King Henry VIII: The Wife Of Anne Boleyn

King Henry VIII had six wives in his lifetime. The first one, Catherine of Aragon, was divorced so that Henry could marry his lover, Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was a rather odd woman; she was not a “normal beauty” of that time. However, King Henry fell in love with her, and they wed. During her life, Anne Boleyn traveled with King Henry VIII, secretly married him, and was executed with accusations of being a witch.

Before King Henry VIII was divorced, he took a trip by boat to a place called Calais. Henry did not, however, bring his wife, Catherine of Aragon. Instead, he had the idea of bringing a young Anne Boleyn to escort him on his trip: “Henry VIII was still married to Catherine of Aragon at this point, but Anne acted as his consort on this

Henry had a girl, Mary, from his previous marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Anne was pregnant when she and Henry were married, and they had strong hopes that it would be the male heir to the throne that they were hoping for. However, this did not happen for them: “When Anne gave birth in 1533, the king was disappointed but still had hopes that Anne would bear him a son.” (PBS 1). Anne Boleyn, having her own legitimate daughter, did not have a good relationship with Mary. It is said that Anne did not favor Mary, and that Mary did not even acknowledge that Anne was queen: “Anne possessed a great hatred for Mary and had even urged Henry to put her to death” (“Anne” 1). Their son Edward was never favored, nor was he disfavored. He on no occasion had to worry about his relationship with his parents, as it is stated, “Both of Henry’s daughters had lived in uncertainty, while their brother Edward was always secure” (“Anne” 1). After Anne Boleyn’s death, Mary took a large role in her siblings’ lives. Mary primarily took the responsibility of becoming Elizabeth’s caretaker. However, the hatred and disgust that Anne displayed to Mary in the past reflected on her relationship with Elizabeth: “Eventually Mary would serve as a caretaker and role model to Elizabeth as she was growing up…. Upon Anne’s death, Elizabeth would receive the harsh and cruel

During her trip to Calais with King Henry, he ordered Catherine of Aragon, his wife at the time, to give all of her royal jewels to Anne Boleyn. Because of King Henry’s immense interest in Anne Boleyn, he divorced Catherine of Aragon and married Anne, hoping that she may produce a male heir for his throne. After the Henry and Anne wed, they began to have children. Their first child was a baby girl, whom they named Elizabeth. Henry already had a daughter, Mary, from his past marriage. Anne became pregnant on two more occasions, miscarrying both children. Both were boys, and the second baby had a deformity. When word came of this, accusations began to arise of witchcraft and multiple affairs. This lead to a trial, which ultimately lead to her be found guilty of being a witch and having relations with numerous amounts of men. She was imprisoned in a tower, and eventually beheaded because of her charges: “Reviled by many as the concubine who displaced a rightful queen, she was beheaded on outrageous, fabricated charges of treason, witchcraft, and sexual depravity” (Hoak 1). Most people who were convicted of witchcraft were burned at the stake, however Anne was pitied and was able to have the quick, instant death by