Thursday, January 22, 2009

Final Outside Reading Post

So Anne flopped between ethical and unethical her entire life. Never an outstandingly good person, but was by no means a villain either. Anne's nature, a balance between good and bad, was viewed differently by different people. She lived her life on both sides of the fence, and it caught up with her. Henry, her wedded husband, was starting to be seen with Jane Seymour, a lady in waiting. "Henry needed a way to be rid of her, so he turned to the rumors of the court as a way out of his second marriage" (Denny 245).
Henry charged Anne with adultery and treason against him. She was tried by a jury of peers, one of which was her own uncle. "The court was unsympathetic to Anne's pleas and condemned her and her brother to death." (Denny 289). In a final act of kindness, Henry hired a french swordsmen to cut of her head so that it would be quicker. (the traditional beheading device was an ax, which often took three or four blows before the head was completely severed.) Anne is today remebered as a queen who gave birth to one of the greatest rulers England had ever seen. She is not remembered for what she did, but for what her daughter became.
Thanks for reading my posts! I hope I haven't sounded to much like Simon Schama!

1 comment:

Lida said...

I have to say that I'm not clear on what book you're reading - make sure to cite quotes with a full book citation. Anyways. Woah. This book kind of sounds like it could make a good soap opera, ancient monarchy style. It sounds like the book was full of spoiled and unethical people, what with the beheading and adultery. But it sounds terribly interesting as well. You'll have to give me the title some time!