Anna is the heroine of the reformation. Execution of anne boleyn. The king's family problems

Anne Boleyn was born in 1501 according to some sources and in 1507 according to others. She was executed on May 19, 1536 in London. She was the Queen of England, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England Tudor in 1533-1536. Anne Boleyn is the mother of Queen Elizabeth I of England, the last of the Tudors.

Date Disputes

The exact date of Anna's birth has not been established due to the fact that the parish records from that period have not been preserved. The probable dates were 1501 and 1507. They were taken from the surviving letters of Anne Boleyn herself - one addressed to her father, Thomas Boleyn, in 1514. The French language in which it was written was not native to her, but the handwriting managed to form well. Therefore, a version appeared that she was then 13. This was the minimum age when a girl could be accepted into Margarita's retinue. Another letter from the end of the 16th century has survived, testifying to the fact that the year of her birth was 1501. But based on two other sources, memoirs of friends, at the time of her death she was not even 29 years old. And in the almanac of William Camden, the year of her birth is indicated - 1507. Camden had access to the state archives.

Family

Anne Boleyn's father became the Earl of Wiltshire thanks to his daughter, and he was also the Earl of Ormond. He was a gifted diplomat who enjoyed the favor of King Henry VIII. The latter often sent him on diplomatic missions to different countries.

The mother of the future Queen Anne Boleyn is Elizabeth Howard, a woman from an old aristocratic family. She was a maid of honor for 2 queens - Elizabeth of York and Catherine of Aragon. Both Anna's father and mother in their family history had relatives among the Plantagenets.

At the time of the appearance of Anne and Maria Boleyn, their family history was highly respected in the country. They were prominent representatives of the aristocracy of their time. They lived in Blickling. The education of the sisters was the most typical for the girls of their position.

They studied arithmetic, family genealogy, grammar, history, reading, spelling, household management, handicrafts, foreign languages, dancing, singing, good manners. Like any aristocrat of England, Anne Boleyn was engaged in archery, horse riding, playing cards, chess.

When the future queen was not yet 12 years old, Margaret of Austria drew attention to her and invited her to court. Anne Boleyn's life at the Tudor court began when she joined the retinue of Mary Tudor. Initially, Henry VIII's sister was supposed to marry the French king Louis XII, but he died. Mary Tudor returned to England. Subsequently, for 7 years, Anna was the maid of honor of the French queen Claude of France. Then she completed her education.

Appearance

The portrait of Anne Boleyn was composed by her contemporaries as follows: a girl of medium height, slender, her dark hair was thick. She had dark eyes, full lips, and her skin was olive. She was distinguished by a sharp mind, elegance and cheerfulness, at the same time she was a strong character.

Those who saw her noted that she was attractive, but they created different portraits of Anne Boleyn.

So, the Venetian Marino Sanudo, who met her in 1532, noticed that she was "not the most beautiful woman in the world", had an average build, dark skin, a long neck, wide mouth and low chest, her eyes were dark and beautiful.

She was called by the French poet Lancelot de Carle "so graceful that she looked more like a Frenchwoman than an Englishwoman."

Simon Greenet wrote in 1531 that Anna was "young, pretty, dark-skinned."

But her descriptions, compiled half a century after her death by Nicholas Sanders, were as follows: “Anne Boleyn was quite tall, with black hair, an oval face of an earthy color, as if after“ jaundice ”. They say she had a protruding tooth under her upper lip, and six fingers on her right hand. She had a "hair cyst" under her chin, so to hide the defect, she wore a dress with a high collar ... She was attractive, with beautiful lips. " Of course, after the reburial of Anna's remains, it became obvious that she had five fingers, but not six.

It can be traced that Boleyn was temperamental, direct, outspoken and inclined to command. She, like any strong person, was not liked by everyone, but adherents appeared around her. In particular, attracted by her attraction in the matter of faith to Luther.

Court life

By 1522, relations between France and England were strained. At the same time, the first exit at the court of Heinrich Tudor Anne Boleyn took place. And it was a performance in which the girl herself played along with other aristocrats.

She became more and more popular. Those who were familiar with her noted the sophistication of her manner, pleasant voice, lightness and energy. Anne Boleyn's biography of this period was full of positive moments - she enjoyed universal attention, but as befits real seductresses, she did not pretend that she worried about it. Also, knowing about the many rumors that circulated about her sister Mary at court, she kept her life a secret. Mary, as it was then believed, had an affair with King Francis I, a number of court men, as well as with Henry Tudor. Anne Boleyn, however, had an affair with him herself.

Disease

Anna's life in 1528 was in great jeopardy. A sweating fever epidemic broke out in London this year. This disease is shrouded in secrets to this day. It proceeded hard, taking with it the lives of many, including noble persons.

Because of her, the king, together with Anna, left the city, moving from place to place. However, Boleyn's beloved maid was soon infected. And her mistress fell ill. After leaving, the king wrote to Anna that he was sure that she would recover, since women more often recovered from the disease. He gave her the best doctors who could then only be.

In reality, a sick man was doomed, but a more hardy female body in 50% of cases prevailed over sweating fever. According to the surviving descriptions, the symptoms of the disease were as follows. At first, there was a strong chill, and after 3 hours the person was sweating very much, then delirium began with severe pain in the heart.

It all started suddenly and developed within 24 hours. Already after this period, the patient often died. If he fell asleep during the day, then instantly died. However, if after 24 hours he was still alive, then he went to recovery.

Anna moved to her parents' house and prepared for the unknown. The doctor sent to her by the king fought desperately for her life. The methods of treatment were as follows: the patient had to be constantly warm. Therefore, in her room, they always kept a fire in the hearth, closed all windows and doors so that the heat would not go away. The clothes in which Anna was dressed were pre-warmed over the fire. She drank only warm water with wine, to which herbal infusions were added to support her heart.

Anna survived the first day. Then the doctor soldered her with his own potion with dozens of herbs. The thing is that in those days it was believed that a medicine with fewer than three ingredients was ineffective. The more expensive the remedy was, the more herbs it contained.

The entire population considered the epidemic a divine punishment due to the cruelty of Henry. And he, trying to justify himself, invented his medicines, trying them on the women of the court. It was women who usually survived, and Henry took advantage of this, claiming that he had found a panacea. He spread the drug throughout England, but people died invariably.

In the end, no cure for the disease was found. After a while, she calmed down, and then completely disappeared. At the moment, sweating fever does not exist, and doctors are racking their brains over what kind of illness it was.

Queen

For the first time, Henry and Anna met at a solemn event in 1522. Henry did not express much sympathy for his future wife until 1526, he was married to Catherine of Aragon for 17 years, betraying her at the same time. He justified himself by the fact that he did not have a son with his wife.

During this time period, Anna was betrothed to the Earl of Henry Percy. But the couple's parents were against their marriage, and the wedding did not happen. According to some reports, Boleyn and Henry had a hand in the destruction of Anne's marriage: he liked the girl. She lived for several years in the family estate, and only in 1526 returned to the court as the maid of honor of Catherine of Aragon.

From that moment, the love story of Anne Boleyn and Heinrich began. He gave her many expensive gifts, wrote letters, inviting her to be his mistress. However, the girl always remained at a distance from him, refusing his offers. She aimed at wives, not mistresses. The marriage with Catherine at that time with the king was falling apart. The impulsive king did not like his wife, he was indignant at her because of the absence of a son from them, as he announced to everyone.

He needed a spouse to strengthen the power of his dynasty, and he wanted a male heir. Moreover, in his betrayals, he was unrestrained, he had many favorites. The wife understood all this. Next to the impulsive and dangerous king, one after another, her children were born weak, died in infancy. His subsequent wives, who lived in great stress, had miscarriages. Despite the fact that Henry changed many wives, he never achieved an heir with such tactics: after his death, girls ruled the country.

Anne Boleyn's biography is notable for the fact that this girl influenced the most important event in the history of England - independence from the Vatican. When the king was inflamed with feelings for Anna, he turned to the Vatican to annul his alliance with his wife. A special examination was needed so that the king did not have the consequences of this marriage. Catherine protested: such a decision meant life in a monastery for her, deprivation of her title, and her daughter from Henry would become a bastard. Catherine persuaded her relative to take the Pope hostage, and the examination was postponed. 7 the king fought for marriage to Boleyn.

And it was this move that provoked the King of England to sever relations with the Catholic Church. From now on, England did not depend on the will of the pope. By doing this, he achieved a wedding with Anna. In 1531 he relocated his ex-wife Catherine from the courtyard. Heinrich and Anne Boleyn got married a year later. Soon they had a child. Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn, becomes a disappointment for the king. Only his love kept him in marriage. Having charmed the king, Anna preserved the union and protected the child from the indifferent cruelty of her father. Anna felt fear for the fate of her daughter. Elizabeth was sent to Hatfield House with her own courtyard.

His first daughter from Catherine - Maria - he has already deprived of the title and all privileges. He recognized her as illegitimate and not entitled to the throne. Thanks to the efforts of the new queen, the daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, they managed to live in peace for some time.

In 1534, a bull was issued by Rome stating that the previous marriage of the king to Catherine was valid. Rome ordered him to return to his lawful wife. However, Henry's response was the First Act of Succession, which emphasized that Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, was illegitimate.

Heinrich did not refuse his new passion, having increased the staff of her servants in comparison with the disgraced wife to 250 people. Taking money from the country's budget, he bought a lot of jewelry, new furniture and dresses for his beloved. This did not please the people, who blamed the queen for everything.

Anna herself begins to actively participate in the political life of England. She helps the king and holds meetings with a number of ambassadors and diplomats. But her reign did not last long, since a year after the birth of Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, the queen has a miscarriage. Relations between the couple worsened. Again, the king embarks on a search for a new wife.

Anna does not hide her emotions, she expresses her indignation, and for a while the couple breaks up. The king finds a new favorite - maid of honor Jane Seymour.

Personal life

Prior to the Tudor connection, Anne Boleyn communicated with her admirer Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. The count fought for marriage with Anna, but it was all in vain when the king intervened. Boleyn herself was unhappy when her independence was challenged.

Her connection with the poet Thomas Wyatt is known. He was excited by Anna's sensuality. He himself was married, and Anna did not have special feelings for him, openly declaring that she was not interested in the role of a mistress.

Charges and executions

In 1536, news came of the death of Catherine of Aragon. The next day, Anna and Heinrich put on yellow robes. In England, this color symbolized a holiday, and in Spain, in the homeland of the deceased, it was considered the color of sorrow, complementing black. This is probably how the king and queen expressed their condolences.

The newly pregnant Anna understood that she was in an extremely dangerous position if a male heir did not appear in the family. With the death of Catherine, the king could marry and divorce freely. He also started flirting with Jane Seymour. On the day of Catherine's funeral, probably due to severe nervous tension, Anna suffered a miscarriage.

The stillborn male child was the beginning of the end of the marriage. When the woman regained consciousness, the king announced that witchcraft forced him to marry her, and he was contracted against his will. At the same time, Heinrich gave chambers to the new favorite at court.

Historian Eric Ives theorized that Boleyn's execution was planned by her former ally Thomas Cromwell. He argued with her over the distribution of the church's income, which had been confiscated. She wanted to send them to charity and the development of education in the country, to support an alliance with France. And he planned to appropriate part of the funds for himself, and part - to send to an alliance with Charles V. But many historians do not agree with this version.

To remarry, the king decides to eliminate Anna. He accuses her of high treason and unfaithfulness in marriage. For this, the death penalty was threatened. As lovers, he presented the woman's friends - Henry Norris, William Brerton, Francis Weston, Mark Smeaton and even her brother George.

In 1536, her musician Mark Smeaton was arrested by Henry's servants, who denied having any connection with the queen. However, he was tortured, and later retracted his first testimony and confessed, most likely, to the promise of freedom in having a love affair with her.

People of noble birth were not tortured. All "lovers" denied having an affair with the queen. But this did not stop anyone.

Already in May 1536, Anna was arrested and taken to the Tower. Anne Boleyn was aware of the proximity of the execution. She was aware of what was happening and was preparing for the death sentence. When Cromwell died, among his papers was discovered the last letter from Anna to Henry, which he never delivered to him. Boleyn assures the king that she is loyal to him, asks for an open fair trial, which will prove her innocence. She asked to release the innocent. However, the authenticity of the letter is still disputed by historians. Its original has not survived to this day.

On May 12, 1536, 3 out of 4 accused men in court denied their guilt, and Smeaton, who was tortured, pleaded guilty. Three days later, Anna and her brother George were accused of incest and high treason, which was believed to threaten the right to the throne and was punishable by execution by hanging, gutting and quartering for men and burning alive for women.

Curiously, the jury that ruled the execution of Anne Boleyn was chaired by Henry Percy, her former lover. When the unanimous decision of the jury about Anna's guilt was announced, he lost consciousness. He died 8 months later, leaving no heirs.

On May 14, 1536, Cranmer announced that the marriage of the king and Anne was invalid. All of the accused were executed on 17 May. Henry replaced the execution by burning alive by decapitation with a sword for Anna, who was killed two days later.

According to some reports, while awaiting execution, the queen wrote a poem. But its authorship is disputed. On May 19, 1536, before dawn, Boleyn confessed and swore that she had not cheated on her husband. In the morning she made a short speech on the scaffold, her mantle with an ermine was removed from her, her hair was removed under her headdress. Saying goodbye to the ladies-in-waiting, she knelt down and was blindfolded. One blow was enough to kill her. She was buried in an unmarked grave. They found her remains in 1876, then, during the reburial, and it was found that the presence of six fingers on her hands is nothing more than a myth invented later.

Details of the verdict

Anna's trial was carried out in the Tower, where 2000 spectators gathered. The queen entered the hall calmly, calmly. She sat like that all the time Cromwell read the accusations. She was accused of adultery, sexual intercourse and seducing men "through shameless speeches, gifts and other deeds," and they "because of the most despicable incitement and lure of the aforementioned queen, succumbed and bowed to persuasion."

It was indicated that in the future, Anna and her lovers "thought and contemplated the death of the king," and then the queen agreed to become the wife of one of them immediately after the death of Henry.

The prosecution also pointed out the reasons for the queen's miscarriages - she allegedly had sexual relations with men during pregnancy, which is why there were such consequences.

The text of the accusation even contained passages that she was guilty of the fact that when the king found out about her debauchery, he was so upset that he suffered bodily harm. Probably, it was about the case when Heinrich fell from his horse at a tournament a few days before the trial, or about an ulcer that he had on his lower limb.

Boleyn was also accused of poisoning Catherine of Aragon and plans to poison her daughter, Maria. Anna categorically denied all this.

Many of those who were in the courtroom, initially pursuing the goal of enjoying the fall of a noble person, were already touched by the absurdity of the accusations and the unfairness of the process. When the verdict was read, the Earl of Norfork, who announced it, wept.

But if the king decided to do this, he went to the end. To contradict him meant certain death for everyone together with Anna. Boleyn was sentenced to death by the court and jury.

Anna experienced mood swings during those days. Sometimes she joked that her new nickname would be "Anna without a head."

According to the story of her jailer Kingston, she prayed a lot while in captivity. “I happened to see many men, and women as well, awaiting execution, and they grieved and grieved. This same lady finds death joyful and pleasant, ”he said.

Rehabilitation

The Queen has a 2-year-old daughter left to live. After the death of Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth began to rehabilitate the image of her mother.

The birth of Elizabeth did not make anyone happy, her father was saddened and angry at her birth. Nevertheless, the celebration in her honor was magnificent. Parents rarely visited their daughter, settled at Hatfield House, although Anna was attached to her. When Henry married again, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. All of the king's marriages had no legal consequences.

In 1537, the new queen, Jane Seymour, gave birth to a son, Edward, to the king. She tried to reconcile Heinrich with his innocent daughters. But he didn't want to see Boleyn's daughter.

When Jane died, Heinrich married three more times. He executed some of the wives, and divorced others. All this was watched by Elizabeth, who survived the murder of her mother's father. To the last wife of Heinrich, his stepmother, the girl at the age of 9 became especially attached. And her execution shocked her to the core.

Elizabeth grew up as a girl who protested against marriage. She never married.

As a result, she became queen. Since that time, Anne Boleyn was perceived as a heroine of the English Reformation, a martyr. All this led to the fact that she was recognized as one of the most influential queens of England.

Actually

No accusations against Anne Boleyn of treason can be recognized as reliable. Henry VIII was considered an unusually brutal and extravagant monarch. He suffered from a variety of health problems. According to recent studies, the irreversible changes in his psyche that made him an unhealthy person were caused by a genetic disorder.

The 16th century, when this king ruled, is considered a shameful page in the history of England.

Henry passed the "vagrancy law." According to him, all the ruined peasants were simply hanged. It was a simple way, following which one did not need to help people and wait until they regain material wealth.

During this period, the prices of wool were rising. Keeping sheep became profitable and landlords raised rents. As a result, the peasants became unable to pay for plots of land, since their value exceeded the profit they received from the harvest. For this reason, there were many ruined peasants. And their king gave the order to hang. During the reign of the extravagant king, 72,000 people were executed.

The king indulged his desires, placing them above the interests of the state. The cruelty extended to subjects, children, and wives. Human life was absolutely not valuable to him, and the slightest offense was enough for execution. Anne Boleyn became the wife and victim of such a person.

Memory

Although not a single lifetime original of the Queen's portrait has survived, which would not have raised questions from specialists, Anna often appears in paintings. There are many portraits of her.

The opera Anne Boleyn was written in 1830. It is being staged to this day. Dozens of films about Anne Boleyn were released until 2015. They were played by Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer and many other stars. Each film repeats the story of this outstanding personality.

Almost 500 years later, her story excites many minds. Anne Boleyn: The King's Passion was written about her by Alison Weir. In the work, the author makes an attempt to restore justice to this dramatic figure in the history of England. The woman was hated by her subjects, slandered in front of her husband. But the book sheds a different light on her life.

Among other things, there are legends that her ghost is wandering in England. She is seen in different buildings. The girl was so energetic and cheerful that it is believed that even after 5 centuries she is present among the living. Someone is showing the ghost of Anne Boleyn in the photo.

Last wish

It is known that for the execution of his wife, Henry, "the most intolerable bastard, a shame for human nature, a bloody and greasy stain in the history of England," according to Charles Dickens' description, chose an executioner from France. There are several versions of why this was done.

According to one of them, upon learning that the king's falsified accusation required the beheading of the queen, the executioners were filled with horror and refused this role. Even money was not a convincing argument for them. And the authorities ordered otherwise, calling the executioner from another country.

According to another version, it was his grace. Since the summoned executioner was a professional, known for chopping off a victim's head in one stroke, this made death quick.

Throughout the Middle Ages, and in some places the tradition is still observed, before the execution, the executioner dined with the condemned. And in this regard, the story of Anne Boleyn has survived to this day. According to her, while communicating with the executioner, she asked him to fulfill her last wish. And he fulfilled it, going through imprisonment, torture and many trials.

Legends

There are stories that the ghost of the executed Anna constantly raised fear in the Tower guards until the 19th century. Dozens of soldiers were tribunalized for abandoning their posts or fainting when they saw a white silhouette holding a head in their hands.

Once the guard noticed that the windows of the locked chapel were shining from the inside, and looked into it. In complete darkness, he saw a massive ghost - Anna with a whole retinue of the royal court, after this incident he conducted excavations in that place. The remains of Anne Boleyn were found under the floor. Then they were buried again with all the honors, and then the ghost ceased to make the guards feel horror.

The Tower Ghost of Anne Boleyn is the only officially recognized ghost of this place. They call him the "White Lady". Sometimes he is seen in a funeral carriage with horses without heads. In addition, every year on the eve of the date of her execution, Anna walks around the fortress in London, holding her own head in her arms.

There is another legend about the queen. So, according to her, her heart was removed when she died. He was taken to Suffolk County, where she lived happily for several young years. In 1837, during excavations in a chapel in this area, a heart-shaped box was found right in the wall, in which there was a handful of ashes inside.

The lead box was buried with honors and a plaque in memory of Anne Boleyn was placed on the burial site.

Ann Bolein. Queen for 1000 days.

10 Interesting Facts About Anne Boleyn.

The queen who changed the course of English history, the woman who was able to charm a king who had been married for almost 20 years ... and who dared to set her own rules for religion.

1) Even the age of Anna's birth is not known exactly. Some historians indicate the date 1499, which refers to the 15th century, while others ... tend to believe that this was the period from 1502-1507. (16th century). Anna was born in England (Hever)
One can only guess about the real date of birth of the queen.

2) Anne Boleyn is a woman who changed the history of an entire country. Anna was a staunch Protestant. While, the bulk of Europe was ruled by the Roman Catholic Church.

3) Anna was the second and most famous of the wives of Henry VIII
The first meeting between Anna and the English king was a reception in honor of the Spanish ambassadors in 1522. At that time, Anna was about 14 years old.

By this time, the marriage of the king with Catherine of Aragon had already been 13 years old (since 1509). Mutual claims and fatigue accumulated. Henry VIII constantly accused his wife of the impossibility of giving birth to his heir.
Anna's next return to the court is attributed only to 1525-1526. The king resumed his courtship. But the girl was in no hurry to respond to his attempts at rapprochement. She did not want the fate of a mistress.
And Henry, increasingly tormented by the desire to get an heir (by this time he had a daughter Maria, who later received the nickname bloody), decided to offer Anna not the status of a favorite, but the status of a wife and queen.

4) Many women gossiped about an amazing girl who managed to melt the heart of the king, a girl who, not possessing dazzling beauty, knew how to seduce and lead men.
She was even credited with the presence of 6 fingers on her hand and a third breast.

5) The seven-year marriage battle.
After the official proposal to Anna, Henry needed to get a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The Catholic Church, led by the Pope, was categorically against this.
Then the king created the Church of England, independent of Catholicism.

6) In 1533, Anna delighted the king with the long-awaited news of her pregnancy. And on January 25, 1533 ... in the strictest confidence ... King Henry VIII of England and Anne Boleyn were married.
But the new wife of the king was not as accommodating as Catherine. The wayward Anna began to establish her own rules, promoting and introducing Protestantism everywhere.

7) Dreams of the birth of an heir soon vanished when Anna gave birth to a girl. The girl was named Elizabeth.
(The age of Elizabeth's reign is called the "golden age of England").
The relationship between the king and Anne Boleyn cooled. Henry VIII began to actively look after one of the ladies-in-waiting, Jane Seymour. Despite this, Anna becomes pregnant a second time. But the situation is aggravated by the fact that the child is born still.

8) Then the king finally decides to get rid of Anna, accuses her of high treason .. and takes her into custody in the Tower.

9) Anna's show trial took place on May 19, 1536. Anna was beheaded with a sword. The king considered it a more humane execution ... because ... the ax would have caused more pain. And the executioner was specially discharged from France.
Anna said about it this way: "I heard that the executioner is an expert, and my neck is thin." Until her last breath, Anna behaved with dignity.

10) Anna's last words before her execution were: “I will die according to the law. I am not here to accuse anyone or to talk about what I am accused of. But I pray to God that he would save the king and his rule, for there was no kinder prince, and for me he was always 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. "
After that, the former queen fell to her knees ... and said: “Jesus, accept my soul. O almighty God, sorrow for my soul ”and was beheaded for the amusement of the crowd.

P.S Just 10 days after the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry marries Jane Seymour.

In the light of International Women's Day, I dedicate the post to the baseness of the Musketeers and honor the lively beauty of Milady.
Few classics are as rife with blunders as Dumas's The Three Musketeers. Not to mention the fact that the entire historical conjuncture of the Richelieu era, to put it mildly, is pushed aside, and the facts are mercilessly reshuffled, within the framework of the novel itself, ends meet. The merry fellow Dumas obviously made fun of the simple-minded reader, lovingly describing the "nobility" of the villainous Musketeers.

Take the lovely D'Artanyan and his relationship with the vile scheming Milady. In general, who is Milady? That's right, France's spy in England. Where does the novel actually begin? From the fact that Rochefort hands over to the recently recruited Milady the order of the Prime Minister of France. (Note: just in this scene, a vile intriguer unwittingly saves the health or even life of D'Artanyan, distracting the "stranger from Meng" from him).

Further, throughout the entire novel, Lady Winter regularly serves the homeland of D'Artagnan, and he himself, his companions, constantly tries to spoil her. In particular, maintaining contact between the French queen (after all, a politically significant figure!) With the Prime Minister of England, relations with which are more than tense. The cardinal is trying to break this connection, and, it should be noted, successfully. And he's a villain! (By the way, although I try not to touch on the history outside Dumas, Buckingham's death prevented the British landing in France. Nothing to say, an excellent reason to execute the murderer!).
And why, in fact, did this enmity between D'Artanyan and Milady start? There were, she had personal reasons even before the poisoning of Constance. And the poisoning was partly revenge for D'Artanyan's bad deeds. But before touching on the hero's misdeeds, let us remember how Milady came to such a life, that is, in other words, how she began her career as an intriguer, seductress and murderer.
She began, according to Dumas, with monasticism, and one fine day, tired of singing psalms, she fled from the monastery with a young priest (we will leave the motive of the insidious seduction of a poor virgin by a 15-year-old girl on the conscience of the Lille executioner - the narrator of this story). They caught the lovers, and even found the priest's church jewels taken on the way. After that, the Lille executioner - the brother of the fugitive - had to personally brand the thief and apostate. And at the same time, under the hot hand, and the failed daughter-in-law. It was, so to speak, a gesture of goodwill - no one asked him about it. And in general, with respect to his brotherly feelings, the stigma was, frankly speaking, illegal, for the young nun was not caught red-handed.
After that, our lovers were able to leave the hateful monastery and settle in the lands of the Comte de la Fer. Understandably, the young girl who had just escaped from the monastery liked everything around her very much. Especially the Count. She liked him so much that she set out to become a countess and became her. Note that, in general, there was nothing dishonorable in either desire or deed. Except perhaps for the concealment of the brand. On the other hand, how do we know how the Countess reasoned? The count’s wife’s lack of virginity didn’t warp - "maybe the stigma will give a ride ... then ... when we finally get intimate ..."
As for the first lover, soon after the marriage of the future Milady and Athos, he left and hanged himself. This is very sad, but confirms the seriousness of the young countess's intentions. Life "on two fronts" was clearly not part of them.
And what? As soon as they have healed like a human being, the count discovers that very (illegal!) Mark on his wife's shoulder (everyone remembers the circumstances: “Hunting into the forest, trumpeting the horns ... the horse collapsed in the heat of the moment”). At that moment, his wife was unconscious, but the count had no time to wait - he, not figuring out who and why had sealed his beloved wife, hung her, insensitive, on a nearby tree and rode off. Then he washed it down thoroughly.
It is clear that, having hung on a bitch to his heart's content in thinking about male psychology, the former countess did not think of anything good. After that, she really behaved very badly. But I still believe that the root of all evil lies in the deep decency of the musketeer Athos.
So, after her resurrection, the offended lady hounded husbands, seduced recklessly, obtained information through the bed and so on (by the way, she began to call herself my lady, having married Lord Winter. She really wanted to have titled children). The more expensive for her was the opportunity to communicate with a man just like that - for the soul. And the body. In short, none other than D'Artagnan came to the meeting with de Vard, whom she was at that moment infatuated with. The sweet mischief-maker spent the night with her on behalf of de Ward. The next day, having come to her on a date already on his own behalf, our prankster could not resist and announced: yesterday, they say, it was me too! Surprise from! But this did not cause delight in the deceived mistress. Yes, she had intrigued against him before. But the desire to strangle the prankster, perhaps, arose only then. And when Milady threw herself on the deceiver with her fists, that very stigma was exposed. Then the hunt for D'Artanyan began as a dangerous witness. Which, in fact, is understandable.
And finally - what good did D'Artagnan do with his friends, besides drinking, walking, working at the whim of the dissolute queen, putting a spoke in the wheels of clever Richelieu?
Perhaps the only thing worth admiring them for is that they were faithful to each other, and even did not change the "owner" (whoever he was).

And now - I'll go and watch the film))))))))) And for some reason, as in childhood, it will be joyful from the cry "One for all and all for one!".

In the early morning of May 19, 1536, a young woman in an ermine mantle ascended to the scaffold opposite the White Tower of the Tower. It was the wife of Henry III, deposed from the throne, Anne Boleyn, whose biography became an example of how short the path is from the love of the august persons to hatred and from the throne to the chopping block.

A childhood that didn't exist

The future queen, born in 1501, and so sadly ending her life on a damp platform with morning dew, came from an ancient and influential family that included the famous Plantagenets. This alone obliged her to meet the requirements that were imposed on the lucky ones, whom fate had prepared to enter the circle of the highest aristocracy. That is why Anna's childhood, spent in the ancestral castle of Hever, was filled not with games and amusements inherent in this happy time, but with endless pursuits with the best mentors of that time.

Anna was eleven years old when she and her younger sister Maria received an invitation to continue their education in Vienna, at a privileged school patronized by Empress Margaret of Austria. After studying for two years and having succeeded in studying arithmetic, grammar, foreign languages, dancing and many more disciplines compulsory for girls from high society, including horse riding, archery and playing chess, the sisters went to France.

Life at the court of Philip I

They arrived in Paris with the retinue of Mary Tudor, sister of Henry VIII. Here the girls complete their education, studying not only French, but also comprehending the intricacies of court flirting. Very soon, Anna's sister, Maria, was so carried away by this science that she did not notice how she was among the mistresses of the ardent but fickle King Philip I.

There is reason to believe that Anna herself was faced with the temptation to respond to the love of the crowned seducer, but, as the future showed, she had far-reaching plans, and the role of one of the king's countless concubines did not at all seduce her. To be fair, she didn't waste her years in Paris. Communicating with the most enlightened people of that era, Anna not only acquired a taste for high poetry and literature, but also imbued with the ideas of religious reform. Subsequently, it was she who initiated the translation of the Bible from Latin into English.

Return to London

When relations between England and France deteriorated in 1522 due to political differences, Anna returned to London. Here she receives a marriage proposal from her cousin - the Irish aristocrat James Butler, and spends some time as his bride, but then the wedding is upset. Obviously, the reason for this was the exorbitant ambitions of the young girl. By this time, fate is preparing a sharp turn in Anna's life. At the court masquerade, held on March 1, 1522, King Henry 8 himself invites her to dance.

The king's family problems

By this time, the English monarch was married to. Having ascended the throne after the death of his younger brother Arthur, Henry was forced for political reasons to inherit his wife, the daughter of the King of Spain. However, the marriage turned out to be not only unhappy, but also unsuccessful in the dynastic sense. During the years of marriage, Catherine was unable to give birth to an heir to the throne. All of her children died in infancy, with the exception of her only daughter, Mary, the future Queen of England, Mary I.

It is known that King Henry 8 Tudor, who received the throne after a long and bloody war between the Scarlet and White Rose, was extremely scrupulous in the matter of succession to the throne. Therefore, even before he met Anna, he was full of desire to resign his spouse, who had not met expectations, and to remarry. This venture was very difficult, since according to church canons, divorce was not allowed, and the Pope would not have given his blessing.

Then, having found a formal, but convincing, in his opinion, pretext, the king tried to recognize the marriage itself as illegal and to achieve its annulment. This, to put it mildly, ugly story stretched for several years, and by the time Anne Boleyn danced with him at the festive masquerade, King Henry 8 had sent his unfortunate wife to a distant castle and consoled himself in the company of several young favorites.

Ambitious maid of honor

He intended to include Anna among them. Recently arrived from France and distinguished by her graceful manner, she knew how to captivate the male gaze with the thoughtfulness of her attire, which combined puritanical stiffness with refined coquetry. But, to his amazement, she rejected gifts and did not allow him to come closer than etiquette allowed. In him, accustomed to female obedience, this caused amazement.

However, everything was explained simply: Anna did not want to share the fate of her younger sister Maria, who for a short time became the mistress of Philip I and was soon abandoned by him. This woman knew her worth and played for high stakes. When the king spoke to her about the childlessness of his wife, she realized that fate was giving her a chance. Poor Anna, she had no idea that she was to become only the next chapter of the tragedy, which can be conventionally called "The villain Henry 8 Tudor and his wife" ...

Intrigue crowned with success

Once in France, observing the customs of the Parisian court, Anna was a good student and perfectly mastered the "science of tender passion." She understood: nothing kindles masculine ardor like the apparent coldness of the chosen one and the danger of losing her irrevocably. Anna makes a risky, but justified step - for a long time she closes herself in her ancestral castle Hever.

When, finally, she reappears in the palace, the king, weary of separation and jealousy, becomes her easy prey. Having lost hope of limiting her presence in the palace only as another favorite, the king in love makes Anna an offer to become his lawful wife, and she agrees.

Illegal but beloved wife

However, before Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn can marry, the issue with Catherine of Aragon must be resolved. Sent by her husband to a distant estate, she still remains his lawful wife and is not going to make any concessions. As mentioned above, the case for recognizing her marriage to the king as invalid dragged on for several years, and for a number of reasons could not be resolved in the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Anna, introduced into the royal chambers, albeit on illegal grounds, behaved like a true ruler of the fate of the state. Having unlimited influence on Henry, she unceremoniously interfered in all state affairs, reshaping them in her own manner. Letters from Spanish and French diplomats have survived, in which they warned their colleagues that Anna's approval must be obtained before deciding issues in the English parliament.

The reformation of the church and its consequences

At this stage, the newly appointed First Counselor to the King, Thomas Cromwell, played an important role in her life. A staunch supporter of the Reformation of the Church, he managed to convince Henry to free himself from the rule of the Pope and proclaim the priority of secular power over the church. This step had far-reaching consequences both for the state, which got out of the control of the Holy See, and for the king himself, henceforth not obliged to seek permission to annul marriage in Rome. Soon the desired document was received.

After the royal marriage was officially declared invalid, Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn were married. At first, this ceremony was performed in secret from outsiders, but on January 25, 1533, when Anna announced her pregnancy to her husband, an official coronation took place, the purpose of which was to give legitimacy to their marriage. A description of the celebration, left by one of its participants, has been preserved. In it, he tells how a wedding procession moved through the streets of London. The bride sat in a gilded palanquin, and the most noble barons held a snow-white canopy over her head.

Thirst for the heir to the throne

From that day on, Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn were busy with one concern - waiting for the birth of the heir to the British crown. In order to remove his wife from the court bustle as much as possible, the king settled her in his beloved Greenwich residence, where she was surrounded by the cares of numerous servants. All doctors and astrologers unanimously predicted the birth of a son, but, contrary to expectations, on September 7, 1533, Anna gave birth to a girl named Elizabeth.

This was a considerable disappointment of the spouses and the first step on Anna's path to the terrible platform that would be built for her opposite the White Tower of the Tower. By this time, Henry's passion, accompanying the first days of marriage, was replaced by satiety, followed by boredom and dislike for the woman who once occupied all his dreams. In addition, the issue with the heir to the throne remained unresolved, and this left an imprint on their relationship.

The story of Anne Boleyn and Henry 8 enters a completely different phase. The queen realizes that she will not be able to return the love of her husband, and therefore relies only on the possibility of giving birth to his much-desired son. A year later, she is pregnant again. The king surrounds her with the same care and presents her with gifts. It seemed that the best days of their love had returned. But suddenly everything stops. At the end of December 1534, she had a miscarriage.

The death of the last hopes

Having lost hope, he begins to speak openly with those close to him about divorce. Another trouble awaits Anna: at this time, a young maid of honor Jane Seymour appears at the court, taking her place in the heart of the king. The last hope was a new pregnancy, which she reported to her husband after they spent the summer of 1535 together. A few months later, news came of the death of Henry VIII's former wife, Catherine of Aragon.

On a cold January day, during the funeral ceremony of her predecessor, Anna again had a miscarriage. Perhaps it was due to the excitement she experienced when, a few days before, the king fell from his horse during a tournament, or to the despair that gripped her when she saw the hated Jane Seymour sitting on her husband's lap. But it was the end anyway.

After the misfortune that happened during the funeral of Margaret of Aragon, Henry 8 and Anne Boleyn actually ceased to be spouses. She was evicted from the royal chambers, which was occupied by a happy rival. Soon, Henry announced that he was forced to marry by the power of witchcraft, and therefore considers it invalid.

Alone among countless enemies

It is appropriate to recall the name that, according to the researchers, could have provoked the fall and subsequent execution of the queen. It was he who initiated the Reform of the Church, which was then carried out by Henry 8. England came out of the influence of Rome, and as a result significant church revenues were confiscated. Anna demanded that they be used for charity, and Cromwell demanded that the money be transferred to the treasury, with the deduction of significant amounts in his favor. It was on this basis that mortal enmity arose between them.

To eliminate the disgraced queen, and get the opportunity to remarry, Henry 8 Tudor accused his wife of treason. Since the king was the personification of the nation, in this case, adultery was legally equated with high treason and was punishable by death. Men from her inner circle were named as lovers. For their confessions the case did not become - they were obtained with the help of experienced executioners.

In early May 1536, Anne Boleyn was also taken to one of the Tower chambers. England reacted to her arrest without sympathy, since she did not enjoy the slightest popularity among the people. The prisoner understood that the upcoming trial would be indicative and formal, so she had no doubts about the verdict that would be passed on her.

The last morning of her life

Anne Boleyn's execution was scheduled for May 19, but two days earlier, the Tower constable, William Kingston, reported to the king that the condemned woman was ready to accept her fate with humility. It is difficult to say whether mercy moved in Henry VIII's chest or whether he was guided by other feelings, but at the last moment he replaced the burning at the stake, which was accepted in such cases, by cutting off the head with a sword. Humanity sometimes has the most unexpected manifestations.

In the early morning of that fateful day, when the sentence was to be carried out, there was animation under the arches of the Tower. Here, in spite of the inopportune hour, Bishop Boleyn arrived, who, in the presence of the constable, confessed Anna. In the face of imminent death, she swore in the Bible that she never violated her conjugal fidelity. But this could no longer affect her fate. Those who, in the hands of the executioner, recognized themselves as her lovers, were executed two days ago. After them, Anne Boleyn was to die. The biography of this woman was approaching its sad end.

So, back to the scene from which this story began. A woman in an ermine robe ascended to the scaffold built near the White Tower of the Tower. It was, now the former Queen of England, Anne Boleyn. The Tudors, chopping off the heads of the condemned, followed this procedure with an ax adopted in such cases, but in this case Henry VIII ordered to chop with a sword. I had to call a specialist from France, since there was no such craftsman among my executioners.

When Anna said goodbye to several ladies-in-waiting, who found the courage to take her on her last journey, they took off her robe and tucked her hair under her headdress. The constable blindfolded Anna and helped her to her knees. The Frenchman did not disappoint and did his job with one swift blow. The members of the Council of State, who were present as witnesses to the execution and who stood around the platform, led by Thomas Cromwell, began to disperse in silence. As a contemporary wrote, some of them looked like people who had just committed a crime.

The demise of the old schemer

Henry 8, whose biography is replete with marital tragedies, survived Anne Boleyn by eleven years. He died in 1547, suffering from extreme obesity. and the voluptuary grew so fat that he could move only with the help of special devices. They say that this was retribution for everything he committed during his lifetime.

Henry 8 Tudor and his six wives later became the material for the plots of countless novels and plays. This is not surprising, because he divorced two of them, executed two others, one died herself, but under very strange circumstances, and only the last of them was destined to outlive her husband.

The execution of Anne Boleyn has been interpreted differently by biographers and historians. Some say that the English king Henry VIII sent Queen Anne to the scaffold because she - at that time - fully deserved it: she was an intriguer, hysterical, arrogant and haughty "plebeian", as Henry himself called her after the passage of passion. And also, right under the king's nose, she tried to conduct her own policy, and this was more than palace intrigues. Others portray her as a victim of the morally flawed Henry VIII, a usurper and tyrant. But, probably, the truth is somewhere in between. And most likely, Anna and Heinrich were worth each other. Thomas Boleyn, Anna's father, was a noble courtier, while her mother Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, belonged to one of the oldest English families. By origin, Anna, born at the end of 1501 (or 1507 - the exact date is unknown), stood on a higher step than the three subsequent English wives of the king. But this fact will not prevent Henry VIII from later calling her a plebeian unworthy to take the royal throne. Thomas Boleyn knew French and Latin better than all the courtiers and corresponded with Erasmus of Rotterdam, from whom he even bought several excerpts from his works. Heinrich once said that he had not met a more dexterous and cunning negotiator. His son George, an Oxford graduate, inherited his father's diplomatic talents and was a good poet, starting his court career as a page. In 1513, Anna was sent abroad - and she lived in Europe for nine years. First, at the Habsburg court in Brabant, as one of the 18 maids of honor to Margaret of Austria (she was regent under her nephew Charles of Burgundy). This courtyard was considered the center for the upbringing of future princes and princesses. The European elite sent their offspring to a kind of trainings to Margarita, famous for her education. It was difficult to think of a better start for the beginning of his court career. Anna knew her father's requirements - to learn not only manners, but also the ability in the future, when she becomes the maid of honor of Catherine of Aragon, daughter-in-law of the most powerful king in the world Charles V, to put in a word at court for the members of the Boleyn family. She easily mastered the French language, the secrets of court secular and political life and the art of intrigue, without which, as well as without knowing the language of courtly love, the courtyard would look like a dried-up garden. At the same time, her mentor Margarita was known not only as an adherent of court love games, but also strictly observed the morality of her young ladies-in-waiting. Chastity and inaccessibility are great ways for a woman to achieve her goal, much more effective than promiscuity. Anna also learned other lessons of her mentor - kings do not marry for love, and women should not let love for men too deeply into their hearts. It was then that Anna decided that her motto would be "all or nothing" ... Flanders at the beginning of the 16th century was considered the heart of the cultural life of Europe. The maid of honor learned to understand painting and art of book design, music. She learned a lot about expensive fabrics and jewelry, in total, Anna spent seven years in France and returned to England only at the end of 1521. Beautiful black hair and bright eyes are the most attractive in Anne Boleyn's appearance. Her figure was not too impressive - short, with small breasts. High cheekbones, prominent nose, narrow mouth, determined chin. They often mention a large wen on a slender long neck and a very unpleasant defect - something like the sixth finger on the right hand, although in fact it was a small process, similar to an ingrown nail. But for many in those days, and even now, such a detail is very eloquent: they say, this is all from the devil, normal people cannot have superfluous, ugly and accrete fingers, eyesore, etc. That is why it is often considered a witch. However, in the portraits she does not have a sixth finger, which still does not say anything, for before Cromwell they painted portraits without all the sores. Anna behaved more like a Frenchwoman: she knew how to be a witty interlocutor, her movements were distinguished by grace and liveliness, outfits - elegance, which certainly distinguished her in the company of other ladies. The first admirer of Anna at the English court was Henry Percy, heir to the Earl of Northumberland, who served with the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, the chief and all-powerful minister of Henry VIII. Anna reciprocated the passion that Percy had shown her outside of courtly worship. Secretly, they decided to get married. But then Wolsey intervened, disliking Thomas Boleyn. He considered his daughter an unworthy bride for one of the most noble aristocrats in England and convinced the king of this. Henry did not give permission for the marriage. The Earl of Northumberland, in turn, threatened to deprive his son of his title and inheritance. Percy stood firm and even drew up a marriage contract, according to which he pledged to marry Anna. But the lawyers found a way to annul the document. Anna, on the other hand, vowed to take revenge on the cardinal - he dared not only hinder her passion, belittling her origin and dignity, but also dared to resist independence, which she put at the forefront of her life position. After all, it will be up to herself to decide whom to marry her. There was another adversary to whom she swore revenge - the king himself. I must say that Anna knew how to love and hate with all her soul - the future will show this - and there is a lot of evidence of this that Henry Percy remained her love for almost her whole life. And the king, for good or bad, he prevented them from being together. And Anna got it back as best she could. Well, at least in the heat of passion, she could imagine her lover in the place of the king - and not be afraid that she would confuse the name. The next admirer of Anna was Thomas Wyatt, the first great poet of the Tudor era. At first, conversations with her simply delighted the poetic ear, but soon Thomas was captivated by the very sensuality that nature gave Anna in abundance. Although Anna was flattered by Wyatt's passion, it was rather an episode than a separate chapter in her love book. He was married, and she was not ready to lose her head over a man who could offer her only the role of "mistress" of his heart, so common at court. Moreover, the king himself drew attention to her in 1527 (immediately after he lost interest in her older sister Mary). 26-year-old Anne Boleyn disappeared from the brides fair, having set herself a seemingly impossible goal - to become Queen of England. And the king, hoping only to spend the night with the woman who arouses such interest in his courtiers, encountered unexpected resistance. The chronicle of the relationship between Anna and the king is best traced in 17 love letters of Henry VIII - it is known that the king did not like the epistolary genre. One of the first is full of reproaches that Anna not only did not respond to his love appeal, but also did not deign to write a letter. (How cunning and far-sighted Anna was - to resist the temptation to answer the king!) The message was accompanied by a gift - a duck killed the day before. In the third letter a year later, Heinrich insists on the answer: does she love him as much as he loves her. But he still does not offer her a hand and a heart. And this is exactly what Anna is now waiting for, more than confident in her female power. Without waiting for offers more serious than the status of "the only lover to whom he will give himself entirely to serve," she disappears for a while, forcing him to experience a hitherto unfamiliar feeling of guilt and loss. For the first time, Henry was forced to personally build a relationship with a woman. At this time, he was already trying to find a way to divorce Katerina, who, having lost her charm and tender disposition by the age of 40, did not manage to give birth to an heir to him, and Henry stopped visiting her bedroom long ago. Then he came up with an undeniable, from his point of view, argument in favor of divorce - the Pope made an unacceptable mistake by allowing him to marry the widow of his brother Arthur (he died almost immediately after the wedding with Catherine). It is said in the Bible: a man who marries his brother's wife will have no heirs. Katerina gave birth to his daughter and she had 6 miscarriages. This means that now he must marry like the first time, for real. In response to the marriage proposal, Anna confessed her love in return and sent a gift to the king. A toy boat with a woman and a diamond carved on the nose. The ship is a symbol of protection, the diamond is a heart filled with the same strong intentions as a precious stone. Together with the gift, she promised to give him her innocence - but only when she becomes his wife. Since then, Anna will check and calculate her closeness with the king with the accuracy of a calculator. Henry wrote to the bride: "My heart will forever belong to you alone, seized by this desire so strongly that it will be able to subordinate it to the desires of my body." Henry Is it worth commenting on this "romance" and can it be called love? Probably it is possible, but with one caveat: each participant in this story had their own plans. The king has an heir and, of course, the satisfaction of what is called the common word "lust." And Anna - the fulfillment of her cherished desire: to become a queen. And on this path - all means are good. The divorce proceedings began, which lasted about seven years. Waiting for the decision of the Pope, Henry was exhausted with passion, and Catherine of Aragon hoped that Clement VII would not allow the marriage to be annulled, because Rome was under the influence of her nephew, Emperor Charles V. and does not exist, and even helped Anna fight off the king's love attacks. Anna, on the other hand, allowed herself to arrange scenes for Heinrich: her youth was passing aimlessly, the wait was too long, she was threatened with the fate of an old maid. And the existence under the same roof with the queen also infuriated her. In response, Henry broke loose from the chain - no one dares to argue with him, let alone reproach him for anything. He can return her to the place where he took her, he already did too much for her, others would be happy. But the anger subsided as quickly as it flared up. The king, like anyone else in his place, was excited by the inaccessibility of Boleyn, and also by the fact that she was not afraid to challenge him, known for her indomitable and cruel disposition, - a magnificent maneuver of a woman looking far away. Well, the courtiers expected from the king a "reasonable step" - a marriage with a French princess. France has always been an ally of England against Spain and Charles V, and therefore this marriage would have strengthened the country's international position. But even without this, Henry seemed to himself omnipotent. Although, being a despot, he needed that from time to time the decisions he made were suggested by someone or approved. Until now, it was Cardinal Wolsey, a man who had magical (in the opinion of the courtiers) influence over the king, who knew how to solve both domestic and international problems for the benefit of England and the king. Anna was too cunning and resourceful to confine herself to scenes and female tantrums. A skilful politician, she was able to create a faction (the most effective undercover method of court warfare at that time) from a circle of people close to the king, but supporting her plans, betting on her future. Now access to the king's mind was completely blocked by his bride. She even opened the hunt, like the goddess Diana, not one step behind Henry, and during important backstage meetings her figure was visible in the shadow of the window opening. Therefore, neither Wolsey nor Thomas More was able to convince the king to abandon the decision to dissolve the marriage with Catherine. Thomas More was defeated. Anna used not only her female power over Henry, she in every possible way exploited his idea that the king, as the highest sovereign over people, has power not only over their bodies, but also over souls. He, Henry VIII, is able to prove to Rome and the whole world that he can rise above the Pope and lead the Anglican Church. This meant the realization that he is the only monarch in the world who dared to endow himself with such a status. Warming up Henry's mood, Boleyn delivered him anti-clerical literature. She even organized a kind of propaganda, ordering to bring from abroad and distribute in England heretical manuscripts. Heinrich and Anna on the hunt At the end of 1528, Henry finally ordered Catherine to leave the court, although he left her 200 servants and 30 maids of honor. But she continued, which especially angered Anna, out of a long-term habit of keeping an eye on Heinrich's linen and clothes, giving orders to wash, clean or throw away his nightgowns or camisoles. “... I do not care either for her or for her family members. Let all the Spaniards fall to the bottom of the sea! " - Boleyn fiercely addressed to Katherine. At the same time, she put into practice her plan of revenge against Wolsey, which in fact, not wanting to quarrel with Henry, had long tried to turn the divorce case entrusted to him in favor of the king and his lady of the heart. But Anna convinced the king that Wolsey was sabotaging the divorce case and negotiations with the Pope. When the king, who was dining with Anne in her apartment, was traditionally informed of the cardinal’s arrival, Anne contemptuously said: “Is it worth it to announce this so solemnly? To whom else, if not the king, should he come? " And Heinrich nodded his head in agreement. The cardinal pleaded with the king not to send the pope a radical petition provoked by the Anne’s faction, where Rome was, in effect, accused of refusing to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine’s hope for the future of the English people. But she was sent. The king, under the influence of Boleyn, decided to secretly complete the affair in England, entrusting the relevant work with Parliament to Wolsey and the papal legate Campeggio. But the hearing failed. And in 1530, Henry received a decree from the Pope to "remove Anne Boleyn from the court." Here's evidence of Wolsey's double play - Anna's rage mingled with triumph. Now the cardinal will not be able to use his famous "magic". He was removed from business and deprived of all property in favor of the king, and soon the latter signed a decree on his arrest. Wolsey died on the way to his first interrogation. His overthrow is Boleyn's first major victory. And Henry for the first time publicly declared himself "the only protector and head of the Church of England and the clergy." And Boleyn received the title of Marquise of Pembroke, a patent for belonging to the highest English nobility, along with the lands. For the first time in history, this title was given to a woman, and Anna not only convinced the king that at the very least she wanted her children to be the legal heirs, but also had a hand in writing this ambiguous decree. ... The storm in the Strait of Dover turned ships to pieces. The wind did not allow passers-by to stick their noses out into the narrow streets of Calais. Recently, a meeting between Henry VIII and the French king ended here. In London, in St. Paul's Cathedral, they prayed for the safe return of the monarch to his homeland, but he was in no hurry: while the weather raged, Boleyn finally "gave herself" to Henry. The moment is right. In November 1532, she realized that the king was ready to disobey the Pope. And then one day in the company of the courtiers, she said: "Something I fell in love with apples." "Honey, this is a sure sign of pregnancy." On January 25, 1533, the lovers were secretly married. The priest who performed the sacrament of marriage, Henry dared to simply fool. Does he really think, the king said in response to a request to show the necessary papers with the Pope's permission for marriage, that he, Henry VIII, is a liar? The king acted swiftly. Lawyer Thomas Cromwell and Archbishop Cranmer, armed with the necessary bills, were able to obtain permission from both houses of parliament to invalidate the previous royal marriage.
Courting Anna But Henry's victory could not be considered complete without the coronation procedure of the now official "most precious and beloved wife." Boleyn was 6 months pregnant, and the king was in a hurry - in just two and a half weeks, an unprecedented celebration was prepared. The coronation took place on May 29, 1533. Fifty barges, accompanied by countless boats, departed from Billingate to the Tower. Flags, bells, gold foil and golden banners shimmered in the bright summer sun. And the number of guns, perhaps, exceeded the safety on such a dammed waterway. The procession was led by a ship with an iron dragon on the bow spewing flames - and with Boleyn on board. It turned out symbolically ... On September 23, 1534, Anna gave birth to a healthy girl - Elizabeth. The knightly tournament in honor of the birth of the heir had to be canceled, but Henry took the news of the girl surprisingly calmly. Well, the sons will certainly follow the daughter. The christenings were organized by Cromwell with the same deliberate pomp as the coronation. The young mother, recovering from childbirth, participated in political affairs, aspired to what would later be called humanitarian Christianity, encouraged education and learned men, was the patroness of many students and educational institutions, primarily Oxford and Cambridge. Anna understood that the correct creation of the image is little that can help her win the people's trust. After all, she was still considered a woman of easy virtue, a "thief" who stole the king from his wife. Katerina would never dare to despise all laws and split the country into two parts - conformists and true believers, sow confusion among aristocrats and clergy. In vain, Cromwell tried to control the situation, suppressing all conspiracies and attempts to denigrate the queen. A special decree was even issued commanding all men - regardless of their origin - to take an oath of allegiance to Anna. And those who did not want to obey were poisoned to the chopping block. The situation became especially aggravated after the execution of Thomas More - it was she who allowed innocent blood to be shed only because Mor refused to appear at her coronation. Moreover, he dared to declare that on that day all the English nobility and all adherents of the true church were "publicly deflowered." Boleyn tried to make friends with Mary - Henry's daughter by Catherine. But the princess refused to recognize the new queen. Boleyn, in contrast to Henry, enraged by his daughter's disobedience and known for his attacks of cruelty towards her, wanted to see Mary at court. Of course, provided that she renounces all claims to the throne and becomes only a stepdaughter of the new queen, obedient as a lamb. ... The Queen's new pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Anna accused her husband of this, who dared not only sleep with one of her court ladies, but also show that courteous signs of respect. She soon became pregnant again. And at the beginning of 1536, Catherine of Aragon died. There was even a ball at court for the occasion. Well, Henry continued to wait for the heir, disappointed and amorous, he had already turned his attention to Jane Seymour, the former maid of honor of Catherine of Aragon, who only recently, thanks to her influential brothers, had the opportunity to return to the court. Boleyn saw with her own eyes how once this unremarkable person sat on her husband's lap and he played with a necklace around her neck. Then the queen tore off Jane's necklace. Then Heinrich made up with his wife and she became pregnant again, instilling in him another hope for the appearance of an heir. Anna during pregnancy... Usually Heinrich stayed with Anna if she could not accompany him on the hunt. But this time he did not give up his favorite entertainment. During the trip, the king stayed at Jane's parents' house. And on January 24, 1536, Henry Norris burst into Anna's apartment (he occupied one of the most prestigious and important positions of "groom at the king's stool" and was his close friend) with the terrible news - Henry fell from his horse and has been unconscious for several hours. Boleyn screamed, certain that Henry was dead. With difficulty, the king recovered, and his wife again prematurely released her burden - this time as a dead boy. Henry's anger was all the more terrible because what happened again returned his thoughts to humiliating suspicions of his own male failure. Women who had dealings with the Tudors often had problems with childbirth - miscarriages, difficulty getting pregnant, and the rare birth of boys. These problems were associated with Henry's illnesses - either syphilis was suspected, which was fully explained by the monarch's loving nature, or genetic abnormalities, but how could the omnipotent Henry VIII know about this? Therefore, he chose to return to the already tested model - since God does not want to reward him with crown princes in this marriage, it means that it is necessary to invalidate it and replace the woman who has not fulfilled her destiny. This is the will of the king. In the spring of 1536, Anna had a serious quarrel with her patron Thomas Cromwell. This quarrel became a defining moment in her life. Cromwell, already realizing that the current queen has no future, having enlisted the support of the Seymour family, supporters of Princess Mary, promised to overthrow her from the throne and help the king marry Jane. To convince the king of this, Boleyn should be accused of treason - in the literal sense of the word, because treason of the queen to her husband is equivalent by law to treason to the crown. It is no coincidence that soon after the loss of the child, rumors appeared - was the unfortunate 6-month-old "male fetus" the result of the Queen's adultery with one of her courtiers? Hadn't her brother's wife boasted that Anna had complained to her about Henry's inability to make love? And on April 29, Anna quarreled loudly and furiously with Heinrich Norris. On the same day, the entire court and the king were aware of the suspicious scandal. And Anna's inadvertently thrown phrase "Do not expect that you can take the place of the king in the event of his death" became the key in her accusatory process. On the same sad day for Anna (and so successful for Cromwell), Mark Smeaton, a young musician of "low" origin, expansive by nature, allowed himself to behave too freely in her chambers. Anna loved music and called Mark to calm down a little after a quarrel with Norris. Cromwell immediately ordered the musician to be taken into custody, he was brought to the house of the royal secretary, and at the 24th hour of torture he confessed to adultery with the queen, after which he was escorted to the Tower. The next day, May 1, right during the knightly tournament, the king showed himself as never before: he personally ordered Heinrich Norris and George Boleyn to confess in connection with his wife. Despite assurances of innocence, they were sent to the Tower after Smeaton. Boleyn was charged with incest - his wife has long claimed that he spends too much time with his sister. Heinrich, known for his ability to feel pity for himself - one of the most repulsive features of his personality - declared that Anna had cheated on him with more than a hundred men, and even tried to immediately compose a tragedy dedicated to his grief. Then he went to the Seymour's house for consolation. There, sobbing, he complained about the queen, assenting to the owners, who had long been trying, at the suggestion of Cromwell, to feed him the version that she had poisoned Catherine of Aragon and only an accident prevented her from sending him and Princess Mary to the next world. Jane, meanwhile, fascinated Henry with her inaccessibility (a technique that Anna herself successfully used) and the fact that she was the complete opposite of his current wife. At dawn on May 2, Boleyn, accompanied by hostile guards, arrived at the Tower, on the same waterway as three years ago on the occasion of his coronation. Passing through the gate, she lost her courage and, falling to her knees, begged to be taken to the king. "Will you send me to prison?" - without getting up from her knees, she asked in a trembling voice Kingston, const :) of the Tower. "No, madam, you will go to the royal apartments." A feeling of relief provoked a nervous discharge - Anna began to have many hours of hysterics. Kingston, at the request of Cromwell, with the pedantry of an experienced jailer, conveyed all the words, phrases and even interjections that, along with screams, tears or laughter, escaped her lips. The nervous breakdown of a woman who had lost control of herself turned Cromwell's impromptu into a brilliant accusation that deprived Boleyn of his last hope of salvation. And at the same time he brought to the Tower two more hostages of the conspiracy from the Boleyn faction - the courtiers of the king and her friends Francis Weston and William Brereton ... Henry compensated for the feeling of guilt and pity with a touching permission not to send his wife to the fire. He ordered the release of a French executioner from Calais, masterfully wielding a sword. Upon learning of this, Boleyn burst out laughing and, clasping her throat with her hands, said: "I heard he is a good master, and I have such a small neck." Anne Boleyn and her brother George were brought to trial on May 15, 1536. In the Royal Hall of the Tower, special stands were built for 2,000 invited spectators and a separate high-backed bench for the judges - 26 peers led by the Duke of Norfolk, the Queen's uncle. Anna, raising her right hand, declared her innocence. No, she did not betray the king and did not promise to marry Henry Norris in the event of the death of the king, no, she did not poison Catherine of Aragon and did not try to poison her daughter Maria. Not to mention the fact that she could not have had so many lovers (according to the prosecution's articulators) during her three years on the throne. But the verdict, which traditionally passed on to each other by peers, consisted of one single word - guilty, guilty, guilty ... Earl Norfork announced the verdict. He cried, sending his niece (and then his nephew) to death - but weren't these tears of relief that the point of the ax was not directed at him? In her last word, Anna said that she was ready for death, but she regretted the loyal servants and friends of the king, who were to die because of her, and asked not to execute the innocent. An unexpectedly small incident caught everyone's attention. Henry Percy, Duke of Northumberland, former lover of Anna, after he passed his verdict, lost consciousness. Anna in the Tower Shortly before the queen was allowed to die, the king declared her marriage null and void. Elizabeth became illegitimate. Formally, the announcement was made by Archbishop Cranmer on June 17, on the eve of the Queen's execution. The basis for it was the old story with the Earl of Northumberland, as well as the king's relationship with Anne's sister Mary (by law, this also contradicted the marriage of both parties) and, finally, the argument drawn from the most recent "evidence" - the king's doubt that Elizabeth - his daughter, not the already executed Norris. Royal lawyers tried to ensure that the king got what he wanted - now neither Anna, nor her daughter, nor Maria, nor the first wife stood on the way to a new marriage and the appearance of heirs. Henry, if the new wife did not give birth to the desired prince, had the right to name his successor in a special decree before his death.
Anna's execution 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 the Queen in the history of England. She, in a dress of gray Damascus, trimmed with fur, ascending to the first step of the scaffold, addressed the crowd: “I will die according to the law. I am not here to accuse anyone or to talk about what I am accused of. But I pray to God that he would save the king and his rule, for there was no kinder prince, and for me he was always 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, accept my soul. O almighty God, sorrow for my soul. " Her lips were still moving when it was over. The ladies covered the body of the queen with a simple rough 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 placed her in a small, carelessly put together coffin, barely placing the severed head there. Henry, who received news of the execution, immediately ordered Jane Seymour to be brought to him. 11 days later, on May 30, 1536, they got married. Jane Seymour died, giving birth to the king's son, for the sake of which he entered into a deal with the devil so many times. And in 1558 the unexpected happened, as is often the case in history - fate smiled at Elizabeth, Boleyn's daughter, who looked like her father and fully inherited from her mother her character and ability to influence people by manipulating their thoughts and feelings. The people summoned the princess to the throne, and amid the cheers of Londoners and the roar of the Tower's artillery, Elizabeth occupied the fortress as the English queen and remained it for many years. Elizabeth. future queen