(Ann), queen of Henry VIII, of England; memorable in the English history, as the first cause of the reformation, as the mother of queen Elizabeth under whom it was completely established, and also on account of her own sufferings. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, and born in 1507. She was carried into France at seven years of age by Henry VIII's sister, who was wife of Lewis XII; nor did she return into England when that queen retired thither after the death of her husband; but stood in the service of queen Claudia the wife of Francis I, and after the death of that princess went to the duchess of Alençon. The year of her return is not well known: some will have it to have been in 1527, others in 1525. This much is certain, that she was maid of honour to queen Catharine of Spain, Henry VIII's first wife; and that the king fell extremely in love with her. She behaved herself with so much art and address, that by refusing to satisfy his passion, she brought him to think of marrying her: and the king, deceived by her into a persuasion that he should never enjoy her unless he made her his wife, was induced to set on foot the affair of his divorce with Catharine, which at last was executed with great solemnity and form. A celebrated author observes, that "That which would have been very praiseworthy on another occasion, was Ann Boleyn's chief crime: since her refusing to comply with an amorous king, unless he would divorce his wife, was a much more enormous crime than to have been his concubine. A concubine (says he) would not have deposed a queen, nor taken her crown or her husband from her; whereas the crafty Ann Boleyn, by pretending to be chaste and scrupulous, aimed only at the usurpation of the throne, and the exclusion of Catherine of Arragon and her daughter from all the honours due to them." In the mean time, Henry could not procure a divorce from the Pope; which, we know, made him resolve at length to disown his authority, and to fling off his yoke. Nevertheless he married Anne Boleyn privately upon the 14th of November 1532, without waiting any longer for a release from Rome; and as soon as he perceived that his new wife was with child, he made his marriage public. He caused Anne Boleyn to be declared queen of England on Easter-eve 1533, and to be crowned the first of June following. She was brought to bed upon the 7th of September of a daughter, who was afterwards queen Elizabeth; and continued to be much beloved by the king, till the charms of Jane Seymour had fired that prince's heart in 1536. Then his love for his wife was changed into violent hatred: he believed her to be unchaste, and caused her to be imprisoned and tried. "She was indicted of high treason, for that she had procured her brother and other four to lie with her, which they had done often: that she had said to them, that the king never had her heart; and had said to every one of them by themselves, that she loved him better than any person whatever; which was to the slander of the issue that was begotten between the king and her. And this was treason according to the statute made in the 26th year of this reign; so that the law which was made for her and the issue of her marriage, is now made use of to destroy her." She was condemned to be either burnt or beheaded; and she underwent the latter on the 19th of May 1536. The right reverend author of the History of the Reformation relates... relates some very remarkable things of her behaviour during the time of her imprisonment, and a little before her execution. When she was imprisoned, she is said to have acted very different parts; sometimes seeming devout and shedding abundance of tears, then all of a sudden breaking out into a loud laughter. A few hours before her death, she said, that the executioner was very handy: and besides, that she had a very small neck; at the same time feeling it with her hands, and laughing heartily. However, it is agreed that she died with great resolution; taking care to spread her gown about her feet, that she might fall with decency; as the poets have related of Polyxena, and the historians of Julius Caesar. Roman-catholic writers have taken all occasions to rail at this unhappy woman, as well through vexation at the schism which she occasioned, as for the sake of defaming and dishonouring queen Elizabeth by this means; and they have triumphed vehemently, that in the long reign of that queen, no endeavours were used to justify her mother. But either queen Elizabeth or her ministers are greatly to be admired for prudence in this respect; since it is certain, that Anne Boleyn's justification could never have been carried on without discovering many things which must have been extremely prejudicial to the queen, and have weakened her right instead of establishing it. For though the representations of the papists are in no wise to be regarded, yet many things might have been said to the disadvantage of her mother, without transgressing the laws of true history; as that she was a woman gay even to immodesty, indiscreet in the liberties she took, and of an irregular and licentious behaviour.