ANNE BOLEYN, queen of Henry VIII. king of Eng-
land, daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, a nobleman of
a powerful family, and numerous alliances. The daugh-
ter of the duke of Norfolk was her mother, and during
the reign of the former king her father had been
honoured with several embassies. Mary the king's
sister, who married Lewis XII. king of France, carried
over this lady with her at an early age, where she im-
bibed the freedom, the vivacity, and the openness of
manners of that nation. After the death of Lewis,
that queen returned to England, and Anne continued to
attend her royal mistress. Having some time after left
her service, she was introduced into the family of the
duchess of Alençon. In addition to all her acquired
accomplishments, she possessed the greatest personal
elegance, and was highly famed in that age.
History does not explicitly mention whether or not
it was on her account, but upon her return to England
the king expressed his scruples concerning his union
with Catharine of Arragon. Enamoured, however,
of Anne, he expressed his attachment to her; but
she was possessed of too much virtue and policy, to con-
fer any improper favours. This prudent and vir-
tuous restraint only increased the passion of Henry;
and placing her at court, he distinguished her by many
marks of royal favour. The impetuous king at length
came to the resolution to divorce his queen, to make
way for his favourite Anne. In this instance, the in-
jury done to that queen proved the cause of the final
separation of England from the dominion of the pope.
Various delays and difficulties occurring to the divorce,
Henry privately married Anne during the month of
November 1532, and in April following he publicly
declared her queen of England. The famous Queen
Elizabeth was the first fruits of this marriage, who was
born the September following. For some time she en-
joyed a considerable share of the royal favour, and she
made use of that influence in subduing the haughty
prelate Wolsey, and widening the breach between the
king and the pope. But this favour was not of long
continuance; for the king, every varying in his temper,
and disappointed at her being brought to bed of a dead
male child, imbibed a new passion for Jane Seymour;
and troubled at the evil inclinations of the Catholics,
he allowed the jealousy of conjugal affection to enter
his bosom, which her thoughtless demeanour tended in
Anne, Annealing. a great measure to realize. The king's jealousy still increasing, she was accused of adultery with several of the household officers, and even with her own brother, Lord Rochfort. She was accordingly tried on a charge of high treason, and although proof was very scanty, yet she was condemned to be beheaded; which sentence was executed in May 1536. Her behaviour on that occasion was a singular mixture of firmness and unusual levity. She avowed being guilty of many excesses, yet to the last resolutely denied any serious guilt. Although her character has been greatly depreciated by several authors, yet a letter written by her to the king after condemnation, gives a much higher idea of her character than these partial accounts would endeavour to convey.
The important part which she and her daughter acted in the Reformation has drawn upon her memory many malignant and vicious stories, by those of the Catholic party, who were likewise induced to this by the expectation of being conducive to the injury of Protestantism, by stigmatizing the various characters and motives of its promoters. These various accounts are, however, for the most part refuted by facts universally known, or have no evidence or probability by which they may be supported. Respecting her innocence of the charge on which she lost her life, it is a matter of uncertainty, yet it appears to be less certain that she was guilty than that her husband was a bloody and capricious tyrant. (Gen. Biog.).
St Anne's Day, a festival of the Christian church, celebrated by the Latins on the 26th of July, but by the Greeks on the 9th of December. It is kept in honour of Anne or Anna, mother of the Virgin Mary.