Tuesday, October 25, 2022

ELM (part 7): 2 Boleyn Sisters - 2 Queen Elizabeths

 




The Boleyns




Thomas Boleyn (1477-1539), 1st Earl of Wiltshire, was an English diplomat and politician. 
 

Thomas was ambitious and worked his way into Henry VIII's inner circle, as well as did his surviving children George, Mary, and especially...

Anne Boleyn




Much has been written about Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn (1501-1536). The King's desire for a son changed history. His first wife could not deliver a boy who survived infancy, so he looked for another woman to give him a legitimate son and heir to the throne. And Anne put herself out there as the one.

Since the Pope would not grant a divorce, Henry maneuvered to break away from the Catholic Church and become the head of the Church of England. And as head, Henry got his divorce and married the ambitious Anne. 


But it did not end well. Anne only produced a daughter, lost the King's love and interest, and lost her head. The following years were full of drama. In the end, Anne's daughter would become....


Queen Elizabeth I



Elizabeth I (1533-1603) would be known as the Virgin Queen who brought England into her Golden Age. She was one of the longest reigning monarchs and considered one of the greatest. 


Yet the line from Anne Boleyn died when Elizabeth I died as Anne had no other surviving children and Elizabeth never married. 

But there was Anne's older sister, the other Boleyn girl...


Mary Boleyn



Mary (1499-1543) was Henry XIII's mistress for a short time. She was soon cast aside and out of the limelight, truly the underdog. She had experienced heartache, was widowed, was impoverished for a time. 

But Anne and George had been executed in 1536. And after her parents passed away, Mary inherited the estate. Mary, the underdog, survived.


Mary Boleyn was not a mother to a ruling queen like sister Anne's Elizabeth I. But she was the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother of....


Queen Elizabeth II




Elizabeth II (1926-2022) was the last head of state of any country to serve in uniform during World War II as well as the longest reigning English monarch--70 years.


2 Boleyn Sisters ... 2 Queen Elizabeths

Ann Boleyn --- 
mother of 
Queen Elizabeth I

Mary Boleyn --- 
great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother of 
Queen Elizabeth II

And Mary Boleyn's line lives on in Charles III

Long live the king!


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For more in this series, search blog:

ELM - English, Language, and Musings

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Photos:

Elizabeth II: wikipedia.com/ElizabethII