Henry VIII: Expert discusses Anne Boleyn's 'influence' on king

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Henry VIII became King at the age of 17 in 1509, presiding over Tudor England during a turbulent period. During his 36-year reign, the former monarch fought battles against the French and the Scots as he sought to protect England from military threats in Europe. At home, the King was known for his gluttonous lifestyle and for the brutality he wielded over his subjects. Nobody felt this more than Anne Boleyn, the former Queen, who was the second of Henry’s six wives.

Despite her and Henry’s whirlwind romance after they were introduced at court, their relationship soon crumbled after their wedding.

Anne failed to satisfy her King as she did not produce a healthy male heir, instead giving birth to a girl – Elizabeth – who would later become Queen for 45 years.

After whispers about Anne’s alleged infidelities with Henry’s courtiers, she was put on trial in 1536, just three years after she was crowned Queen.

She was found guilty of charges including adultery and conspiracy against the King and was beheaded at the Tower of London.

Despite Henry’s brutality towards Anne, the King later regretted his actions as he lay on his deathbed in 1547 and showed “great grief” over his treatment of his ex-wife and daughter Elizabeth, historian Sandra Vasoli has revealed.

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Ms Vasoli, who wrote the 2015 book ‘Anne Boleyn’s Letter from the Tower: A New Assessment’, has taken a fresh look at a little-known account of Henry’s dying days.

The expert came across key evidence about the King’s regrets contained in a collection of documents put together by Bishop White Kennett, which are held in the archives of the British Library.

She told Express.co.uk: “I stumbled upon this. It was hard to read. It’s on thin parchment.

“Part of it was kind of smeared out. And part of it was in Latin. Part of it was in old French.

“But I was able to copy it and then I did research on it.

“At the bottom of the page, there’s this inscription.

“‘The King acknowledges with great grief at his death the injuries he had done to the lady Anne Boleyn and her daughter.

“‘As André Thevet in his cosmography, a writer, in no way partial has testified’.”

Bishop White was what is known as an antiquarian – old scholars who preserved many of the documents we still have access to today.

The bishop quoted Thevet, a well-travelled friar, who Ms Vasoli believes may have lived at the Franciscan friary that was attached to Greenwich Palace, Henry’s former royal residence.

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The academic, who ventured across the world on his travels, detailed his account of Henry’s final days in his book, ‘Cosmographie Universalle’.

Ms Vasoli said: “He was this Franciscan friar and he wrote a lot. He travelled a lot.

“He was a very unusual person. He travelled literally all over the world, which at that time was really remarkable.

“And he did a lot of writings in various subjects. But in one of his books, he wrote this.”

Ms Vasoli recounted what Thevet wrote about Henry in his unearthed volume of work.

She said: “It says in French, ‘Several English gentlemen have confided to me that he has repented upon his deathbed of the injustices done to Queen Anne Boleyn.

“‘Of her having been falsely accused, and for the punishment imposed upon her that she died in good Christian standing and is to be buried in accordance with the Church of Rome.

“‘It is in association with this situation, that he – Henry – has attempted to right these injustices, and with his whole heart, signs his name to this testimony’.

“So, in other words, this Franciscan friar, who was a contemporary of Henry’s, and his close courtiers, is reporting that some of those courtiers told him – the friar – this.

“That at Henry’s death, he regretted with great grief the injustices he had done.”

‘Anne Boleyn’s Letter from the Tower: A New Assessment’ was written by Sandra Vasoli and published by MadeGlobal Publishing in 2015. It is available here.

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