As our dear Matilda from
A Girl for All Time has joined our dolly household, Martie has gotten interested in the Tudor period in English history. We've decided to read
The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn (by Alison Weir) together. Today Martie wanted to look at the pictures.
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| What did Anne Boleyn do that was so wrong? | |
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She didn't have a male heir for the King, and he got tired of her. So he accused her of treason, and had her killed instead of getting a divorce again. That's the short version.
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| WHAT?!? That's ridiculous! |
That's what happened, Martie.
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| Wow. Life back then was really hard, wasn't it? |
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Yes, it sure was.
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| No wonder she looks so tired. |
Edited to add: there is some spirited scholarly debate as to whether the portrait here is actually Anne Boleyn, or is in truth Jane Seymour, or someone else entirely. I'm on the Boleyn side, in part because Jane was younger than Anne and would not likely look as old as the lady in this portrait looks (this is also up for debate; birth records weren't always meticulous and were often nonexistent).
The Anne Boleyn Files is a good resource for anything Boleyn.
Wow, in every movie she's portrayed as being very beautiful. In this painting she looks, well, old.
ReplyDeleteHow old was she? *confused*
There's a lot of scholarly debate about that, actually, because her family pushed her as being younger than she probably was. Most likely, according to what I've read, she was in her mid-thirties when this portrait was made.
ReplyDeleteWell how about that! That explains a lot actually. Poor thing. I always felt sorry for all of them. Henry had gone seriously of the rails, and none of them had a chance.
ReplyDeleteNot one chance at all. Kathryn Parr survived him, but he'd ruined her life by the time he died.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't a lot to make me like that era of history, nope. *g* Good thing you're so enamored of it; you can read for both of us.
ReplyDeleteMost eras of history were pretty shite, when you think about it. I wouldn't choose to be female at any point, including this one.
ReplyDeleteOff topic but:
ReplyDeletea. can you reveal where the sweater Marti wears in "Day 57 of 61..." came from, was purchased, was made, etc. It is sooo to scale - she looked lovely.
b. Have you any Kids n Cats dolls? Matilda's body looks very similar, although they are 18".
And thanks - I have been enjoying your blog.
a. Isn't that a gorgeous sweater? I want one in my size! I got it off eBay, in a set for Tyler Wentworth called Weekend Retreat. I've seen it on some male Tonners, too. Martie just looks so content and comfy in it.
ReplyDeleteb. Yep, I do, actually, I have 3 of them. They're boxed up at the moment (we're moving house), but I do see what you mean. I'm going to have to dig into that box and see if any of the clothes fit Matilda. Probably not, I expect them to be too big, but all those bodies are very slim.
Thank YOU for the compliment!