Anne Boleyn (1500?- May 19,1536)
Anne was the second wife of Henry VIII. From all accounts, she was short and thin, had long dark brown hair, a swan-like neck, and beautiful dark eyes. In an age where pale skin, blue eyes, and red hair were considered beautiful, men were entranced by her exotic beauty. She had spent a large part of her young life at the French court, coming to England in the early 1520s to become a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine. She fell in love around this time with Henry Percy, the Duke of Northumberland. She was possibly precontracted to marry with Percy before Cardinal Wolsey forcibly separated them in 1522. Henry VIII first began to notice Anne around 1526. He had already had an affair with Anne's sister Mary, which may have resulted in the birth of a bastard son (this is unlikely). By the time Henry fell in love with Anne, his marriage was falling apart and his only child as a girl, Mary I. During their long courtship, Anne kept Henry at bay, demanding marriage before a sexual relationship. He divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to marry Anne but only after making himself Supreme Head of the Church of England, breaking with Catholicism. Henry and Anne were married in 1533 and in that same year Anne gave birth to a daughter, the future Elizabeth I. Henry, who married Anne so that he could have a male heir, would not be satisfied with another daughter, and for the next three years Anne failed to give him a son. By the time of her second miscarriage, Henry had fallen in love with Jane Seymour, and he gave his head advisor, Cromwell, permission to investigate and prosecute Anne on charges of adultery, incest (with her younger brother George) and conspiring to kill the king. Although most scholars believe these charges were false, Anne was convicted, as were the five men she allegedly committed adultery with. She was beheaded on May 19th, 1536 on the Tower Green. Her marriage to Henry VIII was declared invalid, and her daughter Elizabeth, no longer a princess, became a bastard. For more in-depth information please visit the resources page.