England: United Kingdom

Description of Figure/Doll

Handcrafted figure of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. She was the mother of Queen Elizabeth I. She is made with stuffed cloth and felt that is decorated with silver applique. Her dress is similar to that in her most famous portrait, which was created in 1600 by an unknown artist. She has a green French hood and a matching green dress with silver sequins. As was her custom, she is wearing a necklace with a B for Boleyn. Her facial features are created with pen on her face of felt. Anne is wearing garments customary for the British culture at that time. To learn more, read her story.

Link to higher resolution images at ClipPix

Location: Europe

Capital: London

Main language: English

Currency: British Pound

Figure/Doll

Construction: felt, appliques

Height in Centimeters: 16

Height in Inches: 6

Anne Boleyn: 2nd Wife of King Henry VIII; Mother of Queen Elizabeth I

Reading Level: 5.50

My name is Anne Boleyn, and I was a lady-in-waiting for Queen Catherine. About 500 years ago, Catherine was the first wife of England’s King Henry VIII. Being a lady-in-waiting was a very important job. I dressed in fancy clothes and lived in the castles with the King, Queen, and other royalty.

Henry and Catherine had been married for about 20 years, but they were not very happy. They hardly spoke to one another, and when they did, they would raise their voices and argue. The main reason was that King Henry wanted to have a son (a male heir). Catherine had produced a daughter (Princess Mary), but Henry wanted a boy so that he could be the next king. Catherine was getting too old to have more children, so Henry wanted a divorce. Catherine refused, and the Catholic Church would not allow Henry to divorce. Still, Henry was determined to find a way to have a son.

Many times I would walk in the same hall as King Henry, and he would look at me and smile. King Henry was a very handsome ruler. He was strong and had reddish hair. I knew that he was a very good musician and a good sportsman. Henry flirted with me all the time, but I resisted him because he was still married. I told him he should find a way to marry me.

Finally, Henry did find a way. He broke away from the Catholic Church and started a new religion in England. Henry made sure that the new (protestant) religion would allow people to divorce. Then he divorced Queen Catherine. Catherine and Princess Mary were forced to leave the Court. Henry quickly married me, and I became the Queen of England!

Our marriage started out great. I quickly became pregnant, and I prayed that I would give Henry the son that he wanted. Unfortunately, the child was a girl, and Henry was very disappointed. Her name was Princess Elizabeth. No one knew at the time that she would one day become one of the greatest leaders in England! But, wait, I am getting ahead of my story.

A little while after Princess Elizabeth was born, I became pregnant again. However, during the seventh month of my pregnancy, Henry fell off a horse. I was so upset when I heard about the accident that I lost the son that I was carrying. When Henry recovered and found out what had happened to his unborn son, he was furious. He blamed me and made up stories about me. He claimed that I was a witch, and wanted to get rid of me. He told his guards to take me to the prison at the London Tower. I was tried for treason, and many people told lies about me to please the King. I was innocent of all the charges, but no one would listen.

The court found me guilty and ordered my execution (death). At that time, beheading was done with an axe. King Henry sent for a Frenchman with a very sharp sword so my death would be fast. So, on a dreary morning in1536, my head was covered with a black cloth, and my arms were tied behind my back. The last thing that I heard was the hissing sound of the sword approaching my neck.