Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History
- Alexander Lang
- May 1
- 4 min read
When my article about leaving the pastorate went viral, I received hundreds of messages from pastors all over the country.
Among them were invitations to be interviewed on their podcasts. There was one from an Episcopal priest in Canada that stood out from among the rest—Martha Tatarnic.
Unlike many of the invitations, hers included a highly compassionate email about why The Future Christian Podcast was a good place for me to set the record straight given the furor over the article.
Over the years, Martha has interviewed me three times on Future Christian: once about my article, once about the release of Restorative Beauty and the final time was about my Kokoro web series.
During our last interview, Martha let slip that she was writing a book about Anne Boleyn, Queen of England from 1533 to 1536. The basic premise of the book is that Anne Boleyn is one of the most misrepresented and misunderstood women from history.
I told Martha that when her book was ready to be published, I would love to return the favor and interview her.
Well, that time has come and I am not being hyperbolic when I say that Martha’s book Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History is an incredible read.
Below is my full interview with Martha. Not only will Martha cause you to completely rethink the way you understand Anne Boleyn, but she will also challenge our preconceived notions of how women are portrayed by the men writing history.
If you don’t have time to watch the full interview, continue reading as I want to highlight a few excerpts from our discussion that I felt were particularly enlightening as to the new perspective Martha brings to this well-known historical figure.
The Label of Seductress
One of the most important elements of Martha’s book is the way she confronts the subject of Anne Boleyn’s portrayal as a seductress who sought to lure King Henry VIII through the powers of her sexuality.
Case in point, Showtime’s The Tudors portrays Anne’s time in the French court as a training ground for refining her sexual powers, almost as a predator would practice hunting its prey.
As Martha underscores in her book, not only is this portrayal highly inaccurate, it also belies the true nature of what makes Anne’s life so tantalizing.
It was during her time in the French court that Anne received her theological education from women who would shape her view of Protestantism.
What this oft repeated trope masks is how her training in the French Court allowed Anne to become an architect of the English Reformation and one of the primary movers who helped create the Church of England.
Intellectual Attraction
What we know of Anne is that she was not considered conventionally attractive by the beauty standards of the day.
In reality, Henry was drawn to Anne’s intellectual prowess. In many ways, Anne was the first woman Henry encountered where he felt she was his intellectual equal. Martha contends that Henry was so taken by Anne’s mind that he sought to earn her approval.
This magnetism towards her intellect is so critical to their relationship that it sets the stage for Anne’s ability to influence Henry during the creation of the Church of England.
Henry’s willingness to meet with specific Reformation thinkers and read certain books was a direct result of this intellectual entanglement.
Her influence did not go unnoticed by the Catholics attempting to keep England aligned with Rome. Indeed, Martha points out how figures like Thomas Cromwell underestimated Anne’s intellectual leverage over Henry.
This influence ultimately led to her trial and execution, which is where the image of her as an adulteress first became ubiquitous.
I, Anne Boleyn
Martha describes how one of the great privileges of owning books in the 16th century was the ability to write in the margins. One such inscription appears in Anne’s Book of Hours when she writes, “Le temps viendra / je Anne Boleyn” (The time will come / I, Anne Boleyn).
She wrote this note during her years of working with Henry towards marriage and her queenship. This note pointed towards her inner conviction that she believed herself to play an important role in being a vessel of God’s justice by reforming English Christianity.
Yet, it also anticipates how the full thrust of her legacy would be overshadowed by the men who shaped her narrative and how, one day, authors like Martha would help Anne reclaim her rightful place as one of the most critical reformers of the 16th century.
The larger issue that this quote brings to the fore is how women, in general, have been portrayed throughout history. Anne's story is not an isolated case, but rather a pattern where women's intellectual contributions, spiritual convictions, and political influence have been systematically reduced to narratives more palatable to the men holding the pen.
Martha's book is a reminder that reclaiming these lost stories is not just an act of historical correction, but an act of justice against a patriarchal historical record.
Conclusion
While I admit to knowing very little of Anne Boleyn’s life prior to reading Martha’s book, what I could not escape was how her role as a primary mover in the English Reformation was downplayed in my seminary classes.
From what I can rememebr, she was always mentioned as an afterthought in Henry’s efforts to reform the English church.
Rather than acknowledging there was this powerhouse of a woman whose religious perspective and influence slowly shifted Henry’s focus and direction, the emphasis was on Henry himself.
My final analysis: Martha’s book is incredibly well written and accessible. There’s enough detail to lay the necessary foundation, but not too much where it becomes overbearing.
Martha achieves a nice blend between scholarship and her own opinion with beautiful turns of phrase to keep you on your toes.
Not only do I hope you will give it a read, but I also hope it will be read in churches, seminaries and other classes dealing with the Reformation as it helps to rewrite the story of one of history’s most misrepresented women.
Anne Boleyn: Reputation, Revolution, Religion, and the Queen Who Changed History is available in bookstores and on Amazon beginning May 5.
OK - I just bought copy. It sounds fascinating. I'm currently reading about about Charles II - both fiction and non-fiction. Fascinating. I think he was very smart - a genius, maybe, who had a weak spot for women and who was an atheist. I think some people are born that way. We all are, actually, but most of us are influenced along the way.
He converted to Catholicism on his deathbed. It was a promise (to convert at some point) that he made to the French King in order to get financial support. What did he care?