Expert Talk – Natalie Grueninger – The Early Life of Anne Boleyn

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1. 

   C February 1, 2018 at 6:52 pm

   Thank you for your talk, Natalie. It truly is such a fascinating question, yet so seemingly trivial to modern eyes. We don’t know the birth dates of any of Henry VIII’s English-born wives (Jane Seymour is estimated to have been born between 1507 and 1510, Katherine Howard between 1520 and 1525, and Katherine Parr sometime in 1512). I always believed that Eric Ives made an excellent case for 1500-1 in his landmark study of Anne, but I no longer agree with him. That is the beauty of historical debate; we are always encouraged to rethink our opinions and to reassess the evidence in the context of which it was produced. I have recently been working on a new study of Tudor queenship (which may remain on the back burner for the foreseeable future), but in it I set out my beliefs that Anne was born in 1507, Jane Seymour in 1509/10 and Katherine Howard in 1523. This is a subject we can endlessly debate, for it is truly fascinating and it is something of a mystery. Thank you for providing members with this resource.

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   N February 3, 2018 at 5:27 am

   Thanks for taking the time to comment, Conor! I think the mystery is part of the beauty of history, and respectful historical debate and discussion only sharpens our thinking and fine-tunes our arguments. I look forward to hearing more about your study of Tudor queenship!

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   S February 26, 2018 at 6:45 pm

   Just had a chance to watch this, and THANK YOU Natalie – beautifully done. Lots of fascinating info on a time in Anne’s life which is pretty shadowy, and not well explored. I really enjoyed it. Would truly love to visit Blickling. I am headed to Brussels, and the Netherlands in a few weeks, and really wanted to explore Mechelen and the Palace – but I understand that one can only visit the gardens, and apparently they are closed for the time being. ‘m happy to say that I have well used and enjoyed the travel books you and Sarah lovingly produced. I’m sure there’s more to discover with regard to Anne’s early adulthood in that area of Europe, but it would take some dedicated time and effort. Thank you again, lots of good info so well presented!

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      A - Post AuthorMarch 23, 2018 at 10:17 am

      I agree – a great talk!

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