Anne Boleyn: Henry VIII's Obsession (20 page)

31. Margaret of Austria. Anne’s first appointment was with the regent of the Netherlands and Anne flourished at Margaret’s cultured court.

32. Mary Tudor, the French Queen. Anne left Margaret of Austria to serve Mary Tudor in France and was a witness to the French Queen’s secret disgrace.

33. Francis I of France. The French king was notoriously licentious and counted Anne’s sister amongst his mistresses.

34. Henry VIII. Anne met the king when he was in his prime and the attraction between the couple is likely to have been mutual.

35. Thomas Wyatt. Anne enjoyed a flirtation with the poet but his marriage meant that their relationship could never advance to anything deeper.

36.Cardinal Wolsey. Henry’s chief minister and Anne’s greatest enemy.

37. Catherine of Aragon. Neither Anne nor Henry can ever have imagined just how fiercely Catherine would fight to remain as Henry’s wife and his queen.

38. Emperor Charles V. Catherine’s nephew and a staunch supporter of her rights during the King’s Great Matter.

39. Pope Clement VII. The Pope was kept as a virtual prisoner by the emperor and was never in a position to pronounce in favour of Henry’s divorce.

40. William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury. The death of the conservative archbishop cleared the way for the appointment of the more radical Thomas Cranmer.

41. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. Cranmer had been a chaplain of the Boleyn family and he shared their reformist ideals.

42.Thomas Cromwell. Henry’s chief minister and one of the men responsible for Anne’s fall.

43. Anne’s daughter, Elizabeth I as queen. Anne was proud of her daughter and must have been fearful for Elizabeth’s future following her arrest.