Summary of Greg Jenner's Ask A Historian

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The real woman behind the myths of Anne Boleyn is surprisingly elusive. She was neither accused of witchcraft nor of having a third nipple. She was a Catholic exile in Rome, Madrid, and Ireland who launched rebellions and undermined Elizabeth’s monarchical integrity.

#2 The sixth finger is a staple fact in many modern novels and websites, but it seems to have come from a comment made by George Wyatt, several decades after Anne’s death. He wrote that there was some show of a nail on the side of Anne’s nail, which was so small that it was often hidden by her other fingers.

#3 The idea that Anne Boleyn had a third nipple is a product of the 1920s, when anthropologist Margaret Murray argued that Anne and other historical figures had belonged to an ancient, secret pagan cult. But in a trial that was a political witch-hunt, Anne was not tried for witchcraft.

#4 The story of Anne Boleyn is one of the most gossiped-about in history. She didn’t have three nipples, six fingers, or five lovers, and her story is already interesting enough. But writers are always looking for a fresh angle.

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Rafbók: 8 juli 2022