The Final Days of Anne Boleyn Pt 7: Anne Boleyn's Legacy

When we look at the re-telling of Anne’s story throughout history, we are struck by two very different versions of this woman. Much of what we know has been shaped, not by her own writings, but by those who knew her. The Spanish ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, wrote extensively about the court of Henry VIII. As Katherine of Aragon was the aunt of King Charles of Spain, Chapuys was heavily biased against Anne. Much of the rumor and innuendo we have about Anne comes from his letters back to the Spain as he was prone to gossip. Despite his sympathy for the Lady Mary and her mother Katherine and his intense disapproval of Anne (he wouldn’t even write her name in letters, simply referring to her as the “concubine” or “putain”), he nevertheless reported that Anne was likely innocent of the crimes for which she had been executed. That being said, he did believe that Katherine of Aragon’s death was due to poison and laid much of the blame on the Boleyns, particularly Anne. 

Then there was the issue of Catholicism in England. Prior to his marriage to Anne, Henry had been a staunch Catholic, even writing a pamphlet denouncing Luther and the Protestant heresy. For this, Henry had been given the title of Defender of the Faith by Pope Leo X. Because his desire for an annulment so he could marry Anne Boleyn was denied, Henry broke England away from the Catholic Church. This schism caused a great divide in England. Rather than placing the blame on Henry, Catholics blamed Anne for this rift. She was soon characterized as a witch who had cast a spell on the King. Nicholas Sander, a staunch Catholic who sought to depose Elizabeth I and re-establish Catholicism in England, was the first record that Anne had six fingers on her right hand in 1585. Of course, this was not true. When her body was exhumed in 1876 and examined, she was found to have no physical deformities.

In direct conflict with the Catholic view on Anne, there is the Protestant view. To reformers, she was seen as a saint. Her primary biographer was John Foxe, who published his account of her story his Book of Martyrs. It was his belief that Anne’s downfall had been brought about by a Catholic conspiracy against her. He wrote that her execution had come about because:

some secret practising of the papists here not to be lacking, considering what a mighty stop she was to their purposes and proceedings, and on the contrary side, what a strong bulwark she was for the maintenance of Christ’s gospel, and sincere religion, which they then in no case could abide.

He praised her patronage of reformers like Thomas Cranmer and Hugh Latimer. In his perspective, Anne was a devout woman who had great respect for the “new religion” and believed that all should have access to the Word of God. He also believed that Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne was proof of her innocence and virtue.

During the 18^th and 19^th centuries, portrayals of Anne tended toward the romantic victim. To this group of historians, Anne was simply a strong-willed and beautiful woman who fell victim to her tyrannical brutish husband. This idea would persist into the latter half of the 20^th century when she became less the victim of Henry and more the victim of her own ambition and intelligence. Her political and religious sympathies as well as her patronage network and influence over foreign policy put her at odds with Thomas Cromwell and others at Court. American historian, Retha Wernicke, took a less sympathetic approach, acknowledging firs the gender prejudices of the early 16^th century which would have made Anne a pawn in her family’s quest for power before she became a willing participant in the power grab. There are some ideas in her work that most historians find unlikely such as the idea that George was a homosexual and part of a clandestine group of homosexuals at Court that included some of the men with whom Anne was accused of adultery as well as the idea that Anne might have been so desperate to produce a male heir that she could have been capable of sleeping with her brother to do so.

So what is the true version of Anne Boleyn? Protestant martyr? Scheming social climber? Whore? We may never know, but her story continues to fascinate. 

For further reading: 

The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII by Retha M. Wernicke

The Creation of Anne Boleyn: A New Look at England’s Most Notorious Queen by Susan Bordo