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

 

wikipedia.com/Crown

The Boleyns

wikipedia.com/BoleynArms

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

 

* See: Thomas Boleyn

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

wikipedia.com/AnneBoleyn

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. 

* See: Anne Boleyn

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

wikipeida.com/ElizabethI

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. 

* See: Elizabeth I

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

wikipedia.com/MaryBoleyn

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.

* See: Mary Boleyn

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

wikipedia.com/ElizabethII

Reference: Mary Boleyn and 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.

* See: Elizabeth II

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:

Crown:  wikipedia.com/Crown

Boleyn Arms: wikipedia.com/BoleynArms

Anne Boleyn: wikipedia.com/AnneBoleyn

Elizabeth I: wikipeida.com/ElizabethI

Mary Boleyn: wikipedia.com/MaryBoleyn

Elizabeth II: wikipedia.com/ElizabethII 

Timeless Truths (part 6) - Magna Carta - 800 years and still going strong

Magna Carta/wikipedia.com

Timeless Truths explores, June 15, 1215 AD - a watershed year. And we still feel it effects in 2015. What happened 800 years ago?

In 1215, failed foreign policies and heavy taxation spurred an uprising of powerful English barons against King John. Under duress, this successor to his brother Richard I, the Lion Heart signed a document which put all future monarchs under the rule of law.

It was called the Great Charter. Perhaps it's better known for its Latin name, the Magna Carta. [reference:  Magna Carta - British History - HISTORY.com ]

And here's how it happened:

(reference: https://youtu.be/7xo4tUMdAMw )

The signing of the Magna Carta rippled throughout history, setting the basis for English Common Law, and inspiring the American Revolution as well as the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

The principles placed limits on what our government can do. Thus governments were to be in chains of their Constitution, not the people in chains to their government.  Politics shifted from a government of men to a government of laws.

And below is a lesson as to how the Magna Carta influenced the American government:

(reference:  https://youtu.be/Ca_kI948JUA )

As US President Abraham Lincoln echoed the Declaration of Independence, which was echoed by John Locke, which echoed the Magna Carta:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. 

....

that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

[reference: The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln ]

It's no wonder the Magna Carta is considered one of the Five Documents that Changed the World.

Indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword.

Happy 800 years!

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Previous posts in series:

Timeless Truths (Part 1) - A Cup of Cold Water (2013)

Timeless Truths (part 2) - Love (2013)

Timeless Truths (part 3) - Hakuna Matata - No Worries? (2013)

Timeless Truths (part 4) - A Mother's Advice  (2013)

Timeless Truths (part 5): Always Assume Positive Intent (2014)

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Magna Carta/wikipedia.com