Anne Boleyn Beheaded for Adultery (1536)

Boleyn was the second queen consort of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I. Anne’s marriage to Henry was a key part of the English Reformation. Henry had divorced his first wife to marry Anne, whom he hoped would produce a male heir. When she did not, she was brought to trial on charges of adultery and incest. Under great pressure, a court headed by her uncle—the Duke of Norfolk—condemned her, and she was beheaded. According to one account, what did her executioner do before beheading her? Discuss

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