historicall.y

She notoriously accused both her husband- George Boleyn, and his sister- Anne Boleyn of incest and treason which sent them both to the executioner's block. She later testified against Anne of Cleves , which could (but didn't) have resulted in the latter's death and then against Catherine Howard , which sent both Lady Rochford and Catherine Howard to their death. This woman is rarely spoken about but she was lady-in-waiting to five of Henry VIII's wives. Lady Jane Rochford was born in Norfolk in circa 1505. Her father was Henry Parker, 10th Baron Morley, a court translator and peer; he was knighted at the coronation of Anne Boleyn. Her mother was Alice St. John and her father was a 1st cousin to Henry VII. Jane had two siblings, the first was Margaret Parker, who married Sir John Shelton and the second was Henry Parker, a politician for Hertfordshire. Probably educated at home, Jane went to court to be a lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII's first wife- Catherine of Ar...

Henry VIII is probably most famous for marrying six wives:  Catherine of Aragon , Anne Boleyn , Jane Seymour , Anne of Cleves ,  Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr .  But not everyone can remember them just like that, so here's a few ways to remember it. 1. The rhyme This doesn't tell you the names of the wives however it dose tell you what happend to them. Divorced,  Beheaded,  Died,  Divorced,  Beheaded,  Survived. 2. A song  I heard this song and loved it! It is really fun and it helps you to remember the basic information about Henry VII's six wives! 3. Get to know the six wives If you want to know a little more detail about King Henry VIII's six wives, then you can take a look at this blog series by us! 1.  Catherine of Aragon 2.  Anne Boleyn 3.  Jane Seymour 4.  Anne of Cleves 5.  Catherine Howard 6.  Katherine Parr 4. A...

Hever Castle Hever Castle, with its beautiful gardens and well- kept walls, is about 700 year old. It was originally built as a medieval house in 1270.  In the 15th and 16th centurys the castle was residence to one of the most powerful families in England, the Boleyns, who added the Tudor style architecture and furnishings within the walls. Hever Castle is located in Kent, England.  Anne Boleyn , the second wife of King Henry VIII of England, her brother George and their sister Mary spent their early childhood at Hever castle. Their father, the nobleman Thomas Boleyn, inherited the castle from his father in 1505.  Anne of  Cleves  Anne Boleyn was executed in 1536, along with her brother George, for incest and adultery and, worst of all, high treason. The court put shame on Thomas Boleyn, and he lived for two more unhappy years until his death in 1538. The castle was then given to the crown. It later formed part of the settlement of  Henry VI...

On 6th January 1540 Henry VIII married the German princess Anne of Cleves, in a politically arranged marriage. The king's advisor Thomas Cromwell persuaded the him to re- marry because it had been three years since Jane Seymour had passed away after succeeding giving Henry the thing he wanted most: a son.  Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Cleves in Germany with the orders to paint the Duke of Cleve's daughters. Two very flattering images were sent back to the king but he chose the older sister- Anne above the younger sister- Amalia. Henry was about 49 years old whereas Anne was about 25 and a year older than Henry's eldest daughter Mary! Thankfully, unlike most of the other candidates to be the queen, Anne's family had already agreed to let Henry wed there daughter!  Henry first met Anne at Rochester Abby where she was standing by a window watching the bull- bating in the courtyard. With a group of friends, he disguised himself and entered the room. Accord...

Stereotypically labeled as the Flanders Mare, Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of Henry VIII, has held the reputation of being ugly and unattractive ever since the Tudor king laid eyes on her in 1540! But was Anne really what all the courtiers and historians have labeled her as? To be honest, no courtier could really disagree with the king without the danger of losing his or her's life, and if King Henry disliked her looks, then the court would more than likely have agreed with him. 'Anne of Cleves' by Hans Holbein the Younger In 1539, two years after the death of Henry VIII's third and quite possibly his favourite wife Jane Seymour, the king sent a member of Thomas Cromwell's household- Christopher Mont- to inspect a suitable candidate for the king to wed. Mont returned to England from Cleves in Germany with the report that everyone praises the young woman on her beauty. This impressed Henry as Anne, the reported German beauty, had already agreed to marry Hen...

Recently the historian Lucy Worsley (historian and chief curator of Hampton Court Palace, London) completed a documentary/ historical re-enacment program for the BBC, it is currently available on BBC iPlayer. This series is titled: 'Six wives with Lucy Worsley'. The series consists of three episodes, each focusing on a few of Henry VIII's wives at a time. The first is about Catherine of Aragon, the second is about Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour and the third is about Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. During the series, Worsley dresses up as a servant and a courtier and re- visits historic events that usually get forgotten but are key events in the downfall of his unfortunate wives. Personally, I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too.  Beth