Hello Everyone
Today I’m taking a different path writing-wise to share something really dear to my heart as a history lover.
On this day, May 19th, 1536, Anne Boleyn best
known as King Henry VIII’s second wife and queen, was beheaded on orders of her
husband for charges of adultery, treason, and incest. When I was 12, I found a
book about her in our school library called Doomed Queen Anne by Carolyn
Meyer. For nearly 10 years ever since then I have been completely fascinated by
this woman and devoted a great deal of my free time to learning as much about
her as possible. When The Tudors premiered on Showtime I was thrilled because
that meant that now even more people would become aware of her life and her
story.
Portrait of Anne from 1533 or 1534, artist unknown.
Anne was an incredible person; in an age when men dominated all, she stayed true to herself and would not take any shit from anyone. And despite not meeting the blonde and blue beauty standard of the time, managed to sway the most powerful man in her kingdom, and with that, ultimately changing the entire direction of English history forever.
The charges against her that sent her to her grave were
false, venomous slander made up by her political enemies at the behest of her
misogynistic pig of a husband (yeah you can tell I feel pretty strongly about
this). Her only “crimes” against King Henry were her unwillingness to conform
to the submissive and obedient role expected of her as wife of the king and her
misfortune of not producing a son for her husband in her short 1000-day
marriage/tenure. Those things were more on the fault of Henry than Anne and
ironically their only child, Elizabeth, ultimately grew up to become Elizabeth
I, one of England’s most successful and important monarchs ever.
Anne's "ghost" defends herself and her now teenage daughter Elizabeth against an aging and sick Henry in the final episode of The Tudors.
Sadly, there are many misconceptions about Anne; ranging
from her being a home-wrecking whore to the whole bullshit myth about her
having six fingers on one hand and a third breast. Those last two were again
false, propaganda written nearly half a century after she died by one of
Elizabeth I’s haters who didn't want to possibly die of treason by slandering
her so he took a jab at her mom. And she certainly was not a whore; if anything
it was Henry who was the “whore” because it was he who went after her and
divorced his first wife for no real reason except for the fact he was horny and
she hadn't given him a son neither. If Anne Boleyn is a “home-wrecking whore”
for breaking him and his old wife up then so is Jane Seymour for “breaking up”
Anne and Henry and Catherine Howard (his 5th wife) for breaking up
Henry and Anne of Cleaves (his 4th wife).
What has made Anne stick out among Henry’s other wives is
not only was she the most historically significant but also because she was
amazing in her own right and not because of any man in her life, she was
intelligent, talented, astute and truly stood and shone on her own. She was the
wife who would call Henry out on his crap and stand up for what she thought was
right without fear of the consequences, which there were. And most noble of all
is that when she finally faced her fate, she did not blame Henry nor criticize
him in her final speech (well she couldn't because it may have caused problems
for Elizabeth) but at the same time did not admit to any false guilt. Despite
the subtle nature of this, her message rang loud and clear and she died with great
boldness and courage that is extremely inspiring to me. My respect for her is second
only to my own mother.
Many women have taken a go at portraying Anne in film and
TV. My personal favorite is Genevieve Bujold’s portrayal of her in the film Anne of the Thousand Days. I feel like of all the actresses who have played
Anne, she played her best and the closest to how I
feel Anne truly was in real life. Also for these final lines she boldly delivered
to Henry right before her execution:
“…Look
for the rest of your life at every man that ever knew me and wonder if I didn't find him a better man than you… But
Elizabeth is yours. Watch her as she grows; she’s yours. She’s a Tudor! Get
yourself a son off of that sweet, pale girl if you can - and hope that he will
live! But Elizabeth shall reign after you! Yes, Elizabeth - child of Anne the
Whore and Henry the Blood-Stained Lecher - shall be Queen! And remember this:
Elizabeth shall be a greater queen than any king of yours! She shall rule a
greater England than you could ever have built! Yes - MY Elizabeth SHALL BE
QUEEN! And my blood will have been well spent!”
None of this was said in real life but when you think about it, it's all true. Henry's son by Jane Seymour did become king, but he was still a child and didn't survive to rule for long. But after many trials and tribulations, Elizabeth did become queen and indeed ruled over a greater England than Henry ever could. That is Anne's legacy. I can't think of a better example of karma even if I tried.
I also like Natalie Dormer’s portrayal of Anne in The
Tudors but for different reasons; mainly for the incredible fashions and gowns
she wore in the show which where no less than style porn for a girl like me who
loves historical costuming. even if it was not all really accurate I can’t help
but go crazy with desire for every single thing she wore; there isn't a single
thing in her character wardrobe that I don’t want. Especially the headdresses!!
*O*
Vivacious, confident, and bold, Anne Boleyn truly was an
amazing woman who has left her mark on history, and in my heart. I wish that I
can be as strong and stylish as her, without losing my head of course! XD
She who has been the Queen of England on earth will today become a Queen in Heaven. —
Yours Jasmine
