March 2022 marks the 500th anniversary since Anne Boleyn made her debut at the court of King Henry VIII.
Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the story of Anne’s remarkable upbringing in England, the Netherlands and France before she arrived at the heart of Tudor England. For all Anne Boleyn’s fame, this is a period of her life where the evidence is hard to find and fact needs to be carefully sifted from fiction.
Suzannah explores Anne’s childhood home, beautiful Hever Castle, to discover what made her - what formed her into the extraordinary woman who would change the course of history.
With special access to a remarkable new exhibition at Hever, Suzannah joins the curatorial team to handle and analyse the original evidence relating to Anne’s upbringing and the shaping of her character, including a significant illuminated book of hours complete with Anne’s personal signature and a newly re-examined original painting, reattributed as being of Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s queen when Anne arrived at court.
Up Next in Women Who Made History
-
Anne Boleyn and Katherine of Aragon -...
Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn - the first two wives of Henry VIII - are so often portrayed as opposites. Katherine as the loyal, scorned wife - Anne as the bright, bewitching upstart.
But now Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb returns to Hever Castle to explore what Anne and Katherine were really l...
-
The Fight to Paint
Women have been fighting to be seen as professional artists for hundreds of years.
Dr Kate Lister explores a brand new exhibition at the Tate Britain that features the work of over 100 female professional artists: 'Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920'. Kate investigates the chall...
-
Queen Elizabeth II: A Life in History
Queen Elizabeth II was born in a totally different world to today. Her life spanned decades of profound change, both in the United Kingdom and around the globe.
In this special programme, Dan Snow and royal historian Prof. Kate Williams reflect on the early years of Elizabeth II’s remarkable l...
95 Comments