The Boleyns Part II

Overview

King Henry VIII’s affair with Anne Boleyn sent shockwaves through Europe, changed the political landscape of Tudor England and ignited the English Reformation, upending a thousand years of history. 

In this lecture, Dr Lauren Mackay continues the fascinating story of Anne and her family, with a detailed insight into Henry’s quest to annul his first marriage and marry Anne in 1533, resulting in England’s break with the Catholic Church and the creation of a new Church of England. With the Boleyns at the centre of Tudor political intrigue, rivalry, and religious revolution, Dr Mackay explores their relationships with key individuals of the age at the very height of power. 

Yet Anne’s reign as Queen of England was notoriously short-lived. Arrested in 1536 on trumped-up charges of treason and adultery, she was infamously executed on Henry’s orders. In turn, the Boleyns - whose success and prestige had been shaped over generations - were destroyed by this single violent and brutal episode.

Join historian Dr Lauren Mackay to unravel the dramatic events which led to this downfall, and the tarnished reputation and complex legacy that was left for an extraordinary family.