I have been interested in Anne since I studied the tudors subject at school, (im 35 now) Ive always felt a strange connection to her, I have no idea why, and have read many books on her and strive to find more and more info on her. This year for our anniversary my husband took me to london to Hampton Court Palace and to Hever Castle (Hever is amazing and brought me to tears many times just from the feeling in the place it is stunning) I want to go to The Tower Of London next year and other castles she may have \’touched\’. Im totally hooked on the Tudors series and all the films that depict her time, even if they are not totally acurate.

The very strange thing is that I feel extremely \’proud\’ of Anne Boleyn, what she achieved and how she went about it. She seemed to be quite \’hot headed\’ which is very like myself but then who wouldnt have been if they were under so much pressure to give Henry a son. She did in the end through Henry, change the course of England forever, she also left the most amazing legacy… her daughter.

This is going to sound very strange but there is not a day that goes by when I dont think about her, her situation and how it could have all been so different for her, but then again if it hadnt all turned out the way it did we wouldnt have had Elizabeth Ist as our greatest ever monarch.

I believe that too, its been said in many books etc that he was in love with Katherine Howard, but I believe that was a man in a mid life crisis in 'lust' with a pretty teenager!

She was the love of his life but he was a selfish man and wanted a son more that anything else in the world, when she didnt 'produce' and heir, he fell out of love with her or those around him 'made' him fall out of love with her.  I really believe that If she had produced a son she would have been the great love of his life and he would have been with her till his death. (thats what I think anyway)

I dont believe he really loved Jane Seymore, she only became his great love … 'after' she had a son.  There doesnt seem to be so much passion or great  love 'before' she had Edward.

For me my interest just happened, i had always love history but mainly 20th Centuary (espeicaly the TITANIC) but i wanted to expand my interest in history, and i knew a little about The Tudors before hand, so  i bought a small book simply named 'The six wives of Henry VIII.' After reading the about all of the wives, Anne's personality and her story realy appealed to me. Before long i was buying my first Anne biography which was by Joanna Denny. Soon afterwards, Showtimes 'The Tudors'  series was broadcasted over here in the UK. I loved it and i was gobsmaked by Natalie Dormers portrail of Anne, and i enjoyed Jonathan Ryhs Myeres as Henry. The Book collection grew and as did my interest, Anne was my new TITANIC (if that makes sense)

And its scary but i too feel 'proud' of Anne, i'm glad i'm not the only one!!!

I`m fascinated by this period of history, full stop. I love Henry and all his wives, ministers, dukes and hangers-on etc. Anne Boleyn obviously sticks out, she really shook the country up and she still (after so many centuries) still captivates people. Its` almost as though her famed charisma reaches down through the centuries and hold people in her grasp.

Anne wasn`t beautiful, but she had great “sex appeal”, she wasn`t a likeable person, but she had “something”. Shes` an enigma, and shes` elusive. I love all those contradictory feelings she arouses and fact that trying to pin her down is like grasping at smoke.

I don`t “relate” to her at all, but for some reason that adds to the appeal. I think Thomas Wyatt said it best:

\”And wild for to hold, though I seem tame\”

Starkey is pompous and arrogant, but he has every reason to be! Hes` a brilliant historian, with a brilliant mind. I wouldn`t want to be stuck in a lift with him, though.

jonnye29 said:

LOL, it was actualy his way of talking about the Labour party that annoyed me, he was unnecessarly rude, but i agree he is a brilliant historian, i must get round to reading one of his books.

Yeah, I saw Starkey on Question Time and he ranks up there with Nick Griffin as the most entertaining pannellists. Starkey comes from a very working class background himself, and like a lot of people in the same situation, as soon as he made something of himself he became very Thatcherite. As I said, I`d never want to get stck in a lift, or anywhere else, with him!

EDIT: My sincerest apologies for sullying this forum by mentioning the name Nick Griffin.

For me my interest in Anne ( and all things Tudor) began when I was ten and visited the Tower of London and listening to Anne's story (along with Catherine Howards and Lady Jane Greys) just completely captivated me!  Its hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about Anne above other Tudor personalities that keeps drawing me back – perhaps its the sense of mystery that surrounds her, that elusive quality that leads people to either hate her or love her.  She certainly provoked in people of the time those qualities!  I think also that she was unusually ambitious and single-minded for a woman of the time – she knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go out and get it!

Anne changed history. Without her it is not clear whether Henry VIII would have broken with the Pope and established the Church of England. Without her also there would never have been an Elizabeth I. Of course you can argue that Henry VIII would have found another woman and broken with the Church anyway, but no one can know for sure, or whether it would have lasted. These two events were so important for English history and subsequently world history, and establishes Anne as one of the most influential women of all time.

I believe the book The Other Boleyn Girl is unfair to Anne, it is like she is executed twice, first time for real, the second time in popular history because of this book. However, I prefer to dwell on the (positive) influence that she had on history and not the unfair things done or said.

gwenne said:

  I believe were she be alive today, she would be either the president of her own international multi-billion dollar corporation or the prime minister of her country.

I see her more as a star on Broadway or West End, or an olympic figure skater.