On 29 January 1536, the same day King Henry VIII’s first wife was buried, his second wife, Anne Boleyn, miscarried a male child. The loss signaled the start of her downfall. The king’s desperation for a male heir was the defining obsession of his reign, and this was Anne’s final pregnancy. The Imperial Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, reported that Henry was in ‘great distress,’ telling Anne he saw that God would not give him male children. Anne herself blamed the shock of hearing about the King's recent jousting accident. For Henry, the conclusion was simple: his second marriage was as cursed as his first. The question was what he would do about it.
The Fall of Anne Boleyn
The dramatic story of how Queen Anne Boleyn went from the throne to the executioner's block in just four months in 1536.
Chapter 1
A Son is Lost
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Henry VIII so desperate to get rid of Anne Boleyn?
King Henry VIII's primary motivation was his desperate need for a male heir. After Anne Boleyn failed to provide a son, culminating in the miscarriage of a male child in January 1536, Henry became convinced the marriage was cursed. His desire to marry his new love interest, Jane Seymour, provided the final impetus to remove Anne.
Did anyone actually confess to adultery with the Queen?
Yes, but only one of the five men accused. A court musician named Mark Smeaton confessed to having sexual relations with Anne Boleyn after being interrogated at Thomas Cromwell's home. Contemporary rumors, recorded in the Spanish Chronicle, suggested Smeaton was tortured into providing the confession.
What happened to Anne's daughter, Elizabeth, after the execution?
Two days before Anne's execution, her marriage to Henry was declared null and void. This made their daughter, Elizabeth, legally illegitimate. A new Act of Succession was passed that removed her from the line to the throne in favor of any children Henry might have with his new wife, Jane Seymour. Elizabeth would, however, eventually become Queen of England.
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