Friday, March 15, 2013

Was Anne Boleyn Henry VIII's favorite wife?

Fairytales always have their happy endings, but not all love stories do, and this is very much the case for the tragic but passionate romance of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn...

Few kings would die with more than two or three wives, and remarried only when their wife was dead of natural causes. But then there were few if any kings like Henry VIII, famous for marrying six different women and in some ways destroying all of them. The million dollar question even to this day is -- who was his favorite wife? Who was the wife who he gave his amorous youth to? Catherine of Aragon, wife number 1. Who was the wife who gave him his son, the wife in his Tudor dynasty portrait who he is presently resting beside? Jane Seymour, wife number 3. Who was the wife he kept a friendship with at their marriage's end? Anne of Cleves, wife number 4. Who was the wife who made him feel young again at fifty-years-old? Katherine Howard, wife number 5. Who was the wife at his side in sickness and in health? Catherine Parr, the last wife.

And who was the wife he obsessed nearly ten years over and then sent to die a shameful death on the Tower Green? Anne Boleyn, Wife number 3.

Anne is always dismissed from the running, the woman who 'betrayed' him and who he hated enough to destroy and try to erase from history. But just as Henry's person changed dramatically by 1536, his heart had, too -- because once he had loved Anne enough to spar with all of the continent for. So when it comes to Anne Boleyn, we almost have a balance scale -- did the tremendous love he bore her before and during their marriage outweigh the 'hate' he felt toward her by 1536? Did he ever hate her?

Who of his wives did Henry VIII love better than Anne Boleyn?



Catherine of Aragon, wife number 1, is remembered as the matronly, overweight Spanish woman who was obsessed with her religion and practically martyred by her fickle and unfaithful husband. But once, she was commonly known as one of if not the most beautiful woman in the world. Thomas More said that there were few women who could compete with her in her prime, and as we can see in the painting depicting her in her youth, to the right, Catherine was very pretty indeed, and once, Henry VIII was very much in love with her. In the joust, he rode out as Sir Loyal Heart wearing her favor. Had she bore him a son there would have been no five other wives, nor any split from Rome -- but ultimately, she would never be able to satisfy a man like Henry VIII who needed one thing that in her piety and submissiveness she could not give him -- excitement. He might have loved her, and very well too, but Henry VIII did not have a passion for her where he did, Anne Boleyn.

Anne of Cleves, wife number 4, was married to her husband for less than seven months, and the fall and execution of his favorite minister, Cromwell, is accredited to her extreme failure to please him. Even though her contemporaries called the German Duchess a beauty, she was so far from Henry's tastes that even today we consider her the 'ugly sister'. But she was one of Henry's two 'survivors' and against common belief, she was also loved by him dearly -- as his sister. The title might have been given to her only so that he would not disrespect her powerful Cleves family with the untimely divorce, but they corresponded regularly and she was beloved by his children.

Catherine Howard, wife number 5, shared more than blood with Wife 2, Anne Boleyn -- they also shared a fate. However, where Anne earns some limited sympathy with the charges against her infamously trumped, we remember Catherine as the whore who betrayed and deceived her husband with three other men and who he never loved, but merely lusted after. Given that, with her limited education, Henry and Catherine did not connect intellectually, this is probably true. However, his affection for Catherine was very unique in that her youth not only endeared him, but restored some vitality and youth to his heart where he felt like a paranoid old man.

Katherine Parr is famous as the sixth wife, the nurse, the matron, the stepmother; everything but the lover. While given his age and sexual exhaustion Henry VIII was probably not a passionate and fiery suitor to her, their marriage had most semblance of a modern union in that it was for the most part rich in peace and lacking in obsessiveness. The way he did with Anne Boleyn, Henry was similarly able to connect on an intellectual level with Parr, and his need for a son was far from urgent because he accepted how unlikely it was, perhaps given his age, that they would have children.

In the end, these four wives all possessed different pieces of their husband's heart. We will never know how he truly felt for any of them, but it is dubious that one of these women was his true love -- two wives he had not even chosen for himself and wanted nothing but sons from, one wife he did not connect with in any way save physically, and one wife he was too old to ever feel desire or romantic affection for.

Anne Boleyn walks in on Henry VIII and Jane Seymour in an embrace.

That leaves Jane Seymour, the darling of the 'harem', and Anne Boleyn, who Henry died believed was an evil whore and a witch, and it is true what people say -- they are different in pretty much every way imaginable. Even the structures of their relationships with Henry were different.

Where Henry might not have been madly passionate about Jane as he had been for Anne, he was in love with her legacy before her death: she had given him a son. For the better part of their ten years together  he was absolutely mad for Anne, and while he chased annulment and Church Supremacy most likely for himself, he defied all of Europe for her. But her legacy as a traitor to his kingdom and has his self disgusted him enough to erase nearly every trace of her that he could.

It comes down to this:

  • Jane Seymour had a son before dying. If she had died having give birth to a daughter or a stillborn child, then it is likely that Henry would have declared their less-than-two-year marriage null, remarried, had a son elsewhere and forgotten about her. 
  • Henry VIII chose to be buried next to Jane. Again, if she had not died giving birth to a son, this would not be the case and he would be buried next to whoever gave him his heir.
  • Jane is in the Tudor dynasty painting. Jane is the only consort of Henry's who has a place in the Tudor dynasty painting, but the place belonged to the mother of the heir, and had she not given birth to future Edward VI, she would not be in it. It was nothing personal.
Was Jane's personality everything Henry VIII wanted? At the time, indeed it was. Anne had exhausted a part of him that Henry would never be able to redeem, even after she was long gone. His tastes were clearly for proud and intelligent women, initially, as both Catherine of Aragon and Anne were, but both of their marriages ended disastrously. What Henry wanted was a quiet and simple woman who lacked the intelligence and the spirit to argue with him, and he loved Jane because she could be just that. But there was a time when he wanted a flavorful, witty, and spirited woman who he could feel passion for, and Anne Boleyn filled that. When he wanted a woman who fit that criteria, he wanted a woman who he could connect with, and while Jane conformed perfectly to his later desires, they never connected mind-for-mind and soul-for-soul the way he and Anne did.

That is why I don't doubt that Anne Boleyn was his favorite wife -- fairytales always have their happy endings, but not all love stories do, and this is very much the case for the tragic but passionate romance of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.


Showtime's The Tudors captured the relationship between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn very well in the sense that they fought all the time from beginning to end, but only in the end was this fatal. At the beginning when she was his mistress, their relationship was built entirely on free passion, and heated arguments made their passion, and indirectly their relationship as well, stronger. But by the time Henry was forty-five, he had lost the energy and patience to enjoy their fights whereas Anne was still as fierce, hot and passionate in what she believed in and wanted for England, as ever.

After her final miscarriage in late January 1536, Anne's fate was not yet sealed. At twenty-eight or thirty-four (whether she was born in 1507 as I suspect or 1501), she could still have another son. In that case, if not because he doubted she could give him an heir, historians debate why Henry VIII destroyed her, and most label his actions as the product of hate, exhaustion, and 'boredom' with her. 

Others, whom I agree with, label Anne's destruction as not necessarily the king's hate, but that of the many factions and court powers who had piled against her, led by Cromwell. The clash of Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell reached its height in April 1536 when she demanded that the money from the destroyed monasteries be focused on education and charity, where he wanted every cent added to the king's treasury. Queen Anne and her heavy influence on the king's every decision would only grow stronger when she eventually gave him a son, and Cromwell could not risk her destroying him, using the king's favor, like she had with his precedent Cardinal Wolsey. 

It is very difficult to hate someone who you once loved with such extraordinary passion, but it is possible to be so wearied by quarrels with them and overwhelming diplomatic conflict that you will do whatever it takes to free yourself -- even if it is at the expense of the one you once defied everything for. In that sense and in his comparing Anne to Anne of Cleves in the future (1540 letter to Elizabeth), I do truly believe that Henry never hated his second wife and lover of more than ten years, and that his passion for her was life-long, even when she was gone. 

In my opinion, Anne Boleyn was without doubt his favorite wife.

Quotes of a Courtship
From the surviving love letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn

The longer the days are, the more distant is the sun and nevertheless hotter, so is it with my love, for by absence we are kept a distance from one another and yet it retains its fervor. (Love Letter 4)
My heart and I surrender our- selves into your hands, beseeching you to hold us commended to your favour, and that by absence your af- feftion to us may not be lessened. (Love Letter 4)
The demonstrations of your affection... forever to honor our love... assuring you that, on my part, I will surpass [your affection] rather than make it reciprocal, if loyalty of heart and a desire to please you can accomplish this. (Love Letter 5)
For what joy can be greater upon earth than to have the company of her who is dearest to me? (Love Letter 12)

27 comments:

  1. I agree with you about Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour as final choices but I still think Jane was his favorite wife, not only because she give birth to his son and heir but also her personality.
    Forget about THE TUDORS - it's trashy TV show. If you love REAL Tudors you must watch old BBC classic series THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII (1970). In my opinion this is the best description of six women's lives on film/TV. I recommend you also sequel ELIZABETH R (1971, about Queen Elizabeth I) and prequel THE SHADOW OF THE TOWER (1972, about Henry VII and beginnings of the Tudor dynasty.

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  2. I think that Jane Seymour was his favourite wife, and I don't think that Anne Boleyn did betray him and slept with her brother because there was no proof.

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  3. I think jane seymour was the second favourite wife henry was mad about anne but he betrayed her and u know (chopped her head of) then jane became his favourite and he loved her even more when he gave her the thing he always wanted....A SON
    But he still loved anne dearley ann was beautiful young and witty thays y he loved her

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  4. Anne Boleyn was wife number TWO not wife number three!!

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    1. If you read the first paragraph it is clear the author knows Anne was wife number two. The short paragraph contains an error which can be contributed to an oversight or possible typo. I plead grace for the author of this excellent article.

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  5. I'm sorry but I find the Catherine Howard paragraph inadequate. Writing off their story as a lustful man who didn't love her and a whore who didn't have many other characteristics is just poor effort made. He did love her, it's clear in all accounts of their marriage and even though unlike Anne, Catherine's crimes were true Henry both tried to find a way to annul the marriage instead of executed her and he mourned her deeply unlike Anne. She not only revived him and attracted him but was the in between of Cunning Anne and gentle Jane, she was fun and exciting but lacked the ulterior political agendas. He would have stayed married to her till his death if she hadn't been u faithful, a thing given the situation, you cannot blame her for.

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  6. Anne of Cleves was smart. She put up no fight like Katherine of Aragorn if she got a title and the kids. She never had to give birth, she juts took car of this kids as like her own. Her predessessor after all died in childbirth.

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  7. I aggre wholeheartedly Anne was his favourite a famous quote made by someone high in court ( I forget who at this moment ) makes the observation that Henry was never so merry, so happy and laughed as much, as he did when he was with Anne!! Plus you must remember she maintained his obsessive love passion and affection, for at least six years, without even sleeping with him!! Her downfall was entirely construed by men who either feared she would be the cause of their downfall, so got in there first , as it were, ( ie Cromwell ) or men that wanted to advance the positions of their own family ( ie the Seymore’s ) and were absolutely false and ludicrous!! Whether the king knew this deep deep down but somehow justified his extreme actions by convincing him self that God frowned on the match as they had not ( yet ) had a son or because he had never felt so strongly for anyone before in his life ( and never did again for that matter which, in itself shows that he loved Anne the most, as he was finally experiencing true love ) Sadly, like a double edged sword, because he had never felt such intense feelings and coupling that with no son, he perhaps convinced himself it must be down to which craft when in fact it was true love; or whether he truly believed the charges, we can never 100% know...However I believe he knew deep deep down she was innocent but managed to convince himself that she wasn’t and convince himself that he was justified ( with the reasons I suggested above ) in his extreme actions! Plus, the extreme measures he went to in order to get rid of her betray the power and intensity of his love channeled now negatively - due to his intence heartache because he loved her so very passionately and obsessively - match the extreme measures he went to, in order to be able to marry her in the first place!! She was undoubtably innocent and the love of his life, and I also agree that Katherine Howard was lust, fondness and having such a young pretty wife stroked his ego but he did not love her in any close to the intensity and obsessive passion felt for Anne! And, Jane, again I agree, had she not born him a son he would soon have tired from the lack of intellectual stimulation and physical passion which again, he only ever had with Anne! So, I conclude wholeheartedly that Anne was Absolutely his favourite wife and the intensity of his extremely negative feelings and actions only serve to betray how extremely he loved her, but was now channeling that love negatively. Either, because he had convinced himself that his actions were justified by god, due to them having no sons and that the power and intensity of his obsessive love must be a result of whitchcraft, rather than the true love that it really was and therefore also convinced himself the false evidence was true ( although deep deep down he knew the truth but as I say had managed to convince himself, as he always did throughout his reign, that he was the victim, the injured party and justified in his actions or it was someone else’s fault and he was forced or misled and therefore totally blameless! Or, he truly believed the charges!! One more thing of note is that, historians say Henry was very susceptible to believing every little bit of court gossip and this affected his perception of people! However, in my personal opinion I think deep down Henry knew she was innocent, but managed to convince himself otherwise, with the eager help of Cromwell, The Seymore’s and The Duke of Suffolk - who all obviously had agenda’s of their own and his susceptibility to ridiculous court gossip ) So, with all this in mind I firmly believe Anne Boleyn was the wife he loved the most!!

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    1. Also, I must mention the extreme lengths the king went to in order to rid himself of Anne’s every memory and all evidence of her very existence; which betrays his subsequent extreme heartbreak! This, yet again, reinforce’s just how much he did passionately and obsessively truly love her and I truly believe he continued to love her until his dying day- not that he would admit it, perhaps even to himself!! Because, you cannot feel hate and or extreme pain, where there have not been intense and extreme feelings in the first place! And Henry acted so very extremely, from executing her to even going to the lengths of having every building made by her, or dedicated to her destroyed, her every image destroyed and even her every initial removed from every building down to curtions and handkerchief’s!! This clearly suggests his extreme extreme pain and intense love for her! Because if you don’t care about somebody, you literally just don’t care, you are totally ambivalent! You don’t destroy every item that reminds you of their very existence in the first place!! This absolutely implies that the king still loved her and any little reminder of her was too painful for him to deal with; and also on top of that, they perhaps also reminded him that deep deep down he knew she wasn’t guilty and that fact would cause him extreme mental turmoil and tear at the very fabric of his mind and his carefully constructed justification of his extreme acts and his ability to convince himself to the contrary of the truth that his actions were correct, just and she indeed guilty and he had nothing to feel guilt over as he was the wounded party! Such extreme measures only serve to betray how much Henry truly did passionately and obsessively love Anne and continued to do so until his dying day as any reminder of her caused him too much pain to handle!!

      ( please excuse any Typos in this statement or my statement above! Thank you ✌️😊)

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    2. Plus I meant to add in my first message apart from Henry not loving Katherine Howard in any way as intensely as Anne and that it was merely lust, a bit of excitement to make him feel young again and it stroked his ego to have such a young pretty wife ( and Henry always needed his ego stroking ) Katherine also did not physically possess a fraction of the intellectual capacity of Anne Boleyn and was also, like Jane Seymore, incapable of giving him the intellectual stimulation that he so loved and had only ever found with Anne Boleyn, which had also served as another quality he found in Anne to be so very enticing and exciting both intellectually and sexually!!

      Also, just to reiterate if you have stoped caring for somebody, you just really don’t care and are totally ambivalent!! However, the way he reacted with such extreme passion against Anne, matched the extreme passion he had experienced and acted upon to be able to Marry Anne in the first place!! Therefore, in my opinion this proves unequivocally that he was truly passionately and obsessively ‘IN LOVE’ with Anne Boleyn as opposed to just “fond love”, “companionship love” “lust and re-juvination” or “friendship love” it was only Anne Boleyn that he was truly ever “IN LOVE” with and loved “THE MOST” and I believe he continued to do so until his dying day, even if he wouldn’t admit that to himself - given the extreme measures he took to avoid her memory and his subsequent pain!! Because, as I said, if he truly felt nothing towards her anymore or had stopped loving her, he would have been entirely ambivilant towards her memory and literally just not cared!! However, he strove to have every trace of her very existence erased such was his extreme anguish! As Oscar wild said “it’s better to be loved or hated than have people feel nothing at all”; and as I said Henry would only have acted with such extreme measures if he had such extreme feelings for Anne and either he convinced himself she was guilty or he genuinely believed her to be!! If he wasn’t so obsessively and passionately in love with her he would not have gone to such extreme and ridiculous lengths to try to erase her very existence from his and everyone else’s memory and from history itself!! If he didn’t really love her obsessively and passionately and he really didn’t care much about her at all anymore, he would never have reacted with such extremity, fervour and fanaticism ( as in trying to remove every minuscule trace of her very existence and memory, even down to her initials on people’s handkerchiefs!! ) and much more ambililiantly!! Unfortunately it’s is sad that the intense passionate and obsessive feeling’s he felt for Anne Boleyn, which he had never ever felt for any other woman before or after, were him falling in love properly and truly for the first and only time; and not the result of whitchcraft, which he either allowed himself to believe and convinced himself of that, or he genuinely believed it was whitchcraft craft!! Either way, it is so sad for Anne Boleyn and cosequently their daughter Elizabeth I’st and every one else whose blood was spilled unjustly or afterwards in later marriages - which all could have been avoided if Anne’s fate had taken a different course with Henry, if he had understood that his intense obsessive and passionate feelings were purely the innocent feelings of truly being “IN LOVE” and nothing more!

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    3. I respect your opinion! And while I don’t have the time to write as long a comment as yours, I will say that factual evidence does not support that story. The tudors TV show does however depict what you are talking about and it isn’t really the most reliable source. Factually speaking, Henry had a much more intense, passionate and sad reaction to finding out about Katherine Howard committing treason. With Anne, sadly, he literally made up a false story of her committing treason because he just wanted to get rid of her and he decided she was too firmly queen to just annul the marriage. That was his decision, she was (I believe) innocent! Katherine Howard (I believe) was not and he knew in both cases. Even when Katherine Howard’s case was determined true, he tried to get her confession to annul the marriage. Not kill her...? Then when the evidence about Culpepper came out it was too much. During her imprisonment after the reveal that Culpepper (one of Henry’s closest servants) and her were having an affair, there were multiple accounts of Henry crying, talking to himself, and sharpening a blade saying insanely “I’ll kill her myself!” If that isn’t an intense reaction, I have no idea what is. Henry made no factual attempt to show Anne mercy and was instead courting Jane. He married Jane the day after Ann’s execution and was reportedly happy. He mourned Katherine and was depressed for months before remarrying. After Katherine’s betrayal a few of his advisors said he was never the same and was mentally far more unstable than ever before. There are also multiple accounts of him being cruel to Anne in public, telling her “Shut your eyes and endure (regarding his affairs) as your betters (Katherine of Aragon) have done before you.” By all accounts he was the kindest to Katherine Howard, he made a new law which allowed her more freedom as a Queen so that she wouldn’t be overwhelmed, he was always by her side and didn’t have other affairs. The major thing I will say about Anne is that she was very clever! But she was also clearly, clearly manipulating Henry. It was all about the chase to finally sleep with her....once that thrill was over, he was very unhappy. She had guided his hand in many choices regarding executions and indecencies. He hated her for it once the spell was broken. She was also reportedly very unkind to Princess Mary and Katherine of Aragon. Katherine by all factual accounts was kind to his children and he never spoke cruelly to her. Fact is, manipulation isn’t love. Katherine was the only wife to be his mistress (not promised anything more) before marrying him. The fact that he slept with her, the chase was over, but he still wanted to give her every kindness and happiness in the world, speaks very highly of their real relationship. Of course his ego played a part in marrying a teenager, but his ego also played a part in pursuing Anne because she gave him the cood shoulder. Just my opinion, but my opinion is purely based on facts.

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  8. My opinion was based on facts although perhaps more modern facts. To name just a couple of sources David Starkey and Alison Weirs, non fiction of course! Also the recent hypothesis that Henry may have been ‘Kell- Positive’ and suffering from its accompanying degenerative disorder MacClouds Syndrome, which sets in at around 40 and causes mental instability, paranoia, delusional thinking, sudden rage, talking to ones self, depression,erratic behaviour, memory lapses and more! Plus physical deformities like becoming grotesquely overweight, ulcerations and more! Historisns & Doctors are waiting for permission to take a tissue sample to confirm or deny this but it appears a strong hypothesis! We know Henry had terrible leg ulcers which his doctors left them open as running sores and Henry underwent horrifically painful daily treatments, having them cauterised by red hot pokers! One contemporary witness said “Henry’s face was often black with pain” add to this the fact that he was so obese doctors today claim he would undoubtably have type 2 diabetes and he had to be carried around in a litter by 6 men because he was so obese! So, by the time Katherine came along no wonder he was swinging between depression and grabbing knives with murderous rage to kill her himself, which I put to you is not a sign he was wholeheartedly trying to save her?!? Although, I believe Henry did have feelings for Katherine just not true love! FACTS show he doted on her very affectionately mixed with lust, rejuvenation and pride in having so young & pretty a bride! However, with Katherine there wasn’t the intellectual stimulation he had with Anne that he found so exciting & enticing both intellectually & sexually! I believe he hoped desperately it wasn’t true not wanting the hurt and embarrassment of being cukholded or things annulled and hushed up because her betrayal though hurtful hurt his ego much more to be cukholded ( And if anybody ever had a oversized ego it was Henry VIII ) he knew his courtiers would be laughing at him, but in reality given the state of him, what did he really expect especially when he surrounded himself with young handsome grooms, such as Culpepper! However, Culpeper’s confession sealed her fate! His trying to avoid such extreme measures can be construed as him trying to hush things up for the sake of his ego/manhood or him not feeling such deep and passionate love to have to erase her very existence from his & everyone’s memory & history! Regarding Henry being cruel to Anne in public ( I know the quote you speak of ) their relationship was observed by a contemporary to be the time when “Henry was never so happy so merry or laughed so much as he did when he was with Anne” Plus once she was queen, the dynamic changed and she was expected now to obey & look the other way as kings have affairs! However, they were known to be passionately volatile; say cruel things in their fights ( which is in line with accounts by historians ) which then only added to their passion! There are also observations made by historians that Jane was very like his mother who he adored, so it has been posited that the extreme passionate heartbreak he felt over Anne was then soothed and nursed by gentle Janes nature! Plus historians also suggest Henry always found a way to justify his actions or find a scapegoat to avoid feeling guilty for an action/execution he carried out but later regretted! So, again according to historians It was very easy for Henry’s peers to blame Anne after her death for decisions Henry made while trying to move heaven and earth to be with her or, remember, her father & brother were on the privy council and guided Henry’s hand throughout Anne’s time so it’s easy to mistake their guidance as Anne’s or forget they may have urged her to do things for the safety and good of their family! So, based on FACTS in my opinion, Anne Boleyn was his favourite wife; but I totally respect your opinion and in this case we must agree to disagree I think :-) PS I am happy to try to find my sources for you.

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    1. Also, there is no solid evidence left from Anne, sadly, to show she was not just manipulating him! Historians now say, this was all part of the great Tudor cover - up! There was much negative propaganda spread about her as Cromwell the Seymour’s and others, feared an uprising if the king got rid of yet another Queen! For this reason. Anne’s Character was maligned in everyway and she was accused of manipulating him. called a whore, a witch, and much worse was attached to her name, all because according to contemporary historians today, Cromwell and Norfolk ( who had turned his allegiance for his own protection) and the Seymour’s etc wanted to prevent a public up rising at the king getting rid of yet another Queen on such flimsy and ludicrous evidence which was heard at Annes trial!! She was indeed very clever but that does not follow she was therefore manipulating him!! Plus she was incredibly generous to many many charities and the poor. I believe firmly her father, Uncle and perhaps her brother were calculating and pushed Anne forwards and she would have had no choice but to obey. However, that does not mean she didn’t fall deeply in love! There is luckily still a surviving ‘book of hours’ in which Anne has written a little love rhyming couplet to Henry and a reply from him in there! Yes, the chase for many many men does heighten passion but I’m sorry...Six years?!?! Six years implies much more than just the thrill of the chase forsaking all other women!! Plus, contemporary evidence today also supports that the Powerful Howard family put Katherine before him and hoped for a match! Henry having no other Misstresses when with her speaks more of his physical condition and virility than anything else to me. On top of the disorder I talked about above he also according to contemporary sources ( doctors today ) undoubtably also suffered brain damage when he fell in the joust, got crushed by his horse and was unconscious for 2 hours!! So again, no wonder he was so erratic by the time Katherine Howard was on the scene! All the awful symptoms of both MacClouds Syndrome and his other brain injury would have set in during his last years with Anne! Also his gesture of passing a law giving Katherine more latitude as Queen in order to take some of the burden off her, speaks to me again of his more doting affectionate feelings for one not clever enough to handle such a large office and the responsibility of being Queen, Not True Love! Also Regarding Anne not being kind to the princess Mary, is not the full historically accurate picture! Just as Catherine of Aragon had fought fiercely for her daughter the Princess Mary’s rights, Anne fought just as Fiercley as a mother for Princess Elizabeth’s rights! However, Anne according to historian’s today did attempt to interact with Mary asking that should Mary acknowledge her as Queen she would intercede with her father on her behalf, this is not fiction this is factually referenced! But, of course Mary, would obviously be loyal to her mother and refused thus causing all the subsequent animosity! It is not true that Anne was just immediately mean to her for no reason whatsoever! Plus it was in fact Henry, according to historical texts I have read , that changed the succession along with Cromwell and ordered that Princess Mary should now be ‘The Lady Mary’ and be sent to look after her new younger half sister Elizabeth at ‘Hatfield House’ in order to get used to her new station, not Anne Boleyn! This is all documented by historians and not in any way based on ‘The Tudors’ because I agree with you, many facts and timelines and even people were distorted on there! Any way as I said above it is my firm opinion he loved Anne Boleyn the most but, I absolutely respect your opinion so we must agree to disagree in this case I think :-) :-)

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    2. PS Henry did show Anne some Mercy by granting her request for a French swordsman and deciding not to burn her alive or subject her to the much rougher, painful and inaccurate (when hitting its mark) axe! Also I forgot to mention, if Henry was ‘Kell Positive’ that would explain his inability to sire more than one child, if that, with each woman! As each child and especially the first is almost 100% likely to be ‘Kell - Positive’ and once exposed to the ‘Kell-Positive’ blood disorder the mother’s body then makes anti bodies which attack the foetus in further pregnancies (or even in the 1st if the mother is very unluckily and creates anti bodies then) as each child is almost certainly always ‘Kell-Positive’ and the pregnancy ends in miscarriages, still births or the infant living briefly! Although, there is a tiny chance that a further pregnancy produce’s a ‘Kell-Negative’ baby; but the odds are astronomical! However it appears Catherine of Aragon ( if Henry did suffer from this condition) beat such odds and conceived an extremely rare ‘Kell - Negative’ baby ( which Princess Mary was most likely to be as she wasn’t Catherine’s first born child!) Sadly, her first child was a son called ‘ the New Year’s Prince’ who died after approx 26 days, which could have been down to his being ‘Kell -Positive and Catherine having (ironically the juxtaposition of her later incredibly good luck with Princess Mary ) the incredible bad luck of producing anti bodies during her pregnancy and he succumbed to this 26 ish days later! Or, they were very unlucky and he was born ‘Kell-Positive’ but healthy and died from another cause! However, either way, if Henry was ‘Kell -Positive ‘ Catherine then beat the odds and Princess Mary was a rare Kell - Negative baby! The Kell -Positive gene can be traced back through his maternal great grandmother ‘Jaquetta of Luxembourg’ and the pattern of difficulty conceiving 1 child if that can be seen in her male heirs! This disorder only really causes problems for men conceiving and then by default their partner! If that women then tried for children with someone else she would have no problems! Even if the woman carried the Kell-Positive gene it would still not affect her fertility! Plus the men then almost 100% certainly again go on to suffer from the accompanying disorder MacClouds Syndrome which as I said causes so much mental and physical deterioration that a person becomes literally like a completely different person and not in any way for the better! Given this it’s no wonder according to contemporary historians and doctors that Henry’s mental state was so bad at the time of Katherine Howard and his reaction to her behaviour and after appeared so erratic and him being so depressed! One final thing of note is that ‘Jaquetta of Luxembourg’s’ family ( along with a couple other families ) claim their family is descended of a water goddess and it is said that her female heirs inherited her gift of ‘sight’ but her male heirs became monsterours and deformed! So, it is just interesting to not that Henry had once been a golden Prince, thought by his peers,one of whom was Thomas More, the most enlightened King England had ever seen but sadly this changed so dramatically and Henry did become monstrous and deformed both mentally and physically! As he became the polar opposite of his once strong handsome and well built figure; becoming so grotesquely fat he had to be carried around by 6 men in a litter and his ulcerous stinking so badly historians say courtiers could! smell him 3 chambers away! Plus becoming so monstrously mentally too that he became a murderous Tyrant that had many of the people he loved the most executed! So, the expression Europeans and perhaps also the English ( but to themselves, lest they lose their head ) is that Henry went from “English Hero to English Nero” I am not saying this potential disorder totally justified his behaviour in any way at all but it does shed a little light on the why he may have gone from “Hero to Nero” and mitigates things very slightly perhaps!

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    3. Although as I say, this disorder ( if he indeed had it ) in no way justified or excuses his behaviour! As a psychologist, given that it is now commonly agreed upon by historians and medical experts that Henry also certainly suffered a severe brain injury around the age of 40 during the jousting accident; ( which in itself, was during Anne’s last couple of years and at the same time the symptoms of ‘MacClouds Syndrome’ would also have been manifesting themselves ) and the brain injury alone would have made a dramatic and seismic impact on his personality and moods; causing erratic rage, erratic behaviour and impulse control at the least - having worked extensively with brain injury patients myself! Adding the strong possibility of ‘MacClouds Syndrome’ does also, at the least, explain even more of the why behind the dramatic shift in his personality and his entire being ( such as executing his beloved and long time friend ‘Thomas More’ as Henry wanted everyone to sign the oath, historians say it was Henry who became obsessive in pushing all to sign even after he had earlier assured ‘More’ he would never as him to go against his conscience - this is documented by ‘David Starkey’ I believe or ‘Claire Ridgway’ ) again, exactly around the time he hit 40 and again this would have been in Anne’s last years! Plus with it being so very degenerative if he did indeed suffer from it, it would certainly have got worse ( as certain damage to his brain would also have got increasingly worse such as depression and a deteriorating mental state etc) and worse and also explain his bouts of prolonged depression and crying after Katherine. It would not have meant he was mourning a lost True Love although to the observer it may have seemed that way, he certainly would have been hurt by Katherine I do not dispute that at all; but, in light of the brain injury we know he had and the potential ‘MacClouds syndrome’ he would have been reacting overly negatively due to his distorted and impaired mental state and depression. As again, psychologically speaking Pretty much all brain injury victims suffer from increasingly terrible depression as a result of the damage to their brain, Not because they are upset about their brain damage but because the physical injury causes physiological damage to the brain that results in bouts of increasingly deep depression over the years and an increasingly deteriorating mental state. I am not saying he was not very fond of Katherine and felt much affection towards her but historical evidence truly suggests the Howard’s intentionally placed her in front of him and hoped for a match! Plus pure common sense suggests would a young pretty, not overly intelligent at all but fun loving girl ( with the powerful last name of Howard ) really lust after such a grotesquely obese much older man, that had to be carted around in a litter by 6 men and had such badly ulcerated legs ( that doctors today say would be amputated but in Tudor times amputation almost certainly led to death ) that oozed and smelt so bad he could be smelt 3 chambers away, for no reason other than genuine affection?!? I think not! Anyway, I just thought this new theory may interest you :-)

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    4. Therefore, after all that, I do not believe Anne was guilty, I firmly believe he loved her the Most out of all his wives and convinced himself of her guilt and perhaps his deteriorating mental state from his definite brain injury and potential ‘MacClouds Syndrome’ would have made it easier for him to convince himself he was the victim although deep deep down I believe he knew the truth but to admit that would tear at the fabric of his very being and his carefully constructed reality, that allowed him to feel his actions were justified and he was the betrayed and injured party. And as such, his intense heart break and passionate obsessive love was then channeled negatively into Anne’s destruction and his attempt to erase her very existence from his mind, everyone else’s mind and history it self; such was the power and intensity of his love then inversed and channeled into the removal or destruction of her and every thing that was ever even remotely related to her in any way from her execution to portraits, entire buildings, and initials on handkerchiefs!! Or, he truly believed the charges eagerly served up to him by others with their own agenda’s, which then also led to his powerful reaction detailed above! Although, I believe he did know she was not guilty but managed to convince himself she was and / or he was in the right and a victim, or that the court gossip about her being a witch was true in light of the fact he had never felt so passionately and obsessively in love before but could not understand why he had no sons therefore something must be wrong! I believe he used all these justifications to convince himself ( a scientifically proven and Psychological process all humans use called cognitive dissonance ) he was the victim and his extreme actions justified no matter how much it broke his heart! But, I still believe the evidence was eagerly gathered and served up by Boleyn enemies and men with their own clear ,and obvious to us, agenda’s! As historian’s have suggested and as a psychologist I believe he did grieve Anne but he channeled his grief also into feelings for Jane, who again as Historians suggest, was very like his mother ( who he adored and idolised ) in many ways and her gentle nature served to soothe his anguish and essentially mentally nurse him as it were! Plus I believe based on accounts from several historians such as ‘Eric Ives’ that Henry did feel genuine affection for Katherine and doted upon her, in the way an older person dotes upon someone much younger who they are very fond of! However there was also a mixture of lust, feelings of rejuvenation and pride in having such a young pretty wife! Although she lacked the necessary intellect to stimulate him in the way Anne could and which he had found so exciting and enticing intellectually and sexually! However, perhaps due to his age and extreme physical deterioration he placed a little less value on the Intellectual traits that he found so sexually arousing in Anne; and was happy and felt lucky just to have and feel affectionate and genuinely fond companionship and the presence of a young, pretty fun loving girl on his arm who he did feel lust for ( but not in the all encompassing intense and obsessively passionate ‘In Love’ way that he had felt for Anne ) Plus, the fact he had no other mistresses at this time says more about his age, his physical deterioration and virility to me rather than anything else! So, all things considered and I do mean historical FACTS from many contemporary historians and medical doctors today. Plus, surviving evidence left from ‘The Tudor’ time period for example: the records documenting Henry’s daily diet which has been calculated to be at least 3500 calories! I truly believe based only on FACTS that ANNE BOLEYN was the wife he was truly IN LOVE WITH and LOVED THE MOST! Although I respect all other opinions and we must agree to disagree in some cases, but my personal opinion’s are only based on FACT’S also!

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  10. Plus in addition, keeping Katherine Howard close at all times and having no other mistresses speaks not only to his Physical deterioration, as by now in all likelihood he was probably incapable of actually really even having sex, but also to his intense Mental Deterrioration, jealousy and paranoia as a result of this! Jealously and Paranoia were always in his nature anyway, but given his definite brain injury which would only worsen these traits over time and his likely MacClouds Syndrome ( which by then would have been so severe as to undoubtably add to and/or also cause cause bouts of long depression and crying ) it is obvious people would have attributed those episodes to grief over Katherine, rather than the continual and natural deterioration from his Severe Brain Injury ( which we know he sustained in Anne’s last years and changed him for the worse over night - and undoubtedly helped seal her unjust fate - which sadly is normal for brain injury patients the symptoms are immediate and degenerative ) that they had no real concept of, or real knowledge and education about; plus were also, by now, most likely very advanced symptoms of MacClouds Syndrome ( if he had it, however the Hypothesis and evidence that he did is very strong and compelling ) not really just innocent deep depression over Katherine
    Howard! And once again I must stress, her family were very powerful, historians know that her family purposely placed her in front of him hoping for a match! As had previously been done by The Boleyn and Howard’s with Anne, which she would have had no choice but to obey! However, that does not mean she did not genuinly fall in love with him - given he was younger then, had not yet suffered from his Brain Injury and changed so dramatically for the worst over night as a result; as he did in her last years of marriage to him! Plus also, in the beginning when she fell in love with him he had also not yet began to suffer from and become so grossly negatively mentally disturbed and physically deformed by MacClouds Syndrome ( as again he would have done in her last years, if he suffered from it, which seems quite likely ) nor was he yet as obviously dangerously and so deadly drunk on power ( not yet having broken from Rome; and the ironic sadness is she helped and was the catalyst for this reformation, but ultimately it allowed him in the end to become so drunk with his own power that it destroyed her! It didn’t matter whether he was ‘in love’ with her or she was the love of his life, he pathologically loved Himself more than anything or anybody and his needs came first; and if they weren’t being fulfilled ie a son, regardless of his loving her more than any other woman, to the extent Henry was capable of loving another being his needs came first! ) nor had his insatiable greed ( for food and money either come into play so seriously or yet become obvious ) along with his leg ulceration’s etc - or that just because she was very intelligent then she must have been manipulating him! That is not only a weak and offensive allegation, much of this diatribe and character maligning of Anne has now been acknowledged to be all part of the Powerful Tudor Properganda! I am not saying he didn’t feel genuinely much affection and a doting older person indulgence type ‘love’ and genuine pride at having such a pretty fun living girl in his arm, but it is ridiculous that anyone should think she genuinely of her own accord found an old, erratically monsterous, grotesquely obese and stinking man genuinely attractive and hoped to be his mistress! Her family “The Howard Family” were known to be powerfully ambitious and after Anne didn’t work out - Despite Henry obviously truly being ‘In love’ with Anne in a way he never was with any other woman, Henry, sadly from Birth could never love anyone more than he loved Himself! Much evidence suggests this as from historians such as ‘Eric Ives’ ‘David Starky’ ‘Clare Ridgeway’ and many others; plus Psychology suggests this! .... continued below...

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  12. Regardless of his being truly ‘in love’ with Anne to the full extent that he was capable of being ‘in love’ with another person, sadly the full extent of his ability to be truly
    ‘ in love ‘ with another, from a psychological perspective would always fall short of his love for Himself first! He truly appears pathologicaly incapable of loving another in a Psychologicaly healthy way; evidenced by his treatment of his own children and the woman he was truly ‘In Love’ with more than he’d ever loved another woman before or after! He certainly never displayed the intensity of feeling and obsessive passion for any other woman in his life the way he did Anne - a contemporary of Henry’s is quoted as observing that he “ never did see the king so Merry so happy nor ever laughed so much as he had when he was with Anne Boleyn “ However, it truly seems psychologically from all the evidence that Henry VIII was pathologically incapable of loving anyone else as much as himself; even if he was truly ‘in love’ with them, it was only to the extent he was capable of! Which as a psychologist in my opinion from all I’ve read and studied ( obviously History is Subjective in many ways... unless we were there and privy to people’s thoughts we can all only draw our own conclusions based on the facts we do have and the evidence that does remain, which in some cases is sadly lacking ) this was at the least an inherent personality trait or and at worst a personality disorder! Which was no doubt not helped by the indulgence from his doting Mother Elizabeth of York who doted upon all her Children! However, given Henry was not the Heir for many years, he spent much more time around his mother getting spoilt and attention from everyone than his Brother Arthur who as ‘The Prince of Wales’ had to go away and learn how to be king! Plus, Henry was exposed to ( and genetically related to ) the extremely psychologically unhealthy obsessive “love” from his paternal grandmother Lady Margeret Stanley, who herself, had an unatural opinion of her own importance and guenuinly believed her desires were Gods desires; so anything she did was therefore justified because of God’s special relationship with her and she truly believed everything she did was Gods desire! I use quotation marks around “Love” because I question her ability to love anyone genuinely herself ...history suggests she was cold and obsessed with her Son Henry VII becoming King, despite his claim not being the strongest - although he did have a blood claim! Many Historian’s now posit she in fact was quite likely responsible for orchestrating the deaths of the Princes in the Tower, in order to clear the path to the throne for her son Henry IV ! She had easy access through her husband Lord Stanley and the Duke of Buckingham! Richard III, was not only safely anointed and crowned king but loved and accepted as king! The whole country wanted a firm monarch rather than a child, although Richard had unjustly usurped his nephews throne, the country was happier to have an adult battle tested strong king, rather than a child, as they feared a return to the long hellish years of civil war much more than they were outraged by Richard usurping the throne! Plus Richard was a York and beloved already by the country, especially in the north. He had always been absolutely loyal - until taking his nephews throne - to his brother, the beloved king Edward IV. They were very young boys and had been legally declared Bastards, so they posed no threat to him whatsoever and as such he had no logical need to kill them whatsoever! .....continued below.....

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  13. Continued.....However, Lady Margeret Stanley needed Elizabeth of York to marry her son Henry Tudor - Henry VII - not only to strengthen his claim to his throne but also to gain the love of the public! The York’s were much loved and Henry VII was literally a stranger to the English people, having spent his entire life until Bosworth in Exile. Although, unfortunately Elizabeth of York had also been legally declared a bastard by Richard III, as she was the Sister to the Princes in the Tower. However, if Lady Margeret Stanley got her son to reverse the law once he became King, originally put in place by Richard III thus allowing him to rule after his brother Edward IV died, rather than Edward IV th’s 13 yr old eldest son Edward who was now in the Tower of London with His younger brother Richard - or an imposter according to some theories that Suggest Elizabeth of York’s Mother, Elizabeth Woodville, feared so much for little Edwards life, that when they succeeded in forcing her to turn Richard over too, while she and all her other children were in sanctuary after the death of her husband Edward IV, bar little Edward of course who on his journey back to his Mother had been taken, to the Tower by Richard III, initially to be corronated. Elizabeth Woodville was so afraid for Little Richards life also at that point, not knowing what to expect, she had in fact sent instead a little servant boy and smuggled Richard to safety and Elizabeth of York may have helped her! The law Richard III put in place, stated that The Children Of Edward the IV with Elizabeth Woodville were Bastards because their marriage was not actually valid! However if Henry VII overturned this law once king, so he could Marry Elizabeth of York and make his claim to the throne much firmer by uniting the Tudors - and Henry VII was also the last Lancastrian heir - with the York’s, this meant by default legitimising the Princes in the Tower, and they had a much firmer claim to the Throne by far than Lady Margaret Stanley’s son Henry VII. Therefore, logically Lady Margaret Stanley had much more to gain by their deaths, as opposed to Richard III who had nothing to gain whatsoever! He was firmly King and accepted as king, The boys were no threat and legally Bastards! Richard III had no motive whatsoever to kill them! Plus, pure logical conjecture shows that after the death of Richards own young Son, he potentially could have overturned the law and named Edward his heir, keeping the York’s in Power and allowing Edward time to grow up before becoming king in his turn; so yet again, Richard III had no logical motive whatsoever to kill them! So yet another example of the acknowledged great Tudor Properganda machine began which blackened his name and maligned him for centuries as a monster child killer; and in his own words at the time when he said to Elizabeth Woodville herself, who didn’t believe his guilt “This false accusation will forever cast a crooked shadow over me “ So, The Tudors, really did sadly create much false and destructive Propaganda to control the masses and destroy public opinion of innocent parties like Anne Boleyn; regardless of how much Henry had been truly in love with her and loved her the most! His needs come first which was something that unfortunately was validated to him throughout his childhood to the point that if the person he truly adores and is ‘in love ‘ more than he’s ever known isn’t able to meet his needs he turned on them genuinely rageful and hurt believing whole heartedly that if his needs and desires ie having a son was not occurring and his needs not being met, he was the victim, Anne in his mind was to blame and he had been fooled! He is completely unable it seems to show any empathy whatsoever and see how they feel extreme pain at the loss, or rmpathy that it’s not just him hurting! In all respects Henry it seems can only feel sorrow for Henry! .....continued below.....

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  14. Continued....Rather than something being a tragedy for a couple together it appears that to Henry it is something to immediately take the intensity of his passionate and obsessive love and instead now channel it instead into blame, anger and punishment and appears to feel totally and completely justified in his “it’s all their fault attitude” ! He appears to have channeled the strength of his obsessive love and passion towards Anne in a now inverted negatively obsessive passionate rageful blame totally disregarding Anne’s suffering entirely, that’s If he is even able to conceive of the fact that she would have been in pain emotionally too! Plus Physically! He appears completely devoid of empathy and only capable of self pity and recognising his own pain and heartbreak; despite loving Anne more than any other woman, he could believe the false charges that were created or even be capable of creating them himself; because regardless of how much he truly is ‘In Love’ with her, his pathological love of himself and need to blame the other party will always come before everything and everybody else! His obsessive love and passion clearly became inverted into extreme negativity and the need to punish Anne for her miscarriages and no son which he appears to perceive as betrayals and crimes against him! So, it’s clear to me his need for a son plus Janes gentle nature likened by many to the Mother who showered all her attention on him which undoubtedly only added to his pathalogical belief that he was the centre of the universe, and his needs must come before all else no matter how painful that might be to him - for example punishing the woman he was truly ‘in love’ with because to him having a miscarriage is a crime against him a betrayal and nobody in his head treats Henry that way - especially given at this stage he will have been suffering the effects of his brain injury which alone would cause delusional thinking and excessive paranoia, suspicion rage etc... but add potential MacClouds Syndrome to the mix and he has no ability for rational thought it seems with purely his brain injury alone but factor in his suspected Syndrome and he is a ticking time bomb and extremely dangerous! Intense feelings of obsessive passion inversed will only cause an obsesssive and passionate need to destroy, regardless of his broken heart and shattered dreams! Plus, Jane would not only soothe his terrible unjustified and totally delusional belief of betrayal - plus his need to punish so much he is either able to allow him self to believe Anne guilty of ridiculous crimes but perhaps allow him to help create the fictional crimes also out of his delusional sense she really has somehow betrayed him by not being able to deliver him the son he believed would be guaranteed! ..... continued below......

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  15. Continued....So, it would also be satisfying to feel his needs were perhaps now going to be met again, in Jane regarding a son, even if that mean’s dispatching of the only woman he has truly ever been ‘in love’ with - to the extent that Henry could be in love with another given his extreme self love! - and Janes gentle nature would also have naturally have nursed his heartbreak at losing Anne just by her gentle quiet prescience; and given his selfish nature rekindle hope that his need - which in turn must be gods need given the grandiosity of his self perception mixed by now and made worse by a brain injury and potential MacClouds Syndrome - would be met! So, by the time The Howard family push Katherine at him in the hopes of a match, he has his son, all that he needs is his ego stroking and her Beauty and youth obviously served to do this. I believe he felt a ‘ fond love’ and /or ‘affectionate love’ plus lust However, like Jane she just did not possess all the qualities necessasarry for Henry to truly fall ‘In Love’ with her! To the full extent Henry could love anybody that wasn’t himself! All the combined FACTS have nothing to do with trashy TV drama’s but many, many up to date historical books, reasearch papers and theories I’ve read and the multiple documentaries I’ve watched! Along with my psychology background and also the relevant psychological research I’ve read, the FACTS clearly in my opinion suggest that Anne Boleyn was The only Wife Henry VIII was Truly ‘In Love’ With and loved the most. To the fullest capacity and extent Henry VIII could love somebody other than Himself!

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  16. So, clearly...The Facts suggest that Henry was certainly very fond of Katherine Howard but he was truly ‘IN LOVE with Anne Boleyn! Who also had no choice when The Boleyns and Howard’s pushed Anne into the Kings orbit hoping for a match! But in Annes Case she fell in love with a much younger and not yet completely Monstrous King! Her intelligence does not in any way follow that she must have been a manipulator! ( This was all part of the acknowledged Tudor Properganda, and is an insult to all intelligent women! ) However, she was certainly justified ( after witnessing the king have many mistresses and even witnessed her own sister’s reputation destroyed by it; especially also knowing that mistresses likely fall pregnant and their children labelled bastards, plus they then become untouchable to other men of note - because they had been the kings mistress - once the king has discarded of them that are labelled as whores; often then never able to make good marriage match or marry at all! ) given her intelligence and independence to fight fiercely for more than just being a mistress and to fight fiercely to protect and future children they may have! This certainly does not make her Manipulative! To me, it’s very impressive and clearly very brave that she dangerously fought so fiercely for her own rights and also so fiercely for the rights of any children they would have; in a totally male dominated world, where women were seen as nothing more than -and consequently used as such - sexual commodities to be bargained, used for alliances and breed. Anne was fortunate however, that the king had never met a woman like Her who possessed such beautiful and sexually attractive physical and mental qualities -she was acknowledged widely for her huge dark very expressive and sexually attractive eyes, her beautiful long very dark brown to black hair and her gracefulness, her incredible intellect that easily matched and most likely out did Henry’s, her incredible wit and sense of humour, her constant support of many charities... and much more - and fell truly ‘IN LOVE’ with her ( to the full capacity he could love another, given his pathological and unhealthy self love and self aggrandisement; which sadly, later, due to a severe brain injury and his potentially very likely kell - positive disorder - rendering it incredably difficult for him to conceive even one healthy child with each woman; his miscarriage and child morality rate has been calculated by experts to have been very high even for Tudor standards. Plus the accompanying horrendously negative and degenerative both mentally and physically MacClouds syndrome, would ultimately cause her unjust downfall and Anne, an innocent women would be put to death, despite his Being in love with her and living her more than any other women or wife! However, it is beyond ludicrous to believe a very young Katherine Howard would ,of her own accord, find a much older Henry VIII who was by now (Historical facts support this ) so physically and grotesquely obese that he could not walk and had to be carried around by 6 men in a litter and who’s leg ulcerations smelt so bad the stench was not only sickening but could be smelled from 3 rooms away; not to mention obviously very mentally disturbed in a very negative and dangerous way, sexually attractive and desire to be his lover for know gain whatsoever! History shows, the Powerful Howard family again placed a young family member purposely in his sight hoping for a match! I’m not denying Henry had feelings for Katherine, and doted upon her in a very fond and ‘affectionate loving’ sort of way; almost in a grandfatherly way but obviously not quite as he also felt lust for her and obvious pride at having such a young and pretty fun loving wife! This would have stroked his ego, which always needed stroking, plus there was much less dangerous pressure on Katherine, as he now did at least have one son! But she just did not possess any of the the qualities that Anne possessed that drove Henry wild with obsessive love and passion!

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  17. Continued....Plus keeping her close speaks more of his paranoia and Jealousy ( which were always a big part of his nature but would by now be grossly increased due to his brain injury alone; but even more so given the high likelyhood he was also by now suffering severely from MacClouds syndrome ) over being cuckholded by another young virile man (considering by now, given Henry’s physical state he most likely could no longer even perform sexually, giving him no doubt much embarrassment and much paranoia that his wife may seek gratification else where which would clearly humiliate Henry more than it would break his heart - psychological evidence would seem to suggest - especially given his oversized ego! Plus what his peers perceived to be long fits of grief over Katherine, would in fact have occurred anyway and been due to the natural horrendous and degenerative symptoms of the brain injury he sustained for instance: deep depression and fits of crying, grief, erratic rage, delusional thinking and many other negative symptoms Henry would have suffered as a result of his brain injury alone but add to that the strong likelihood of MacClouds Syndrome, Henry’s mental state by the time of Katherine Howard would have been appallingly horrific) So, undoubtedly despite Anne’s sad fate, as a result of Henry’s pathological and psychologicaly unhealthy belief that all His desires - and therefore Gods desires - must be met. So, Therefore, regardless of how obsessively and passionately he was ‘IN LOVE’ with Anne, those needs not being met, due to Henry’s Pathalogically unhealthy self love and belief that his desires and needs were also Gods desires, Anne’s inability to carry another child after Elizabeth ( most likely due to Henry’s Fertility issues as a result of his most likely being Kell-Positive ) Henry’s Obbsessive and Passionate love would be inverted and twisted into an horrific and obsessive passionate belief that this inability was a personal and treasonous betrayal and especially as she had no reason to believe she couldn’t carry more children (given Elizabeth’s conception and easy birth ) Henry therefore would also consider she had deceived him plus any miscarriages and subsequent perceived foetal deformities ( which were more likely the result of the doctors’ incorrect assessment’s due to poor knowledge of foetal anatomy and development; foetuses do have strange features at times while they develop ) would also have allowed the king to easily believe , given his extreme and abnormal pathological self love and total belief he was special and not like other people; as he was a king not only linked to God but chosen by God and therefore incapable of siring deformed children! So irrespective of how all the FACTS suggest Anne was his favourite wife and he truly ‘In Love’ with her more than any other wife or woman ( to the fullest extent Henry could live another being who was not himself ) This could not have saved her when he perceived him self treasonously betrayed by her not siring a son! Plus any incorrectly perceived foetal deformities would have led him to believe the child could not physically have been his ( due to his delusions of grandeur) and Anne cheating! Whether he believed all the fake charges ( due to his now much changed for the worse very negative personality because of his brain injury and the onset of his potential MacClouds Syndrome which also impacts personalities very negatively ) or just wanted her gone, despite being Truly ‘In Love’ with her because his need and desire for a son ( which was clearly to him Gods desire too ) was not being met by Anne and came before all else . So his obsessive love and passion is also now channeled into rage at her perceived treasonous betrayal at birthing a daughter and no sons and possibly but incorrectly to his mind miscarrying a deformed boy, either allowed himself to believe she was guilty of the clearly fake charges or even allow him to add to the charges.

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  18. Continued....Because despite how Evidence suggests that he was not only ‘in love’ with her but also more than with any other women or wife; sadly his pathological self love and delusions of grandeur, need for a son came first and also allowed him to as usual be the injured, hurt , innocent and betrayed party!! Anne’s sad fate was undoubtedly also affected and influenced by his brain injury alone or also by his potential
    MacClouds syndrome! But Regardless of all that happened evidence clearly suggests He truly was ‘in Love’ with her and loved her the most! So, it is highly likely a very young Katherine Howard seeing such a physically grotesque and mentally disturbed much older man who had murdered the wife he loved the most ( and her cousin ) would find him sexually attractive and desire of her own accord to be his mistress for no Benefit! It’s simply ludicrous! Evidence shows The Howard Family placed her purposely in his sight and hoped for a match! They succeeded, and although he was obviously very fond of her and doted upon her very affectionately there is no Evidence to suggest he was passionately and obsessively ‘ in love’ with her like he was with Anne Boleyn, and Historical Evidence supports that Anne Boleyn regardless of her fate was the only wife he was truly ‘IN LOVE’ with and loved the most!

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  19. Addendum “Highly UNLIKELY” that a very young Katherine Howard “ lol not likely!!! 😂

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