01x02 - Anne Boleyn

[bunniefuu]

'The year is 1529.

'Henry VIII is in love

'but not with his wife
Catherine of Aragon.'

These 20 years
I have been your true wife.

'Instead, the King is besotted
with Anne Boleyn.

'Henry's determination
to divorce Catherine

'and marry Anne is plunging England
into turmoil.

'What woman could do this?'

What kind of woman is it

who can inspire a king
of England to commit bigamy?

Anne's enemies called her
a shrew, a wh*re, a witch.

For her friends
she was a patroness of the gospel

and good learning.

But beyond the praise and the blame,
there is the woman.

A remarkable woman who
risked everything,

including life itself,

to get the man
and the crown that she wanted.

'Anne Boleyn grew up in Kent.

'She was a highly intelligent child,

'the daughter
of a courtier and diplomat.

'Her father, Sir Thomas Boleyn,
was ambitious for her future.

'When Anne was 12

'he arranged for her to leave
her home of Hever Castle

'to continue her education

'in one of the centres
of European culture,

'the court of the Archduchess
Margaret in the Netherlands.

This is Anne's first letter home.

It's addressed on the back in French

"To my father".

The letter is written from Freyr.

This is a suburban palace
just outside Brussels,

where the Archduchess Margaret
was spending the summer.

Anne had been sent to stay
with the archduchess

to learn French and courtly ways.

'The young Anne
clearly shares her father's ambitions

'that she will one day be a star
in the English court.

'"Sir, I understand
that when I come to court

'"the Queen will take
the trouble to converse with me.

'"It gives me great joy.

'"This will make me all
the keener to speak French well."'

She signs it "Your most humble
and obedient daughter,

"Anne de Boulhan."

Over the next few years,

she had plenty of opportunity
to perfect her French

because she soon moved
to the French court

where she stayed
until her early twenties.

When she returned to England,

she was in fact
more French than English.

As an admirer later said

"You would never have guessed
she was just an English girl.

"Instead, you would have taken her
for a real, fine French lady."

'Anne's immediate ambitions
were fulfilled.

'She became a lady-in-waiting
to the Queen

'and she made
quite an impact at court.

'Although not beautiful
by the standards of the day,

'Anne was witty,
feisty, confident and chic.

'She was expert
in intrigue and seduction.'

[Man]
'She knows how to use her eyes.'

[2nd man] 'Very good wit.'
[3rd man] 'Excellent dancer.'

The halls and chambers of the court

were a marriage market
and a lovers' lane.

Court regulation actually
required that the Queen's ladies

should be good-looking
or if that were not possible,

at least not ugly,

whilst the King's gentlemen
included the most athletic

and competitive youths
in the county.

'And bringing the two together
was court entertainment

'which was all about love.

'Love was the theme
of court music, plays and poetry.

'In this hothouse atmosphere,
Anne Boleyn was in her element.

'Soon, one of the most eligible
bachelors in the county,

'Lord Percy,
was head over heels in love with her.

'It was a breathtaking debut.

'Anne aimed high and scored.

'But Percy's powerful family
blocked the match.

'Still, Anne had other lovers.'

[Man] 'Whoso list to hunt,
l know where is a hind.

'But as for me, alas, l may no more.'

'In 1525, Anne was being serenaded
by the poet Thomas Wyatt.

'To the love-struck Wyatt,

'Anne was tantalising
and untouchable.

'His poem tells
how he withdrew from the chase

'when he realised that
Anne had another admirer - the King.'

[Wyatt] 'And gravened
with diamonds in letters plain

'there is written
her fair neck round about

'Noli me tangere

'For Caesar's I am
and wild for to hold

'Though l seem tame.'

Noli me tangere.

"Do not touch me
for Caesar's I am."

Actually, Henry VIII was a bit
premature with the possessiveness.

The King could command most things

but he could not command
the love of a woman

at least, not of a woman
as experienced in the ways of love

as French-educated Anne Boleyn.

'For Anne had her own plans.

'She knew Henry's long marriage
to Catherine of Aragon

'had lost its passion,

'and it hadn't given the King
a son and heir either.

'Might there be a vacancy for queen?

'Anne decided to try.
She encouraged Henry's attentions

'but refused to sleep with him.

'She'd learned from
the experience of her sister, Mary.'

Mary had become the King's mistress.

She'd surrendered quickly and
she'd been discarded just as quickly.

Anne was determined
not to share the same fate.

'Love letters Henry wrote to Anne
while she was away from court

'show that she'd decided to
treat him tough to make him tender.'

[Henry] 'I and my heart
put ourselves in your hands,

'begging you to recommend us
to your good grace

'and not to let absence
lessen your affection.'

'Anne did not answer
the King's letters.'

[Henry] 'Although my mistress,
it has not pleased you to remember

'the promise you made me
when l was last with you.

'That is to say
to hear good news of you

'and to have an answer
to my last letter.'

'She deliberately
stayed away from court.'

[Henry] 'I have been advised
you will not come to court,

'which report, if true,
l cannot enough marvel at.'

'And when she did write
she gave him mixed signals'.'

[Henry] 'In debating with myself
the contents of your letters

'I had been put to a great agony...'

[Anne] '"...not knowing, how
to understand them

'"whether to my disadvantage,
as shown in some places,

'"or to my advantage, as in others.

'"l beseech you now,
with all my heart,

'"definitely to let me know
your whole mind

'"as to the love between us."'

During 1525, Henry was driven wild
by Anne's on-off behaviour

and by her retreat here
to her family home at Hever.

Finally, in December,

Henry asked her
for a straight yes or no.

Would she become
his sole mistress or not?

Anne replied on New Year's Day, 1527.

She sent Henry
a New Year's gift of a Jewel

in the form
of a maiden in a storm-tossed boat

and with it
a letter surrendering herself

into the King's protection.

But the surrender
was strictly conditional.

She would give herself to Henry
fully and physically

only as his wife,
not as his mistress.

And that meant that Henry
had to divorce his present wife

of 18 years' standing,
Catherine of Aragon, first.

'It was a shocking ultimatum.

'Anne was asking Henry
to take on Catherine

'her friends and supporters

'and perhaps even
the Universal Catholic Church itself.

'Few women would have been so bold

'but Anne had the King at her feet,
ready to obey her every whim.

[Anne] '"Darling, wishing myself,
especially of an evening,

'"in my sweetheart's arms,

'"whose pretty duckies
l trust shortly to kiss.

'"Written by
the hand of he that was, is

'"and shall be yours by his will,

'"Henry Rex."'

'The King signed his letters
like a love-struck schoolboy.

'"HR seeks AB and no other."

'Henry was determined to
make Anne his wife

'and to consummate
their relationship.

'He believed
he could convince the Church

'that his marriage to Catherine
was invalid.

'He asked the Pope
to send a special envoy to England

'to hold an inquiry.

'Cardinal Campeggio
reached London in October 1528.

'Henry and Anne were delighted by
Cardinal Campeggio's arrival.'

They persuaded themselves
that he was on their side

and that their problems
would soon be over.

Henry even organised
the wedding trousseau.

This heady optimism made
the eventual outcome of the trial

all the more bitterly disappointing.

Queen Catherine began
with a magnificent speech

defending the validity
of her marriage.

Sir, l beseech you, for all
the loves that have been between us

and for the love of God

let me have justice and right.

Take of me some pity and compassion.

Then the trial drifted on,
for another month until

without any verdict reached,

its sittings were suspended
and the case was recalled to Rome.

'Anne and Henry
were furious at the further delay.

'But at least Henry
could treat Anne regally.

'He gave her money, splendid clothes

'and sumptuous accommodation
at court.

'And in December 1529

'he gave Anne
precedence over his own sister.

'Anne was now
a king's acknowledged consort.

'But Catherine
was still Henry's wife and queen.

'Throughout the divorce proceedings,
the routine of the court rolled on

'and Anne and Catherine had to endure
each other's company in public.

'Did Anne have any sympathy
for Catherine?'

Did she ever imagine
that she might find herself

in the same terrible position
of a discarded and rejected wife?

The answer, simply, is no.

Anne was young and confident.

She was confident
that she had Henry's love

and confident, too
that Henry was rightfully' hers.

The fact that Catherine obstinately
refused to surrender him

meant that she was the enemy,

to be undermined in public
and private by any possible means.

'When Anne heard
that the King wanted Catherine

'to continue making his shirts,
she was furious.

'This bestowed wifely status
on Catherine and Anne was jealous.

'She now used her clever tongue
to cut, not charm.

'The Spanish ambassador remarked...'

[Man]
'The lady has the courage of a lion.

'She said to
one of the Queen's ladies

'that she cared nothing for the Queen

'and would rather see her hang than
acknowledge her as her mistress.'

'Anne was making enemies.

'Within the court
Henry's power and Anne's sharp tongue

'were just about able
to keep feelings under control.'

But outside
in the towns and villages of England,

the churchyards and the ale houses,
it was a different story.

Here Catherine was genuinely popular

and women in particular
sided with her as the wronged wife.

Anne, on the other hand
was reviled, as a gold-digger,

as a witch and a heretic.

Characteristically,
she faced the unpopularity directly

by choosing as her motto
"Groigne qui groigne" -

"Let who will complain".

But despite the proud boast,

her unpopularity left her dangerously
dependant on a single thing -

Henry's love and support.

'In fact
it was the mighty Tudor king

'who was in a weak position,

'caught between
these two resolute women.

'Whilst the divorce case
languished in Rome,

'repeated attempts were made

'to get Catherine
to renounce the marriage.

'She steadfastly refused.

'At the same time

'Anne refused to grant Henry
her full sexual favours

'until she was certain
of being his wife.

'And Anne hadn't only won over
Henry's heart,

'she was also beginning to establish

'a measure of intellectual ascendancy
over his mind.

'Anne had long been interested in
the radical new religious ideas

'and she saw how they could offer
a way out of her own predicament.

'She gave Henry
a controversial new book

'William Tyndale's
Obedience Of A Christian Man.

'This argued
that authority over the Church

'properly belonged not to the Pope
but to the king.

'Henry read it with enthusiasm.'

Blocked at Rome
Henry had to think the unthinkable

and come up with a solution
here in England.

In the beginning of 1531,
he took the first step

on a long and rocky road

when, under heavy pressure
from the King,

the English clergy
gave Henry a new title.

It was Supreme Head On Earth
Of The Church Of England

Insofar As The Law Of Christ Allows.

'Anne was delighted.

'As head of the Church

'Henry would be able
to grant himself a divorce.

'"No wonder that Anne,"
as the Spanish ambassador remarked,

'"made such demonstrations of joy

'"that she might have been
admitted to Paradise."

'In July, the King expelled
Catherine from court.

'After 22 years of marriage,
he didn't even say goodbye.

'But despite these bold moves,
Henry still clung onto the hope

'that the Pope would
somehow give him a divorce.

'Finally, he grew desperate

'and realised that
he would have to defy Rome.

'To do this
he needed the support

'of King Francis l of France.'

So in the summer of 1532

Anne put her excellent French
to good use

by negotiating in person
with the French ambassador.

It was decided
to celebrate the new treaty

by holding a meeting between
Henry and Francis at Calais,

at which Anne would be present
as Henry's official consort.

To give her the necessary status,

she was created Marquess of Pembroke
in her own right.

And, Henry decided,

she should also be given
the Queen's Jewels, as well.

'Only a direct command from Henry
forced Catherine to surrender them.'

Me pegó un susto.

Todo va a Ana Bolín.

'So Anne returned to France in style.

'When she had left the French court
it was to serve the English queen

'and now she had usurped her.

'It was the lessons
Anne had learned in France -

'her style, her sexiness -

'that had won her
this prized place by Henry's side.

'The trip was a great success.

'A great storm
kept Henry and Anne in Calais

'for several days
after the end of the meeting.'

It was then, almost certainly,

that the couple slept together
for the first time.

Now, why did Anne,
who had held out for so long,

decide to give way
this particular moment of time?

The explanation, l am convinced,

is that Henry, confident now
of French diplomatic support,

had told her that, at last
it was safe for them to get married.

'So six years after Anne
first insisted on being Henry's wife,

'she finally married her prince.

'She was 32 years old
and she was already pregnant.'

With this ring, l thee wed.

And with gold and silver...

'Officially, Henry was now a bigamist

'and the unborn child was a b*stard.

'The plan was to keep the wedding
and the pregnancy secret

'until Henry's divorce
was finally resolved.

'But Anne couldn't contain
her triumph

'and in February, she decided to
show off her state to the court.

'According to
the Spanish ambassador...

[Man] 'The lady came out of her room

'and there and then
amidst a great company,

'told Wyatt
of a furious hankering to eat apples.

'She said the King had told her
it was a sign she was pregnant.

'She then burst out laughing.

'Almost all the court
heard the announcement

'and most were
much surprised and shocked.'

Anne's gesture
in flaunting her pregnancy

was typically brash and risky.

But the risk was a calculated one.

Anne was deliberately
drawing attention to the contrast

between her fertility
and Catherine's barrenness.

Catherine's difficulties
in bearing children

had always been the
most powerful psychological argument

against the validity of her marriage.

Now in contrast

the fact that Anne had become
pregnant so quickly showed,

Henry fervently believed
and Anne now told the court

that their marriage
was valid in God's eyes

and that the God
who had made Anne pregnant

would quickly bless her with a son.

'Anne's pregnancy was now official.

'The news was broken to Catherine.

'To add insult to injury,

'Catherine was told
that she was no longer Queen,

'nor to be addressed as such.

'Instead, she would be known by
the lesser title of Princess Dowager.

'The Spanish ambassador
was so indignant at the news

'of Henry's second marriage

'that he wrote to Catherine's nephew,
the emperor Charles V.

'He urged
the most powerful ruler in Europe

'to launch a military invasion
of England.

'"An invasion," he said
"would save the Christian religion

'"and avenge
the wrong-doned Catherine."

'But Catherine herself
'was totally opposed

'to a holy w*r on her behalf.

'She would not act
against her husband

'or bring bloodshed
on her English people.'

Amen.

'In a court at Dunstable

'Henry's Archbishop of
Canterbuy, Thomas Cranmer,

'was doing the King's business.

'On the 23rd of May,

'he declared Henry's marriage
to Catherine invalid.

'Five days later, he declared
Henry's marriage to Anne valid.

'The following day,
Anne's coronation celebrations began.

'She was on the brink
of her ultimate triumph.

'The build-up
to Anne's coronation was magnificent,

'the celebrations
lasting several days.

'On the 29th of May, 1533,
she made a stately progress

'along the river Thames
from Greenwich.

'50 great barges, all hung
with tapesty and carrying musicians

'escorted her all the way
to the Tower of London.

'Anne herself insisted on
using Catherine's own royal barge.

'The old queen's badges were torn off

'and replaced with Anne's.

'Even in her hour of glory,

'Anne wanted to obliterate the memory
of her predecessor.'

When Anne entered the Tower
the g*ns were still thundering

and she was greeted by the King,

who sealed her triumph
with a public kiss.

'Anne and Henry spent the following
two nights together in the Tower.

'Anticipating her coronation
and the impending birth of a prince,

'she must have felt utterly secure.

'On June 1st, 1533,

'Queen Anne was crowned
magnificently in Westminster Abbey.

'The previous day,
watched by huge crowds,

'she had made a great progress
through the City of London.

'Whatever the people thought of Anne,

'however much
they preferred Catherine,

'the coronation gave her
the mystical status of Queen

'and the child in her womb
gave Henry hope.

'Anne's achievement
was almost complete.

'The Pope was outraged by Anne's
elevation as Henry's wife and queen.

'In July, he declared
Cranmer's judgements void,

'instructed Henry to put away Anne,

'and said that any children
they had would be b*stards.

'For good measure,
he ex-communicated the King,

'cutting him off from the Church
and damning him for eternity.

'Henry ignored him.

'Anne was confidently looking forward
to the arrival of her child.

'Eveyone,
including the royal physicians,

'expected the birth of a son,
a prince, an heir.

'Names were chosen. The baby
would be called Henry or Edward.'

Among the preparations
for the great event

was the drawing up
of a series of circular letters

announcing the royal birth to
the great and good of England.

This is the one
that was sent to Lord Cobham.

It tells him of the Queen's
good speed in the deliverance

and bringing froth of a prince.

Obviously, they had to
leave the day and the month blank.

Here it is filled in
when the birth took place.

The seventh day of September.

But there's another
more important, change.

After the word "prince"
they've squeezed in the letter "s"

to make prince "princess".

Because the baby wasn't a boy,

it was a girl.

'Having a daughter was a shock
and a disappointment to Anne.

'A girl would never be the real heir.

'After all
Catherine's failure to produce a son

'had been the pretext
for the divorce.

'So Anne hoped and prayed
that the baby, Elizabeth

'would soon
be followed by a brother.

'Nevertheless, Henry and Anne
put a brave face on the matter.

'The succession to the throne
was changed.

'A new law declared
Henry's marriage to Catherine

'utterly void and annulled.

'It also declared
Henry's marriage to Anne...'

[Man] '"..shall be established
and taken for undoubtful, true

'"sincere and perfect ever hereafter.

'"And also be it enacted
by authority aforesaid

'"that all issue had inpropriate
or after to be had inpropriate

'"between Your Highness

'"and your most dearly
and beloved wife, Queen Anne

'"shall be your lawful children."'

'So Anne's daughter Elizabeth
replaced Catherine's daughter Mary

'as the legitimate heir
to the English throne.'

In May 1534,

a powerful delegation arrived here

at Buckton in Huntingdonshire.

Its mission was to get Catherine
to swear to the Act of Succession

to acknowledge
that she was no longer queen

and that her daughter Mary
was no longer princess.

Catherine responded by reading
in a loud voice the Pope's sentence

proclaiming that her marriage
to Henry was still valid.

Her quiet dignity was gone.

Instead, she spoke in anger, in agony

and frequently interrupting
the English commissioners.

In turn, the English scarcely
pretended to listen to her

with respect.

Because they now inhabited
different parallel universes.

In England,
Catherine's marriage was over.

In Rome, and perhaps in heaven,
it was valid.

Unfortunately,
Catherine was in England.

'Anne loved her daughter
but royal protocol forbade

'an ordinary mother-daughter
relationship.

'Elizabeth was suckled by a wet nurse

'and established
in a household of her own.

'Anne put her maternal energy

'into ordering Elizabeth
the finest clothes.

'But she treated her
stepdaughter Mary very differently.

'Anne deliberately humiliated
the girl,

'declaring that she would
"make the princess a maid

'"or marry her to some vaunt."

'As these slights were piled on Mary,
'Catherine wrote to her daughter.'

[Catherine] 'Obey the King,
your father, in everything,

'save only that
you will not offend God

'and lose your own soul.

'Speak you few words
and meddle nothing.

'We never come to the kingdom
of heaven but by troubles.

'Your loving mother,
Catherine, the Queen.'

'Catherine remained
a devout Catholic.

'But England was changing,

'thanks, in part, to Queen Anne,
who was using her position

'to promote
her radical religious beliefs.'

This is Anne Boleyn's own copy

of William Tyndale's English
translation of the New Testament.

Anne's name and titles
appear very faintly

around the gilded edges of the book,

and there is a specially
illuminated title page

with the English Royal Arms
at the bottom.

This may well have been
the actual copy of the Bible

which Anne kept open
on a lectern in her chamber

and encouraged her maids to read.

Conservatives and churchmen
were bitterly hostile

to the English Bible
and tried to ban it

because it enabled lay people
to form their own religious opinions

rather than blindly following
the teachings of the Church.

'By openly displaying
the English Bible,

'Anne was nailing her colours
to the mast

'as a supporter of religious reform.

'Anne was enjoying her new power
in less spiritual ways as well.

'A massive building programme
was underway

'to transform the royal palaces.

'At Hampton Court,
the Queen's apartments were rebuilt -

'no expense spared.

'Eveywhere, Henry and Anne's
initials were entwined.

'And Anne was pregnant again.'

As usual, Henry persuaded himself

that she was carrying
his longed-for son and heir.

In his delight, the King
commissioned a new royal cradle.

It was designed by Holbein,

built by the royal Goldsmith

and trimmed with gold,
silver and enamel.

But the cradle was never used.

That summer, Anne miscarried.

And with the miscarriage,

a new note of mistrust
crept into the royal marriage.

[Man] 'Full of jealousy
and not without reason

'she used words to the King
which he did not like.

'He told her she must
shut her eyes and endure,

'and that she ought to know that
he could humiliate her

'in only a moment longer
than it had taken to exalt her'.

'The strain was telling on Anne.
he looked older and thin.

'She herself had risen
from Catherine's lady-in-waiting

'to supplant the Queen.

'Now, she was alive to the threat
posed by her own ladies.'

[Henry] "Noli me tangere,

"For Caesar's l am..."

'Like a virtuous Protestant queen,

'she insisted that they dress
and behave modestly.

'But this didn't deflect the King.

'In June 1535,
Anne had another stillborn child.

'That summer
Anne and Henry made a royal progress

'to the west of England.

'Publicly,
it was a moment of triumph for Anne

'as she was shown off
outside London as the Queen.

'Henry and Anne
spent one of their nights

'in this lodge at Iron Acton.

'The house had been
specially built for their visit,

'but here, within the privacy
of the royal bed chamber,

'the tensions were increasing.

'It was acceptable for a woman
to be difficult and demanding

'when she was a mistress

'but when she became a wife
she was expected to be submissive.'

Anne Boleyn had refused
to make the transition

with terrible consequences
for herself

For that feistiness

which had so fascinated Henry
when he was wooing her,

he found intolerable when she was
his wife and queen, and he said so.

And Anne had got her complaints, too.

Later, a dark story suggested

that she told
the lady of her bed chamber

that Henry,
that monument of masculinity,

was no good in bed.

'Outside the court
Anne's unpopularity was growing

'as ordinary people
became increasingly uneasy

'at the religious
and political changes.

'Cardinal Fisher
and Sir Thomas More were beheaded

'for refusing to swear the oath
to the Act of Succession.

'Others met the same fate.

'Anne was held responsible
for this bloodshed.'

[Woman] 'Heretic.'

[Man] 'wh*re.'
[2nd woman] 'Stinking sow.'

[Overlapping voices]
'wh*re! wh*re!'

'During the winter,
the court became aware

'that the King had developed
a new fancy for one of Anne's ladies,

'a modest young woman
called Jane Seymour.

'But it was not clear
how the situation would develop.

'And besides
the Queen was pregnant again.

'January 1536.

'England has suffered
five years of turmoil

'and there is more destruction ahead.

'Behind the religious
and political upheavals

'Lie changed and broken lives.

'Henry's passion and pride
have destroyed his first family

'and exalted his second.

'Now Catherine and Anne
meet the new year

'in very different spirits.

'Catherine was dying.

'Six years of misery
were finally coming to an end.

'As death grew near, she sent
a last letter to her husband.'

[Catherine]
"The hour of my death is drawing on.

"The tender love l owe you

"forced me to put you
in remembrance with a few words

"of the health and safeguard
of your soul,

"which you ought to prefer
before all worldly matters

"and before the care
and pampering of your body,

"for which you have cast me
into many calamities

"and yourself into many troubles.

"For my part,
l pardon you everything.

"And l wish to devoutly pray God
that he will pardon you, also.

"For the rest, l commend you
unto our daughter, Mary,

"beseeching you
to be a good father unto her.

"Lastly, l make this vow,

"that mine eyes
desire you above all things."

'But Catherine never saw Henry again.

'On the 7th of January, she died.

'Anne and Henry paraded in yellow
to celebrate Catherine's death.

'Anne was delighted.
Her rival was finally gone

'and her own pregnancy
was progressing.

'But then, only three weeks later,

'Anne went into premature labour
and miscarried.

'The foetus
was just identifiable as a boy.

'It was her third failed pregnancy.'

Anne showed great presence of mind

and immediately talked
of her next pregnancy.

But Henry's mood turned black.

'"l shall have no sons by her,"
he said.

'The old curse had returned

'and this time
its victim would be Anne.

'The King's minister,r,
Thomas Cromwell

'understood Henry's dilemma.

'Anne had to be got rid of.

'The King wanted to remarry
and to try again for sons.

'Another divorce was impossible.

'A more final solution was needed.

'Cromwell would attack Anne
at her weakest point.

'He would turn her famous
sex appeal against her.

'First, Cromwell hastily vacated

'his apartments at Greenwich Palace.

'Jane Seymour moved in.

'It was a sign that Jane

'was now the official mistress
of the King.

'Anne's position
was growing ever more vulnerable.

'Then, an honour that
had been intended for her brother

'went instead
to one of Jane's supporters.

Anne was English,

so now, at her hour of need

she had no powerful foreign
protector to turn to,

Like Catherine with her nephew,
the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Instead, Anne's only hope
lay in Henry's memories

of his first passionate love for her.

And Henry's love, Anne knew well,

from her own experience
of her rise and Catherine's fall

could quickly turn to hate.

'Cromwell was grubbing for ways
to attack the Queen.

'As life round Anne
was always interesting,

'he soon found what he wanted.

'A musician
had made love sighs at her.

'She'd accused a courtier
of wanting to marry her.

'This could be twisted
into a charge of adultery

'and adultery in a queen was treason.

'On the 24th of April,
Henry authorised an investigation.

'From now on, events moved quickly.

'Mark Smeaton, the musician and
favourite of Anne's, was arrested.

'Under t*rture, he confessed...
to adultery with the Queen.'

May Day was
the great feast of love at court

and as usual
it was celebrated with a joust.

Anne herself presided
as Queen of Love.

Her brother George, Lord Rochford,
captained one team of knights,

whilst Henry Norris, the King's
body servant, led the other.

Norris wore the Queen's colours.

Suddenly, at the end of the joust,
Henry withdrew,

taking a small party with him
back to London.

Norris was in the party and
on the way, Henry offered him pardon

if only he would confess
to adultery with Anne.

Indignantly, Norris refused.

He was dropped off at the Tower.

Over the next few days,
other arrests followed.

Francis Weston.

William Brereton.

Anne's brother himself.

All were gentlemen
of the King's privy chamber

and all were accused of
adultery with Anne.

On the morning of the 2nd,

Anne herself was interrogated
before the council

told that she was accused of
adultery, and told moreover,

that she would be taken to the Tower.

'It was the same route

'that she'd followed on
her coronation three years before.

'When Anne had last landed
at the Tower

'it was in triumph
on the eve of her coronation.'

Now she was brought here
a prisoner, an accused traitor,

almost certainly
to suffer and to die.

And what made
the awful symmetry complete

was the fact that
she was imprisoned not in the dungeon

but in the luxurious royal apartments

where she'd stayed as queen.

'Cromwell ordered
Sir William Kingston,

'the constable of the Tower

'to record everything
Anne said in custody,

'hoping that Anne
would incriminate herself and others.

'Kingston's first letter
describes how Anne wept,

'"then fell into a great laughing."

'This was to be the pattern.

'In her terror, she did start to talk

'and Kingston reported every word.'

[Anne]
'l am the King's true wedded wife.'

'Oh, my sweet brother.'

'Norris
hast thou accused me?'

'And Mark, thou art here, too?'

'Oh, my mother,
thou wilt die of sorrow.'

'Mr Kingston,
shall l die without justice?'

[David] 'Did she also remember
Henry's early letters

'full of love and promise?'

[Henry] 'What joy in this world
can be so great

'as to regain the company
of her who is the most loved?'

[Henry] 'Darling, l would we
were together of an evening

'with my hand in yours.

'Henry Rex.'

Personne.

'On the 8th of May,
Sir Thomas Wyatt was arrested.

'Four days later, Smeaton,
Norris, Weston and Brereton

'were all found guilty
and condemned to death.

'Meanwhile
the charge against Anne was prepared.

'The accusation of incest
with her brother, Lord Rochford

'was intended to blacken her name
beyond redemption.'

[Man] 'She procured her own
natural brother to violate her

'alluring him with her tongue
in his mouth and his tongue in hers,

'against the Commandments
of Almighty God,

'and all laws - human and divine.'

Anne was tried in the Great Hall
of the Tower of London

before 2,000 spectators crammed
into the specially-built stands.

She was tried
by a jury of her peers -

the noblemen of England -

presided over by her own uncle,
the Duke of Norfolk.

Also in the jury was Lord, Percy,
her former lover

now Earl of Northumberland.

Anne defended herself ably and well,
but it made no difference.

The verdict of guilty
had been fixed beforehand.

The Duke of Norfolk
read out the sentence -

to be beheaded or burned
at the King's pleasure.

'Anne admitted to nothing
but her fiery temper.'

[Anne] 'l have not always born
towards the King

'the humility which l owed him.

'l admit, too, that l have
often taken it into my head

'to be jealous of him.

'But may God be my witness
that l have not sinned against him

'in any other way.'

[David] 'Two days after the trial,

'Lord Rochford
and the other four condemned men

'were ex*cuted on Tower Hill.'

- [Swipe of blade]
- 'On the same day,

'Anne's marriage to Henry
was declared invalid

'and Elizabeth
was declared a b*stard.

'Anne's own execution
was set for the 19th of May.

'As her death approached,
Anne's famous wit turned black.

'"l heard say
the executioner was very good

'"and l have a little neck."

'And then she put her hands
round her throat and laughed.

'They came for her
at eight o'clock in the morning.

'It had been decided that she should
be ex*cuted inside the Tower walls

'to restrict numbers
and to prevent disorder.

'They were terrified
of what she might say.

'But they needn't have worried.'

Good Christian people,
l am come hither to die.

For according to the law
and by the law l am judged

and therefore
l Will speak nothing against it.

l am come hither to accuse no man

nor to speak anything
of that whereof l am accused

and condemned to die.

But l pray God save the King

and send him long reign over you,

for a gentler, nor more merciful
prince was there never.

And to me, he was ever a gentle,
a good and a sovereign Lord.

[Anne] To Jesus, l commend my soul.

Lord Jesus, receive my soul.

To Jesus, l commend my soul.
Lord Jesus, receive my soul.

To Jesus, l commend my soul.

Lord Jesus, receive my soul. To Je...

And so it was over.

Anne's body was brought a few yards

to the chapel
of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower

and buried here
in front of the high altar.

Anne had often prophesied
that her career would end in death.

But she'd carried on, regardless.

And it's this recklessness

this high ambition
boldly and intelligently pursued,

that makes Anne the most interesting,

if not the most attractive
of Henry's queens.

Shortly before her death,
she'd done her best

to protect the future
of her daughter Elizabeth.

We know that Elizabeth
would go on to be

one of the greatest
of English monarchs. Anne didn't.

But she did know
that her successor, Jane Seymour,

was waiting as impatiently
and as heedlessly as she'd once done

to step into her shoes as queen.