Anne Boleyn, the daughter of an ambitious father and noble mother began her education in various royal courts, leading to the principles which would make her queen.
Anne Boleyn is perhaps one of the most famous women in British history, and religious history, for that matter. She won the heart of a king who defied his people, his wife and the Church to win her. To understand her, one must understand her origins, her education and her principles.
Anne’s Family
Anne Boleyn’s father, Thomas, was from a wealthy merchant family whose men habitually married women of noble birth. Anne’s own mother was Elizabeth, the daughter of the second Duke of Norfolk and the sister of the third.
After their marriage around 1500, Thomas and Elizabeth had three children. Their first was daughter Mary who was a lover of men in every sense of the word. She appears to have been very attractive to them and she seems to have fallen in love with many of them, Henry VIII being the most famous of all.
Their second child was Anne, who was followed by her brother, George. Both were ambitious, smart and very close.
Anne’s Education
In 1512-1513, Thomas Boleyn met the Archduchess Margaret when performing the office of English ambassador to the Netherlands. Impressed by the number of young women in attendance, Thomas decided that Anne would be an excellent addition to her court.
It was here that Anne received instruction from prominent tutors. She was able to cultivate her language skills and upon her departure from the court, the Archduchess Margaret was sad to see her go.
Anne’s next appointment was as a member of the court of Queen Claude of France. She was the wife of Louis XII and practically the same age as Anne. Anne was unable to learn anything from the Queen herself, as she had done with the Archduchess, but she did enjoy the opportunity to perfect her French as well as her musical and dancing skills.
Return to England
When Anne returned to England in late 1521, she was more French than English. In fact, later in her life and when she became queen, she preferred to think of and represent herself as French rather than English.
Upon her return, Anne gained a place in the court of Queen Catherine, the wife of Henry VIII, where she gained many admirers including the King himself.
Official Mistress
Henry VIII most likely set his sights on Anne to fill the vacated position of his “official mistress.” This position had been occupied by two previous women and it can be assumed that he believed that Anne to willingly fill this hole in his romantic life.
Anne however was in love herself, with Henry Percy, with whom she probably had entered into an engagement. Likewise, she most likely had the opportunity, if not first hand, then through her family to witness what happened to King Henry’s mistresses.
Her sister, Mary had been one such mistress. She held the King’s fascination and obsession until the point of becoming pregnant. Henry had a habit of conveniently placing his pregnant mistresses with nobles who were then promoted in status (and in their pockets, no doubt) after their marriage.
Anne determined not to be the discarded mistress that her sister had been. She knew that the only way to secure a position in Henry’s affection was to also secure the position as his wife. It was this determination that fueled Henry’s drive to push reforms which would lead to the English Reformation.
Without Henry VIII’s lust and eventual passionate love and Anne Boleyn’s stanch determination, the Reformation and the history of religion would have resulted in quite different outcomes.
Starkey, David. Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII. New York: Harper Collins, 2003.
