Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII was executed in May 1536, on
charges of treason and adultery. We will never know for certain if Anne Boleyn
was guilty of the charges against her as the evidence both for her innocence and
against it is scarce and what evidence there is, is filled with bias and is hardly
ever primary, and thus subject to each individual historians interpretation. 1 In
this essay it will be shown that the case against Boleyn was, most likely, a case
of political intrigue, designed by the King and Thomas Cromwell to end the
marriage between Boleyn and the King in order to clear the way for the King to
marry Jane Seymour and to further the political power of Cromwell. This is
evident upon interpretation of the charges against her, the lack of evidence and
the motives of both the King and Cromwell. The interpretation of Boleyns life,
trial and execution is a varied one, with few solid facts and as such this essay
uses, as much as possible, evidence that is shown in more than one source.
Whilst unbiased primary sources for this period are scarce, a useful primary
insight is Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 10,
January-June 1536 and Halls Chronicle. Secondary sources include journal
articles by Ives and Warnicke as well as books by Starkey, Loades, Loft and Ives.
In regards to the case and the primary sources that we are able to use, Chapuys
Letter to Emperor Charles V is a source that is favoured highly by some
historians such as Ives and Starkey. However, there is some debate over if this
source should be considered when regarding Anne Boleyn. This is the argument
often put forth by Warnicke, whos views oppose that of Ives. 2
1 Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn: 'the Most Happy (Malden, MA: Blackwell
Publishing, 2004.) 46-62
2 Ives, Anne Boleyn , 56, Retha M. Warnicke. "The Fall of Anne Boleyn Revisited." The
English Historical Review 108, (July 1993):657. Accessed March 08, 2016.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/574751.

In the trial against her Boleyn had been charged with ...having laughed at the
King and his dress 3, high treason in the form of adultery with Henry Norris,
William Bereton, Francis Weston ; Thomas Wyatt, Mark Smeaton 4 and Viscount
Rochford her own brother. 5 All of the men charged with committing adultery
with Boleyn were executed, with the exception of Wyatt 6. Boleyn was also
charged with treason for allegedly conspiring the death of the King

and

promising to marry her lovers after the Kings death. 8 She was additionally
charged with poisoning Catherine of Aragon ( Henrys first wife) and conspiring to
poison the Kings first daughter Mary9. These charges were incredulous. Firstly,
on the matter of adultery , it was highly unlikely, practically impossible to have
an affair without the help of the ladies of the Privy Chamber 10. Boleyn would
have had a constant entourage, even at night someone would be required to be

3 Eustace Chapuys, Letter to Emperor Charles V, 19 May 1536, in Letters and Papers,
Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, British History, accessed 13 February 2015
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hrn8/vol10/pp371-391 ; Eric W. Ives, The
Fall of Anne Boleyn Reconsidered, The English Historical Review 107, no. 424 (July 1992):
657. Accessed March 08, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/575248 ; Ives, Anne
Boleyn,349
4 David Loades, The Boleyns: The Rise and Fall of a Tudor Family, (Gloucestershire:
Amberley Publishing, 2012.), 157, Chapuys, Letter to Emperor,
5 David Starkey, Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII (London: Random House, 2004);
Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered, 658; Loades, The Boleyns,157; Chapuys, Letter to Emperor,

6 Ives, Anne Boleyn, 319

7 Loades, The Boleyns, 157; Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered ,653, 655; Chapuys, Letter to
Emperor
8 Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered, 655; Ives, Anne Boleyn, 345-346; Chapuys, Letter to
Emperor,
9Starkey, Six Wives, 579-580; Loades, The Boleyns,162, Ives, Anne Boleyn, 345
10 Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered, 652; Ives, Anne Boleyn, 348

in her chambers11. This makes it impossible to have had relations without

someone in her service knowing. Three-quarters of the adultery allegations
against Boleyn were disproved by Ives on the grounds that Boleyn was nowhere
near where the alleged affairs occurred.12 Secondly, on the charges of treason,
not all of the charges of treason were actually treasonous. Having intercourse
with a consenting Queen was not treason (until later on during the trial when it
became treason following a decree) and adultery itself was merely an
ecclesiastical offence not one for a criminal court. 13 However, the charges of
conspiracy to murder the King were most certainly treasonous as were the
charges of having laughed at his attire. 14

In the case against Anne Boleyn there was a serious lack of physical evidence.
The case against her was drawn from a confession extorted from Smeaton
through the use of torture.15 Both Ives and Loades question the likeliness of
physical torture and come to the conclusion that it was most likely psychological
pressure that was put on Smeaton

16

. The case also drew on rumour and

innuendo about Boleyn17, and her offhand remarks following her imprisonment in

11 Ives, Anne Boleyn, 348

12 Ives, Anne Boleyn, 344-345;
13Ives, Anne Boleyn ,344-345, Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered, 654

14 Ives, Anne Boleyn,349; Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered, 657, Chapuys Letter to

Emperor
15 Starkey, Six Wives, 569; Norah Lofts, Anne Boleyn (Gloucestershire: Amberley
Publishing, 2012), 108
16 Ives, Anne Boleyn, 326-327; Loades, The Boleyns, 159; Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered,
655

17 Warnicke, Boleyn Revisited. 654.

the Tower.18 To begin with, any form of confession taken by the use of torture is
not a credible form of evidence. The tortured person could say anything, agree
with anyone in order to stop the torture. In regards to the rumour and innuendo,
rumours had been circulating prior to the May 1536 trial referring to Boleyns
recent miscarriage in January. The rumours stated that the child had been a
deformed male child.19 This lead to the rumour that Boleyn had been taking part
in an affair as per the superstition of the sixteenth century , that if a child was
deformed it was a sign of sexual misbehaver in a parent. Both Starkey and Ives
agree that the lack of concrete evidence was concealed by, in the words of
Starkey, invoking a wave of moral panic, so that the people did not question
the charges or evidence.20 The last piece of evidence used against Boleyn were
her ramblings from her imprisonment in the Tower. Upon her imprisonment in the
Tower, Boleyn began recounting her conversations with Smeaton and with Norris.
With Norris the key phrase of the conversation was that if anything were to
happen to the King , Norris would look for dead mens shoes , meaning if the
King were to die Norris would look to be his replacement. 21 With Smeaton, the
conversation implied a willingness for Smeaton to rise above his station.

The absurd charges and extreme lack of evidence lead us to wonder why she
was found guilty. To fully comprehend why Boleyn was executed we must look at
what others had to gain from her death. Mainly, the motives of the King and the
motives of Cromwell. One motive of the King is thus. The end to his first marriage
to Catherine of Aragon had taken two years and had been incredibly public, so it
stands that a possible motive of Henry VIII in the trial and execution of Anne
18 Ives, Anne Boleyn, 334-335; Starkey, Six Wives, 570- 572
19 Ives, Anne Boleyn, 296
20 Starkey, Six Wives, 576
21 Starkey, Six Wives, 566; Ives, Anne Boleyn, 335

Boleyn was to achieve a wholly unchallenged third marriage to his new mistress,
Jane Seymour22.Chapuys says in his Letter to Emperor Charles V that not
everyone was satisfied with how the execution of Boleyn was conducted and that
it would not satisfy the world when it is known what has passed and is passing
between him and Mrs. Jane Semel.23 Cromwell however had more motive to
remove Boleyn from any form of power. Boleyn considered Cromwell to be her
enemy as Woolsey was before him.24 Cromwell had seen how Boleyns
determination had succeeded in getting rid of Woolsey and had to act before she
did the same to him. Boleyn and Cromwell were in a state of battle, each vying
for the confidence of the King. As such if Boleyn was removed from the situation
there would be no one to challenge Cromwell for the Kings confidence 25. It also
stands that political advancement is a possible motive due to the fact that
Cromwell gained a stewardship as a result of the death of George Boleyn
(Viscount Rochford) and also replaced Boleyns father as Lord Privy Seal.

26

Cromwells motives stemmed from a wish to see Boleyn removed and Mary once
again recognised as the heir to the throne, and thus his allegiance shifted from
Boleyn to Jane Seymour .27 Some historians including Ives have also said that by
removing Boleyn from power Cromwell was allowing the King to remove
everyone who could have stood in the way of Cromwells power. 28

22 Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered 655

23 Chapuys, Letter to Emperor

24 Henry VIII: May 1536,1-10 , Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII,
British History, , accessed February 20 , 2015, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letterspapers-hen8/vol10/pp329-349 ; , Chapuys, Letter to Emperor

25 Loades, The Boleyns, 165

26 Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered 662
27 Loades, The Boleyns, 156
28 Ives, Boleyn Reconsidered 663

In conclusion, the charges and lack of evidence against Anne Boleyn

demonstrate the motives of both the King and Cromwell in the orchestration of
her removal. The use of political intrigue hid Cromwells true aims from those at
the time and lead to his ascent to a powerful position in the Kings confidence.
For Henry VIII, the political intrigue was an attempt to quickly relinquish all bonds
with Boleyn in order to marry Jane Seymour, without the delay and lack of control
he had experienced with his first wife Catherine of Aragon. For Anne Boleyn, the
combination of these motives lead to her execution, regardless of her repeated
pleas of innocence. Despite the lack of true knowledge of Anne Boleyns
innocence or guilt, the mystery surrounding her life and death is deeply
enthralling and as such she has earned her place among the worlds greatest
enigmas.

Bibliography
Primary sources

Vienna Archives, Anne Boleyn, Rochford, &c in Letters and Papers,

Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 10, January-June 1536, ed.
James Gairdner (London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1887), 371-391.

British History Online, accessed March 18, 2016, http://www.british

history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol10/pp371-391.
Eustace Chapuys, Ambassador to England, Letter to Emperor Charles V,
19 May 1536, in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII,
Volume 10, January-June 1536, ed. James Gairdner (London: Her Majestys
Stationary Office,1887), 371-391, accessed February 13, 2015,

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hrn8/vol10/pp371-391
Henry VIII: May 1536,1-10 in Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic,
Henry VIII, Volume 10, January-June 1536, ed. James Gairdner ( London:
Her Majestys Stationary Office, 1887), 329-349, accessed February 20 ,
2015, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol10/pp329-

349
Hall, Edward, The Union of the Two Noble and Ilustre Famelies of York and
Lancaster

Secondary Sources

Ives, E. W. The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn: 'the Most Happy' Malden,
MA: Blackwell Pub., 2004.

Ives, Eric W. "The Fall of Anne Boleyn Reconsidered." The English Historical
Review 107, no. 424 (July 1992): 653-64. Accessed March 08, 2016.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/575248.
Loades, David. The Boleyns: The Rise and Fall of a Tudor Family. 2nd ed.

Gloucestershire: Amberley Pub., 2012.

Starkey, David. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII. 1st ed. London:

Random House, 2004.

Warnicke, Retha M. "The Fall of Anne Boleyn Revisited." The English
Historical Review 108, no. 428 (July 1993): 653-65. Accessed March 08,

2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/574751.
Weir, Alison. The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn. 1st ed. New

York: Ballantine Books, 2010.

Lofts, Norah. Anne Boleyn. 1st edition. Gloucestershire: Amberley
Publishing, 2012