What are your thoughts about Anne Boleyn?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, she was wrongfully murdered. She was accused of infidelity to an insane degree, with a half-dozen men, including her own brother. It’s been reviewed and historians agree that she was not guilty of infidelity.

She was probably guilty of having a pre-contract to Thomas Howard, but it’s not her fault that Archbishop Cranmer worked with Henry and the Howards and the Boleyns to have it put aside.

She was absolutely no angel, but she also helped tear down Catholicsm’s iron grip on all aspects of life in that country at that time. She helped to crack the door that her daughter Elizabeth blew down, creating a country where people had more access to religious freedom, more access to reading Christian texts in English, more personal freedom.

She also helped create a world where women could be ennobled and own land in their own right. She is the first woman to be granted a patent of nobility in her own right.

If you are unaware of how much she directly worked to establish Protestantism in England—alongside Cromwell, who eventually turned into her enemy—you need to read a few of her modern biographies. She oversaw an entire council that was a precursor to Henry’s reformation.

Thomas Howard was her uncle. She wasn't pre-contracted to him. Do you mean Henry Percy?

I love it when the experts appear on DCUM. MUCH more interesting.

YES this is the content i am here for. Not just the instant “Divorce him!” comments in the Relationships (non-explicit) forum

(Although tbh if anyone deserved the “divorce him!” statement,
it would certainly be terrible old henry viii)

Does anyone know if there is a book or play that takes a “once upon a time in hollywood” approach to the anne boleyn story?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, she was wrongfully murdered. She was accused of infidelity to an insane degree, with a half-dozen men, including her own brother. It’s been reviewed and historians agree that she was not guilty of infidelity.

She was probably guilty of having a pre-contract to Thomas Howard, but it’s not her fault that Archbishop Cranmer worked with Henry and the Howards and the Boleyns to have it put aside.

She was absolutely no angel, but she also helped tear down Catholicsm’s iron grip on all aspects of life in that country at that time. She helped to crack the door that her daughter Elizabeth blew down, creating a country where people had more access to religious freedom, more access to reading Christian texts in English, more personal freedom.

She also helped create a world where women could be ennobled and own land in their own right. She is the first woman to be granted a patent of nobility in her own right.

If you are unaware of how much she directly worked to establish Protestantism in England—alongside Cromwell, who eventually turned into her enemy—you need to read a few of her modern biographies. She oversaw an entire council that was a precursor to Henry’s reformation.

Thomas Howard was her uncle. She wasn't pre-contracted to him. Do you mean Henry Percy?

I love it when the experts appear on DCUM. MUCH more interesting.

What are your favorite non-fiction books about the Tudors and Anne Boleyn? (Or have you read literally anything beyond Philippa Gregory?) I was typing fast and swapped out one person’s name in the middle of about five different thoughts.

I'm the person who corrected about Henry Percy and could not be more delighted that literally anyone thought that was the remark of an expert.

I like Alison Weir's Lady in the Tower. I also like a book called the Creation of Anne Boleyn by Susan Bordo. I'll think about other ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She had 6 fingers.

What happened to the other 4?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, she was wrongfully murdered. She was accused of infidelity to an insane degree, with a half-dozen men, including her own brother. It’s been reviewed and historians agree that she was not guilty of infidelity.

She was probably guilty of having a pre-contract to Thomas Howard, but it’s not her fault that Archbishop Cranmer worked with Henry and the Howards and the Boleyns to have it put aside.

She was absolutely no angel, but she also helped tear down Catholicsm’s iron grip on all aspects of life in that country at that time. She helped to crack the door that her daughter Elizabeth blew down, creating a country where people had more access to religious freedom, more access to reading Christian texts in English, more personal freedom.

She also helped create a world where women could be ennobled and own land in their own right. She is the first woman to be granted a patent of nobility in her own right.

If you are unaware of how much she directly worked to establish Protestantism in England—alongside Cromwell, who eventually turned into her enemy—you need to read a few of her modern biographies. She oversaw an entire council that was a precursor to Henry’s reformation.

Thomas Howard was her uncle. She wasn't pre-contracted to him. Do you mean Henry Percy?

I love it when the experts appear on DCUM. MUCH more interesting.

YES this is the content i am here for. Not just the instant “Divorce him!” comments in the Relationships (non-explicit) forum

(Although tbh if anyone deserved the “divorce him!” statement,
it would certainly be terrible old henry viii)

Does anyone know if there is a book or play that takes a “once upon a time in hollywood” approach to the anne boleyn story?

The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory. She has a whole series on the Tudors but I think this is her most famous. She does her homework and if you read the notes, is very honest about where she is inventing and where she very firmly grounded in historical fact, as well as where she is taking liberties with things scholars have speculated about but cannot be known.

The book is interesting because it is focus on, literally, the "other" Boleyn -- Mary Boleyn, Anne's older sister, who was Henry's mistress for many years before he divorced Catherine and married Anne. She is believe to have had two children by Henry, though never acknowledged, and her relationship with Henry (very much orchestrated by her family, as was Anne's) paved the way for Anne's marriage. It's a very interesting book. I think they might have made a movie based on it, though if so, I never saw it. Is that maybe the one with Natalie Portman? I can't remember. But the books I very good. I haven't liked Gregory's other books as much.

[Anonymous]

Wow, shocked to see how many lovers of Tudor history we have here on DCUM.

I read a lot of fiction and nonfiction set in 16th century Europe. Checkout On the Tudor Trail website; next year is a course (all online) called 365 Days with the Tudor Queens. Early registration (with discount) ends on August 1st.

I love the Talking Tudors podcast hosted by Natalie Grueninger (she is a noted Anne Boleyn expert).

Check it out if you are looking for more intellectual stimulation than what DCUM offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, shocked to see how many lovers of Tudor history we have here on DCUM.

I read a lot of fiction and nonfiction set in 16th century Europe. Checkout On the Tudor Trail website; next year is a course (all online) called 365 Days with the Tudor Queens. Early registration (with discount) ends on August 1st.

I love the Talking Tudors podcast hosted by Natalie Grueninger (she is a noted Anne Boleyn expert).

Check it out if you are looking for more intellectual stimulation than what DCUM offers.

OMG, you are my person. I love the Tudor Trail!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, shocked to see how many lovers of Tudor history we have here on DCUM.

I read a lot of fiction and nonfiction set in 16th century Europe. Checkout On the Tudor Trail website; next year is a course (all online) called 365 Days with the Tudor Queens. Early registration (with discount) ends on August 1st.

I love the Talking Tudors podcast hosted by Natalie Grueninger (she is a noted Anne Boleyn expert).

Check it out if you are looking for more intellectual stimulation than what DCUM offers.

OMG, you are my person. I love the Tudor Trail!

I’m signed up for the course. Maybe we will meet (virtually) online.

Another idea: Through Wondrium, there is an online course called “A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts” by Professor Robert Bucholz. It is excellent.

[Anonymous]

There’s a book being released by D.C. historian and author, Leah Redmond Chang, called Young Queens. It’s being released in a couple of weeks and I have pre-ordered. Sounds interesting - might appeal to DCUM history buffs.

[Anonymous]

I just finished reading Wolf Hall. Thomas Cromwell is the main character but it is very much focused on Boleyn. That book definitely gives the impression that anne had a fair amount of agency — was active in planting religious reforms in Henry’s head (like having a. English gospel before it was legal). The whole notion of doing “everything but” with the king for seven years shows an extraordinary sense of will. And as PP pointed out, she really negotiated for a lot of benefits for herself prior to the marriage. It seems like she and Henry had a very volatile relationship though, and it’s at least implied that the sex wasn’t actually that good (plus the pregnancy dies limited that) so once they were married, their relationship faltered. There’s also some historical suggestion that Henry had a genetic blood condition that may have contributed to mental decline as he aged — eg paranoia.

I don’t know the evidence for her fidelity but I wouldn’t be surprised if she were having an affair if only to increase the odds of a male heir. Henry clearly had a problem and if her future hinges on a male heir it might have been fit to look for a sperm donor. I actually would love to see a dna analysis of Elizabeth I and Henry …. She is the only one of his kids that didn’t have massive health problems.

[Anonymous]

In a world of Henry VIII's wives, be an Anne of Cleves. She never consummated her marriage to Henry and got tossed out with a big settlement. She outlived all of Henry's wives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No she deserved it.

How did she deserve to be beheaded,? Do you know anything of English history!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There’s a book being released by D.C. historian and author, Leah Redmond Chang, called Young Queens. It’s being released in a couple of weeks and I have pre-ordered. Sounds interesting - might appeal to DCUM history buffs.

Thanks, I will definitely check it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just finished reading Wolf Hall. Thomas Cromwell is the main character but it is very much focused on Boleyn. That book definitely gives the impression that anne had a fair amount of agency — was active in planting religious reforms in Henry’s head (like having a. English gospel before it was legal). The whole notion of doing “everything but” with the king for seven years shows an extraordinary sense of will. And as PP pointed out, she really negotiated for a lot of benefits for herself prior to the marriage. It seems like she and Henry had a very volatile relationship though, and it’s at least implied that the sex wasn’t actually that good (plus the pregnancy dies limited that) so once they were married, their relationship faltered. There’s also some historical suggestion that Henry had a genetic blood condition that may have contributed to mental decline as he aged — eg paranoia.

I don’t know the evidence for her fidelity but I wouldn’t be surprised if she were having an affair if only to increase the odds of a male heir. Henry clearly had a problem and if her future hinges on a male heir it might have been fit to look for a sperm donor. I actually would love to see a dna analysis of Elizabeth I and Henry …. She is the only one of his kids that didn’t have massive health problems.

Guessing you’ve watched the miniseries, Wolf Hall. If you have not, it is a MUST SEE. You can purchase it on iTunes or Prime Video. I also heard today in a podcast that they are in production of The Mirror and the Light (the third of the Mantel trilogy).

[Anonymous]

She is the weirdest person in my neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

I like the Not Just the Tudors podcast.

Queens of England podcast is really great for deep cleaning your house with headphones on. You can start at the beginning of the British monarchy and go straight through I believe. Tbh my interest in British history basically ends when Henry dies.