“I submit to death with good will, humbling asking pardon of all the world. If any person would m... more “I submit to death with good will, humbling asking pardon of all the world. If any person would meddle with my cause, I require them to judge the best.” Anne Boleyn’s speech before her death moved and marked the spectators who had come to see her execution. Her denial of her guilt and her wish to be judged fairly have given material to historians who wish to bring to light the real circumstances of her tragic end. It is widely accepted that Anne was innocent of what she was accused of, namely multiple adultery and incest; but Henry VIII decided otherwise and, due to Thomas Cromwell, she was found guilty of high treason. Anne Boleyn’s plea to be judged fairly has inspired historians, biographers, novelists, film directors and even TV show producers to re-write and re-invent her story. Seen under different lights, Anne is either a witty, beautiful temptress who met her death by dint of scheming, or a witch using her magical power to gain the crown, or even a victim of a tyrannical and selfish king who desperately wanted a son, or just a fitting character for sex and scandal stories which have known some success lately. The last two decades have seen a booming revival of interest in Anne Boleyn, and more so since the publication of Philippa Gregory’s famous historical romance The Other Boleyn Girl. Film adaptations (e.g. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008); Henry VIII (2003)), TV shows (The Tudors (2007-2010)) and other historical works have put forwards the story of this queen of a thousand days and propelled her to the forefront of British culture. Popular historical literature, documentaries and cinema aim at deciphering this complex personage formerly quickly judged and discarded. Regardless of the viewpoint adopted, Anne Boleyn is remembered for her personal and political choices. She was one of the instigators of the Reformation in England, she gathered around her sharp-witted men who raised the intellectual level of the court and she was not faint-hearted when planning her way to the throne. Her spirit, her courage, her boldness have incited number of people to look at her story and she is henceforth one of the most popular queens in British history.
Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, was one of the prominent figures in English Reforma... more Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, was one of the prominent figures in English Reformation. As Queen, she used her power to bring about lasting change in England. She was able to influence the English people as well as Henry’s children – especially Edward and Elizabeth, the future monarchs. Katherine Parr was a role model in scholarly and women's communities. She gave a great importance to the learning of the Scriptures and she financed the translations into English of some texts she found interesting on a religious level (i.e. Paraphrase of the Gospels by Erasmus, a book which explains the Bible). Her conviction as a Protestant pushed her to write her confessions on her own religious experiences which, she hoped, would guide numbers of people into having the same beliefs as herself. Katherine is known for her literary skills. She was an advocate of the “New Learning”, that is the learning of the most important languages at the time to understand religious texts: Latin, French and Italian. She found herself at the centre of a literary circle and she inspired, edited and circulated religious works among men and women sharing the same ideology. She even was one of only a dozen English women in a hundred-year period to publish not just one but two books and several prayers: Prayers or Meditations in 1545 and The Lamentation or Complaint of a Sinner in 1548. Katherine’s convictions can be applied to today’s Protestant faith and, as a contemporary scholar has declared, ‘her dedication to the cross of Christ is a theme that transcends a culture gap of nearly five centuries, and her fervent spirituality and passion demonstrate that the Reformation was not limited to the ivory tower, but played itself out in real and practical ways.’
“I submit to death with good will, humbling asking pardon of all the world. If any person would m... more “I submit to death with good will, humbling asking pardon of all the world. If any person would meddle with my cause, I require them to judge the best.” Anne Boleyn’s speech before her death moved and marked the spectators who had come to see her execution. Her denial of her guilt and her wish to be judged fairly have given material to historians who wish to bring to light the real circumstances of her tragic end. It is widely accepted that Anne was innocent of what she was accused of, namely multiple adultery and incest; but Henry VIII decided otherwise and, due to Thomas Cromwell, she was found guilty of high treason. Anne Boleyn’s plea to be judged fairly has inspired historians, biographers, novelists, film directors and even TV show producers to re-write and re-invent her story. Seen under different lights, Anne is either a witty, beautiful temptress who met her death by dint of scheming, or a witch using her magical power to gain the crown, or even a victim of a tyrannical and selfish king who desperately wanted a son, or just a fitting character for sex and scandal stories which have known some success lately. The last two decades have seen a booming revival of interest in Anne Boleyn, and more so since the publication of Philippa Gregory’s famous historical romance The Other Boleyn Girl. Film adaptations (e.g. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008); Henry VIII (2003)), TV shows (The Tudors (2007-2010)) and other historical works have put forwards the story of this queen of a thousand days and propelled her to the forefront of British culture. Popular historical literature, documentaries and cinema aim at deciphering this complex personage formerly quickly judged and discarded. Regardless of the viewpoint adopted, Anne Boleyn is remembered for her personal and political choices. She was one of the instigators of the Reformation in England, she gathered around her sharp-witted men who raised the intellectual level of the court and she was not faint-hearted when planning her way to the throne. Her spirit, her courage, her boldness have incited number of people to look at her story and she is henceforth one of the most popular queens in British history.
Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, was one of the prominent figures in English Reforma... more Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, was one of the prominent figures in English Reformation. As Queen, she used her power to bring about lasting change in England. She was able to influence the English people as well as Henry’s children – especially Edward and Elizabeth, the future monarchs. Katherine Parr was a role model in scholarly and women's communities. She gave a great importance to the learning of the Scriptures and she financed the translations into English of some texts she found interesting on a religious level (i.e. Paraphrase of the Gospels by Erasmus, a book which explains the Bible). Her conviction as a Protestant pushed her to write her confessions on her own religious experiences which, she hoped, would guide numbers of people into having the same beliefs as herself. Katherine is known for her literary skills. She was an advocate of the “New Learning”, that is the learning of the most important languages at the time to understand religious texts: Latin, French and Italian. She found herself at the centre of a literary circle and she inspired, edited and circulated religious works among men and women sharing the same ideology. She even was one of only a dozen English women in a hundred-year period to publish not just one but two books and several prayers: Prayers or Meditations in 1545 and The Lamentation or Complaint of a Sinner in 1548. Katherine’s convictions can be applied to today’s Protestant faith and, as a contemporary scholar has declared, ‘her dedication to the cross of Christ is a theme that transcends a culture gap of nearly five centuries, and her fervent spirituality and passion demonstrate that the Reformation was not limited to the ivory tower, but played itself out in real and practical ways.’
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Anne Boleyn’s plea to be judged fairly has inspired historians, biographers, novelists, film directors and even TV show producers to re-write and re-invent her story. Seen under different lights, Anne is either a witty, beautiful temptress who met her death by dint of scheming, or a witch using her magical power to gain the crown, or even a victim of a tyrannical and selfish king who desperately wanted a son, or just a fitting character for sex and scandal stories which have known some success lately. The last two decades have seen a booming revival of interest in Anne Boleyn, and more so since the publication of Philippa Gregory’s famous historical romance The Other Boleyn Girl. Film adaptations (e.g. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008); Henry VIII (2003)), TV shows (The Tudors (2007-2010)) and other historical works have put forwards the story of this queen of a thousand days and propelled her to the forefront of British culture. Popular historical literature, documentaries and cinema aim at deciphering this complex personage formerly quickly judged and discarded.
Regardless of the viewpoint adopted, Anne Boleyn is remembered for her personal and political choices. She was one of the instigators of the Reformation in England, she gathered around her sharp-witted men who raised the intellectual level of the court and she was not faint-hearted when planning her way to the throne. Her spirit, her courage, her boldness have incited number of people to look at her story and she is henceforth one of the most popular queens in British history.
Katherine is known for her literary skills. She was an advocate of the “New Learning”, that is the learning of the most important languages at the time to understand religious texts: Latin, French and Italian. She found herself at the centre of a literary circle and she inspired, edited and circulated religious works among men and women sharing the same ideology. She even was one of only a dozen English women in a hundred-year period to publish not just one but two books and several prayers: Prayers or Meditations in 1545 and The Lamentation or Complaint of a Sinner in 1548. Katherine’s convictions can be applied to today’s Protestant faith and, as a contemporary scholar has declared, ‘her dedication to the cross of Christ is a theme that transcends a culture gap of nearly five centuries, and her fervent spirituality and passion demonstrate that the Reformation was not limited to the ivory tower, but played itself out in real and practical ways.’
Anne Boleyn’s plea to be judged fairly has inspired historians, biographers, novelists, film directors and even TV show producers to re-write and re-invent her story. Seen under different lights, Anne is either a witty, beautiful temptress who met her death by dint of scheming, or a witch using her magical power to gain the crown, or even a victim of a tyrannical and selfish king who desperately wanted a son, or just a fitting character for sex and scandal stories which have known some success lately. The last two decades have seen a booming revival of interest in Anne Boleyn, and more so since the publication of Philippa Gregory’s famous historical romance The Other Boleyn Girl. Film adaptations (e.g. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008); Henry VIII (2003)), TV shows (The Tudors (2007-2010)) and other historical works have put forwards the story of this queen of a thousand days and propelled her to the forefront of British culture. Popular historical literature, documentaries and cinema aim at deciphering this complex personage formerly quickly judged and discarded.
Regardless of the viewpoint adopted, Anne Boleyn is remembered for her personal and political choices. She was one of the instigators of the Reformation in England, she gathered around her sharp-witted men who raised the intellectual level of the court and she was not faint-hearted when planning her way to the throne. Her spirit, her courage, her boldness have incited number of people to look at her story and she is henceforth one of the most popular queens in British history.
Katherine is known for her literary skills. She was an advocate of the “New Learning”, that is the learning of the most important languages at the time to understand religious texts: Latin, French and Italian. She found herself at the centre of a literary circle and she inspired, edited and circulated religious works among men and women sharing the same ideology. She even was one of only a dozen English women in a hundred-year period to publish not just one but two books and several prayers: Prayers or Meditations in 1545 and The Lamentation or Complaint of a Sinner in 1548. Katherine’s convictions can be applied to today’s Protestant faith and, as a contemporary scholar has declared, ‘her dedication to the cross of Christ is a theme that transcends a culture gap of nearly five centuries, and her fervent spirituality and passion demonstrate that the Reformation was not limited to the ivory tower, but played itself out in real and practical ways.’