In early 2013, as part of the BBC's Tudor season, this documentary about Anne Boleyn's life and downfall was aired. Packed with theories and facts from a range of historians famous for writing on this subject, this show provokes the mind and introduces us to new possibilities when it comes to Anne's divorce and execution. Below the cut: a review of the programme.
Anne Boleyn's life, seduction of and eventual marriage to Henry VIII, and sudden downfall have provoked much historical as well as public interest. What was it about her that made her so alluring to Henry VIII, so as to convince him to throw away 24 year marriage to Catherine of Aragon? At what point did he decide to set her to one side, and was this because of something she had done or because his focus had shifted to Jane Seymour instead? Who or what caused her sudden arrest and execution?
I have to admit that I have only recently studied Anne Boleyn -- having never had the chance to study the fascinating and often dramatic Tudor period at school -- and a lot of what I knew about her came from the BBC's dramatised version, The Tudors. Of course this could hardly be considered solid factual evidence of her life, and so I was glad when just after finishing the series this Spring the BBC announced a special series of documentaries on the period.
What I like the most about this documentary is the way it is edited together. The show features the opinions of top historians such as David Starkey, Suzannah Lipscombe and Alison Weir (The Lady In The Tower) alongside authors Phillipa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl) and Hilary Mantel. In many sections the show is edited so that the contradict or oppose one another. One example of this is when Mantel suggests that Henry wanted a way out of his marriage with Anne so he could begin one with Jane Seymour, whilst Lipscombe says that she believes that Henry never truly set Anne aside as there is no evidence to suggest as such. In fact, evidence to the contrary includes the fact that only the week before Anne's arrest Henry was still insistent that the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, recognise Anne as Queen. Why do this is Henry was already decided that he was going to get rid of Anne?
Another disagreement between the historians is what the meaning of Anne's chaplain's speech in the Royal Chapel was really about. This scene is particularly interesting as it is edited together so as to be almost like a debate. This may be seen as confusing as in essence we get no hard facts, only speculation, but this is useful in giving a balanced view on the matter.
In the end, it is hard to come away from this documentary knowing exactly what your view is on Anne Boleyn. However it certainly piques interest, and I myself would like to read more into it before making a decision for myself. What you do get from this programme is snippets of evidence, although I do think some (such as Cromwell saying he 'dreamt it up' ) and being just too vague. I was surprised that greater weight was not put on things like the fact that Henry VIII desperately needed an heir to justify a weak claim to the throne, as well as Suzannah Lipscombe's revelation that the dates and places specified in the indictment can still be proven wrong today.
In short this is a documentary worth watching if you want the surface theories and ideas regarding Anne's downfall and the factors behind it but ultimately there is a lot to cover in an hour-long timeslot and deeper reading is probably needed to learn anything more solid.
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