ON ANNE BOLEYN

Those that know me will know that my lifelong obsession with Anne shows no sign of dimming even after all these years.
I never tire of reading her story time after time after time.  It's still as new to me now as it was about 40 years ago when i first heard it.
Nevertheless, i still do get irritated once and awhile when there is a new book or a documentary that gets it wrong.

Recently, a new book cover boasted of the story of the 'infamous' Queen of England.  Now, obviously,   the Queen of England thing is wrong but if i had a pound for how many times supposed 'Historians' got that one wrong i'd be a multi millionaire by now.  She was the Queen of England, Wales, The Island of Ireland, parts of Scotland, Parts of France etc etc which, if truth be told is a bit of a mouthful to say or write every time and many writers use England as a convenience. It's still wrong though.
I did email the author to ask her just how and in what way she considered Anne to be infamous but she declined to reply unfortunately.

I also disagree strongly that Anne was Mary Boleyn's younger sister.  The truth is that there is no solid evidence left now to prove or disprove it either way but for me what evidence there actually is points very strongly to the exact opposite.
We know very little of Mary Boleyn.  What we do know is that, in Tudor times, the first born was usually the only one in wealthy families that received a substantial education.  Therefore, it only makes sense that if Mary was the first born they it would have been she who received grooming and education.  We know that Mary didn't and the evidence shows that she was uneducated and a rather frivolous individual.  Anne was the daughter who was sent to France and Austria to receive a first class education. It only stands to common sense then that Anne was indeed the elder daughter.  We'll probably never know for 100% certainty that that was the case but you know it makes sense?

I'm also drawn back to a comment on an old school report of mine from when i was about 13.  I had a horrible History teacher who's name i've long forgotten.  On this report she wrote 'Kenneth is experiencing difficulty and clearly has no interest in this subject'.  If only she had taken the time, then, to realise that it was the only subject that i had any interest in.  An interest whose flame still burns brightly over 40 years later.