History UsefulNotes / AnneBoleyn

* In ''Theatre/{{Six}}'' (a West End musical about the wives of Henry VIII), she was portrayed by Millie O'Connell.

* Creator/JodieTurnerSmith is set to portray a {{Race Lift}}ed version of her in a Channel 5 MiniSeries.

** She first appeared in Case #11, where the victim was Catherine of Aragon, who had been murdered in 1515, eighteen years before her actual death, thanks to disturbances in time. She at first claimed mourning over Catherine’s death, insisting that the late Queen was like a mother to her. She was later confronted about the victim’s claims of Anne being a harlot. Anne revealed that Catherine suspected her of trying to seduce Henry VIII, which at the time was not true, and expressed fury of being accused of adultery. She was later proved innocent.
** She appeared again when the player went to France, explaining that she was being re-trained in the court of Francis I. When questioned about the victim, the court jester Triboulet, Anne showed no sympathy or caring for such a lowly man. It was later revealed that Triboulet had humiliated her in front of King Francis by spanking her as part of his comedy routine, to which she returned his mockery by biting him and hitting him with his own juggling club. Anne was later found innocent again.
** Her final appearance was at King Henry VIII’s wedding to Lady Fiore de Medici, who was actually a childhood friend of Anne’s. However, after the player found a letter from Anne calling Fiore SCUM, Anne revealed that Lady Fiore had not invited her to her wedding, which infuriated Anne, making her believe Fiore thought herself to be above Anne now that she was marrying a King. Anne forced her way into the wedding to give herself a chance to shine and embarrass Fiore for her snub. Once again, Anne was proven innocent of the murder. She then explains that during the investigation, she and Henry got close and sparks flew between them, and he proposed to her. The wedding went on, with Anne taking the place as Henry’s bride.

Anne grew up as the (probably younger) daughter of the ambitious diplomat and courtier Thomas Boleyn, who when she was around 12[[note]]a letter from Anne to her father dated c. 1514 was almost certainly written when she was around thirteen[[/note]] secured for her a post as maid of honour to Archduchess Margaret of Austria, regent of the Low Countries. From there, she traveled to France to attend Princess Mary of England as she married the French King. After his death and Mary's departure Anne became a member of the court of Queen Claude of France. Heavily influenced by French culture and fashion, she made a splash at the English court when she returned in 1521. Five years later she came to the notice of the very married (and very Catholic) King Henry VIII - and what happened after that has been hotly debated for centuries.

Anne grew up as the (probably younger) daughter of the ambitious diplomat and courtier Thomas Boleyn, who when she was around 6 or 12[[note]]almost certainly the latter; a six-year-old would've been far too young, and a letter from Anne to her father dated c. 1514 was almost certainly written when she was around thirteen[[/note]] secured for her a post as maid of honour to Archduchess Margaret of Austria, regent of the Low Countries. From there, she traveled to France to attend Princess Mary of England as she married the French King. After his death and Mary's departure Anne became a member of the court of Queen Claude of France. Heavily influenced by French culture and fashion, she made a splash at the English court when she returned in 1521. Five years later she came to the notice of the very married (and very Catholic) King Henry VIII - and what happened after that has been hotly debated for centuries.

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of King UsefulNotes/HenryVIII, and was mother of UsefulNotes/ElizabethI. There are few people in history who were and are as polarizing as Anne Boleyn. During her lifetime she was both much maligned and much admired. To Protestants she was the equivalent of a Saint, while Catholics detested her. Nowadays lines are drawn again, although now her supporters and detractors look more at her personality and deeds as Queen - or as a fictionalized character.

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501/07[[note]]most likely the former[[/note]] – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of King UsefulNotes/HenryVIII, and was mother of UsefulNotes/ElizabethI. There are few people in history who were and are as polarizing as Anne Boleyn. During her lifetime she was both much maligned and much admired. To Protestants she was the equivalent of a Saint, while Catholics detested her. Nowadays lines are drawn again, although now her supporters and detractors look more at her personality and deeds as Queen - or as a fictionalized character.

* In ''Theatre/{{Six}}'' (a West End musical about the wives of Henry VIII), she was portrayed by Millie O'Connell.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anne_boleyn.jpg]]

* WickedStepmother: Whatever she was like as a person, Princess Mary was not treated well by Anne at all, and was forced to act as a nursemaid to the newborn Elizabeth. To be fair, while she did threaten Mary with violence, [[ValuesDissonance parents (fathers ''and'' mothers) did that with recalcitrant children all the time in 16th century England]].

* In ''Theatre/Six'' (a West End musical about the wives of Henry VIII), she was portrayed by Millie O'Connell.

* In ''Theater/Six'' (a West End musical about the wives of Henry VIII), she was portrayed by Millie O'Connell.

* In ''Theatre/Six'' (a West End musical about the wives of Henry VIII), she was portrayed by Millie O'Connell.

* In ''Theatre/Six'' (a West End musical about the wives of Henry VII), she was portrayed by Millie O'Connell.

* The ''Series/TheTudors'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Handmaid}}'' is an AlternateHistory where Anne is chosen by Henry (publicly) and Katherine (secretly) to be a handmaid, who bears Henry's children on Katherine's behalf. Katherine chose to ask Anne to be her handmaid in order to avoid a divorce and because she knew Anne would be loyal enough to not try to usurp her position. (What she doesn't know is that's because Anne's in love with ''Katherine''.) Anne ends up pregnant four times. [[spoiler:The first resulted in daughter Cecily, the second was miscarried when Thomas Seymour pushed her down the stairs trying to kill her so Jane Seymour could take her place, the third resulted in twins [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth]] and Edmund, finally providing England with an heir, and the last resulted in Owen. She dies about a year after Henry and Katherine do, from what Cecily suspects is a broken heart.]]

* The ''Series/TheTudors'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Handmaid}}'' is an AlternateHistory where Anne is chosen by Henry (publicly) and Katherine (secretly) to be a handmaid, who bears Henry's children on Katherine's behalf. Katherine chose to ask Anne to be her handmaid in order to avoid a divorce and because she knew Anne would be loyal enough to not try to usurp her position. (What she doesn't know is that's because Anne's in love with ''Katherine''.) Anne ends up pregnant four times. [[spoiler:The first resulted in daughter Cecily, the second was miscarried when Thomas Seymour pushed her down the stairs trying to kill her so Jane Seymour could take her place, the third resulted in twins [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth]] and Edmund, finally providing England with an heir, and the last resulted in Owen.]]

* The ''Series/TheTudors'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Handmaid}}'' is an AlternativeHistory where Anne is chosen by Henry (publicly) and Katherine (secretly) to be a handmaid, who bears Henry's children on Katherine's behalf. Katherine chose to ask Anne to be her handmaid in order to avoid a divorce and because she knew Anne would be loyal enough to not try to usurp her position. (What she doesn't know is that's because Anne's in love with ''Katherine''.) Anne ends up pregnant four times. [[spoiler:The first resulted in daughter Cecily, the second was miscarried when Thomas Seymour pushed her down the stairs trying to kill her so Jane Seymour could take her place, the third resulted in twins [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth]] and Edmund, finally providing England with an heir, and the last resulted in Owen.]]

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has Marge briefly narrating the story of Henry VIII and his wives. Anne Boleyn appears, portrayed by Lindsay Nagle. She gives Henry (played by Homer) a business card that reads "A Son'll Come Out Tomorrow".

** It should however be noted that only one contemporary image of Anne has survived; a defaced prototype medallion that only shows the rough outlines of her face. The portrait at the top of this page was painted sixty years after her death by an artist who'd never seen her. We don't really know what she looked like. There are even those who think she had red hair. Contemporary accounts seem to agree on one thing; in looks, she was about average. \

Given her popularity with writers who fancy themselves historians, there are probably more myths and urban legends surrounding Anne Boleyn and her downfall than about any other figure in English history. No, she did not have six fingers on one hand or a mole on her chest or, as the Book of Lists invented, a third breast. No, she was not accused or convicted of witchcraft. No, her sister-in-law Lady Rochford did not testify against her husband (it was Lady Worcester). No, she did not commit adultery. No, there is no evidence Mary Boleyn was the mother of Henry VIII's children, and quite a bit of evidence against it. And on, and on, and on. Suffice to say that the reader who believes pop "historians" like Alison Weir might be better off reading something by a real, trained historian.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: Anne is often depicted as an alluring beauty, despite the fact that she reportedly wasn't anything special in real life. She was reportedly very much the opposite of the standards of beauty at the time - when it was fashionable to be fair, she was sallow. Likewise she had small breasts when voluptuous figures were in. In fact Henry was largely attracted to her for her personality.
** It should however be noted that only one contemporary image of Anne has survived; a defaced prototype medallion that only shows the rough outlines of her face. The portrait at the top of this page was painted sixty years after her death by an artist who'd never seen her. We don't really know what she looked like. There are even those who think she had red hair.

Anne Boleyn (c. 1501/07 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of King UsefulNotes/HenryVIII, and was mother of UsefulNotes/ElizabethI. There are few people in history who were and are as polarizing as Anne Boleyn. During her lifetime she was both much maligned and much admired. To Protestants she was the equivalent of a Saint, while Catholics detested her. Nowadays lines are drawn again, although now her supporters and detractors look more at her personality and deeds as Queen - or as a fictionalized character.

Anne grew up as the (probably younger) daughter of the ambitious diplomat and courtier Thomas Boleyn, who when she was around 6 or 12 secured for her a post as maid of honour to Archduchess Margaret of Austria, regent of the Low Countries. From there, she traveled to France to attend Princess Mary of England as she married the French King. After his death and Mary's departure Anne became a member of the court of Queen Claude of France. Heavily influenced by French culture and fashion, she made a splash at the English court when she returned in 1521. Five years later she came to the notice of the very married (and very Catholic) King Henry VIII - and what happened after that has been hotly debated for centuries.

* Appears as a character in the ''Literature/WolfHall'' trilogy by Hilary Mantel. In the [[Series/WolfHall 2015 television adaptation]], she was portrayed by Claire Foy, who portrays her as both very irritating but then very sympathetic when Henry turns on her.

* WickedStepmother: Whatever she was like as a person, Princess Mary was not treated well by Anne at all, and was forced to act as a nursemaid to the newborn Elizabeth. To be fair, while she did threaten Mary with violence, [[ValuesDissonance women did that with relactrint children all the time in 16th century England]].

Henry's expectations that the world would go his way at long last were dashed when instead of the hoped-for son Anne gave birth to a 'worthless' daughter (the future [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]]). This must naturally have been a blow to the King, but what eventually led to him falling out of love with Anne is debatable; certainly the numerous miscarriages Anne suffered after Elizabeth's birth had something to do with it, but a factor not taken into consideration by Whig historians is that Anne basically organized the early Church in England on her own, taking much of the work off Henry's shoulders and gaining a great deal of political power in the process. Henry, a lazy man who loathed governing, was prone to lifting men up to do the work and then banishing or killing them when that work led them to become too powerful. This trait of his may have influenced Anne Boleyn's fate as much as it did Wolsey's, More's, Cromwell's, and even Gardiner's.

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Anne was known for being rather abrasive and short-tempered and during her first pregnancy, was prone to throwing things at her servants. If the narrative isn't sympathetic, these traits get played up. That said, there's a reason that most well-known portrayals have at last some of these traits: Even sympathetic historical accounts admit that she was a [[MeanBrit prototype for the Mean Brit.]]

* WickedStepmother: Whatever she was like as a person, Princess Mary was not treated well by Anne at all, and was forced to act as a nursemaid to the newborn Elizabeth. To be fair, while she did threaten Mary with violence, [[ValuesDissonance women did that with relactrint children all the time in 16th century England.]]

* WickedStepmother: Whatever she was like as a person, Princess Mary was not treated well by Anne at all, and was forced to act as a nursemaid to the newborn Elizabeth.

* AloofDarkHairedGirl: Anne was known for being rather abrasive and short-tempered and during her first pregnancy, was prone to throwing things at her servants. If the narrative isn't sympathetic, these traits get played up.

Given her popularity with writers who fancy themselves historians, there are probably more myths and urban legends surrounding Anne Boleyn and her downfall than about any other historical figure in English history. No, she did not have six fingers on one hand or a mole on her chest or, as the Book of Lists invented, a third breast. No, she was not accused or convicted of witchcraft. No, her sister-in-law Lady Rochford did not testify against her husband (it was Lady Worcester). No, she did not commit adultery. No, there is no evidence Mary Boleyn was the mother of Henry VIII's children, and quite a bit of evidence against it. And on, and on, and on. Suffice to say that the reader who believes pop "historians" like Alison Weir might be better off reading something by a real, trained historian.