Anne Boleyn Did Love Henry
Anne had gambled all and lost. But had she played for love or power? Indeed, in the beginning, it seems that all the desire was on Henry’s part. His pursuit was relentless, as he showered Anne with letters and gifts. Certainly, Anne must have scented a possibility as Henry had been talking of putting away his Katherine of Aragon as early as 1522. She played with the King’s ardor skillfully and certainly seems to have at least partially manipulated him into marriage.
However, Anne and Henry also had much in common. Both had sharp minds and loved debate. They also shared a love of music, dancing, and hunting. It seems, whatever her initial feelings and intentions, Anne did fall in love. When Henry began to show an interest in other women, Anne had no reason to fear for her position. However, she reacted badly because she was jealous. She did not want to lose Henry’s love.
Perhaps the most intimate and touching relic of that love is a Book of Hours which Henry and Anne used to use to pass notes to each other during mass. On one page next to Christ as the Man of Sorrows, Henry wrote: ‘If you remember my love in your prayers as strongly as I adore you, I shall hardly be forgotten, for I am yours, Henry R[ex] forever.’ In reply, on the page depicting the Virgin Mary being informed that she will give birth to a son, Ann responded: ‘By daily proof you shall me find, To be to you both loving and kind.’
Where Do we get this stuff? Here are our sources:
18 Facts About the Dramatic Life of Anne Boleyn, Carly Silver, Ranker
Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Douglas Richardson, 2011
Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon, The Anne Boleyn Files, August 26, 2009
Anne Boleyn and the Reformation, The Anne Boleyn Files, March 29, 2010
The Coronation/Crowning of Anne Boleyn, 1533, English History
Guilty or not guilty: why did Anne Boleyn have to die?, History Extra, October 26, 2018
The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn, Eric Ives, Blackwell Publishing, 2005