TL *Humaning the Best She Can*’s Reviews > The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown > Status Update

I've heard it said that Anne Boleyn has to take some responsibility for her fall in 1536 even though she was innocent of the crimes for which she was condemned. In his TV series on Henry VIII, "Henry VIII: Mind of a Tyrant",40 David Starkey spoke about how Anne's forthright character and ability to say "no" to Henry, when nobody else would, were attractive in a mistress but not what Henry found acceptable in a wife. By 1536, it is said, Henry could no longer tolerate Anne's nagging, her hot temper and her jealousy. One documentary, "Days that Shook the World: Execution of Anne Boleyn",41 goes as far as to say that there were two reasons for Anne's fall: her refusal to "curb" her "bold manners" and her inability to provide Henry with the longed-for son and heir. However, how could Anne change? Henry had married her for love. He had been attracted to the feisty Anne, a woman who was willing to stand up to him and who was outspoken, if Anne changed her ways then she wouldn't be the woman he'd fallen in love with. It was an impossible situation – become the submissive wife, and lose what attracted Henry in the first place, or stay the same and risk annoying the King and making enemies.

We know that Anne and Henry's marriage was volatile and that the couple argued regularly but even Chapuys put this down to "lovers' quarrels, to which we must not attach too great importance".42 It was a marriage based on love and passion, a real marriage rather than an arranged or diplomatic one, so it was bound to have its up and downs. Anne's jealousy, which is also sometimes seen as a factor in her fall, was a natural result of this love match. Anne had been a lady-in-waiting when she had caught Henry's eye, so how could she be sure that one of her ladies or another lady at court wouldn't steal Henry away from her? Whereas Catherine of Aragon had been able to turn a blind eye because she had a royal family and Emperor behind her, Anne could not. Anne had to fight for her marriage, she had to keep Henry interested. Although some historians, for example Alison Weir,43 write of the marriage being in trouble from the start, there is no evidence of that. George Wyatt wrote that the royal couple "lived and loved, tokens of increasing love perpetually increasing between them. Her mind brought him forth the rich treasures of love of piety, love of truth, love of learning. Her body yielded him the fruits of marriage, inestimable pledges of her faith and loyal love"44 and they were often described as being "merry". Volatile, yes, unhappy, no. Passionate rows, but equally passionate making up.