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Anne Boleyn 

Queen of England (1507- 1536)

On the 19th May, 1536 at 8.00am, Queen Anne Boleyn was executed by beheading at the Tower of London.

Who was Anne Boleyn?

Anne Boleyn was the second wife of King Henry VIII.

Henry fell head over heels in love with Anne Boleyn. The love was so strong that Henry divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon and broke with Rome. They married on 25 January 1533, at York Palace, London.

Anne grew up in the family home of Hever Castle in Kent and was a young and beautiful lady-in-waiting to the former queen, Catherine of Aragon. She gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I.

Henry wanted a son

Henry VIII was desperate to have a son to inherit the throne. Unfortunately for Anne, when she had a miscarriage, Henry lost interest in her, fell in love with Jane Seymour and had her arrested on the charges of treason.

Anne Boleyn entered the Tower of London via Traitor's gate in April 1536 where she was imprisoned until her death a month later on 19 May 1536.

Death by Beheading

Death by the axe was a terrifying prospect. The executioners often took several blows before the head was finally severed. Anne was therefore granted some clemency and a swordsman was called from France to undertake the execution.

Less than eight years after Anne had become Queen of England, she took her place on a scaffold dressed in a black robe. After being blindfolded, she waited only a few seconds before the French swordsman severed her head from her delicate neck.