Anne Boleyn

by LMH, 12th grade

Anne Boleyn was born to Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormond, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard in 1501. She grew up in England, and at about age 12 she began serving as lady-in-waiting to Mary Tudor, the sister of King Henry VIII, when Mary went to France to marry King Louis XII. Later in France, Anne became the lady-in-waiting to Queen Claude. Through her relationship with Queen Claude, Anne also became acquainted with the influential protestant Queen Marguerite of Navarre. It was during this time that Anne became a protestant. In 1521 she returned to England intending to marry her cousin, James Butler. However, the marriage fell through.

In 1522, Anne became the lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon, the wife of Henry VIII. Anne brought to England the polished manners of the French courts. But most importantly she brought back her new faith. While serving in Henry’s courts, Anne fell in love with Henry Percy, the son of the Earl of Northumberland. However, they never married because Cardinal Thomas Wolsey disliked the proposed union, and he sent Percy away. Shortly there after, Henry VIII noticed Anne and wanted to marry her. However, he needed a divorce from Catherine first, and the Pope declined Henry’s divorce request. So Henry had the marriage annulled. When Henry went against the Pope’s wishes, Henry separated from the Pope and formed the Church of England. Henry and Anne were married in 1533, and soon after Anne gave birth to their little girl, Elizabeth.

Anne was very sympathetic to the Reformation. She was, however, in a tricky position being married to King Henry. She tried her best to surround herself with godly people. She was particular about who was the court’s chaplain. She was very generous to the poor and needy. She prayed for Cramner, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to come to the assistance of the persecuted. She also was strongly in favor of distributing the English Bible. In fact, William Tyndale even sent her a specially bound copy of the Bible to approve. Tyndale had a great respect and love for Queen Anne, and he spoke highly of her often.

After Henry decided that Anne could not give him a male heir to the throne, he began looking for a new wife. His eye soon fell upon Jane Seymour. Considering his last divorce took six years to complete, Henry decided that a divorce wasn’t the best way to get rid of Anne. So he began false rumors about her. The lies were believed, and Anne was charged with adultery and treason. Locked up in the Tower of London, she only had to wait a few months before she was beheaded.

Anne Boleyn lived a difficult life, but in spite of her stormy marriage and wrongful death, she did all she could to help further the Gospel. Even though her life was short, she is still remembered today for her contribution to the Reformation.