Imagine that we are in the city of Calais in Tudor England. This place had a special meaning for King Henry VIII because it was the last remnant of the once substantial English possessions on the continent. King Henry and his beloved Anne Boleyn sailed to Calais to meet with...
Birth of the English Gloriana and Her Mother’s Miscarriages
On the 7th of September 1533, Anne Boleyn birthed a daughter – the future Queen Elizabeth I of England. It happened at Greenwich Palace, where Queen Elizabeth of York had given birth to King Henry VIII. At first, Anne’s pregnancy had been without any complications, and the proud mother coped...
Bewitching Dark Eyes
My poem: an ode of someone in love with Anne Boleyn and bewitched by her dark eyes. I have more poems about Anne for my new version of the novel “Between Two Kings”. I drown my entire soul in your two eyes, As black as night that gives me paradise,...
The 2nd of May 1536: Anne Boleyn is apprehended
The second of May in the year 1536 began for Queen Anne Boleyn as any routine day. Accompanied by her inner circle, Anne watched a game of tennis at Greenwich Palace. Then the king’s messenger approached and apprised her of her husband’s order to present herself before the Privy Council....
In honor of Geneviève Bujold on her birthday
Yesterday was Geneviève Bujold’s birthday. This Canadian actress, who was born the 1st of July, 1942, is best known for her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in film 'Anne of the Thousand Days', for which she received a Golden Globe for Best Actress. Geneviève Bujold as Anne Boleyn in the 1969...
Poems of Anne Boleyn’s feelings before and after her coronation
During the coronation procession as Anne sees the people’s gloomy faces What shall this day bring to me, June? A brilliance with every summer hue: The cloud-white dream of happiness, Shot with the primrose sunshine through… Or shall my coronation bring me pain, People do not want me, their stillness...
Coronation of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn emerged from the Tower of London at 5pm on Saturday the 31st of May 1533. She had spent the previous several days in the queen’s chambers in the Tower. According to contemporary sources, the last day of spring was sunny, bright, and warm, and the sky was an unbroken...
A hymn of Anne Boleyn’s heart
Hello to everyone! Today is another anniversary of Anne Boleyn's tragic death. As a tribute to the extraordinary Anne Boleyn, here is my poem written in Renaissance style, lyrical and a bit whimsical, about her thoughts in different moments of her life. My poem is a mixture of real and...
The Shrovetide joust: ‘Declare I dare not’
In 1526, Shrove Tuesday (the 7th of February) was celebrated with a traditional solemn joust at Greenwich Palace. Jousting was one of Henry's favorite sports. The Shrovetide joust was a special event for Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII, as the English monarch’s motto tentatively reflected that he had found...
The Pope Urges Henry VIII to abandon Anne Boleyn
On the 11th of July 1533, Pope Clement VII declared that Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon was valid and legal. Effectively, it meant that the King of England’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was declared null and void. This is the excerpt from Letters and Papers (the source is...
A fatal love triangle untangled: Execution of Anne Boleyn, the 19th of May 1536
the links to part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5 of the series “A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour After Anne’s trial and her condemnation, events were happening at a breakneck speed. On the 16th of May 1536, Archbishop Cranmer visited the condemned Anne...
A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour (part 5)
the links to part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4 of the series “A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour On the 15th of May 1536, a fatal love triangle was finally untangled. To end Anne Boleyn’s marriage to King Henry quickly, only a legal solution would suffice. Henry...
A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour (part 4)
the links to part 1, part 2, and part 3 of the series “A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour After the arrests of Anne and George Boleyn, and her other alleged paramours, tension was rising in the air, and the royal court froze in anticipation of the appalling...
A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour (part 3)
the link to part 2 of the series “A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour” is here The drama continued on the traditional May Day joust at Greenwich Palace. Queen Anne was aware that something had gone wrong: King Henry attended extended council meetings, their trip...
A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour (part 2)
the link to part 1 of the series “A fatal love triangle: King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour” is here The fatal love triangle of Henry VIII, Anne, and Jane Seymour was at the centre of the grisly murder of Queen Anne Boleyn. In April 1536, stormy clouds were...