Few figures in English history evoke as much fascination and controversy as Anne Boleyn, the ill-fated second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I. While her life was marked by ambition, courtly intrigue, and political upheaval, it is the events of May 1536 that cast the longest and darkest shadow over her legacy. In that single month, Anne went from being Queen of England to a condemned prisoner in the Tower, executed in a swift and shocking downfall.
Prelude to a Fall: Tensions in the Tudor Court
By early 1536, Anne Boleyn's position at court had become precarious. Once the woman for whom Henry VIII broke with Rome, she now faced growing unpopularity and political enemies. Anne had failed to provide Henry with a male heir—a disappointment that weakened her influence. Though she had given birth to a daughter, the future Elizabeth I, miscarriages and stillbirths followed, compounding Henry's dissatisfaction.
At the same time, Jane Seymour, one of Anne’s ladies-in-waiting, was beginning to catch the King’s eye. Henry’s advisors, particularly Thomas Cromwell, increasingly viewed Anne as a political liability. Cromwell, who had once worked alongside Anne to promote the Protestant cause, would soon turn against her—helping orchestrate her downfall.
May 2, 1536: Arrest and Imprisonment
On May 2, Anne was arrested at Greenwich Palace and taken by barge along the Thames to the Tower of London. Though told she was to be questioned, she was instead imprisoned, accused of adultery, incest, and treason. She was alleged to have conducted illicit affairs with several men, including her own brother, George Boleyn, Lord Rochford.
The charges were almost certainly fabricated. No concrete evidence was presented, and the alleged dates of the affairs conflicted with Anne’s known whereabouts. Nonetheless, the machinery of Tudor justice, powered by political motive, was in motion.
Historical Note: Anne was held in the same royal apartments in the Tower where she had stayed in 1533 before her coronation. The irony would not have been lost on her.
May 10–12, 1536: The Trials Begin
In the days that followed, the men accused alongside Anne—Mark Smeaton (a musician), Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, William Brereton, and George Boleyn—were interrogated and tried. Mark Smeaton was the only one to confess, likely under torture or coercion. The others maintained their innocence, but it mattered little.
Between May 10 and May 12, four of the men were tried and found guilty of high treason. George Boleyn and Anne were tried separately but under similar circumstances.
May 15, 1536: Anne Boleyn’s Trial
Anne’s trial took place in the King’s Hall at the Tower of London on May 15, 1536, in front of a jury of 26 peers, including her former fiancé Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, and her uncle, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, who presided.
She defended herself eloquently, denying all charges. Eyewitness accounts suggest that Anne remained composed, though visibly shaken. Despite the lack of credible evidence, she was found guilty of adultery, incest, and plotting the King’s death—charges that carried the death penalty.
May 17, 1536: Executions and Erasure
Two days after Anne’s trial, the five men accused with her were executed on Tower Hill. George Boleyn's speech was notably dignified, and he avoided condemning the court or the King.
On the same day, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer—a long-time supporter of Anne—formally annulled her marriage to Henry VIII, likely under pressure. This act rendered their daughter, Elizabeth, illegitimate in the eyes of the law.
Historical Irony: The annulment meant Anne was never legally married to Henry, and therefore could not have committed adultery. But her fate was already sealed.
May 18, 1536: Final Confession and Last Communion
On May 18, Anne prepared for death. She took communion and made a final confession to Cranmer, insisting on her innocence. Reports suggest she exhibited remarkable courage, praying devoutly and remaining composed in the face of execution.
Her execution was initially scheduled for that day but was postponed, allegedly due to the late arrival of the expert swordsman from France who was to carry out the beheading.
May 19, 1536: Execution on Tower Green
On the morning of May 19, Anne Boleyn ascended the scaffold erected on Tower Green, within the walls of the Tower—a rare honour, as most executions took place on nearby Tower Hill.
Dressed in a grey gown with a red petticoat and English-style gable hood, she gave a short speech praising the King and asking those present to pray for her soul. She made no attempt to protest her innocence publicly, likely to preserve her daughter’s future.
The French executioner, specially brought to ensure a swift, clean death, beheaded her with a sword rather than an axe. Her ladies wrapped her body and head in cloth and placed them in an arrow chest for burial in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula, where she remains to this day.
Legacy: A Month That Changed England
The events of May 1536 irrevocably altered the course of English history. Anne Boleyn’s fall was not just the personal tragedy of a queen—it was a political turning point. With her death:
- Elizabeth I was declared illegitimate, yet she would rise to become one of England’s greatest monarchs.
- Jane Seymour would soon marry Henry VIII and die giving birth to the long-awaited male heir, Edward VI.
- The power of Thomas Cromwell increased temporarily, though he would later fall victim to the same volatile court politics.
- The precedent of discarding queens was set. Two more of Henry’s six wives would be executed.
Today, Anne is remembered not only for her downfall but for her intelligence, wit, and the lasting legacy she left through her daughter. May remains a month indelibly associated with her name—a time when ambition, courtly politics, and royal disfavour converged to tragic ends.