The Making of a Queen: Anne Boleyn 1501-1522

Dr Owen Emmerson

Explore Anne Boleyn’s early life in this week-long online event with Natalie Grueninger and Dr Owen Emmerson.

Explore Anne Boleyn’s early life in this week-long online event beginning on Monday, 3 March 2025. Join Natalie Grueninger and Dr Owen Emmerson as they discuss the transformative experiences and interactions that shaped the woman­—and queen—Anne would become. Delivery ModeSolely online via six pre-recorded lectures and one live Zoom discussion. Participants will receive links to each lecture over the course of the week and will be able to access the recordings for two months following the completion of the event. Each lecture will also be accompanied by discussion/reflection questions. If you have any questions about this event, please contact <a href="mailto:drowenemmerson@gmail.com" title="mailto:drowenemmerson@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">drowenemmerson@gmail.com</a> or <a href="mailto:natalie@onthetudortrail.com" title="mailto:natalie@onthetudortrail.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">natalie@onthetudortrail.com</a>.

Course Content

Session 1 - OriginsIt is often stated that Anne Boleyn’s story is a rags-to-riches one. Yet, this historical record shows that the Boleyn family rose from obscurity three generations earlier and that Anne Boleyn was born into considerable wealth and privilege. How did the Boleyn family rise from becoming minor Norfolk landowners to the throne of England? In this session, we will chart the extraordinary rise of the Boleyn family from a life marked by petty crime to a family with substantial wealth, property and prospects. Who were the key players in the Boleyn family’s rise to prosperity, and how did they consolidate their wealth and power?

Session 2 - The Birth DebateThe date of Anne Boleyn’s birth and the relative ages of her brother and sister have caused much discussion over the years. There are two prominent schools of thought when it comes down to Anne’s date of birth: circa 1501 and the other circa 1507. In this lecture, we’ll explore the arguments and scrutinise all available evidence. We’ll also consider whether a third date range is indeed a possibility.

Session 3 - The Early YearsIn this session, we will chart Anne Boleyn's early years from Norfolk to Kentish Weald. We will ask how we can recover Anne’s scantly documented early years with comparative research. We will consider what kind of culture Anne was born into and the types of education afforded to girls of Anne’s station. We will then evaluate the influence of humanist thought and the outlook of the parents and broader family Anne was born into to understand better the unique opportunities afforded to her and her siblings.

Session 4 - Journey Across the SeaThis lecture will explore Anne’s time at the Habsburg court at Mechelen in Brabant. How did Thomas Boleyn secure this advantageous position for his daughter and what lessons and skills did Anne learn from her mistress Margaret of Austria, who ruled the Low Countries as regent for her nephew, the future Holy Roman Emperor? We’ll consider these questions and more in this illustrated presentation.

Session 5 - A French EducationThis session will chart Anne’s placement at the highly sophisticated French court. Did Anne travel to France to serve King Henry VIII’s sister, Mary, or did she arrive later? What was service to Queen Claude like for a girl of Anne’s age? What kinds of culture and ideas was Anne exposed to? This lecture will focus, in particular, on the powerful female figures at the French court who shaped Anne’s idea of queenship and the more radical religious teachings that flourished at the Valois court.

Session 6 - Farewells &amp; New BeginningsSometime in late 1521, Anne Boleyn was recalled to England. In this lecture, we’ll explore the political backdrop to this event and the reasons behind this recall. We’ll also take a close look at the sources relating to Anne’s debut at the English court and question some longstanding beliefs about this period.

Session 7 – Live Zoom Q &amp; AJoin Dr Owen Emmerson and Natalie Grueninger for a live Zoom Q&A. Submit your questions in advance or use the chat function to ask during the session. When? Sunday 9 March at 8.30pm GMT A recording of the live session will be published at the conclusion of the event.

About the Presenters

Natalie Grueninger Natalie Grueninger is an independent researcher who specialises in the life, reign and times of Queen Anne Boleyn. She’s authored and co-authored six books, including the ‘In the Footsteps’ series. Her latest book, ‘The Final Year of Anne Boleyn’, was published in November 2022. Natalie has written for a number of history magazines, including Inside History and Tudor Places, and runs the website www.onthetudortrail.com. She’s the creator and host of the popular ‘Talking Tudors’ podcast and the founder of Women’s History Circle, dedicated to amplifying women’s voices and promoting the work of women creatives with a passion for history. Natalie is deeply interested in the lives of medieval and Tudor women and in the networks which they built and used, especially those with other women. She’s an avid bibliophile and a lifelong learner. When not at her desk, she can often be found indulging in her insatiable passion for travel.

Dr Owen EmmersonOwen is a social and cultural historian, broadcaster, consultant, and author of four books. He works as an Assistant Curator of Hever Castle and recently worked as a historical consultant on Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (BBC, 2024). He has appeared in seventeen documentaries about the Tudor era, including 'The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family' (BBC, 2021) and 'Blood, Sex and Royalty: Anne Boleyn' (Netflix, 2022). He is one-third of The Tudor Trio Patreon. He is currently writing a complete history of Hever Castle and a cultural history of the ten Tudor Queens.

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