Timeline Description: Anne Boleyn (1501-1536) was the second wife of Henry VIII, and a well-read woman in her own right. She played a key role in the Protestant Reformation in England, but met her end at the executioner's sword.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1501 | Birth of Anne Boleyn(1501-1502) Anne Boleyn was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn (Earl of Ormonde and Wiltshire) and Elizabeth Boleyn (née Howard, daughter of the Earl of Surrey). She was the youngest of their three children. |
| 1513 | Served Regent Margaret of Austria At around 12 years old, Anne was sent to Brussels in modern Belgium to serve Regent Margaret of Austria. |
| 1515 | Sent to French Court In 1515, Anne was sent to the French Court to serve the French queen, Queen Claude, wife of Francis I. She remained in the service of Queen Claude for around seven years. |
| 1521 | Returned to England Anne was summoned back to England to marry James Butler. The marriage was arranged by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, but the betrothal was not completed. |
| 1522 | Lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon In early 1522, Anne entered the service of Queen Catherine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII. This placed her in close proximity to the King, Henry VIII. |
| March 1, 1522 | First Documented Appearance at Court Anne's first documented appearance at the English court was in March of 1522, when she appeared in a masque, or performance, at the palace. Sometime between 1522 and 1527, Anne became involved with Henry Percy, but the true extent of that involvement is unknown. |
| 1525 | King Henry VIII Involved with Mary Boleyn In 1525, Henry VIII had a brief affair with Anne's older sister Mary. This resulted the birth of at least one child, and possibly two. |
| 1526 | Henry VIII Became Enamoured of Anne Boleyn Around the beginning of 1526, Henry developed an interest in Anne. A number of surviving letters record their relationship. Anne refused to become his mistress, and largely withdrew from court. She made it clear she expected marriage. |
| 1527 | The "Great Matter" Became Public News of Henry VIII's "Great Matter" or his desire to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon became public. Henry's justification for the annulment was his overly close relationship to Catherine; she was his older brother's widow. |
| 1529 | Cardinal Wolsey Dismissed Having failed to achieve Henry's goals, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was dismissed from Henry's service. He was later arrested and died in custody in 1530. |
| September 1, 1532 | Anne Was Made Marchioness of Pembroke Anne was given a formal title on September 1, 1532. She traveled to a meeting with Francis I alongside Henry and was treated as his wife. The two consummated their relationship around this time, and may have been secretly married. |
| 1532 | First Pregnancy(Late 1532) Anne became pregnant with Elizabeth in late 1532. |
| 1533 | Annulment of Marriage of King Henry VIII In 1533, Henry, in his own right and without the consent of the papacy, annulled his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. |
| January 25, 1533 | Marriage of Henry and Anne Henry and Anne were publicly married on January 25, 1533. The two were excommunicated from the Catholic Church for the violation of the laws of the Church. This marks the Protestant Reformation in England. |
| May 9, 1533 | Coronation of Anne Boleyn Anne, visibly pregnant, was crowned Queen of England. |
| September 7, 1533 | Birth of Elizabeth Elizabeth was born on September 7, 1533. Celebrations were quickly toned down, as she was not the much-hoped-for male heir. |
| 1534 | Act of Supremacy In 1534, the Act of Supremacy made Henry VIII head of the English church. |
| March 23, 1534 | Act of Succession The Act of Succession limited succession to children of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Henry's daughter with Catherine of Aragon, Mary, was removed from the line of succession. |
| July 1534 | Birth of Stillborn Son Anne delivered a stillborn son in July 1534, following a jousting accident in which Henry was severely injured. |
| 1535 | Third Pregnancy In 1535, Anne was again pregnant and hoping for a son. |
| January 7, 1536 | Death of Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon died, in poverty, on January 7, 1536. She never accepted Henry's remarriage. |
| January 29, 1536 | Miscarriage Anne miscarried for the second time in January 1536. |
| May 2, 1536 | Arrest of Anne Boleyn On May 2, 1536, Anne Boleyn was arrested and transported to the Tower of London. Her arrest came as a shock; however, Henry's eye had already moved on to Jane Seymour. |
| May 15, 1536 | Trial of Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn went to trial on May 1536. She was accused of adultery, witchcraft and incest. Several men, including her own brother, George, were also tried and executed. There is no evidence that she committed witchcraft or incest. |
| May 19, 1536 | Execution of Anne Boleyn Anne was executed on the grounds of the Tower of London on May 19, 1536. The only concession to her status was the use of a highly skilled swordsman as her executioner, and a private, rather than public execution. |
| May 20, 1536 | Betrothal of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour The day after Anne's execution, Henry and Jane Seymour were betrothed. They married 10 days later. |