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For centuries, Anne Boleyn has been portrayed as the great seductress of Tudor history, the ambitious woman who bewitched Henry VIII and destroyed his marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

But when we examine the evidence, the surviving sources tell a very different story.

Henry VIII’s own love letters reveal that he pursued Anne relentlessly, writing to her repeatedly and even worrying that she did not return his affection. Anne refused to become the king’s mistress and, at times, even withdrew from court to avoid him.

In this video, I explore what we actually know about Henry VIII’s pursuit of Anne Boleyn:

• When the courtship may have begun
• The famous love letters Henry wrote to Anne
• The gift that may have signalled Anne’s acceptance
• The terrifying sweating sickness outbreak of 1528
• And the myth that Anne Boleyn deliberately seduced the king

This relationship would ultimately lead to the king’s Great Matter, the break with Rome, and the English Reformation, transforming the course of English history.

#anneboleyn
#henryviii
#tudorhistory
#tudors
#englishhistory
#britishhistory
#history
#historyyoutube
#reformation
#historydocumentary

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