Comments by "Iain Rendle" (@iainrendle7989) on "Why Queen Anne Boleyn Was Executed In Disgrace | The Lovers Who Changed History | Chronicle" video.
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I am sorry but why is everyone judging what occurred using our modern view points and beliefs. Firstly remember that Anne was not the first Boleyn that Henry bedded or impregnated, but Anne Boleyn was a very beautiful, very well educated, sexually aware woman that spent her informative years in the French court, and not in the conservative English court so she was exceptional, and had very many suitors prior to Henry. It must also be remembered who her uncle was and the political influence that he and her family gained by proximity of the Boleyn sisters to Henry. Anne did not set her sights on Henry, but rather was set to marry another until Anne's married sister fell out of favour (because she was pregnant by Henry) and her family thrust Anne into the gap left by her sister, and yes Anne was intelligent and knowledgable enough to manipulate the situation, especially not wanting to be just another mistress, because if cast off by Henry she was soiled goods (especially if pregnant like her sister but not already married). Henry was already looking for ways of dumping Catherine of Aragorn prior to Anne, and had fathered a number of bastards (male bastards as well) already before Anne, and only his fear of excommunication and war with Spain kept the marriage in place.
Yes, Anne was very manipulative and yes initially used her sexuality to control Henry but her wit and intelligence was her main weapon that both ensnared him and was her undoing, but also that she was very naive about was the machinations of the RC church, the politics within the court, especially fear of her Uncle's increased influence created by Henry's infatuation that created huge wellsprings of anti Anne sentiment and antagonism towards her.
Anne was a Protestant, and therefore hated by both the RC church and the Spanish King, who just happened to be Catherine's uncle as well, but also meant that she was the spearhead of the protestants within the English court. She was equally manipulated by her family and by those that wanted to advance Protestism in England, equal to those that wanted to destroy Lutherism and her families power and influence.
So Anne won big by the support of those that wished to advance by her proximity to Henry and lost big by the adversity of those against her religion and family. No she was not innocent in the situation but also she was not fully prepared for the forces set against her, and was naive of the impact of a very fragile ego that was Henry. In regard to Catherine, this was probably more related to religious dominance than genuine animosity, as Anne was the Protestant champion as Catherine was the Catholics, with Henry and England as the prize.
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Royalty in these days were very pressured to bear heirs, and were expected to be males. You also have to be aware that the Tudors were viewed as usurpers, and that meant that their hold on power was tenative and that his position could be challenged. He also was a child brought up in a very negative environment as his father was a total shit and not particularly nice, especially as Henry was never meant to be king but his brother Arthur (and his name was chosen to connect the Tudors to the legend of the return of King Arthur and the Summerlands) and rather sidelined, and therefore jousting and tourneys were him trying to prove himself, and he was good at it. So you viewing Henry and his actions in a modern day sentiment is naive, as it was a combination of the machinations of the court politics, the politics of the catholics and protestants, the support within the landed lords etc of Catherine of Aragorn and the King of Spain wanting England for himself or at least England going to war with France in support of the spanish expansion in Europe that helped to mould Henry. So Henry was the also ran 2nd Son of a total bastard father, who was considered an usurper and not royalty, who became king but for 20 plus years only sired 1 living heir (though allegedly plenty of male bastards), and surrounded by people that just wanted something......what could go wrong.
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Sorry but what has those traits have to do with Royalty or even what has your respect got to do with it, as most adulterers and sociopaths are not royal or even have a bit of royal blood in them, and then considering the fact that the Tudors didn't really come from royalty and were effectively minor landed welsh squires who married above their position and not even Duke or anything makes your comment daft at the least. Henry had already sired countless children on many ladies in waiting before Anne Boleyn, including her own sister, whilst married to Catherine so nothing new. If you look at the number of children produced by various Popes over the years, or the amount of pregnant nuns do you make a similar comment. Henry's actions would more likely be categorised as schizophrenic or egocentric rather than sociopathic.
Sorry but just because you can make a comment does not mean that you should, but if you do it is best that it is a well thought out, accurate, factual, considered and actually relevant to the matter. Please do not add to the belief that social media is now just the mouthpiece for the ill informed and stupid because I am hoping that because you watched a documentary and not car smashes, cute kittens or Justin Bieber videos that you are not one of those.
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As someone classified as a High Functioning Sociopath, I do wish that people would stop bandying that word around and applying it to all manner of people. Henry was not a sociopath and would not be classified as such, as there are plenty of records that clearly show that he was rather emotional as an individual......which a sociopath is not. Look at Henry's upbringing, who his father was and his father's personality (putting it bluntly...a complete and utter bastard, mental and physical sadist, and Henry 8 bore the full force of his father's brutality....especially mentally), the issue that the Tudors were only once removed usurpers and not 100 secure in their right to rule, then add to that the fact that after 20 years he did not have a male heir (though many male bastards), which the kings main job was to create a male heir, and by not having one suggested that he was not favoured by god and therefore his paranoia about Tudor claims were constantly being fed. Combined with this the insecurity of England, trapped between the political and economic titans of the time - France and Spain, who were also the defacto controllers of the other powerhouse, the church. This added to and fed Henry's insecurities and dysfunctive personality, but add to this the belief that the king is chosen of god to rule (absolutely), that women were of no matter but for bedding and breeding, plus constantly surrounded by people looking to proximity to the king to self promote them and their families.
Also do not put Katherine on a pedestal, she was not some meak soft touch that just sat there and looked pretty. She was the product of the Spainish court and up until her death a defacto Spainish spy and agent provocateur in the English establishment for the benefit and protection of Spain and its interests. She was not the first and not the last queen that was put aside, divorced, stuck in a nunnery, 'accidentally' died by a king so that a younger model could be ensconced, whether for dynasty, politics, want or desire.......Henry was just more extreme and numerous in his actions.
Please view the people of history in context of their time and not our very comfortable modern society, because if most of us were transported back in time to our equivalent position and status, then we would be in for a very rude awakening and crying to our mothers to come back to modern days. We forget the freedoms, options, chances, education etc we have today versus the lives and circumstances that our ancestors lived in.
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