aethelfleds:May 19, 1536 - The Execution of Anne BoleynOn this day 484 years ago, Anne Boleyn, Queen

aethelfleds:May 19, 1536 - The Execution of Anne BoleynOn this day 484 years ago, Anne Boleyn, Queen of England and second consort of Henry VIII was executed within the walls of the Tower of London. She had been tried and condemned for treasonous adultery, but the charges against her and the men accused alongside her were false. The true reasons behind the fall of Anne, and by extension her political faction, are numerous and complex. But the conclusion was swift. Two days prior Anne’s own brother George, Lord Rochford and four other men (Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, Mark Smeaton, and William Brereton) were beheaded for their alleged sexual involvement with Anne.King Henry had sent for a skilled swordsman from Calais who could carry out the task quickly and with ease, as the traditionally used ax was not always efficient. Anne arose and dressed early on the morning of the 19th, then heard Mass for the last time. Sir William Kingston, constable of the Tower, arrived at 8 AM to escort her to the scaffold. Because she was of noble birth, Anne’s execution was not public and was witnessed by a smaller crowd confined to the Tower grounds. She had dressed in a gown of grey damask trimmed with ermine, a red kirtle, and an English gable hood instead of the French hood she had helped popularize. After ascending the scaffold, Anne made her final speech:“Good Christian people, I have not come here to preach a sermon; I have come here to die. For according to the law and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak of that whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the King and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never, and to me he was ever a good, a gentle, and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me.”This was a carefully thought out speech typical of those given on the scaffold. She submitted herself to her fate instead of protesting her innocence. Anne was likely mindful of her daughter Elizabeth and wanted to protect her future as the King’s daughter. With her last words well-spoken, Anne forgave and paid her executioner. Then her ladies removed her mantle and hood and tucked her hair into a cap. Anne knelt but kept nervously glancing behind at the executioner. Calling on his attendant as a distraction, the executioner moved quickly and with one stroke ended Anne Boleyn’s life. She was carried to the Royal Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula and laid to rest in an unmarked grave. Today the site is marked with a tile bearing her name. Each year on the 19th of May, a bouquet of roses are anonymously sent to be placed on Anne’s grave. -- source link

More pics about