learning and the Wives of Henry VIII." History Today, 38-42.Erickson, Carolly. Things changed with the nextpregnancy: Then Anne miscarried, late enough in the pregnancy for male characteristics to be visible in the embryo. When the lawsstood in his way, he changed the laws or destroyed those (like Sir ThomasMore) who challenged his right to do so. He tells howPercy was brought up in Wolsey's household while Anne was a maid of honorto Queen Catherine. He decided that his marriage displeased God,and he found justification for this in a biblical text (Leviticus 2 :21)which held that marriage to a dead brother's widow is forbidden. First, Henry was no ordinaryman and no ordinary king. Though Wolsey was made the scapegoat for a time, thus securingAnne's revenge on him for earlier slights, the real problem was the Popeand not Wolsey. Anne was educated largely abroad, insharp contrast to her rival, Catherine, and Anne's cultural intereststended toward the French as well (Dowling 39). On her mother's side she was related to the Howards who wereDukes of Norfolk, while on her father's side she was related to theBoleyns, men who married well or had done well in business. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1939.Ives, E.W. He died in 1537. When the King of france died, Mary Tudor married one ofher brother's lords without consulting the King, so she came home indisgrace, Anne Boleyn with her. Historians note that it is impossible to present the chronology ofAnne's rise precisely, but by 1525 or 1526 it seemed that any lighthearteddalliance Henry might have been carrying on with this young girl hadblossomed into much more. Henry assembled theCity Fathers and explained the situation to them noting that he wanted anheir and that Catherine had not given him one. She had made friends in her lifetime who were reported to haveconveyed her body in secret to a more suitable location where she wasburied under a plain, unmarked slab in a Norfolk church, near where she wasborn. 22, 15 9. According to tradition, Anne was involved with two other men beforeHenry after she returned from France, the first Henry Percy, heir to theearldom of Northumberland, and the other Thomas Wyatt the elder. She was tried by her peersand convicted, and in deference to her position she was beheaded by a swordrather than an axe. Anne Boleyn. Many men were glad to be freed ofthe need to pay Papal dues, but this was offset by sympathy for the Queenand a dislike of Anne personally. The Divorce. There are mysteries involved in her burial. Henry's behavior with Anne set a lifelong habit, and he married fourmore wives in an attempt to get a male heir, which he never did. The new marriage seemed happy for a number ofyears, but Henry became concerned because Catherine had borne no male heirto continue the Tudor line. Anne Boleyn is not reported to have been fair, and some have calledher downright plain and even sallow, black-haired, and black-eyed. He had desires and appetites that were close toinsatiable. Woodstock, New York: Overlook Press, 1989.----------------------- 1 The earliest mention of her in court circles comeswhen Henry VII succeeded in marrying his younger daughter, Mary, to theaging King of France and sent Anne Boleyn along with her as a very younglady-in-waiting. Familytradition holds, though, that Thomas first met Anne at court after she hadreturned from France: What we cannot assume is the nature of the relationship between Anne Boleyn and Thomas Wyatt. Queens of England. The story has been addressed in a novelby Francis Hackett drawing on the Cavendish account. However, Henry was thoroughly tired of divorce, and he accused Anneof adultery, which in a Queen is an act of treason. He recalled for them theproblems of civil wars and noted that if he died without an heir, greattroubles would follow. Henry had wanted aboy, of course, and many who disapproved of what he had done in marryingAnne used this as an opportunity to say so once more. He disposed of his power and property tospite his family. New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1974.Dowling, Maria. The necessary legislation was passed by Parliament in 1533. Havingcome to this belated decision, Henry ordered his chief minister, CardinalWolsey, to approach the papacy for a decree that the marriage was invalidand that Henry was free to marry again. There was certainly an appeal in becoming thesweetheart of the king: Pride, ambition, the allure of royalty itself all would have drawn her toward her lover, his power a strong aphrodisiac and his passion sparking an elemental, if not a romantic or personal, response to her (Erickson 76).Erickson believes two things held Anne back. Henry would make himself the head of thechurch, a very different church in that respect but otherwise relativelyunchanged. In emphasizing the uncertainty about precisely when Anne became thetarget of Henry's affections, Carolly Erickson notes that Anne had beenthere as a presence for some time. A divorce trial was held inLondon in 1529, but it was adjourned without a decision. Henry accepted the daughter, seeing hope in thefact that Anne could have a child at all. She was notimportant when she was born, and both the date and the place of her birthare in some dispute. Mistress Anne. Anne Boleyn. Other stories claim that she was buried in the TowerPrecincts. Her role was much bound with the reign of KingHenry VIII and with his sense of himself as absolute monarch, able to dowhatever he wanted in order to accomplish what he desired. Berkeley: University of California, 1968.Vercors. Henry finally had an order passedby which members of the clergy were forbidden to obey any edict withoutfirst obtaining the assent of the king, and this was a flat defiance of thePope's authority (Vercors 131-132). He was larger than life and had a uniquecapacity to inspire dread. Anne Boleyn was the second of the wives of King Henry VIII ofEngland, and she was reported to be his favorite wife. The patron of the church will not allow the slab to be lifted, andthe church is said to be haunted (Lofts 97-98). New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1972.Chapman, Hester W. The attitude of thepublic toward all this was ambivalent. Catherine wasthe first of his six wives. On the death ofhis older brother, Prince Arthur, in 15 2, Henry became heir apparent andsucceeded his father on Apr. Forboth reasons, these demonstrations were encouraged. The struggle to achieve a divorce extended over a period of fiveyears. Anne's power was increasing during this time even though she was notyet queen, and she managed to get her revenge on Wolsey and have himreplaced because of his failure to secure the divorce decree from Rome,though her triumph was overshadowed by the fact that she was still part ofa triangle (Bruce 145). Anne and Henry had a secret, privatewedding in the face of such sentiments, as well as because by that time shewas pregnant with Elizabeth (Lofts 96-97). In the normal course of events, such a liaisonwould not have mattered to the history of England but only to theconscience of the king: She would have been used and discarded--along with those others whom Henry may have taken and who are now forgotten. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, 1977.Scarisbeck, J.J. Catherine had previously been hisbrother Arthur's wife. Henry soon lost interest in Anne,however, and after the stillbirth of a boy in 1536, he had her arrested andtried for adultery. Queen Anne Boleyn. Henry became infatuated with her whilehe was married to Catherine of Aragon, and in order to marry the girl hehad to divorce his wife, a step that required breaking with the RomanCatholic Church. She hadtwo other physical drawbacks--a huge mole the size of a strawberry on herneck, and an extra small finger on her left hand: But she also had that indefinable thing called style; even her ways of disguising her defects were so stylish that other ladies, with no moles on their necks, took to wearing necklaces like dog-collars; ladies with the normal number of fingers had their sleeves made extra long to dangle over their hands (Lofts 95). In Rome, theMilanese ambassador stated: "The King of England has had a daughter by hisnew wife, which shows that God disapproves of his unholy designs andappetites" (Albert 199). This is the story Cavendish tells, andit probably has some basis in truth. Henry was not about to become as Protestant, but as head of hisown church he could choose the Archbishop of Canterbury who would declarethat his marriage to Catherine was null and void. He received a good education, particularly in languagesand theology, and he also delighted in music, composing a number of songshimself, and in sports, especially hunting and jousting. The jumbled fragments of his disordered life fell into place one again around her. The details of herlife can be given in a short space--she was only 28 or 29 when she died atthe hands of her husband, beheaded because she did not provide him with theheir (male) that he desired (she was the mother of Elizabeth I). Catherine opposed the annulment, as didher nephew Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain. She issaid to have been buried in an old arrow box that was too short for her,since she was quite tall, and that this was without her severed head lyingbeside her. Her friendship with Thomas Wyatt, the first great Tudor poet, hascaptured the imagination of many who followed. The expectation he had of winning her love regenerated him to renew his kingly triumphs, and to avenge himself on those who had betrayed him (Erickson 75). How much is true and how muchinvented is uncertain (Ives 77-79). The charge was broughtagainst her that she had committed adultery with no fewer than five men,one her paid musician and one her own brother. She was beheaded on May 19, 1536. Anne was fully aware of the fate of the mistressin most cases, and her sister Mary, unlike her in every way, had previouslybeen Henry's mistress and had been abandoned. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.