The Death of Anne Boleyn essays

The Death of Anne Boleyn essays Anne Boleyn's marriage to Henry VIII was an obvious failure. The only thing that satisfied him was the birth of a male heir. Despite her efforts, Anne Boleyn failed to bear a son, thus resulting in her tragic execution. The story of events leading up to the execution of Anne Boleyn shows the ignorance of the times and the cruel nature of Henry VIII. During Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, it was well known that he had many mistresses. He had grown tired of the marriage that failed to produce a male heir, and he was looking for a way out. One of his mistresses was Anne Boleyn, a beautiful young woman that happened to be in Catherine Aragon's court. From 1527, Henry VIII wanted one thing above all else from the Popea release from the marriage which could no longer give him an heir and freedom to marry his last mistress' sister, the young Anne Boleyn (Bindoff 84). More important to the King was the fact that early in 1533 it was known that Anne was carrying his child. De lay could not be allowed. For the legitimacy of the hoped-for heir, it would not matter whether Henry and Anne had married before or after the conception of the child as long as their union had been regularized before the child was born. Therefore, events were hurried on (Woodward 11). On May 23, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer pronounced the marriage null from the beginning. Five days later its successor was declared lawful, and on June 1, 1533, Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen of England. After more than six years, during which he had thought of little else, Henry got his way (Bindoff 92). Once the two were married, Henry could think of nothing but the son that he had hoped for. On September 7, 1533, Anne gave birth to a girl. This was her first and greatest failure. No one could then foresee the triumphant reign of the future Queen Elizabeth. Anne was not immediately discarded, but Henry made little attempt to conceal his disappointment; relations between ...