Ma Reine (Anne Boleyn Historical Fiction)

Background Information

                                                                     Background Information

Anne Boleyn was Henry VIII's second wife/queen consort during the Tudor dynasty and was queen consort of England and Marquess of Pembroke from 1533 to 1536. She was eventually executed on charges of incest, adultery and treason. Anne Boleyn is considered to be England's most controversial and infamous queen in history; due to the fact Henry VIII broke from Rome to divorce Catherine of Aragón in order to marry Anne. 

It was once speculated that Anne Boleyn had a sixth finger on one of her hands, but historians now deem this as a rumor that had caused havoc among the English court. She is also known to be the mother of one of England's most significant and successful monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I. 

As an adolescent, she was sent to France to serve the French queen consort, Queen Claude. She stayed there for seven years until she returned to England. When she had returned to England, she was one of Catherine of Aragón's ladies-in-waiting until Anne Boleyn was noticed by King Henry. Anne Boleyn was defiant to Henry's attempts to seduce her for years until she finally agreed to marry him.

Henry VIII sought out to get a divorce from Catherine of Aragón from Rome but when Rome refused to grant Henry a divorce, Henry appointed himself as the Head of the Church of England. Eventually, success was his when he got a divorce and was free to marry Anne.

In 1533, Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII married and had Princess Elizabeth. However, trouble was always never far away...

Anne Boleyn suffered three more miscarriages and in 1536, she was found guilty on charges of adultery, incest and treason. These charges were eventually found to have been false and the creator of those charges, Thomas Cromwell, was executed in 1540. In May 1536, Anne Boleyn was executed on Tower Green at the Tower of London. Today, her body lays at Church of St Peter ad Vincula in London.

If you wish to learn more about this fascinating and extraordinary woman, I recommend these sources:

- The Anne Boleyn Files

- Wikipedia (though not 100% reliable information because it can be edited by anyone)

- BBC History - Anne Boleyn