Ann Boleyn - Sacrificial Lamb OR Scheming Seductress?

Question

Ann Boleyn - Sacrificial Lamb OR Scheming Seductress?

Answer 1

What an enigma it is!  I was browsing in a Christian bookshop when to my surprise I found a book extolling her as a deeply sincere Christian despite the liaison with Henry VIII which led to her marriage and her ultimate demise. She was a highly intelligent and talented woman who had become a Protestant in France and had strong opinions about religion. She tried to persuade Henry to give permission for Bibles to be published in English. Anne also introduced Henry to the books of Protestant writers such as William Tyndale. The speech which she made at her execution does not contain any protests or recriminations. "Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul."

Her ultimate undoing was to give birth to a stillborn son who was badly deformed, something which persuaded Henry VIII of the wrongness of his second marriage, as having come under divine judgment. She was a woman ahead of her times in many ways and always not in a position to act as she pleased, especially with an ambitious father pushing her in the direction of the King. She may well have been persuaded that as Queen she could have been a tool in making England protestant, in which case she would have seen herself as acting according to her conscience.

Answer 2

Anne was a brilliant woman, I really don't think she gets enough credit for being so witty and being a manipulative woman, which really was a rare thing in her time.

I'd say scheming seductress, but she did have love for Henry, but she was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. I mean, to keep the King of England to have been courting for SIX YEARS?

Answer 3

Apparently, Mary Boleyn was more promiscuous and seductive compared to her sister, Anne Boleyn. Anne like her sister was educated at the French court, she was charming, fashionable, stylish and witty. She had many admires including both females and males, and she became famous for her ability to keep men at arm's length, this is also when Henry VIII became enamoured with her and began his pursuit.

Anne really contributed much to her own downfall. Unlike Catherine of Aragon, Anne was more "politically involved" at Henry's court. She had much influence on the King, and his advisers became deeply concerned. She made a lot of enemies during her time as Queen, and was known to talk back to the King in public. She had numerous of times "embarrassed and insulted" Henry, which eventually led Henry and his adviser to come up with a plan to "get rid of her."

On the other hand, Henry and Anne were not pleased with married life. The royal couple enjoyed periods of calm and affection, but Henry's frequent infidelities greatly upset his new wife, who reacted with tears and rage to each new mistress. Catherine learned to accept Henry's escapades, while Anne's mad outbursts drove Henry literally insane.

Perhaps, Anne Boleyn was innocent of some of charges laid against her like committing incest and witchcraft, however, she was surely not an angel either. At first, Henry did not want to execute Anne, he was discussing the chances of leaving Anne without having to return to Catherine. Anne, unaware of the dangerous position she was now in, presided over a magnificent court. She spent huge sums on gowns, jewels, head-dresses, ostrich-feather fans, riding equipment, and the finest furniture and upholstery from across the world. Numerous palaces were renovated to suit her extravagant tastes.

Answer 4

Sacrificial lamb at the end, on the altar of Henry's desire for another woman and a son, and placed there by almost certainly untrue charges of witchcraft, incest and adultery.

Scheming seductress at the beginning - as the first respondent says, what a feat to keep the all-powerful King of England waiting for six years before he could have his way with her!  Anne wasn't going to be a mistress, easily discarded like her sister.  She was going to be Henry's wife and Queen of England.

At the time, Anne's looks were not in vogue as she was small, dark and small-breasted.  It's said she had glorious eyes.  Her sister, Mary, had the blonde, buxom look so admired.  So Anne, with her French polish, style and what we today would probably call her charisma, must have been truly bewitching to catch Henry's attention and hold it for so long!  (Well, he did accuse her of "ensorcelling" him at the end.)

Anne was not popular, but Katherine of Aragon was.  When Anne became queen, no hats were thrown into the air or cheers heard, and her initials, entwined with Henry's, spelt HA, which aroused derision.  Yet she managed to overcome all this, along with the six years of waiting while Henry wangled an annulment from his first wife.

After all that time, tension and stress, Anne became pregnant easily, and gave birth to Elizabeth.  What a disappointment!  She did have other pregnancies, but the children were miscarried or stillborn; at the last, a son, "she miscarried of her saviour".  And by that time, Henry was tiring of her temper and arrogance, and was probably finding solace in the meek and obedient arms of quiet Jane Seymour.

Anne's end came quickly.  Henry had to find a way to marry Jane legally with no wife, divorced or annulled, flitting about in the background, so he had the above charges cooked up against Anne.  I think he had fallen out of love with her, quite worn out, and just wanted to get on with the business of producing heirs with the next lady, the antithesis of Anne.

So the lamb (not such a meek one) went to the slaughter.

Answer 5

oh please, why do we have to have this saint or sinner thing?

she was deprived of a an emotional focus at a very early age and mad the best of what she had to offer: she gave Henry her best shot and it wasn't good enough so he charged her with treason.

she did what she had to!