Anne Boleyn - what went wrong? | Tea Time History Chat (not) live | 1st May 2024

When Anne Boleyn was arrested on 2nd May and taken to the Tower of London, it was the beginning of a carefully orchestrated scheme to bring down the Queen of England. Everything done was in careful balance of public and private. In this discussion I give extra insight into why Anne was not taken in through traitors' gate and why she had a private execution, and why both of these things were done for reasons which suited Henry VIII!
Links to other videos you may enjoy:
Anne Boleyn & Catherine Howard: The Executed Cousins with Gareth Russell
• Anne Boleyn & Catherin...
The Downfall of Anne Boleyn Series • The Downfall of Anne B...
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About Philippa
Philippa is a Historian and History Event Organiser
Philippa Lacey Brewell lives in Central England and is well respected in her field as a historian and tour guide. She is the owner and founder of British History Tours, a tour company for those who love British History.
Philippa entertains thousands each week with her videos and stories from across the UK and British History. This ability to engage an audience, as well as being an expert in traveling the historical sites of the UK, makes her your perfect guide.
#thetudors #anneboleyn

[@mtyfresa]

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk is one of the most vile people I have ever come across. How interesting that no one was concerned of bias when appointing him to preside over his niece and nephew's trials. I am not sure what his relationship was with George Boleyn, but it was well known that Norfolk and Anne were at odds, to put it mildly.

[@LindaKaschyk]

Excellent interview with Gareth on the downfall of Anne and Catherine

[@CherishEachDay2023]

Love the pictures of where all this took place to go along with the timeline. I hope to go on one of your tours someday!!

[@laurieduerr4757]

I agree that the efforts that Henry took to make it look like he was being more lenient to Anne were really in his favor ultimately..

[@wednesdayschild3627]

May 2, Anne Boleyn was arrested. Anne didn't deserve to die. She gave Henry viii the Tyndale Bible. She fed Henry the idea he didn't have to answer to anyone. Then he decided he could just get rid of her.

[@doriamurriola7188]

She in a way created him, she fed his ego that we wasnt answerable to anybody, he took that advice to heart and the moment she couldnt deliver what he wanted, he disposed of her

[@ElliotOracle]

I love this video so much Philippa! Brava 😊❤️👏

[@paulcarter4945]

The question is, what could she have done differently as Queen, rather than "mistress" to keep in Henry's affections ?? knowing his temperament and expectations of a consort at the time...she should have understood that Henry was an Absolute Monarch, he'd disposed of Catherine and could her as well...not involving herself in any flirtation which could be twisted into malicious accusations, is the first and second not to question his rule, or any transgressions he may have committed, Anne was a master of the Tudor court and knew the rules...she needed to become submissive - would probably have kept her head.

[@MEAJJEKL]

Love threw all reason out of the window, and perhaps a bit of ego. She fell in love with him, and hated the idea of him being with other women. She also probably put too much faith in his love for her and felt comfortable enough to continue speaking her mind. You're most likely right, and maybe even Anne knew these things as well, but in those moments, I imagine she was reacting rather than strategizing.

[@user-ex5jy5cx5l]

Unless she gave Henry a living son, she was in danger of annulment or death. Katharine died, Anne miscarried their son, Henry felt free to choose death for Anne, who had no one to defend her. Tragic.

[@jamiemcvay130]

I think she was at the older end of her possible age. Henry was eager to get rid of her because the situation was getting similar to the situation with Katharine of Aragon. Anne was getting into her late 30’s, was less fertile and may not have another child. Besides she had miscarried a boy. He may have believed that she killed his son.

[@graphiquejack]

That narrative sounds logical, but then how do you explain an allegedly gifted teenage girl who is praised by someone like Margaret of Austria for being ‘forward at such a young age’ writing a letter to her father with sloppy penmanship and a poor grasp of the French language? No. It makes more sense that she was sent to the Royal nursery, not the court, where she would be educated amongst Margaret’s nieces. Also, how do you explain people who knew her in her lifetime describing her as ‘not quite 29’ at her execution? I have no idea how historians have been ‘convinced’ that Anne was about six years older than previously thought, based on a weak theory that says the same letter couldn’t have been written but someone so young… but how could she be seen as a young girl of promise when everyone also says the letter is quite flawed and has poor penmanship? Make it make sense? Henry got rid of Anne because he was attracted to Jane, and because Cromwell, who saw Anne as a threat and an obstacle to his foreign policy, manufactured a plot to destroy her. I think Henry was perhaps a little in awe of Anne still, and maybe felt that he couldn’t get rid of her because annulling his marriage would be an admission that he was wrong about her all the time, and he was wrong to abandon Katherine. By blaming the failure of the marriage on Anne was Henry’s get out of jail card. If she was a wicked adulteress and plotted his death, how could he be blamed for destroying her. The problem for Henry was, no one really believed it, even if some people were happy she was gone. I think Henry probably planned to annul the marriage initially, but Cromwell definitely wanted her dead and came up with a scheme that ensured Henry had to kill her. He agreed because it was convenient, which makes him as much of a monster as Cromwell. But to say Henry felt Anne was getting too old? No, maybe he was questioning her fertility, but I don’t think that had to do with her age, just the unfortunate miscarriages and stillbirths that felt like a repeat of what happened with Katherine.

[@rycoli]

Wish I was on tour with you! Enjoy

[@here_we_go_again2571]

I feel sorry for ALL of Henry VIII 's wives; in particular for Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.

[@LindaKaschyk]

Happy touring!!

[@BritishHistory]

Thank you Linda! Wish you were here with us.

[@danacomstock7598]

I understand Henry was getting nervous that France wasn’t supporting him/them any longer which made her a problem. All charges were BS-he just needed her gone.

[@TikiHi77]

I'm sure she jas a nervous laugh when she said she had a little neck. I get that nervous laugh, just not at my execution. Her grave marker is the new Edgar Allen Poe mystery. I think that if Henry just wanted rid of her, he would have found a different way, like the prior relationship with her sister. Then she may have had a much better chance of becoming a nun.

[@chloewolf9201]

Id love to be at Hampton court Palace

[@sarahannwhite]

Hi Phillipa, Do you do Hampton Court tours in December at all? Anytime between 12-20 Dec 2024) Thanks.

[@csmtcqueen]

If you promise a narcissist maniac fool -- "hey I can give you a son that your wife never will" .... THEN when you don't, he will turn on you. Doesn't justify what Henry did to her, but it was inevitable given the horrible man Henry was. Given the times they lived in, every woman would have made that same promise to Henry, Anne Boleyn was not unique, so I don't blame her. Many that enabled Henry in his inner circle over the years, he ended up executing them as well. True to form.

[@rycoli]

❤

[@SyIe12]

👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@animallover6645]

I love Anne a lot but I can sometimes say that maybe she should have handled herself way a bit more differently, it probably wouldn't have changed the outcome but maybe cause I a bit meeker than her, though I can get as Angry as she could so understand some of it. The only thing I could disagree with Anne on is some religious issues as raised a catholic myself.

[@Jami-Frankie]

Ann certainly didn’t deserve to be killed, but I’ve always thought (if accounts are true) she treated Catharine of Aragon horribly.

[@SF-ru3lp]

That occurred to me also- that we reap as we sow, and Anne had been instrumental in removing Queen Katherine. I do think that Henry was a huge narcissist. I wouldn't like to have been in his shoes as he was leaving this life gor the next one.... G Ire

[@Jami-Frankie]

@@SF-ru3lp I’ve thought that too about Henry! He had a lot to answer for at the pearly gates.

[@SF-ru3lp]

@@Jami-Frankie A salutary lesson to us all... God keep us right... G Ire

[@graphiquejack]

Anne was in a terrible position, and I think the stress and the waiting got to her and at times, sure, she acted poorly, but really so did Katherine and many other people towards her. It really shouldn’t be a narrative of Anne vs Katherine when it was Henry who put both these women in terrible situations not of their own choosing. Ultimately it’s him who decided to abandon Katherine and murder Anne.

[@heidibaumgart2570]

Bad clickbait…Didn’t actually address what went wrong….just her last few days…I thought you were going to address how Henry turned on her in more detail

[@jujubees5855]

Same old overrated Boleyn worship.

[@octavianpopescu4776]

I don't see anything wrong in the presentation. Are you saying she was guilty? Or that she somehow morally deserved to die? It's not worship as much as it is acknowledging a historical wrong that was done to a person. I'm no Anne Boleyn fan, but she was innocent and whatever flaws she had didn't justify straight up murdering her.

[@annkelly0072]

I have to be honest here, I see no Boelyn worship in the discussion or presentation.

[@graphiquejack]

Anne has had a pretty harsh reputation for centuries and is only now getting a bit more respect and admiration. Katherine and Jane have typically been the jilted victim or the perfect little woman, and I would hazard a guess that none of these women were perfectly good or completely evil. For example, I think that Katherine was probably lying all along about her marriage to Arthur, and Jane very clearly assisted in Anne’s downfall, even though I doubt she assumed Anne would be murdered unjustly at first. But no matter any of these women’s faults or virtues, it was Henry who deserves the most blame for putting all of these women in terrible danger and sadness. He behaved cruelly to almost all of his wives, honestly. I get a bit tired of people who admire one queen trying to tear down another one. I can question some of their behaviour, but it’s not fair to put all the blame on one queen or another when at the root of it, they had very little choice into what Henry wanted and was going to do to them.