Do you think Anne Boleyn was a victim or did she deserve to be executed?

Question

She was the second wife of King Henry the Eighth of England.
She was accused of adultry but Henry wanted to marry another woman because she did not give him a male heir.

I don't think that she deserved to be beheaded. There has been many conflicting historical findings about this subject. I think it was abhorent what Henry done with his wives. He got his in the end with Syphilis. I should of worded the question better.

Answer 1

Hi Dimi,

This is a really great question. I guess it all depends on what you mean by "deserve."

The charges against her for adultery and incest were ridiculous. She worked and conived too hard to become queen; and she knew the punishment for such crimes ahead of time. Moreover, she knew how Henry's court operated, and how nothing is ever really secret in such a closed community. That she would risk such things, therefore, is ridiculous.

The charges were brought against her by Henry's minister, Cromwell. He trumped up capital charges against her because he knew how Henry's mind worked. By the time of Anne's second miscarriage, Henry desperately wanted out of the marriage, and Cromwell knew that nothing short of a capital crime would assuage Henry's conscience.

So in that sense, Anne was railroaded. No -- she didn't deserve what she got. But when you consider that she did everything in her power to discredit Henry's first wife, Katherine of Aragon, and how she tried to break up a lawful marriage, you can't help but feel that she got what she deserved.

Answer 2

Executed, divorced... what was the difference at least from HenryVIII viewpoint. Think of him as a man that must have what he wants. This was politics not love, she got in the middle of a very dangerous game of court politics and lost her head. From our modern viewpoint it seems horrid, I imagine that your ancestors felt well served.


Briefly, Anne Boleyn was the second and most famous wife of Henry VIII, who divorced his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, in order to marry her and produce a male heir.

For years before they married, Anne resisted the King's advances, prompting criticism and accusations that she was playing hard to get in order to manipulate him into marrying her and making her queen. (Another possibility is that she simply didn't want him!). Either way, it wouldn't have mattered to the population of England what Anne's true motives were. The people were furiously loyal toward Katherine of Aragon, and viewed Anne as a "whore" and a home wrecker. They threw in accusations of witchcraft for good measure.

Anne had a notoriously sharp tongue, and after Henry VIII married her, he got increasingly tired of it, and of her. Furthermore, she kept getting pregnant but only produced one live birth, a "useless girl" who grew up to be Queen Elizabeth I, Britain's greatest monarch. Henry VIII was still determined to have a son through whatever means. In Anne's case, only a son would have saved her after Henry's eyes started to wander to other women.

Using trumped up charges of adultery, the King had her imprisoned at the Tower of London, conducted a trial that found her guilty of treason, and had her beheaded. The day after Anne's execution, Henry was betrothed to her successor, Jane Seymour, whom he had been courting for some time. In fact, if Jane Seymour was not directly involved in the conspiracy to overthrow Anne Boleyn, she was at the very least unperturbed by the fact that Anne was executed in order to make room for her. Ten days after the execution, Henry VIII married Jane Seymour and never once, for the rest of his life, uttered Anne's name aloud again.

Answer 3

She was a victim of a cruel person, she did not deserve to be executed. Henry could have tried for another child, but no, he was put out and wanted some other action, so off with her head. It wasn't known then, but the man's chromosones determine the sex of the child.

Answer 4

i think she was a victim because king henry took advantage of his woman useing them to his disposal and when he was done with them he simply kills his wife,adultry or not he could of kicked her out of the castle,made her leave his kingdom.king henry also had other woman.
he was the king so he could do whatever he wanted to do.

Answer 5

Of course not.

Henry didn't die of syphilis.

And in the end, Anne won because it was her daughter that was considered the best ruler of all his children (and by some, of all the rulers England ever had)

Answer 6

i think she had OCD with becoming queen, and even tho she probably didnt cheet on him cuz she wanted it so bad, she deserved a bad punishment, but not as bad as beheading. i mean, she went a little over the top!!!

Answer 7

Yes, I think we should slice everyone's heads off for even the slightest infraction...clear down the legal ladder to parking violations and J-Walking.

Answer 8

That poor woman didn't do anything.
Henry The Eighth was just a Psycho.

Answer 9

Back then life was cheap they just cut heads off for no reason arrggggg.

Answer 10

Right, of course that doesn't deserve execution. What is your opinion?