Her Own Fault

by Athena Burr

Anne Boleyn was notoriously know as ambitions, opinionated, quick witted and charming. How else could she catch the eye of the most powerful man in the country, play part in a reformation, and become queen? But Anne’s allure and ambition, in my opinion, were the very cause of her fall.

Men were crazy about Anne, she had that certain magnetic charm that only comes around once a century. When she liked a man, she could give him that sly, dark eyed glance and she had him at her feet. Perhaps this is why she was charged with witchcraft. Simply because there was no other explanation for her magnetism.

Before Anne and Henry were married, Anne had to be constantly working to grab Henry’s attention and hold on to it. She made sure she was always affectionate but challenging enough that she wouldn’t bore him.

After they were married and she was queen Anne probably relaxed a bit. She had achieved her goal of becoming queen. Now all she needed to do was provide the king with a healthy son, and she would be fully insured.

She had a daughter (Elizabeth, who grew up to become arguably, the greatest European monarch) and several miscarriages. This must have been one of the biggest causes, if not the main cause of her fall.

Henry had been married for nearly 24 years before Anne and had only one delicate daughter to show for it. Now Anne was seemingly just a ‘barren’ as his first wife. As time went on and Anne failed to have a son, Henry must have grown more and more tired of her. Her charm and quick whit were attractive when they were courting, but now as a wife and queen they were becoming less and less desirable. He began taking notice of the queen’s lady in waiting, Jane Seymour, a sweet and angelic girl. Quite a change from hot blooded Anne.

Despite Henry’s tire of Anne’s witty charm, Anne probably did not change. Instead of her charm being directed at Henry, it was directed (perhaps innocently) towards other men of the court. This was, I believe, how rumors of affairs spread.

When these rumors reached Henry, they were likely much elaborated by people who could gain something through Anne’s fall. This gave the king another excuse to get rid of Anne and marry another girl, one who could give him a heir. But this time, he would charge Anne with witchcraft, adultery, incest, and treason instead of just annulling their marriage.

In the end, Anne’s temper, allure, and inability to have a son caused her fall. The people who did not want Anne on the throne had a pull on Henry that strengthened as Anne and Henry’s relationship eroded. Anne taught Henry that as king, he could act on his every whim. So Anne’s pretty little head ended up on the executioners block. And whether she could control it or not, it was her fault.