Anne Boleyn - Tudor Queen Who Ruled the Hearts of Modern People

English history is full of mysteries, and there are a number of facts, which are still the subject of research. Anne Boleyn, the queen consort of King Henry VIII of England, is one of the famous names that we can take as an example in this regard. She was the second wife of the king and was recognized as a key figure of English Reformation after her marriage and subsequent execution. The era of English Reformation was the time, when England progressed in various fields, such as art, culture, medieval costumes and more.

But, the word ‘reformation’ refers to the religious reformation against the dogmatism of Roman Catholic Church during that period. First, the king broke with Church of Rome in order to marry her and declared himself the head of Church of England. In this way, Anne indirectly contributed in reformation. Moreover, she was an open minded lady, which can be estimated with the fact that she argued to distribute the revenues to the charitable and educational institutions instead of giving them to church. She made this argument to Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex. It is claimed that Thomas conspired against Anne because of his dispute with her.

Anne Boleyn born in the year 1501, and was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard. She got the education in Netherlands and France, and returned to England in the year 1522 for marrying her Irish cousin, James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond. But, the plans of her marriage with James failed, and she found the place as maid of Honor to Henry VIII’s first queen consort, Catherine of Aragon. In the year 1523, there was a secret betrothal between her and Henry Percy, son of the fifth Earl of Northumberland. But, the betrothal was broken in 1524, and she was sent back home to Hever Castle. King Henry tried to seduce her, which was one of the absorbing factors for his desire to marry her.
King annulled his marriage his first queen for marrying Anne. Roman Catholic Church declared it as illegal, but the king broke his relations with the church and declared himself the head of Church of England. There is no doubt that it seems that the relation was broken because of the selfish motive of the king. Still, it put some great impacts on the nation. He married Anne on 25th January 1933. She gave birth to Elizabeth on 7th September and could not give birth to son.

The relation of the two could not be continued for the long. She was found guilty for high treason in April 1536. Moreover, she was also accused of adultery and incest. There were no sufficient evidence found against her, but still she was beheaded on 19th May, 1536.

Despite the small time span of her existence as a queen, she became widely popular in England. Her renaissance clothing styles are copied by women in today’s scenario also. Moreover, some films have also been made on her biography. Interestingly, some researchers of occultism claim the existence of the ghost of Anne today also.

Communities of the Renaissance Age and Their Lifestyles

The renaissance age in Europe is undoubtedly an unforgettable era for the people of the western world. It was the era, when a great cultural and artistic rebirth was witnessed in the society. A stunning evolution took place in various fields, such as paintings, sculptures, renaissance costumes and so on. Besides, the lifestyles of that era became the source of inspiration of the modern times also.

An interesting thing about that era was that it was full of diverse cultures. A number of cultures were present during that period, which had their unique lifestyles. The commoners of that era used to constitute the mainstream society. Besides, the communities of serfs, royals/nobles/aristocrats and pirates were some other communities, which were making the societies.

Commoners:  They were the modest people of the society. They gained the huge interest in art and culture, which was reflected in his clothing styles also. The styles of these people were very much inspired with gothic and Germanic traditions. In the renaissance age, the massive clothes became prominent during the renaissance age. The popular women’s costumes of that era include linen chemises adorned with lace edges, lengthened breaches and heavy gowns etc. On the other hand, puffed trunk hose, padded doublet and balloon sleeves were the outfits of the men during that period. On the other hand, they had the healthy eating styles. Some of the eatables they would consume included roasts, soups, pastas, pastries and cheeses etc.

Serfs: Serfs, otherwise known as peasants, were the labor-class people of that era. They would work on the lands of the lords. Most of them would work on the lands of the lords, and they had to do hard labor in order to pay the dues. Sometimes, they also had to pay the rent in the form of money to the lords, apart from the labor. The clothing styles of these people were simple. They would wear a blouse that would be fastened with leather belt round the waist, and an overcoat or mental which was made up of thick woolen material.

Royals/Nobles/Aristocrats: These were the upper class communities of that era. They would wear the dresses beaded with the jewels. Moreover, their outfits were extravagant, many of which are fashion-statements for today’s people also. The dresses of Queen Elizabeth I were the best examples in this regard. Besides, they would eat the luxurious foods.

Pirates: Mainstream pirates were not part of lawful communities. They would wear the disorganized styles of outfits, which they would loot from the ships. The pirate clothing developed during that era is also the fashion statement of the people of today’s scenario. Their lifestyles were very much like the sailors. They would eat fresh veggies, eggs, meats and cheeses. Moreover, dice, cards, dance and singing were the leisure activities of these raiders, which they would use for fun. There was another class of pirates also, which belonged to the lawful raiders authorized by the government. Such raiders were known as privateers, and their work was to loot the treasure ships of the enemy nations. The privateers would live the lifestyles like nobles as they had the full support of the kingdom.