19th May marked the 479th anniversary
of the execution of Anne Boleyn. On that day in 1536, courageous and proud to
the last, she stood before her enemies on the scaffold on Tower Green, pledged
her love for Henry VIII and commended her soul to God.
As writers of fiction, our constant, and probably favourite,
game is “what-if?” What if Anne had not lost the two boys she miscarried?
What-if Henry had continued to love her? What if she had outlived him?
These were the questions I played with when writing The Tudor Enigma series. I also added a
dash of magic to the mix because Anne had frequently been accused of being a
witch. What-if she were? But I didn’t want her to be a wicked witch, because,
in truth, she was not a wicked person, but one who was deeply religious and
looked after those for whom she was responsible. If you want to know how this
worked out in my books, go to http://amzn.to/1HTBmqZ
.
Anne was rare in a world ruled – some would say still ruled
– by men. Furthermore, men who found women to be convenient scapegoats for any reverses.
For me she stands with two other queens, Edward II’s wife, Isabella of France
and Henry II’s wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. All three had strong logical minds.
All three fought for what they wanted. All three suffered, although only Anne
paid with her life. Each time I go to the Tower of London, I stand for a few
moments at the place where she was executed – in front of the Wellington Barracks and not where the guards would
have you believe – and say a prayer for her soul.
You can find out more about April Taylor here:
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