Anne Boleyn

Chapter 4

Image credit: here Anne Boleyn was born in 1507 in Norfolk among the powerful nobility of the English court. Her father was Sir Boleyn, a man who greatly influenced the actions of King Henry VIII. Much of her childhood was spent in the Netherlands and, when Anne returned to England, she became one of Queen Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting. Soon, King Henry took a liking to Anne, going so far as to say he was “bewitched” by her. Even though she was accused of being a witch by Muggles on several different occasions, it is rumored among the wizarding community that Anne was a Squib, which would explain certain events of her life. As a Squib, Anne would have access to love potions, which could have been the cause of the king’s sudden infatuation with her. In January, before the nullification of Henry’s first marriage, Anne and Henry were married. Henry divorced Catherine in May of the same year. Taking on the title of queen, Anne tried to accomplish the only task she had, to produce an heir. In September of 1533, she gave birth to Elizabeth (soon to be Queen Elizabeth I). However, King Henry started to lose interest in Anne after two miscarriages. Since she served no purpose to Henry, he felt he had to move on to another wife, ideally, one that would give him a son. To liberate himself, Henry accused Anne of having affairs with multiple men in the royal court, including her own brother. Anne was arrested and found guilty in 1536, as were all of the accused men. On May 19, 1536, Anne was beheaded. The portrait of Anne Boleyn is located in the Grand Staircase, near the second floor. It is a copy of a late 16th century painting by an unknown Muggle artist that was enchanted by a wizard who proclaimed to be quite the fan of the late queen. According to both Muggle historians and scientists, this portrait is an accurate description of Anne Boleyn and most details are exact. Aside from the fact that the portrait was charmed to move, no one really knows how or why Anne’s portrait resides in the castle, though many speculate it may be due to her popularity in the wizarding world when she was alive. Often trapped in the past, the portrait often expresses her concern with regards to the rapidly decreasing affection her long-dead husband, King Henry, is showing her. If, by chance, one can get her to talk about something else, she may talk of a variety of topics. Most notably, she talks of other family members, such as Mary Tudor, current events of Hogwarts, and the advancements of the Muggle world. She loves discussing a variety of topics with the younger students. Interestingly, she seems to have a preference towards girls and many times, can be found yelling at boys who talk to her or stand near her portrait. This is potentially because of Henry’s overbearing obsession with having a son and complete ignorance of his beautiful daughter, Elizabeth.