Shocking Papers Prove Anne Boleyn Conspiracy 📜 Henry VIII and the King's Men | Smithsonian Channel

[@mcaskey358]

Why are historians working so hard to excuse Henry's actions? Henry pursued Anne, Anne wanted nothing to do with Henry. Henry forced Anne to marry him. When he got tired of her, he killed her, and while she was being killed he got engaged to Jane. It's time to stop excusing Henry and place the blame for the divorces, executions, murders, slaughter, and abuse, where it belongs on Henry.

[@louisewilson2044]

Starkey doesn't. He clearly states that no one could convince Henry of anything. It was Henry's decision.

[@ButtonsCasey]

I thought most people knew Henry was responsible for what happened in his life. I am also so happy to see someone else, that see's the huge possibility ( I am leaning towards it) that Henry forced himself on Anne, and it had little to do with her playing hard to get. I don't believe she was that ambitious, evil woman who wanted to be Queen.

[@scallen3841]

Wasn't it Anne's father her pushed this ?

[@louisewilson2044]

Technically Anne's family weren't in a position to refuse him. Anne was courting Henry Percy and the King had Wolsey look into ending that courtship claiming that Percy was betrothed to another. The King did a lot remove obstacles to have Anne as a mistress but Anne still refused him at great risk to herself and her family.

[@scallen3841]

@@louisewilson2044 Yep still damaged goods

[@elisabethblackwood3921]

Henry didn't deserve any of the amazing women he married. They were all too good for him.

[@uwumarii]

They are definitely out of his league. He's a disgusting excuse for a human

[@xcrystalx625]

Except Catherine Howard🤷‍♀️

[@scarletpimpernelagain9124]

C L why catherine Howard? She was just a young girl when she married an old man - to further her families ambitions.

[@puppetguy8726]

I think Anne and Henry deserved eachother, other than that I agree

[@ketreenawilliams1320]

It's sad that Catherine of Aragon could have been so much more other than just chasing Henry's affections.

[@coreyboggs2011]

He literally warned Jane Seymour not to interfere in politics and reminded her of the "fates of other queens" that meddled in his affairs. I think Henry allowed and wanted it all to happen and didn’t care how it happened.

[@glowinggold9488]

truly horribel man...

[@saraleonoramanriquez2168]

Totally right

[@rebekahhakeber5093]

Someone watched the Tudors- And assumed they entire script is word for word 🤣

[@Cissy2cute]

He frightened Katherine Parr as well, and also at one point became infuriated with Jane Seymour because she was against the destruction of the monasteries.

[@glowinggold9488]

@@Cissy2cute This man seemed to demand everyone agree with him. Narcissist to the hilt. Im not sure he loved anyone.... ever except him mom

[@kathys1285]

She was murdered point blank and Henry was a narcissist she was domed the moment he saw her

[@waterotter3625]

If it were me, I might have accidentally cut my face a little to reduce my beauty.

[@rhondathompson6942]

@@waterotter3625 i would of got on a boat and sailed off to another land and hide from him for ever

[@edennis3202]

@@waterotter3625 She wasn't all that attractive in the first place, by the most generous contemporary accounts. I can't help thinking that she could have tried harder to make herself less attractive to Henry. There are a lot of ways to do that, usually without resorting to permanent disfigurement. If I wear lemon yellow, for example, my face turns bright yellow, too. The juice from berries can imitate a big bruise, and it won't rub off if someone touches it. Applied around the eyes, it makes you look ill. Ditto whitening on the lips. The whitener they used wasn't very healthy, but it was healthier than decapitation. Yellow teeth. Bad breath. The list is practically endless.

[@glowinggold9488]

@@edennis3202 Hmmmmm.. Not good looking by whos estimation?From what i read back then they were really big into the blonde... fair skin ideal. She was Not that. . That does not mean she was not a beauty in her own right.From what i heard she was quite beguiling and charming.. I think she had black hair that was very long and alluring eyes. She sounds quite enchanting.

[@someone3187]

This is all easy to say in hindsight. Nobody would have thought he would behead her. Anne certainly wouldn't have married him had she known. Let's not forget he wrote so many love letters and seemed genuinely smitten by her.

[@judithboltz7318]

King henry was a spoiled brat from the minute he was born.

[@sophiegathercole7025]

Judith Boltz Well actually he was ignored most of his childhood and was only paid any attention when his older brother died. It was a head injury that turned him into a wife killing brat.

[@scallen3841]

He was born into royalty , people today would act the same

[@glowinggold9488]

@@sophiegathercole7025 I think he was a brat. The injury made him into a monster brat.

[@philliphamilton3591]

Not a brat....a monster!

[@cherylrawlings8875]

Historically he was said to be a good King up until the fall fro his horse. It would seem that a concussion changed his personality drastically! Sad

[@shawnmatthews9594]

None of it is possible without the consent of Henry. Henry gets what he wants

[@erikalulea3608]

exactly

[@AshleyLebedev]

Bingo

[@sueroberts6193]

Like Royals from every century. 😳

[@brianfinnegan664]

It's a man's world

[@lisaholden7124]

What if a handful or so were more loyal to her instead? What if she did in fact have a plan to escape bc she knew how hot head he was and how powerful his members loyal to him were. 3rd miscarriage... maybe they wanted her out of pic to bring new wife in to bear a child for the heir. She knew her days were being numbered and a coup would be put in place to bring her to public death. 🤷‍♀️ who know...

[@veronicashertoine1810]

The fact that Anne's father got her into that mess and thwn turned on her and his son. What a bad parent

[@morganmarsh1276]

just horrible. what a power hungry disgrace. poor kids. ):

[@Cissy2cute]

@@morganmarsh1276 You cannot expect the mores of yesterday can be compared to those of today.

[@pamelaoliver8442]

Stop reading Phillipa Gregory. There is NO evidence to back that claim up. Contemporary evidence says the Duke of Norfolk wept as he read Anne's sentence. She's a great fiction writer, but please refer to historians like Eric Ives and Alison Weir for more factual information

[@oliveoil7642]

Children were expendable back then how sad

[@joshuaowens4011]

not true

[@whiskeytangofoxtrot2568]

Cromwell was himself later beheaded by the king.

[@LaPetiteBoulin]

Its not a fact that Cromwell was the one behind the conspiracy. Most think Henry told him to do it because he didn't want another situation like he had with Catherine of Aragon. I do think Cromwell picked the men he charged with her since their deaths bettered his pockets.

[@jophoenix3919]

AS HE WELL DESERVED!!

[@anastasiaisabella7354]

Yes he was ! That's Karma

[@YvetteArby]

Anastasia Isabella: Yes! Karma come home to roost on him!!

[@karenvalentine7320]

Good, say I. He was the most brutal & unscrupulous man from the Tudor era. No one deserved it more. Cromwell the coward, who had other people killed at will, wrote Henry a letter from the Tower, begging him for mercy.

[@michaeljensen4650]

Anne Boleyn's father sacrificed his daughter to secure his own position and feed his ambition. How tragic. There are no angels in this story. Anne, Henry and Cromwell were all deeply fearful, greedy, power-hungry and selfish.

[@EJayMD-11]

Sounds like the men of that era

[@michaeljensen4650]

@@EJayMD-11 Yes and their mothers too.

[@juanitarichards1074]

None of them would have had any choice once the king set his sites on Anne. I don't think he did throw her in the kings way. His daughter Mary became an outcast from the family for disgracing them with her affair with the king. Nobody in the family would help her when her first husband died and she was left a young widow with 2 children, living in dire poverty. Anne spoke to the king and he forced her father to give her an allowance, he did it only grudgingly because the king ordered him to. Then when she remarried a poor soldier she was cut off from the royal family and all her kith and kin. She never saw Anne or the king again. Anne had learned from Mary's mistake and refused to be the kings mistress. In the very beginning she knew if she did it would prevent her ever making an honourable marriage. She was hoping the king would give up and leave her alone if she ignored his letters and sent back his gifts. Instead it had the opposite effect and she was trapped. However she did come to love Henry deeply and sincerely ("It broke my heart to see you loved others"). So no, her ftaher would not have been happy if she had become the kings mistress as quickly and easily as Mary had done. And because of her affairs at the French court while waiting on the new French queen, Henry's sister, she was sent home in disgrace. Her father was very angry with her and never forgave her.

[@firewaterbydesign]

He sacrificed both a son and a daughter for his own gain. Her brother was also executed.

[@juanitarichards1074]

@@firewaterbydesign Do you think he had any choice in the matter? The whole court was terrified they'd be next. Anne's secretary was so afraid he left court...........he was forced to return and be examined but nothing was found against him. They examined some but let them go. They imprisoned another 2 - Wyatt was one if them, but Cromwell freed him after the executions were over. This was to make it look like a fair trial and to underline the seeming guilt of the others.

[@nikitaheredia416]

Anne only lost the baby due to shock because Henry was a nob. Corruption is the end of relationships, her own father betrayed her.

[@Sweetlyfe]

Yeah and him nearly getting killed in the jousting accident, I wonder if he became diabetic and that’s why the wound never healed, or most likely because they didn’t have antibiotics until the 20th century, probably cellulitis where wound healing even today is virtually impossible as the legs become ulcerated, they didn’t understand about sterilisation then.

[@CocoCece08]

I always thought it was Karma from how she treated Catherine of Aragon's death.

[@gullwingstorm857]

Henry was Kell positive, which meant he could only have one living baby with each woman. All other attempts result in miscarriage or stillbirth. He probably also suffered with McLeod Syndrome, which is unique to Kell positive people, and would explain his terrible behaviour as he got older.

[@glen7318]

@@gullwingstorm857 no real evidence to prove this. He had more than one living baby with Kat of Aragon.

[@gullwingstorm857]

@@glen7318 Lol! She gave birth to six babies and only Bloody Mary survived.

[@72Yonatan]

Thomas Cromwell wasn't a good person. Plotting and scheming until he was undone himself.

[@karenvalentine7320]

Henry had angrily struck him during a dispute, & Cromwell went back to his home & spent days plotting how to get rid of Anne, believing this would get him back in the king's favor. He even later admitted that he had “set himself to devise and conspire the affair” of Anne’s downfall. Which, to me, means he made the whole thing up.

[@karmathephoenix2474]

I hated to see Cromwell die, but karma always catches up to you. Henry needed Cromwell. It was the Boleyns who assisted Cromwell in his rise to prominence. He lost sight of that, and could have turned the whole situation around for Anne. It would not have been the best for Anne, but would have saved her life, perhaps.

[@januarysson5633]

Karma & The Phoenix He differed with Anne on what should happen with the dissolved monasteries and that was a factor in his turning against Anne.

[@evaleeturner4414]

Wrong He had so many ideas and plans for helping the poor he feed 200 people outside his home everyday , He lived in a time where unpleasant things were done everyday , But he wanted so much for the people mimnuin wage heath plans etc he wanted then what took hundreds of years to get done people working under Victoria rain an didn't make enough money for a small place to live they rented for a few hours

[@allygaffney962]

Cromwell recognized annes power with the king and feared it. She brought down Woolsey, his original boss. Eventually he must have worried when will she turn on him. She also disagreed with how the dissolution of monasteries was being carried out, swift and aggressively. He stood to gain from their destruction.

[@mcaskey358]

None of that was Anne. It was 100% Henry. It's sad that she gets blamed for all of Henry's cruelty and evil acts.

[@uofc57]

“This time, the baby would have been a boy” - that’s a weird way of wording it - the baby WAS a boy, but he was stillborn

[@carlv1379]

Historian activism to further an agenda.

[@catwoman9062]

The pregnancy was about 5 months along, so it was a miscarriage opposed to a stillborn child. But it was already obvious that this would have been a boy at full term.

[@mcaskey358]

I agree, it should have been, "This time, the fetus would have been a boy." its much more accurate.

[@ossia1708]

Wait how is it a weird way of wording it? What they mean is that nothing would’ve happened to Anne because if the baby boy was born it would’ve saved her from being beheaded.

[@gardyloo3093]

I agree. The baby WAS a boy.

[@biancachristie]

Henry’s famous leg injury actually dated back to an old jousting accident in 1527. When he had what would be his last jousting accident, his legs were crushed under his horse and the wound, which had already given him a limp, reopened and ulcerated, so he probably had some internal injury that had never properly healed. Cromwell and Anne clashed over many things, but Anne was a very outspoken person with a temper that matched Henry’s and she gave as good as she got. Anne clashed with *everyone*. And she and Cromwell were sometimes allies-he did more to enable her to marry the king than anyone else, so even though he blamed her for Wolsey’s downfall, Cromwell also convinced her ex boyfriend Harry Percy to relinquish his claim that they were “precontracted,” which constituted legal marriage at the time, and he also tried to get Catherine of Aragon to give up her claims on Henry. Anne’s execution was not necessarily Cromwell’s first choice as a means of freeing Henry of his marriage to her. It was not unheard of at all for Royal marriages to be dissolved when viable offspring proved impossible. But Anne would never have gone down without a fight to join a posh convent as an abbess, which was the only socially and culturally acceptable position for an anointed queen and Marquess, at a time and place where rank was essential to one’s identity. Plus she had a child with a legitimate claim to the throne, and Elizabeth had to be put out of the line of succession. Henry, Cromwell, and Anne boxed themselves into that corner. And Henry’s increasingly precarious health might have resulted in Anne as regent and Queen Mum, and she would have eventually killed Cromwell if that happened, as she saw Cromwell’s refusal to forsake Mary Tudor (which he wouldn’t do because she was a possible heir herself, and the kingdom needed the illusion of stability she provided, and also because keeping Mary close was the only way to keep the French, the Holy Roman/Spanish Emperor, and the old nobility from invading England and/or staging a coup) as treasonous-it was her or him, and Cromwell got very lucky when Anne lost her son-had the child lived, Anne would have consolidated her position, and she would have killed him first. Henry, Cromwell, and Anne boxed themselves in. Cromwell tried to play both sides of the fence, and it eventually killed him. A seasoned player like Cromwell knew that the Tudors killed their courtiers, and Anne was as Tudor albeit by marriage as anyone born into the family-almost more Tudor than the blood Tutors, as smart, ambitious, and ruthless as any of them. Court politics were literally cutthroat. If anyone in that situation deserved the most shame, it was Anne’s father, who flung his children into the court for his own gain. He gave Anne’s sister Mary as a mistress first to King Francois, when the Boleyns were still at the French court, and then to Henry when the family came home to England. He expected the same of Anne, but she played her hand with astonishing skill. Still, those girls both worked for him on their backs and he collected the money and titles. His son George did almost as much. What kind of a man could do that? He saved his own skin by allowing both Anne and George to be sacrificed, since George was also executed when Anne was found guilty.

[@KareBear-th6vq]

1:10 But Henry was unconscious at this point.....why y'all got him screaming???? He was unconscious for nearly 2 hours, his courtiers and doctors thought he was fatally injured until he finally woke up.

[@parisLuvsdolls]

Men in those days did the same shady thing to Marie Antoinette.

[@Sweetlyfe]

They still do it, it’s obscene

[@glen7318]

huh?

[@carlv1379]

For Tudor information, see anything Claire Ridgway has done, or sift through youngster Claudia Boleyn's KZbin musings to find a few meticulously crafted videos.

[@mcaskey358]

Her videos have absolutely changed my entire view on this period of time. The sad part is, I can't watch the Tudors anymore without being annoyed. :)

[@vloggythevlogger5215]

I love Claire!

[@Nick-kz6dg]

"These are the original documents" Casually flips through near-500 year old book with her grubby fingers and no gloves.

[@jitaamesuluma9730]

the fingers do not look filthy to me , the tudors deserve to be forgotten , apart from his sisters who did no wrong i know of now , i descend from the stewarts , so there for , Margaret tudor was my many times great grandmother , BUT , i am not proud of having henr as my great grand uncle one bit

[@christiandoodles]

History Chanel's documentary on this was more placing the blame on one guy ...

[@mangot589]

Chinomso I Plus the oil from fingers helps keep the pages supple, especially if they’re vellum. I’m sure she knows what’s she’s doing, she is a curator. It’s funny what people say, like she doesn’t.

[@mangot589]

Lisa Smith Actually, that IS how the Stuart’s used to spell it, before the thrones merged. Just sayin’.

[@maxisussex]

@@historicalfashionpassion That and the fact the Tudors changed the course of English history, from the establishment of the Church of England to the establishment of the first colony in Virginia.

[@user-tl8oj4tv1g]

Btw, today is the birthday of Anna of Kleve, another wife of Henry.

[@shyfly825]

I don’t think they know exactly when her birthday actually was but today is one of the days suspected to be her birthday. June 28 is another day they suspect which is also Henry VIII birthday

[@user-tl8oj4tv1g]

@@shyfly825 Yes, it's the date you find in most books.

[@shyfly825]

P Very true, I believe it is stated that it is the more probable date of her birth

[@mariagallian8057]

At least she kept her head and was called "sister" by Henry.

[@shyfly825]

Maria Gallian Also true and she outlived Henry

[@jophoenix3919]

ANNE BOLEYN WILL REMAIN IN HISTORY AS A INTELLIGENT AND BRAVE WOMAN WHO'S DAUGHTER WAS THE GREATEST QUEEN ENGLAND EVER HAD!

[@lillyc9283]

More like HERstory!!!

[@lillyc9283]

The Funny Side Up really? I don’t see anything indicating that. She was actually a “biblical feminist” and definitely made a change in her society by being one. Spain was actually the first to being slaves to the New World. She was very brave to even let the future know that she was a feminist and wanted equality through all men and women. Obviously the second statement is technically an opinion, but Elizabeth was the first female ruler that didn’t get the nickname of Bloody Mary.

[@mcaskey358]

@The Funny Side Up How so?

[@mcaskey358]

@@lillyc9283 And Rome had slaves before, in fact most nations had slavery of some kind or another at some point in their history. But yeah, i have no idea how a woman, who wasn't even allowed the freedom to pick her own husband, in a time when they were debating if women even had souls, could create slavery, all on her own?

[@lillyc9283]

M Caskey I feel that. I’m just speaking for my country (America) and the UK. My favorite subject is actually history (specifically the UK, USA, and other European countries)

[@FreeSpirit47]

Ironic. Since Henry will always be known as a foul tempered narcissist. Anne is remembered as one of Henrys victims who was the mother of a queen.

[@juanitarichards1074]

Cromwell was a hypocrite because he also turned his back on Wolsey. When it came down to his career or his loyalty to Wolsey, he chose his career. Also there are signs that Henry had a tyrannical streak even from a young age. One of his first deeds on becoming king was to have his fathers unpopular ministers and tax collectors, Empson and Dudley executed. Never mind that they were just doing their jobs that the previous king had ordered them to do. This is one of the ways the new king gained the popularity of the people. That ruthless streak was always there and got worse as he became more sanctimonious and thought he WAS God and that whatever he desired God wanted for him. Never mind morals and ethics. The great adulterer/ so pious.......and a murderer and child abuser to boot. A huge hypocrite.....he knew the charges against Anne were impossible.

[@glowinggold9488]

good point... He got some of this from his dad.

[@neilbuckley1613]

@@glowinggold9488 He actually was more like his maternal grandfather both physically and in personality, the ruthless King Edward IV who executed his own brother the Duke of Clarence.

[@glowinggold9488]

I think that Henrys grandfather,,, on his dads side.... did not seem to have s strong clear moral compass. He impregnated a 12 or 13 year old girl. I dont care if it was accepted at the time... i suspect at some level those that do such things know its wrong. Children are innocent of thier parents crimes but it still has a way of clutching at thier heels and effecting them. Henry seem to have a lust problem... and it was his undoing.

[@juanitarichards1074]

@@glowinggold9488 There was no such thing as childhood in those days. Poor children worked like slaves, rich and royal were married off young and expected to take on adult duties. Young princes were expected to entertain foreign ambassadors in style, train for war and to defend their country one day.......girls learned how to run households and estates......childhood is a relatively modern invention.

[@glen7318]

@@glowinggold9488 what are you on about?

[@Thursdaysindecember]

So much pride and a toxic mixture of insecurity and power made Henry a puppet by other to manipulate to throw away Anne. This saddens and sickens me immensely.

[@angelartamesia2]

Anne of Cleves was the smartest out of all of Henry's wives

[@thedativecase9733]

Yes. And the luckiest.

[@pamelaoliver8442]

Idk. Katherine Parr was a published author and managed to save her own skin when she got a little too outspoken..

[@graceplaysxrb4962]

kathrine was the smartest

[@KatTheScribe]

Not sure we know exactly what prompted it all, but I think the 'evidence' of Anne's 'guilt' was convenient to both Henry VIII and Cromwell. Henry was an immature, selfish punk and, at this point anyway, Cromwell worked him well.

[@juliie007]

The Tudor series did a great job revealing the conspiracy against Anne Boleyn.

[@dkcy5748]

Head injury & leg wound,.definitely changed his personality

[@dkcy5748]

@strawberry_shortcake4life no he wasn't as it was never expected for him to be king

[@christistratton]

The title of this is "Shocking Papers Prove Anne Boleyn Conspiracy".. but you never reveal the contents of said papers, only that there are some. This told me nothing more than any other content on the subject, and therefore, the "shocking" was no more than a fizzle.

[@christistratton]

@Peter Lorimer I see. I used to have a Smithsonian Magazine subscription, it was excellent .

[@Punnery]

These days there's a lot of confusion about the word "proof." People (or headlines) will claim something to be proof, when in fact it's merely a piece of evidence. To me the choice of the emotive words "shocking" and "conspiracy" in particular make me suspect their line of reasoning.

[@thedativecase9733]

This is part of a much longer BBC documentary.

[@christistratton]

@@thedativecase9733 OH.. I c.. it was a snippet.. thank you so much.. perhaps i can find the entire somewhere

[@christistratton]

@@MSBowen-pk6ww Someone said that this was a short bit because there was a longer video which had all the information in it. This was essentially a "teaser trailer".

[@crazydougfam]

However that document was based on testimony from the minstrel and others. Tbh I think Cromwell was dealt a lucky hand and played it cruelly!

[@phishENchimps]

Shhh, don't do all the proper reporting. you'll make them look biased

[@juanitarichards1074]

I believe he wouldn't have dared carry out such an audacious plot unless it was on the kings orders.

[@patriciastaton6182]

just horrific how you treat loved ones 😭

[@QuantumMechanic_88]

It's called the "royal family" .

[@cassievanbrunt7791]

I dont think loved ones is the correct term for the period, it's more like progeny. Science project, or futures (in stock market terms).

[@gypsysummer4008]

Anyone who has dealt with brain injury patients/family will know he has classic signs of this after his jousting accident ,where he was unconscious for a long time. personality change/paranoia/ aggression/irritability etc. Why is this rarely ever mentioned?

[@Hayata_dair_hersey95]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@conlaiarla]

Henry the truth about Anglicanism.

[@stephallan2543]

How SAD 😢. However, the Good News is that LIARS are not Allowed in Heaven.

[@glen7318]

what are you on about? the place must be empty then

[@bothewolf3466]

I knew this because of Clair Ridgway's channel. XD

[@mcaskey358]

I love her channel. She's very well sourced and informed. It's completely changed my view on this period in history.

[@beth7935]

@@mcaskey358 Yeah, hearing the contemporary sources is amazing!

[@bothewolf3466]

@@mcaskey358 It just showed me the political machinations and intrigue today are about the same as have always been going on since the dawn of time, to today. Politics and coveting of power never changes.

[@karmathephoenix2474]

Anne Boleyn did give Henry an heir, Elizabeth. Elizabeth I, although she never married, led her country into the Golden Years of great prosperity. She ruled for 40 years, unlike her sister Mary I who was renown for executions, earning the nickname: Bloody Mary. She died leaving England bankrupt and with no heir. None of Henry's children had heirs, hmmm? I'm almost certain he and his family had a curse on them. Something or someone did not want the Tudors to be successful or happy on the throne.

[@chelseajacob573]

The Tuddors were never supposed to be on the throne. Henry vii's grandmother engaged in alot of dirty work to get her son (Henry viii's father)on the throne. That most likely had alot to do with it. Not so much a curse but a natural consequence of the action of the Tudors. Being henry, his parents and his grandparents

[@Mark-Smeaton]

Princess Diana was descended from the Boleyn's via Anne's sister Mary. (Charles is too but I find Diana's link to Anne far more fascinating lol).

[@alicejohnson8751]

Elizabeth killed nearly as many Catholics as Mary killed protestants. Elizabeth was no saint.

[@glen7318]

@@Mark-Smeaton No such person

[@barbaradenicomedia114]

Henry executed in cold blood to Thomas More, someone with far more dignity and honor than Anne Boleyn had ever dreamed of aspiring to, who was his teacher, faithful chancellor, and friend, so if Henry had not scruples had no qualms about executing him, much less someone as daring as Anne Boleyn.

[@mcaskey358]

Check out the channel, "The Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Society" I think you'll find your opinion of Anne is a bit off.

[@harryfineberg5075]

He burned protestants at the stake and thought he was doing them a good turn. A catholic fanatic beneath all the piety and scholarship

[@Cissy2cute]

Sadly in Henry's declining years he much regretted ordering More's execution and too late realized what a tremendous friend More had been.

[@Skyblue-fw5rm]

And Henry began suppressing monasteries for plundering. I like Thomas More but I respect your different opinion.

[@courag1]

The way women were supposed to dress in many centuries, it is amazing how hard it was for women to carry children. Not so with common-folk. Women have had the short-end of the stick frequently. The toxic medicines of the day also may have prevented a healthy pregnancy due to Henry's health also.

[@yvonneb2327]

I think you are very close to the truth Re toxic medicines .

[@gullwingstorm857]

Henry was Kell positive, which meant he could only have one living baby with each woman. All other attempts result in miscarriage or stillbirth. He probably also suffered with McLeod Syndrome, which is unique to Kell positive people, and would explain his terrible behaviour as he got older.

[@juanitarichards1074]

Cromwell would not have dared dream up such an audacious plot unless the king ordered him to. Nobody did anything without Henry knowing..........he wanted rid of Anne to marry Jane and have an heir, and he didn't want to wait 7 years like he had to get rid of Katherine of Aragon. He didn't want Anne and her family fighting her corner so he destroyed them all - all of Anne's potential supporters. There was no need to execute Anne as the marriage was annulled days before her execution. Cranmer used the grounds that Henry had had an affair with her sister which put them within illicit degrees of affinity. They tried first of all to make Henry Percy swear there was a precontract between him and Anne, which would have allowed for a quick annulment, but Percy swore 3 times before the clergy and on the Sacrament that they had never been precontracted. I believe him. He could have saved Anne's life if he had lied for her but he would not. Far too much was made of their one time flirtation, but Anne had many admirers at that time and kept them all at a distance, including poet Wyatt. And this was all before the king set his cap for her.

[@karenvalentine7320]

Actually, I believe Percy was lying, because he & Anne had made a marriage vow to each other that was overheard by several witnesses. In those days, that was as good as being married. I think he was afraid of his own skin if he admitted it for the trial, knowing that the King's & Cromwell's will was that Anne had to die. Percy was very ill & collapsed after the death verdict on Anne. A year later, he was dead at age 35.

[@dewianjani8021]

God bless Queen Elizabeth I

[@Brahmdagh]

Heartbreaking.

[@hannahcane645]

You'll actually find Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn did give the King sons who either were miscarried or still born- it was God's will for then not to have a son.

[@Meow_Zedong_1949]

The Tudors seemed to have trouble with producing healthy sons with Henry VIII being the only Tudor prince to live beyond 20. His older brother Arthur, his illegitimate son Henry Fitzroy and his heir Edward VI all died in their teens along with the many stillbirths and miscarriages among Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Perhaps Richard III cursed the Tudor dynasty with his last breath.

[@ckallen1546]

Let’s not be mellow dramatic. Anne Boleyn was a well educated girl & young woman. Her father, mother, and uncle were people of means and power. With a lot of political allies. And Anne had witnessed what became of the king’s lovers (including her own younger sister). The king’s grandmother had done a lot of fancy footwork to get Henry’s father on the throne. No doubt Henry was aware (at the least) of that. And what it would take for him to hold onto his crown. Anne Boleyn was no innocent servant girl or milk maid...or female of a minor or impoverished house. It’s sad, what happened to her. And wrong. But she went in with eyes wide open. And could have retreated as easily as her younger sister (or Bessie Blount). But didn’t. And can be honored for that.

[@stephenenders2066]

The Smithsonian doesn't have a good track record on being upfront enough to be able to judge conspiracies lol

[@kimbyrd2298]

Mary who was Anne's sister was Henry's mistress.

[@thedativecase9733]

Exactly. That's why Anne didn't deliver the goods until she knew she had Henry hooked. She saw the way he had discarded her sister when he was tired of her.

[@glen7318]

we know

[@chykim1]

Had Anne had a son, cromwell wouldn't have been able to touch her, this whole farce would've never taken place.

[@glen7318]

but she didnt.

[@margo3367]

I've read two of Hilary Mantel's books about Thomas Cromwell. Just starting on the third (of the trilogy). Fascinating story.

[@Saurischian]

Which has been your favorite?

[@ericloscheider7433]

Beautiful books.

[@margo3367]

MK Moreland I think the first (Bring Up the Bodies), although it's been awhile since I read the first two. She took several years to come out with the third. Wolf Hall was great too, that's centered on Anne Boleyn. Did you see the series, "Wolf Hall"? It was fabulous. Great cast.

[@margo3367]

Eric Loscheider She takes a more sympathetic tone with Thomas Cromwell than I've seen done in the past. She humanizes rather than demonizes him. I agree. They are beautiful books. I was afraid she wouldn't complete the trilogy, but oh ye of little faith, she did and I'm delighted.

[@teewithey5879]

What happened to the person who jousted Henry and knocked him off?

[@whiterabbit-wo7hw]

Nothing. It was the kings idea that he wanted to "show off" in front of everyone. He loved the attention.

[@teewithey5879]

white rabbit 1968 ah really? Given that a lot of people call him a tyrannical leader I would of been sure he would of had him killed, as a show of power & “thanks for embarrassing me” even though it was his own idea 😅

[@jo-vf8jx]

Tee Withey He didn’t really become like that until after his accident.

[@Concetta20]

I don’t think they’re excusing him, they’re just providing more clarity to the situation. Henry wasn’t acting alone.

[@jenniferwasinski3675]

Henry the 8th. A true story of spousal abuse in Tudor England. Each and every one of those women were abused horribly by that man

[@RaceOplasmaz]

Leg looks like he got hit by birdshot.

[@adrianmorris3772]

Very interesting thanks for your video. Greetings from Adrian in Sheffield South Yorkshire England 😀😺

[@Ad_Astra2023]

After all that fuss over gaining a son, the irony is that Anne’s daughter Elizabeth ruled the country just fine in the end. Perhaps she didn’t marry on purpose in order to end her Tudor line against her crazy father’s wish.

[@noabatmelech]

"It suited the king to belive them" so true!!! All he cared was his line of succession, nothing more

[@megantaur3683]

Queen Elizabeth is Anne’s greatest revenge.

[@ripemm5737]

Looks like a lot of people watched the tudors

[@thereforeayam]

I like how the injury matches the red ivy on the castle--guy must've been 'built very well'.

[@CptnJCFG]

True game of thrones level stuff here

[@theoldar]

Real history is far more interesting than fiction!

[@justfine8647]

Game of Thrones is based on Henry the VIII's reign, actually. ;)

[@justfine8647]

@Ari Renzi-Surprenant you're right! everything about his life and family. It's not an exact copy, plus the dragons and zombies, but it is "inspired" by Henry and that period.

[@anneneville6255]

Just Fine denearys is based on Henry VII (his father)

[@pennysunshine5261]

They always say “how you get ‘‘em is how you lose ‘em”.

[@juanitarichards1074]

All royal courts everywhere were filled with division and intrigue, full of ambitious greedy courtiers trying to outdo the others. Nothing has changed with modern royalty, as we can see.

[@moll5086]

Yes still going on

[@sayitlikeitis5026]

Anyone know where I could watch this in full?

[@dawnemile4974]

Just demonstrates the wickedness of patriarchy.

[@sawyerthestarling]

Seems fitting after what she did to conspire against Catherine of Aragon and her daughter Mary. She celebrated her death and was a horrible stepwitch so it seems she wasn't a sympathetic victim. Maybe it's what she had to do in a time like that but it obviously came with consequences.

[@caitlinallen8400]

I think that may be a bit harsh. I believe she made mistakes, but she wasn't evil. She was ambitious, and I think she truly believed that Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon was unlawful. Therefore, in her eyes, Henry was actually a single man whom she ambitiously set her sights on. But I think she truly loved him also.

[@sawyerthestarling]

I think she was perfectly evil and never believed the marriage to be unlawful. She wanted what she wanted and took it with no regard for what she left in her wake. She was jealous and threw a party when the true and rightful queen died and that is one of several documented incidents I draw my opinion from.

[@caitlinallen8400]

Perhaps her motives were somewhere in the middle ground of what we each respectively think. Not evil, but not great. Just a thought. 🤷

[@karenvalentine7320]

Actually Anne made 2 pleasant overtures to Princess Mary, asking her to let go of the past & accept Anne's marriage to her father. Anne promised that if she would, she would intervene with Henry to bring her back to the court & would have her be treated well. Mary rebuffed her harshly both times. That's when Anne went off on her & threatened to bring her down from her high horse.

[@sawyerthestarling]

That was a problem she caused in the beginning and I would've reacted the same way. It was her high horse to be on. She had every right as the daughter of a king and if not for Anne there wouldn't have been anything to forgive or move on from.

[@nonononocatvstheworld804]

Wow, so people are getting to the point of doing victim blaming on someone who was murdered centuries ago? Yikes. Get a job.

[@mermaidmersea7113]

How can I watch the whole episode?

[@annagarza2377]

The presenter emotes more than Simon Schama.

[@bubugullapalli1534]

Watch Tudors series. The way Anne, her brother and her father conducted themselves is just very greedy and selfish. They faced consequences of their evil intentions and actions. No one was pure except the first queen Catherine of arogan, she was the real queen who handled herself very gracefully.

[@moll5086]

When I visited the Tower of London the chapel there had a strange uneasy feeling like there were unhappy spirits Many years later I read that Jayne Seymour had been buried beneath the Chapel floor

[@cijoyvar9029]

Old testmanent actually States younger brother to marry widow of a older dead. So Why Henry's marriage to his brothers widow was considered sin? Can someone explain

[@amandahealey2216]

Because Henry VIII's understanding of the Bible wasn't as thorough as he would have liked it to be

[@seanmcguire7974]

Wheres the whole documentary?

[@Brown2099]

I love how everyone in the comments section are all historians now; historical debate has become personal opinion de facto to modern day standards in this comments section. Think a little before you start rambling about something your not completely informed on. Perhaps you’ve been taught aspects of the early Tudors in school, sixth form, collage, university and etc. With this in mind you can make an evidenced deduction, thats how historical interpretation works. Talking more colloquially and generally is fine, just be aware you aren’t speaking with a proposed imperial truth when you say things that have a general social consensus by modern standards or that we perceive in a specific way with limited evidence and sources.

[@brianparent]

Wasn't George Boleyn, Anne's brother, also accused of committing adultery with Anne Boleyn? Some have said that Anne Boleyn was more Protestant than Martin Luther was who was the first to translate The New Testament into The English Language, but it was John Rogers that finished William Tyndale's work as well as publishing William's New Testament Bible.

[@MemineAussi]

Cromwell confirmed to Chapuys that Henry ordered the whole charade.

[@PrincessofErised]

I think he was unpopular for putting Catherine aside and breaking with Rome. Killing Anne, who did not produce a male heir, literally would be killing 2 birds with one sword. He would put the break squarely on her saying he had been bewitched and the lack of a son was proof. the people would never want to blame their king and took the easy scapegoat. Second, he would marry again and get the son he desired.

[@naelair]

King Henry, the Great delivered us from the Roman church! We should all of us be willing to die, to give our lives for this deliverance. King Henry the eighth was England's greatest king.

[@JanMike9]

Anne educated him on the Reformers-he previously labelled them as blasphemers. All credit rightly to Anne Boleyn for the establishment of The Church of England.

[@chickasawstarrmountain9747]

I cant get over how cruel anne was to mary

[@mirora2212]

Henry could off also fabricated the ‘evidence’

[@Pine_pawz]

could HAVE

[@llydrsn]

Wasn't it Cromwell also who was behind the beheading of St. Thomas More?

[@nameslesss]

Was Thomas more the poet who was suspected to be Anne bolyn’s lover?

[@nameslesss]

I think he was tortured into admitting Anne was in love with him..??

[@karenvalentine7320]

@@nameslesss No, that was Thomas Wyatt. He did love Anne & wrote several poems about her. But she only liked him as a friend. He was sent to the Tower by Cromwell, then let go. While in the Tower, Wyatt had a clear view of the executions & wrote a poignant poem about his experience. Here's some of it: "It is a great loss that you are dead and gone The time you had above your poor degree the fall whereof your friends may well bemoan A rotten twig upon so high a tree has slipped your hold and.. you are dead and gone. These bloody days have broken my heart. My lust, my youth did them depart, And blind desire of ambitious souls who hastes to climb seeks to revert and about the throne, the thunder rolls."

[@annieoakley2925]

@@nameslesss Thomas More was Henry's great friend, philosopher and writer and served in government posts. He refused to recognize Henry's right to divorce Anne and that sealed his fate.

[@nameslesss]

Karen Valentine dang there are way too many thomases in the Tudor period

[@samanthaanderson9743]

Didn't Henry have his head injury in January 1536 ? And not the leg injury.

[@rorygilmore2470]

yeah.. he did

[@shilohstore6086]

Okay you can make fun of me all you want but it wasn't until now that I realized her name isn't Amber Lynn 😂

[@Alex_Karas]

Even today, Anne Boleyn is rarely portrayed in a positive light. And it is sad. She was extremely brave. It was a man's world after all. The real woman is buried underneath all the biased accounts and propaganda of the era. But we do perhaps get glimpses of the real Anne Boleyn in the final days of her life.

[@aaronkaczmarek5032]

She went after a married man pushed him to find a way to oust his wife to make room for her, ensured a whole countries religion was changed just so she could be queen, was horrible what happened to he but she could have caused the same thing to happen to Catherine by her actions to endure she wasn’t just a mistress, all for power

[@si4632]

Exactly 🤣👏

[@aaronkaczmarek5032]

@anonymous 112 she refused him unless he removed his wife and made her replacement? Lol she knew what she was doing 😂

[@erikwilson7622]

Reading about Henry prior to viewing this, I felt he was the Devil reborn, now convinced,,,,

[@Marcus51090]

Do we actually Know the medical condition that was stopping his leg healing ?

[@amysteriouslady8257]

I thought i red somewhere he suffered from diabetes and later in his life he contracted syphilis

[@Marcus51090]

Amysterious lady syphilis was a common ailment but it wouldn’t impede his regenerative functions

[@mcaskey358]

I recall a Documentary with Lucy Worsley where they found he most likely had Type II Diabetes. Also I recall reading that even if he'd been alive today, the only option would have been amputation.

[@kellydesilva6733]

Diabetes, which he is thought to have had, can overtime reduce blood flow to the legs and feet. This can lead to ulcers which are notoriously difficult to heal even now. Then medicine could do nothing for it. His only option to be rid of it would have been amputation and given the lack of knowledge at the time would probably lead to sepsis and death.

[@edwardpickett1760]

What all comments haven't taken into consideration is it was always cut throat times throughout the world let alone in England in those times. A son and heir was of paramount importance in every nation that had a king.

[@JanMike9]

Which is just about the dumbest policy monarchies adhered to. England's greatest monarchs are its Queens.

[@Miamcoline]

Jesus christ, I had no idea the story was that insidious.

[@janehaylay1152]

They stated many facts wrong(so much for doing proper research behind it...). Though I agree, at least Cromwell wanted Anne death.

[@Algebrodadio]

Should watch "The Tudors" on Netflix. It may not be super historically accurate, but it's entertaining.

[@Miamcoline]

@@Algebrodadio I will, thank you!

[@gavinmillar816]

@@Miamcoline Watch Wolf Hall instead. Far more accurate. Better acting. Much better writting and directing. The Tudors is soapy nonsense

[@Miamcoline]

@@gavinmillar816 I am liking that description. I appreciate those criteria. You sound like a kindred spirit!

[@12from121]

This is a 21st century retelling of history. Anne was no sweet innocent she played a part in the deaths of Fisher, Moore and Wolsey. She knew the game, the rules and she played it. Stop trying to recast her as a feminist lamb being led to slaughter.

[@sheilahunter8807]

Hahaha!! Love it she even says “Tudor fake news” lol That’s right!

[@tammyweaver455]

What happened to her Head.🤴 because I was watching documentary and they said 👸her head 💁wasn't buried with her body was she buried in❓❔ Westminster Abbey ✝️ 💂

[@janehaylay1152]

What they said about Henry's jousting incident is wrong. Henry VIII according to English sources fell but was unharmed(or at least not visibly harmed). Source from Rome state his fall was bad and that he was unconscious for 2 hours. His ulcer opened later on-old jousting injury from previous years. But there was a big change in Henry VIII's personality after this jousting incident-but it might have not had anything to do with his physical health but with his psychological health. Because Anne's miscarriage was just five days after he felt(possibly she was not told straight away he was fine), it could be this miscarriage what was the last trigger-of his mental breakdown. He was not acting exactly sane and reasonably since this point, was paranoid, easily manipulated etc. And I agree he was lead by people into believing Anne cheated upon him. (I am not ruling out the possibility of there being some injury from his jousting fall in 1536. But surely documentaries should stop spreading these misconceptions about his last jousting fall. Can't they do proper research behind it?!) ... Also what third miscarriage? We know of only two. Only two are confirmed! The rumoured third in 1535, proper historians rule out as prove of another pregnancy because it is undoubtedly addressed to a man who died in 1534! It was just previously wrongly dated and it was just confirming the pregnancy previous year. Once again can't they do proper research behind it?! ... Producers of this tv show might have access to some original documents, but they don't have basic facts right!!! Because of people like those, misconceptions and total untruths such as Katherine of Aragon fighting personally in Battle of Flodden Field are still spread widely in population.

[@poochoes1]

Did you see the special on the discovery channel? They recreated the jousting accident with a huge piece of beef with sensors. It showed from the force of the fall Henry would have had major brain injuries as well as internal injuries. Pretty gruesome stuff. As for Anne Bolyen, Henry had done some heinous things to break from Rome and force his being head of the church, with or without Cromwell, I think Henry would have had her executed. He did it all for her, she promised him a son, it was all her fault. Henry was seduced by a witch who even slept with her own brother. Poor Henry, was ever a man more poorly done by, blah, blah, blah. Never believed she did anything but failed to produce a son.

[@justinlanghorne9611]

Conspiracies are real. Question everything, especially from governments. When media and government scream conspiracy theorists, no doubt that it had validity.

[@FortitudineVincimus]

But don't go blindly believing all conspiracies are true though. Just take a look at the garbage that Qanon posts.

[@arikosubumo2402]

House of Cards: Tudor Version

[@amandarussell8185]

hows that evidence of a conspiracy if he was told to do it?? You gave zero "evidence"

[@whiterabbit-wo7hw]

Talk about politics.

[@macintosh46]

We should look at this through modern eyes!

[@zb7293]

I'm sorry, but what evidence is that we didn't know already, or that show things differently?

[@carlv1379]

Clickbait

[@kriegerkaiser]

Didn’t we already know all this?

[@bradydomann3102]

I thought Cromwell (being a Reformer and Lutheran) saw Wolsey’s downfall as a good thing for England?

[@starflower2583]

So fitting that the ivy on Hampton Court Palace looks like a big blood stain.

[@shimanopetermann9068]

Not sure wether this was Cromwell wanting revenge (after all Wolsey died a natural death). It was Cromwell securing the Kings favour by helping Henry VIII. getting what he wanted, which was ending his marriage with Anne. He couldn't have that marriage just annulled. There was no reason. Anne hadn't been married before and Elizabeth and her other pregnancies were prove that the marriage had been consumated. Divorcing Anne without any good reason would've made Henry the clown of Christianity because he went to such great lengths to be able to marry her in the first place. The only acceptable and plausible reason would've been Anne commiting adultery.

[@neilbuckley1613]

I think the idea of Cromwell wanting revenge has come out of the Wolf Hall book and TV series. A much more likely motive was self preservation, he and the Boleyns had fallen out over some issues and they would not have hesitated to destroy him.

[@sebastianrico5233]

I'm astonished really. Well, there's that.