George Boleyn: In His Sister's Shadow?

[@dorian4534]

I'm fascinated by the dissonance of the primary sources versus the way George Boleyn has been treated, and how his wife has been portrayed, especially the 1970s miniseries. Always seems they either play up or play down his culpability, while always making Jane somehow the victim or the villain or both. The real George? I think he made the wrong enemies, the wrong moves, or thought himself more important (ie untouchable) than he was. 😔

[@leannboyea1822]

Very interesting, still not sure what to think of him. Thank you for this!🐂

[@LKMNOP]

Which is the way it should be when you're a historian. You're supposed to not take sides. If you watch other videos, there are times that she does not care for her subject. But at the beginning she always claims this. She still will give a very unbiased video, but she knows sometimes bias will come through. But she will always tell you if she does not like a person.

[@NannaVildeJensen-qr5sh]

How interesting, especially concerning the marriage between Jane and George🤔 I had no idea such letters of affection between them exist, which really indicates their marriage (at least) not a terrible one

[@jennifersimon4066]

Yes , I too had blamed Jane for some of the downfall of her husband and his family. Love learning new things

[@BriarMB13]

This is such a sincere examination of someone who has been robbed of their complexity in the told histories. Always a joy to see you tackle that, and hear your own opinion! 🐂🐂🐂

[@historybuff7491]

I have always seen George Boleyn as like Icarus -- flying too close to the royal court -- in this case. He was trying to move up in society, like his father had. With his sister as queen, he may have seen it easier to do so. How much he was pushed by father and family or how much he was competing with his sisters, I am not sure. Just like Icarus, the tragedy is sort of his fault.

[@kellyblaxton3189]

A big "Hey!" from America! I love your videos!

[@TheLazerface]

As always, an excellent rundown of the actual facts and analytic review of them. 🐂 You are always my go to for Tudor related content and you never disappoint!

[@mburns75]

Thank you for covering this topic. My knowledge of George has largely been shaped by fictional portrayals, so your research offered a refreshing and thought-provoking perspective. After hearing your insights, I agree that it’s unlikely he was as violent or daft as he’s often depicted. Your analysis of his marriage also lends strong support to the idea that it wasn’t nearly as troubled as commonly portrayed.

[@timefoolery]

Oooh, a lovely, long episode on George! Thank you, Dr. Kat. ❤

[@TammyPike-m1g]

Thank you for this, as those of us who are amateur historians are familiar with the major players, but love to hear about the "supporting cast" . On that note, I would love to hear more about Anthony Woodville. I have not found many sources, and you are a magician 🤩

[@nyckolaus]

Thank you, Dr. Kat.

[@gaylesuggs8523]

Enjoyed this video. I appreciate your trying to show us a full picture of people, events, and the social fabric of the times. 🐄

[@LKMNOP]

Not to mention that if you're in the privy chamber or the privy council, you hear a lot of secrets and plans that aren't made public. So Henry must have trusted George to that extent. So I think you are right that it wasn't just that Henry wanted Anne.

[@erntefreude]

Greetings from Germany! I love your channel and content!

[@prettypic444]

treason by technically: the best kind of treason! I think George is one of the rare examples of a man who's largely historically defined by the women in his life. His actions and position are almost always examined in relation to his sisters and his wife instead of in his own right. Considering this is typically done to women, it's an interesting position... 🐮👩👸👱‍♂️👰‍♀️

[@bethanywicker8990]

I really like your alternative theories on main stream information. You should publish books on them. I really like your alternative theory on the Princes in the tower. 🐂

[@irena4545]

Anne seemed to be an intelligent and capable woman of great charm, her brother easily could have been the same. And he had to die for the same reason as Anne, to make things easy for Henry. As an influential man with connections, he would have been his sister's prime defender as well as a witness that she never betrayed the king, and that would have been awkward. He may even have been privy to some very private information from Anne , so he had to be utterly and thoroughly discredited. How horrible for the Boleyns, to lose two of their children like that at the same time. 🐂

[@MissMariaSiya]

I would love to have a video on Peter the Wild Boy - I first heard of him in 2010 when i saw the Enchanted Palace Exhibition at Kensington Palace. There not much about him that i can find, or i might just not know where to look living in Denmark. Thank you for all your amasing video and calm being :-D

[@eliscanfield3913]

His widow doesn't strike me as so big a fool as to accuse her own spouse of treason and incest. Nor does not having kids prove a damn thing. In those days they wouldn't be able to tell if one or the other or both had plumbing problems unless they had kids with other people. There's a reason why IVF or having extramarital relations were my only options for having children. (I went with the former, the idea of the other squicks me out so thoroughly)

[@timpancakes2011]

Another interesting video! 🐄

[@BarbaraRoberts-oe9hc]

I enjoy your episodes 😊

[@pennyatkinson5740]

I feel sorry for him. A pawn in the game of getting rid of Anne so Henry could remarry and ridding himself of the in-laws!! Thanks Dr Kat!🐂

[@Rwthless1]

Find the lady. The one who accused him. Was it someone who was first infatuated with him, then vengeful having been spurned? Probably very young. Looking at appointments to the royal Court in the previous 6 - 8 months might indicate a likely candidate. I don't somehow think it was Jane Seymour. Could it have been someone she comforted for the mistake then took into her household for further training? George comes over as a seasoned professional who wanted to excel at what he did. Looking at Henry when young, he himself may have inspired George to become as accomplished but in a different capacity. The Tudor Court was a centre of excellence. Everyone seems to have been multilingual, and fluent in Latin. George's final speech was elegant and devoted. Notable for confessing to sins as we all do, but not the ones he is dying for.

[@kateparsons4784]

I always find your videos informative.🐂

[@rhiannonpoole6019]

Thanks for this impartial overview of George. One does wonder why anyone actually wanted to be a courtier as Henry got older and more volatile,🙄

[@jimmorris6060]

Hi Dr Kat. Working my way through all your videos and really enjoying them.

[@aprilnelson9044]

😀😃Excellent! Thanks so much

[@bmj1680]

I wish that there was more information about him. He seems to have been intelligent and highly educated. As you point out, he must have been a pleasant companion otherwise why would Henry want him around. The cabal against the Boleyn must have been very anxious to be rid of all of them. 🐂

[@hadleyjames8627]

Fascinating and interesting topic.thank you Dr. Kat 🐂⚔️📜⚜️🛡

[@LaLayla99]

I love your history lessons! You really show the true history (or at least what is known) versus the historical fiction of entertainment. It sounds as though GB took advantage of the opportinities that came his way but he worked to deserve them. 🐂

[@cindygrubbs5856]

Thank you, Dr. Kat! ❤

[@Jo-pp7yj]

A big set-up! 🏰. 😎

[@Shane-Flanagan]

I would not make a very good Tudor Courtier so, going by that checklist lol 😂

[@tricorvus2673]

I am glad to see this video. I am deeply dissatisfied with what little I have read of George Boleyn. I want to know more, to form a better, clearer understanding of him.

[@dieselsgrandma2949]

Interesting as always 👍🏻

[@TaniaEccleshall]

Very interesting, I also don't believe any of the charges used to condemn the Boleyns 🐂🐂🐂

[@julzy3]

I found it interesting that at 10 years old, George was in a Christmas play (mummery) at court & seemed to be on a typical path for a Tudor courtier's son. To me, that signifies he had merit of his own besides his sisters' relations to Henry. IMO, when Anne had to go he was used as a♟Thank you Dr. Kat🐄🐮

[@joivia]

I really enjoy your videos! I am curious why, if George was not supposed to read the document, that no one tried to stop him? I would think some Court bailiff would have rushed over and tried to shut him up. Thoughts? 📣

[@bajubner]

I've always been curious about the veracity of recorded last words and/or scaffold speeches from so long ago. Did eyewitnesses have some form of shorthand with which they wrote down the words as they were spoken? Or was the speech pre-written and then that document passed along to someone for recordkeeping post-mortem? Like there's no way someone just *remembered* the whole thing and wrote it down when they got home???

[@llewballantine6678]

🐮This was really interesting

[@jeancohen5949]

cow was all there was in the social glifs for my feed-I hope it's close enough to a bull.

[@1GoodWoman]

So interesting. I wonder where descendant Boleyn are today. 🎯😂😊

[@alysencameron361]

His enemies wanted him dead: is it possible he had a form of dyslexiz whereby he had to read aloud in order to correctly identify the words. I suggest this because one of my sisters did this.

[@rosevale3218]

With the fall of favor of his queen because she was unable to produce a male heir, I believe all the Bolynes were doomed. The older Henry became and the desire for a son caused, in my opinion, him to look elsewhere. He'd already had a dissolution of his first marriage, so this had to be a clean break with Anne. How better than her death? I have always believed that the evidence of the treasonous acts were put forth by factions antagonistic to Anne from the start. I think Anne really loved Henry and only caved under duress as you say because he seemed determined to rid himself of their marriage. 👸🗡⚔️ 👨 🏰

[@Crub837]

Thanks 👍

[@avalonkerr8332]

Have you done the father? have I missed it??

[@johnkearns672]

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[@jillmcbride7339]

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[@albertlabozzo2856]

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[@deannawicks]

Yes it was Lady Worcester who accused him,her brother who was against the new reformist religion, accused his sister of immoral behaviour, to divert her brothers accusations. She told him to look to Anne and George.This gave her brother the opportunity to go running to Cromwell to tittle tattle false tales.George was also known for his poetry, sadly now lost .Its believed certain poems of Wyatts may be ones penned by George.Also George probably did love his wife as he didn't have the marriage annulled on the grounds that Jane hadn't provided with an heir.Though they were relatively young and if George had lived longer possibly would have had children.George doesn't come over to well concerning his sister Mary.Her letter to Cromwell asking him to speak with her sister on her behalf over her marriage to William Stafford.She said she daren't speak to her father or George because of their cruelty towards her.Then nobody his perfect.Ps enjoy your reading the past videos Dr Kat.

[@foryoutube3567]

George, Jane, and Anne seemed to be close. I can see a scenario where Anne confided with Jane regarding Henry's trouble with impotence, and Jane told her husband as married people would. I believe George was a normal person, probably gifted in the same ways with wit and intelligence that his sister was. I wouldn't doubt that he could be haughty given his rise and his friendship and kinship to the King. This was a time before psychology and that sort of self-reflection, so I can imagine believing your own PR. But I don't believe there is evidence of his abusing his wife. The Boleyns seemed to be a tight family, which could look excessive to people not in the group. He was a poet, a diplomat, a religious reformer, an example of the renaissance man admired at the time, probably not a hero or a villain.

[@TheRelizabeth]

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[@Lucyverre]

Interesting 🐂

[@maryarigho5868]

I rather like George, don't believe his wife and he did not get on or that she testified against him. He obviously wasn't jealous of Anne because they were great friends.📖

[@sjj39]

It was Lady Worcester who made the allegation of incest.IMO.

[@ReadingthePast]

I think that is a likely answer - I wonder who put her up to it though (if anyone)?

[@sjj39]

@ReadingthePast Someone blackmailed her maybe. Had something on her...?

[@hannahrobbins1017]

what makes you think that? (I confess I'm not 100% sure who that even is and therefore how she was connected to the various factions)

[@TheLazerface]

@@hannahrobbins1017she was one Anne’s ladies-in-waiting and a main informant against her.

[@goeegoanna]

These machinations over favourites and frivolities and families remind me of the actions and reactions of Queen (the lady doth protest too much, methinks) James 1st.... Did Henry have a more to prove than his rampant member, or the lack thereof? Did he seduce the sisters because he was in lust with the brother? Did, perhaps, Anne pay because George played away and not the other way? What of treasonous pretty boy Brandon, his oldest and best chum, who seemed to get away with so much more than even Henry's own family and other good friends.... Well anyway, it's fun to imagine.

[@deborahbrottmiller2948]

Well his father was a successful courtier in his own right, so I think George was somewhat successful in his positions as well irregardless of his rise due to his sister. Wolf Hall which I feel was one of the better Tudor dramas recently (compared to The Tudors which I had no desire to see), but it had it’s faults such as perpetuating the story that Jane was a bitter nasty bitch and George as a complete arrogant ass. It makes for a better story I guess. The series with Keith Mitchell is my all time favorite. He did a lovely Henry along with other cast. 🌸

[@clarepotter7584]

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[@jillbrannigan1809]

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[@Shane-Flanagan]

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[@G.L.McCarthy-vr1oe]

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[@stoker1931jane]

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[@karennobel8575]

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[@lorraineavery366]

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[@kellyburns5032]

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[@pilipalaglas36]

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[@chrismurray2237]

I think that knock to the head Henry got, turned him into an even more evil and vindictive man. It was easier to kill people off, than drag along his sole desire to have a son and lots of sex with other women. Jane escaped his capacious behavior by dying. Poor folk all. 👑🎚️

[@andrearoyd2942]

Thanks x

[@barkingsquirrel7166]

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[@jeancohen5949]

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[@dianebronowiczegelhoff9622]

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