It happened 475 years ago in England. Injustice has been a part of this world and 17 th of May 1536 during the Tudor times is just an example of how much human beings have been cruel to one another.
People interested or passionate about history, find the Tudor times colorful and interesting. Henry VIII's reign, his six marriages in the quest of a male heir and the reign of his daughter Elizabeth 1 has been covered by powerful medias- cinema and television over and over.
Being a history graduate, I've been studied the same but after been exposed more via Television and now blogs and social media, the interest has increased manifolds.
The story of the fall of the Boleyns from grace has a lot to it- love, lust, passion, religion, politics, treachery, deceit, greed...A lot to learn from and many believe( and have proved) Queen Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII and mother of one the greatest English monarchs Elizabeth 1(the cinematic interpretations of whose life have been much talked about too) was innocent of the charges leveled against her- adultery,incest, treason.
So was her brother George Boleyn, the Lord Rochford and the four men- Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Bereton and Mark Smeaton who lives ended on similar charges in the tower of London.
Here are wonderful links with loads of information by passionate and learned people---
RIP the five young man. Unneeded and unjust loss of life will always be mourned though it's been common in history and happening uptill now.
History is important in the sense that it helps us know the past and prepare better for the future. As a young person, this kind of wisdom doesn't come to most naturally and one needs to be tutored. Sadly to err is human, sometimes circumstances lead people to similar types of mistakes too while many others do terrible things intentionally. People sometimes learn after they falter.
Circumstances and surroundings have also changed over the years, the world has advanced, the average humans' life spans have increased, the world seems to have become a smaller place thanks to the scientific, artistic and social progresses but life as a whole is almost the same. Robert Greene is right when he says in his book on the laws of power - Don't fool yourself by saying that life has changed since then, you ought to learn from the mistakes and examples of those who came before you.
Of course we are not supposed to judge people who were around so many years ago using 21st century lenses. Yes, the current problems of the world are in the middle east, world terrorism( the big news this May was the fall of an infamous, notorious terrorist), and many other issues but history's importance in life will always be there to make us wiser and better.
The quotes and beliefs of a few wise men from now and yesteryears' makes so much sense and leads to wisdom.
Charles Dickens legendary and favorite author of many, had described King Henry VIII as:" a most intolerable ruffian, a disgrace to human nature and a blot of blood and grease upon the History of England"
Being the king he was used to having his way at any cost. But then if we think and research, we realize that it's been a man's world for years. King Henry VIII being all powerful, having the upper hand in life and having many mistresses and later, marriages happened way back- sometime between 1515 till as long as he lived-1547. But as late as 400 years later, 1935 to 1945 till current times, I have heard of similar examples of even normal men having the upper hand, in 3rd and 4th world countries, sons getting preference over daughters. There have been some personal experiences as well. There have been powerful women in the past and in the last century and now but all in all looking at some sexist and chauvinistic attitudes of many, it seems more like a men's world even now. Yes, women are more liberated in developed and developing nations but in many places around the world, the fairer sex has had to tolerate unjust treatment.
And injustice, corruption, intrigue, conspiracy rising out of jealousy, greed and hunger for power et al is quite common up to now.
Queen Anne's father Thomas Boleyn and uncle Thomas Howard is said to have put her in court and help the family's advancement by marrying the king, but didn't stand by her or her brother George or try to save them once they feel from grace. Later in the same century similar situations occurred with young Catherine Howard, who is again said to be put in court to advance her family and more so another teenage unfortunate heroine Jane Grey and her husband Guilford Dudley who were almost sacrifced to further the ambitions of their families. Is that the reality of life?
But yes, the good deeds of parents and ancestors pay off for children and descendants too. In the beginning it's said she didn't want any relationship with the king but later Anne's decision of waiting and marrying Henry VIII instead of being a mistress paid off. It legitimized Elizabeth and England and world history had one of it's greatest rulers. She was truly a strong woman, an feminist icon in a man's world.
Rulers in democratic nations don't have the kind of power a king had but then most of it are base human instincts and come to people naturally- oppression of the weak by the powerful.There have been countless examples in the past and recent history.
In Memory of QUEEN ANNE
The strong willed Queen Anne was pursued relentlessly by king Henry VIII when he realized his first wife Catherine of Aragon can't give him a male heir. Some researchers also say that she was really not interested in being the King's mistress unlike her sister Mary Boleyn and she had her conditions for marriage as didn't want her children to be illegitimate.
To marry Anne, he broke away from the Catholic church and formed the church of England( very important turning point in history). Sadly later he disposed off this very woman and had her destroyed which in itself shows the greed, arrogant, haughty, moody and mentally unstable ways of the king.
Queen Anee's tragedy has has reportedly been the subject of ten individual biographies, with two more coming up. She has reportedly featured as a character in fifteen motion pictures and eight television shows.
She has been portrayed by many actresses on screen( some pictures are pasted above)- the more famous being Merle Oberon, Geneviève Bujold (Oscar-nominated, one of the best portrayals) in 'Anne of a thousand days',Dame Dorothy Tutin, Dame Joan Sutherland, Charlotte Rampling, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter,Jodhi May, and more recently Natalie Portman( she's my favorite actress who acted well in 'The Other Boleyn girl' but the movie was erroneous and an insult to historical facts. Hence I would call it a wrong choice by her) and Natalie Dormer.
May the 19th 1536 was a terrible day...
Her sudden fall was unjust but the queen Anne left her mark, made history and is talked about till today. Her story is remembered for her remarkable rise, individuality, bravery, strong beliefs, charm and with sorrow too after centuries. She 's seen as a feminist icon too. Her scaffold courage was exemplary.
Most importantly she is remembered as the mother of one of England's greatest monarchs- Elizabeth I, who ruled for as long as 44 and a half years and whose reign was known as the golden age. Because her father married and later got her mother executed, followed by his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, it's said Elizabeth feared marriage and for her it meant death. She never married( though considered it many times), came to be known as the virgin queen and considered her people her children. The English could defeat the might Spanish Armada, venture into the new world, diplomatic relations with other counties improved, and art and literature flourished( Shakespeare's classic work were from that time) during the Elizabethan era
She was known as good queen Bess for her fair nature and benevolence.
Rest in peace your majesty, Queen Anne.
Just a day after her execution, King Henry VIII made it clear that he would marry his 3rd wife Jane Seymour. But the purpose of this marriage seemed to be futile as even though Jane Seymour bore him a son, Edward VI, he lived only till the age of 15 and ruled only for a few years after Henry VIII's demise in 1547. His subsequent marriages with the wise Anne of Cleves( she got away from the king with a good settlement and is a favorite queen of many as well) , the ill fated Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr didn't produce any children. His oldest daughter with Catherine of Aragon didn't prove to be an efficient queen as well and came to be known as bloody Mary. She couldn't have any children either. Queen Anne had her biggest victory in the form of daughter Elizabeth who was the one who shone the brightest, ascending the throne at 25 and ruling it well till the age of 69. If we look at it spiritually( mostly Asian spirituality) we effortlessly also call it the law of karma being at work.
Life has never seemed like a bed of roses, but shining amidst it all and focusing on the good and positive things makes things look so much better in the world.
I follow these Tudor history blogs too. Very, very interesting. I give compassion to only those who deserve.Human Beings and their natures have been the same. So true...Only times have changed.
ReplyDelete