Anne Boleyn as St. Barbara

Anne returned to England in 1521. When she did, she was a very cultured and educated woman who was admired for her sense of style and sophistication. At this time, Anne's elder sister Mary was Henry VIII's mistress. Katherine of Aragon, the king's wife, was now barren, and only had one surviving child, her daughter Mary. Anne was sent back to marry a distant relative named Piers Butler, to resolve a family dispute over land rights. The marriage never took place, but Anne was soon to attract several important men of the court, perhaps getting more than she bargained for.

Henry VIII, Act I, Scene IV

The first man who became attached to Anne was the heir to the Duke of Northumberland, Henry Percy. Anne and Percy's plans were thwarted by Cardinal Wolsey, however, and Percy was forced to marry elsewhere. Anne never forgave Wolsey for this slight, and she vowed to seek revenge on him. Anne was sent back to her girlhood home, Hever Castle, and during this time, her cousin, Sir Thomas Wyatt, began pursuing her. Wyatt was a famous poet in his time and most of his poems can still be read. Several poems about his pursuit of Anne still exist. Anne refused Wyatt's advances, since Wyatt was married and it could serve no purpose to pursue a relationship with him. Although Anne was usually described as a loose woman, in fact she seemed to be uninterested in sexual relations, unless they could serve a purpose for her. There is no reason to believe she was not a virgin when she attracted the attentions of the king.

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn Hunting

Henry VIII became interested in Anne at around 1526. Anne would have been about 19, Henry was about 35, and Katherine was 41 or 42. It is tempting to call this romance a mid-life crisis. Anne was stunned by Henry's interest and refused to be his mistress as her sister had been. She would be Queen or nothing. For almost seven years, Henry struggled to rid himself of his first wife. Katherine was the aunt of the king of Spain, and had a very powerful ally in him. Spain also had control over the Vatican and the Pope could not really grant Henry a divorce. Wolsey tried several times to get the annulment, but to no avail. His failures in this led to his downfall later on. A papal legate was sent to England to try the case, but it was merely for show and did nothing to get Henry his divorce. It became clear that Henry would need to break with Rome, since they would never give him the divorce. He then created himself Supreme Head of the English Church. In 1533, everything changed. Anne finally gave in to Henry, and she became pregnant. This forced Henry into action. Even though he was still technically married to Katherine, he married Anne in secret, probably on January 25th, 1533. In May, the secret was out and preparations for Anne's elaborate coronation were beginning.

The Royal Coat of Arms of Anne Boleyn

Anne's coronation was spectacular, and designed to try to win the people's hearts to her. Anne was very unpopular because she was seen as the home wrecker of an otherwise happy marriage. Although Henry was in love with Anne, it was for the hope of a male child that he really married her, since he was worried who would succeed him after his death. Anne was a good queen who was looked to for help by petitioners. She was able to effect change in both politics and religion, and reformist believers benefited from her support. Although Anne was triumphant, her position as queen would always be shaky until she could provide Henry with a male child.