Tudor Queens
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Anne Boleyn’s Final Words: Courage and Dignity at the Scaffold
Anne Boleyn’s last moments at the scaffold have fascinated historians for centuries. While her exact words were not recorded verbatim, witnesses of her execution wrote down what they heard, giving us the closest version of her final speech. What survives today captures her calm, careful, and dignified manner, even in the face of death. Standing before the crowd and the executioner, Anne reportedly addressed the onlookers with composure. She acknowledged her fate but maintained her courage and faith. According to witnesses, she spoke clearly, saying words to the effect of, “Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law and by the king’s command, I…
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The Teenage Queen Who Ran for Mercy: Catherine Howard’s Story
Catherine Howard was only 19 when her life as Queen of England came crashing down. The young queen’s past with Francis Dereham was exposed, and scandal deepened when love letters revealed an affair with Thomas Culpeper, one of King Henry VIII’s closest courtiers. Overnight, Catherine went from royal splendor to a prisoner in her own palace. Accused of treason, she was placed under strict guard at Hampton Court. Fear and desperation consumed her as the walls of the Tudor palace seemed to close in. In a moment of sheer panic, Catherine broke free, running barefoot through the dimly lit halls, screaming for the King, pounding on the massive chapel doors—her…


