On 17th May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn may have still had two days to live, but, for the accused men, this was execution day.
Mark Smeaton, William Brereton, Sir Francis Weston, Sir Henry Norris, and George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, were executed by beheading on Tower Hill on the morning of 17th May 1536. They were executed as traitors, but the majority of historians believe they were innocent of the charges, and I definitely believe this.
I this talk, I share what happened on 17th May, along with contemporary accounts of the men’s scaffold speeches. I also share a poem by Sir Thomas Wyatt about the men.
You can find out more about the executed men in this talk from Clare Cherry:
and more about George Boleyn in this George Bolen playlist of talks:
and this talk from Clare Cherry:
And today’s normal “on this day” video is about Tudor spy Anthony Bacon, brother of philosopher and statesman, Francis Bacon. Anthony led a very interesting life too!
There are lots and lots of Tudor history videos on my Anne Boleyn Files and Tudor Society YouTube channel, so please do consider subscribing – click here. I add new content on a daily basis. If you prefer audio, then my talks are also available as podcasts on Podbean or your usual podcast app.
If you prefer reading, then this website has thousands of articles, including one on 17 May 1536.
