The Suffragists were a woman's rights movement in the latter half of the Victorian Era and the beginning of the 20th century. The Suffragists should not be confused with the Suffragettes, who were a different woman's rights group at the same time. The Suffragettes and the Suffragists were both woman's rights campaigners.
Their main focus was on trying to achieve the vote for women. In other words, their main focus was in trying to enfranchise women. They differed in their approach in how to achieve the vote. The Suffragettes wanted to achieve votes for women through more militant means. The Suffragists wanted to achieve the vote through more peaceful means. The Suffragists were founded in 1897, by Millicent Fawcett. Millicent Fawcett founded the Suffragists in 1897 by creating the group, The National Union of Woman's Suffrage Societies (NWSS). In this blog post, we are going to look at five interesting facts about the Suffragists. 1. Who should get the vote The Suffragists didn't campaign for all women to have the vote. They only campaigned for a specific type of women to have the vote. They mainly wanted the vote formiddle-class property owning women. Needless to say, even though the Suffragists were campaigning to get the vote for middle-class women, they weren't the only who supported the Suffragists. The Suffragists were mainly made up of middle-class women, however, some Suffragists wanted the Suffragists to appeal to working class women. They were also supported by a few men... 2. Some men supported the Suffragists Some men also supported the Suffragists. They were not just supported by women. Or, middle-class women. There weremale supporters of the women's suffrage movement. There were male supporters of both the Suffragette movement and the Suffragist movement. There were even some male militant campaigners in the suffrage movement. There were male supporters in the public and male supporters in parliament. There were well known male members who were MPs in the House of Commons who supported the Suffragists. Such as John Stuart Mill, not only was John Stuart Mill a prominent philosopher, he was also the first person in parliament to call for women's suffrage. TheSuffragists took one of their petitions to John Stuart Mill. Some would argue that it was this kind of diplomacy which won women the vote, rather than the militant Suffragette approach.
3. Peaceful protesting
The Suffragists, compared to their counterparts, the Suffragettes, preferred peaceful protesting, to militant actions. Their campaign was largely centered around trying to gain the vote by using peaceful means. It can be said the Suffragists tried to win men over by using peaceful means, rather than alienate men with militant practices - like the Suffragettes often did. The Suffragists used peaceful methods of protest such as; petitions, writing and peaceful protests. 4. Many men already had the vote When the Suffragists were campaigning to get the vote, many men already had secured the right to vote. By 1900, most men already could vote. In other words, by 1900, 58% of men could vote. Yet at the same time, woman could not vote. This led to the birth of the women's suffrage movement. The Suffragists, however, were not campaigning for all women to get the vote. They were campaigning for only some women to get the vote, namely middle-class women.
0 Comments
The Suffragettes were part of the woman's rights movement of the early 20th century. The Suffragettes are not to be confused with the Suffragists. The Suffragettes and the Suffragists were two different woman's rights campaign groups. Both the Suffragettes and the Suffragists campaigned for woman's rights, particularly enfranchising women. However, they both had different beliefs in which women should be franchised. They also had differing opinions on how women should receive the vote.
The Suffragists were found in 1897, who created the group the National Union of Woman's Suffrage Societies. The National Union of Woman's Suffrage Societies was found by Suffragist Millicent Fawcett. Many women deserted the Suffragists because they didn't think that their method of acquiring the vote was effective. Many thought that Millicent Fawcett's approach was slow and that another approach to achieving the vote was needed, a militant approach. This eventually led to the birth of the Suffragette movement. The Suffragettes were created in the early 20th century. In 1903, Emmeline Pankhurst, and her daughters, Christabel and Sylvia formed the Women's Social and Political Union. The Women's Social and Political Union was the Suffragettes. In this article we will look at four facts about the Suffragettes:
1. Suffragettes preferred violence
Compared to their Suffragist counterparts, the Suffragettes advocated violence to achieve their aims. There were many methods of violence that the Suffragettes used to try and gain the vote. They used violent methods like; bombs, arson and smashing windows. Needless to say, they didn't try and win the vote through peaceful means. Many of them were jailed due to their militant activities. However, many of them were also jailed because they protested. 2. Active Campaigning The Suffragettes were not just confined to their militant tactics. Many of them also took action which wasn't as extreme as the methods listed in point one. Other tactics used by the suffragettes were; protesting, chaining themselves to things and 'disturbing the peace.' Whether their actions were more militant or more peaceful, torture was commonly used on suffragettes. 3. Suffragettes were tortured Many Suffragettes were tortured as a punishment of protesting, even if the protest wasn't violent. The most common form of torture inflicted upon Suffragettes was in force feeding. The force-feeding of Suffragettes occurred in prison. Theforce feeding happened because many of the women who were sent to prison decided to go on hunger strike. The government had to end the force-feeding of Suffragettes in prison. As force feeding was unpopular with the general public. Force-feeding ended through the Cat and Mouse Act, 1913. 4. Equal Suffrage Rights didn't happen until 1928 Women didn't receive the same voting rights as with until 1928. This was through theEqual Franchise Act 1928. The Equal Franchise Act 1928 gave women and men equal voting rights. The Equal Franchise Act 1928 expanded on a previous act passed by parliament, called the Representation of the People Act 1918. The Representation of the People Act 1918 granted some rights to the general public, in terms of franchising them. However, mostly it benefited men, not women. All men over the age of 21 were enfranchised with the act. However, only women over 30 who owned certain property were allowed the vote through the act. It wasn't until 1928 that women received the vote in equal terms with men. The Russian revolution is one of the most fascinating events in history. The Russian revolution was also one of the most transformative eras in history. Particularly European and Russian history. It changed the course of Europe. And also changed the course of Russia. The changes that came as a result of the Russian Revolution were both social changes and political changes. It is one of those events in history which was a turning point. The Russian revolution changed the world forever. It also changed Russia forever. The Russian revolution was responsible for replacing the Russian monarchy with a communist state. Which eventually led to therise of the first communist country, Russia. And eventually the USSR. The USSR was born out of the October Revolution in 1917. What was the October Revolution? TheOctober Revolution in 1917 was a revolution which brought down the Russian provisional government and the Russian monarchy. Which resulted in Tsar Nicholas II being the last Tsar of Russia. Essentially, Tsar Nicholas II was the last king of Russia. Tsar is just an alternative name for king. The revolution was led by the Bolsheviks and Vladimir Lening. The Bolsheviks were a section of the Russian political party known as the Russian Social Democratic Workers Party. The other section was known as the Mensheviks. The Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks split before the revolution because of their differences. Their main difference was in how to bring about the revolution. It was the Bolsheviks who became victorious in their approach to the Russian revolution. The October Revolution of 1917, is also know as the Bolshevik revolution. Why did the October Revolution happen? There are several reasons why the October Revolution happened. In this blog post, we are going to look at some of the reasons why the October Revolution happened. The reasons listed aren't listed in any particular order. Here are several reasons why the October Revolution happened:
1. World War One
World War One was a major contributing factor to the Russian revolution. The Russian revolution occurred in the final stages of World War One. World War One lasted from 1914 to 1918. The Russian revolution occurred in 1917. The effect of World War One gave rise to the Russian Revolution. World War One was unpopular with the Russian people. A big reason for that was the heavy casualties that Russia endured as a result of the war. 2. Tsar Nicholas II was weak Tsar Nicholas II was a weak leader. Nicholas II was politically weak and politically naive. He was also naive about the state of Russia at the time. He was naive about the social problems in Russia and the worker's problems in Russia. There are two reasons why Tsar Nicholas II was weak. He was weak because he was really interested in the job as Tsar. He never wanted to be Tsar. Tsar Nicholas II was also weak because he wasn't prepared for the role. He received no training or preparation to be Tsar. 3. Shift from rural to urban Russia was beginning to shift from a rural country to an urban country. Compared to many other countries at the time, like the United Kingdom, Russia was very rural. And even medieval-like in comparison to other European countries. The shift from rural to urban saw a large movement of people from the countryside, to urban cities. This contributed to the issue of workers rights. 4. Workers rights Workers rights seem to be the backbone of the Russian revolution. There was a sort of class consciousness which caused the revolution. There was little protection for workers in Russia at the time. The conditions of the working class were awful. The lack of good conditions for workers in Russia resulted in an unhappiness with the Tsarist regime. People had to work for eleven hours a day. Often workers would have to sleep at their work. This resentment seems to be a driving force in the revolution. 5. The Middle Class The middle classes, known as the Borgouis (the working class were the Proletariat), also became increasingly dissatisfied with the Tsar and his rulership. It seems that revolutions don't happen, as long as the middle class is satisfied. That seems the case with Russia. The middle class was successful to an extent in trying to change how things worked. For example, they won the right to have a parliament (which was called the Duma). And they became the owners of the new industries in the cities of Russia. However, the Duma was largely symbolic, it had no real power. ******************* These are the main reasons why the Russian revolution happened. Why was Nicholas II the last Tsar of Russia? There are several reasons why Tsar Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia. Nicolas II, alongside his family, were assassinated by Russian revolutionaries on the 17th of July 1918. There are a list of contributing factors which brought down the Russian royal family. Two main reasons the Russian royal family fell was Russia's involvement in World War One and the weakness in leadership of Nicholas. These were the main reasons, but there were many more. Widespread poverty in Russia, the treatment of workers and the events ofBloody Sunday in 1905 paved the way for the revolution in 1917. The Russian revolution in 1917 brought Tsar Nicholas II down, along with his family. Resulting in the end of the Russian royal family. Who was Tsar in Russia? The Tsar of Russia was a royal ruler of Russia, equivalent to that of a King in the UK. When was there a revolution in Russia? There were actually two revolutions in Russia during the early 20th century. The second one brought down the Romanov Dynasty, who were the Russian royal family. The first one centred around the event of Bloody Sunday, in 1905. The first Russian revolution in 1905 contributed and led up to the events of the Russian revolutions in 1917. It was this revolution, the revolution in 1917 which brought down the Russian royal family. Making the Romanov Dynasty the last Russian royal family. And therefore, making Tsar Nicholas II the last monarch of Russia to this day. Why did the Russian revolutions happen? The Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917, did not just happen for one reason. The Russian revolutions happened for several reasons. The 1905 Russian revolution began on the 22nd of January 1905. The 1905 Russian revolution began over the events of Bloody Sunday. Not to be confused with the event of Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland. The Bloody Sunday we are talking about is different. The Bloody Sunday event began through unarmed protesters, led by Father Gapon, protesting against the Tsar. The protesters were marching towards Winter Palace, which was the Tsars official residence like Buckingham Palace is the British monarch's official residence. Father Gapon with the protestors were marching to Winter Palace to give Tsar Nicholas a petition. His petition to the Tsar was about the suffering of workers and their demands. As the protesters, along with Father Gapon marched towards Winter Palace, in St Petersburg, Tsarists troops opened fire on the protesters. It occurred early that day, in the morning, around 10-11AM. There were many civilian casualties as a result of the troops shooting on the protesters. Sources conflict between official government records and anti-government groups as to how many people were injured, and how many people were killed. Taking both sources into consideration, somewhere between around one hundred people were killed and 4,000 people. By this point, the Tsarist authority was already unpopular. Even though the decision to shoot the protesters was not given the go-ahead by Tsar Nicholas II and neither was he in Winter Palace at the time of the shooting. The reaction to the events towards the Tsar was negative. Both internationally, and at home for the Tsar. Internationally the Tsar was condemned by the United States and the UK media. At home in Russia, he was also condemned. The events are largely seen as inflaming the Revolution of 1905. It was not the only factor which contributed to the revolution of 1905. Other things built up to this point. Such as the unpopularity of Russia going to war with Japan. What became known as the Russo-Japanese War. But also, workers rights or lack of rights and poverty also played a contributing factor to the revolution. What was the outcome of 1905? You may be wondering why the Tsar was never toppled in 1905 like he was in 1917. The Tsar and the Russian monarchy were not toppled on this occasion because the Tsar gave away concessions to appease the protesters. Basically he started introducing democracy. Or, elements of democracy, would probably be a better description of it. Tsar Nicholas II had no real other option than trying to yield a knee. In other words, Tsar Nicholas II had no real other option than to give away some power. Or at least, create the illusion that he was giving away some powers when he was not. Either way, things for Tsar Nicholas II at this point seemed a bit hopeless. In hindsight, it seems that his reaction to the Russian Revolution, such as the creation of the Duma (Russian parliament) and the October Manifesto, seemed only to buy Nicholas time. In retrospect, it does not seem that Nicholas could have won. By giving away power, he began the slow death of his reign. The revolution of 1917 There were several contributing factors as to why there was a revolution in Russia in 1917. There was no one cause which resulted in the monarchy's downfall. But a collection of causes which resulted in the death of the Russian monarch. One main reason was the weakness of Tsar Nicholas II himself. Nicholas was a weak leader. Whether he was just naive, or weak due to his lack of interest in the role as Tsar, is up for debate. His weakness is probably a result of both of those things; being naive and having no interest in the role as Tsar. Nicholas never seemed to have wanted the role of being Tsar of Russia. When his father, Alexander III was ill and died, Nicholas said 'What will happen to me and all of Russia.'' It is clear from this that he was not prepared to take on the role as the leader of Russia. He wasn't confident in doing so. While Tsar, Nicholas didn't take much of an interest in political life. Or an interest in the social issues of Russia at the time; such as the deep mass poverty that affected Russia. Another big factor in the Tsars demise was World War One. Or more specifically, Russia's involvement in World War One. Russia was not ready or prepared for World War One. The weakness in Russia's army, compared to the strength of Germany's army at the time, resulted in mass casualties for Russia. This graph shows the loses of life in World War One from each country: Russia suffered heavily from World War One. It had the most casualties of World War One, leaving over 3 million Russian's dead. The Russian causalities likely resulted in the Russian unpopularity of World War One. The Tsar's continued support for World War One made him unpopular at home. It was at this time that Lenin, one of the most prominent Russian revolutionaries, began voicing his opposition to the Tsar's war effort. Perhaps Lenin was just being opportunistic, in taking advantage of the situation. Before this, Lenin had a long history of revolutionary sympathies. It was noted from his days at university while studying law that he was sympathetic to revolutionary ideas and causes. Lenin returned home to Russia in 1917, after years of being in exile. However, the Tsarist regime had already been overthrown by Russia's provisional government. Lenin turned his attention to overthrowing the provisional government. And later, executing the Russian royal family, including Nicholas II. Nicholas II coronation took place on the 26th of May 1896.
Jack the Ripper is one of the most fascinating, but yet equally terrifying men (woman?) in British history. Perhaps world history.
The grotesque nature of his murders is one of the reasons why he remains remembered to this day. Several books, TV shows and films have been made about Jack the Ripper. Jack the Ripper didn't murder for that long. His murder spree lasted from August 1888 to November 1888. Yet, despite the duration of his murder spree not lasting that long, it is and has been one of the most talked about events in British history. Probably the biggest reason for that is not just the nature of his murders, but the mystery which surrounds Jack the Ripper. The question of 'Who was Jack the Ripper?' has been kept alive for almost 130 years. So, 'Who was Jack the Ripper?'. There are many theories as to who Jack the Ripper was. There is also many theories from professionals. What is clear, is that there doesn't seem to be a unanimous agreement on who Jack was. Everyone seems to have their own theories about who Jack was. The lack of any substantial evidence towards any candidate seems to keep the mystery alive. It is unlikely that we will find any more evidence on the Jack the Ripper case. Which means that it is unlikely that we will ever find out who Jack the Ripper really was. In August we will be going back to Jack the Ripper. With Jack the Ripper real-time tweets. From August until November. Exact dates will be announced soon. Mark Smeaton was one of the men who fell during Anne Boleyn's downfall. Anne Boleyn's downfall came as a result of her being accused of extramarital affairs. Anne Boleyn was accused of having extramarital affairs with five men. Those men were: her own brother, George Boleyn, Francis Weston, Henry Norris, William Brereton and Mark Smeaton. The simple answer to that question is that Mark Smeaton was probably tortured. He was the only man of the five accused to be tortured. The other men were of noble stock. And therefore, could not be tortured. People will say anything to relieve the pain of torture. Therefore, we can't take his confession as seriously as we would from a person not under the duress of torture. It could be argued that since Mark Smeaton never retracted his guilty plea, he was, in fact, guilty of what he was accused of - having an extramarital affair with the Queen. However, it is not that simple. There could be many reasons as to why Mark never retracted his confession of guilt. One reason could be that he feared being tortured again. Or, he feared that he would have a more brutal death reinforced on him. Initially, Mark Smeaton was bound to be hung, drawn and quartered. However, he was granted a more merciful death of a beheading. Another reason why Mark may not have retracted his guilty plea was, that he did think that he was guilty. Perhaps not in the way that we think. Or even in the way that he was accused of. It's possible that he was attracted to Anne Boleyn. It's also possible that he saw her in a lustful way, or even was in love with her. While studying history and historical events, we have to try and set ourselves in the scene. Like an actor. We have to sometimes forget about our foreknowledge of events, or events. And place ourselves in the event. Or placing ourselves inside the shoes of another person. The person that we are studying. How would that person react? What would their thoughts be of the situation? What is the norms, values and thoughts of that society, at that particular time? Doing this, it makes it easier for us to try and get a better understanding of the situation at hand. It helps us in the case of Mark Smeaton because, if he genuinely did believe that he ''...deserved the death...'' that was given to him. Why did he believe that he deserved that death? Of course, he could have had an extramarital affair with Anne Boleyn. But. It also could be something less obvious to us. It could have been that his thoughts were impure of Anne. His guilt may have all been in his own mind. We have to remember that people in Tudor England had a very different view of marriage, relationships and lust. Especially towards a royal, such as Anne Boleyn. If Mark Smeaton did have impure thoughts of Anne, that would alone would have cost Mark Smeaton his life. Henry would have beheaded him. Could we be so sure of that? Yes and no. Nothing is ever certain when we are talking about Henry VIII. But. If we look at his behaviour from other instances, a good indicator how he probably would have acted, then Smeaton would have lost his life. If we look at how Henry VIII reacted to Thomas Culpepper when he found out that he was having an affair with Henry's fifth wife, Catherine Howard, then yes. Of course, an affair is far more serious than lustful thoughts. However, we should not put it past Henry VIII that he would have taken such drastic action. Look at how he executed Thomas Moore for not signing the the letter which would have annulled Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon's marriage. When it comes to Henry VIII, we are best assuming the worst. Yes, Henry VIII is a fascinating monarch. You could even call him a great monarch, great doesn't necessarily mean good. But, at the same time, Henry VIII was a tyrant who didn't really show compassion or mercy. Back to Mark Smeaton. Mark Smeaton's Early Life Mark Smeaton started his life from a humble background, he was a commoner. Unlike the other men who were accused of having adultery with the Queen. The other four men were nobles. Mark was not. Because Mark Smeaton was a commoner, we know little about his early life. Mark Smeaton was likely Flemish, of Flemish-born origin. This is thought because of his surname, Smeaton. Which he most likely changed when he arrived in England. It's unclear when exactly Mark moved to England. But, we do know that he was promoted to the position of Groom in the Privy Chamber, by Cardinal Wolsey in 1529. Mark was born sometime in 1512. Therefore, somewhere between that time frame Mark moved to England and set up home there. He started his journey to Henry VIII's court by being a singer in the choir of the Chapel Royal. It is also thought that Mark was talented in things such as dancing and poetry. Downfall and arrest Smeaton's downfall and arrest came in 1536. He was only a young man at the time. Though, his exact age at the time of his downfall is unknown and disputed. He was arrested on the 30th of April 1536. It is thought that Smeaton was taken to his own home by Thomas Cromwell and tortured there. Anne was either aware that Smeaton had been arrested, or she noticed his absence. Either way, alarm bells must have started ringing for her. He was sent to the Tower of London on May Day, at 6 PM. It was while at the Tower of London, Smeaton was thought to have been further tortured. Here, he was alleged to confess to having extramarital affairs with the queen. And, implementing the four other men: Francis Weston, Henry Norris, William Brereton and the Queen's own brother, George Boleyn. Smeaton was condemned to death on the 12th of May 1536. The other four men were also condemned to death on the same day. He was executed on the 17th of May that year, at Tower Hill. Other posts you may like:
Anne Boleyn was executed at the Tower of London, on the 19th of May 1536.
Anne Boleyn's fall from grace was sharp. It happened more quickly than her rise to power. She was only married to Henry VIII for three years, when her downfall came. Not only did she fall from grace. But so did her family, particularly George Boleyn who was executed two days before Anne Boleyn. There have been many Anne Boleyn books written. And many of these Anne Boleyn books focus on her execution and what truly happened to secure her downfall. Alison Weir is one author and historian who dedicated to writing one of the many Anne Boleyn books out there. Be the Anne Boleyn books, there have been documentaries made about her. Her reign as Queen Consort. Her rise to power. And her downfall. There is even a website dedicated to the ill-fated queen, know as The Anne Boleyn Files. It is well worth signing up to. Anne Boleyn's royal status did not last for long. But, she remains one of the royals who changed the direction of England, as Anne Boleyn played a key role in the English Reformation. Europe and made a lasting impact while doing so. Anne's rise to power is partly why we still remember her. And talk about her. She was instrumental in England breaking ties with Rome and the Pope. As fascinating as her part in the English Reformation was, it will be for her downfall that she is always remembered. Boleyn's downfall started to unfold early in 1536. Henry VIII so wanted a male heir, yet Anne had only given him a female heir, Elizabeth. Several miscarriages happened in between that time. The final miscarriage came in January 1536. Ironically, the child Anne had miscarried in January 1536, was a son. The miscarriage was the beginning of the end. It wasn't until April that year that signs started to emerge that Anne had fallen out of favour with the Henry VIII. Such as Henry VIII not giving to the Order of the Garter to Anne's brother, George Boleyn. Just a week after Henry VIII dismissed George Boleyn in this way, it wasn't just speculation that the Boleyn's fell out of favour with the King, there was solid proof. When Anne, George and five other men were arrested. They were arrested on what King Henry constituted as treasonous acts. Anne was accused of having incest with her own brother and extramarital affairs with five other men. While the men were accused of having extramarital affairs with her. On the 2nd of May 1536,Anne was arrested and taken to the Tower of London. She was accused of adultery, witchcraft and treason. She was later tried and executed. Anne Boleyn was executed on the 19th of May 1536 at Tower Green in the Tower of London.
Early Life Of George Boleyn George Boleyn was one of three children born to Thomas Boleyn and Elizabeth Howard. He was the middle child. His two sisters were Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn. George came from a well-to-do family. He was well educated. Spoke fluent French. And was talented in artistic pursuits, such as writing, music and poetry. Unlike his sisters Anne Boleyn and Mary Boleyn, George Boleyn didn't spend his youthful years overseas. George was most likely born in 1504. George Boleyn's rise to power Before George Boleyn's execution on the 17th of May 1536, he was a prominent member of Henry the VIII's Tudor court. He became very successful throughout his time at court. In 1525, George Boleyn became a member of the Privy Chamber. George Boleyn was then knighted in 1529. And was also given the title of Lord Rochford. Making him George Boleyn 2nd Viscount Rochford. At this point, when he was George Boleyn 2nd Viscount Rochford, he was at the height of his power. The following years until his death on the 17th of May 1536, saw George Boleyn Viscount Rochford receiving many gifts from Henry VIII. Lands and grants from the King.
The downfall of George Boleyn
The first evidence of trouble for the Boleyn's and George Boleyn himself is made apparent to us from the events of April 1536. George was expected to receive the Order of the Garter that month. However, he did not receive the Order of the Garter. On the 23rd of April 1536, George Boleyn did not receive the Order Of the Garter. The nomination went to one of the Boleyn's enemies, Sir Thomas Carew. Just over a week later, George Boleyn 2nd Viscount Rochford was arrested by the Kings men. Is it just a coincidence that George didn't receive the Order of the Garter a week before? Or, was his downfall in the works by that point? Probably the latter. It seems too much of a coincidence otherwise. The arrest and execution George Boleyn 2nd Viscount Rochford was arrested on the 2nd of May 1536. He was arrested at Whitehall. On 2 pm that day, he was taken to the Tower from Whitehall. His sister Anne Boleyn was also arrested on that day. He was arrested on grounds of having cardinal knowledge of his sister. Along with other high profile noblemen: Mark Smeaton, Henry Norris, Francis Weston and William Brereton. George was put on trail. Essentially it was a trial for show. The guilty result was a foregone conclusion. The trial of George Boleyn took place on the 15th of May 1536. It doesn't seem that George was put on a trial. If it was a real trail, it would have lasted days or weeks. Instead, the guilty version seems to have been read towards George before he even set foot in his trial. Whether or not Henry actually did believe that George was guilty, along with the other men and Anne, what is clear is that he wanted to be rid of them. And quickly. If we look at Catherine Howard's downfall and execution, in contrast, it took around two months for Henry to execute her. And she was guilty of being unfaithful to Henry. With the Boleyn case, things happened in a matter of days. There is no evidence of George's guilt. There is nothing to say that the allegations towards him were true. Not that it mattered. On the 17th of May 1536, George Boleyn alongside the five other men were taken to Tower Hill. There they were executed that morning.
On this day, on the morning of the 17th of May 1536, several high profile noblemen at Henry VIII's Tudor court lost their life. Including the then Queen, Anne Boleyn's own brother. They were: George Boleyn, Henry Norris, Mark Smeaton, William Brereton and Francis Weston.
The men were led to their execution to a scaffolding on Tower Hill, just outside the Tower of London. The Tower of London is where Anne Boleyn was executed, just two days later. George Boleyn was the first of the men to be executed. The execution of George Boleyn started with a long speech, before he faced the axe.
The Anne Boleyn Files states that George Boleyn's final speech before his execution was noted by Thomas Wyatt. According to Thomas Wyatt, George Boleyn ended his life with the following speech:
“Trust in God, and not in the vanities of the world, for if I had so done, I think I had been alive as ye be now. Men do common and say that I have been a setter-forth of the word of God and one that hath favoured the Gospel of Christ; and because I would not that God’s word should be slandered by me, I say unto you all that if I had followed God’s word in deed as I did read it ans set forth to my power, I had not come to this. Truly and diligently did I read the gospel of Christ Jesus, but I turned not to profit that which I did read; the which had I done, of a surety I had not fallen into so great errors. Wherefore I do beseech you all, for the love of our Lord God, that you do at all seasons hold by the truth, and speak it, and embrace it.”
After George Boleyn was executed, the other men soon followed. This is what each of them said before their execution...
Mark Smeaton was the only man who confessed any guilt to the accusations laid against him. He did not retract his guilty confession. His last words were: “Masters, I pray you all pray for me for I have deserved death.” Henry Norris said before his death: “I have deserved to die if it were a thousand deaths. But the cause whereof I die, judge not. But if ye judge, judge the best.” Francis Weston said before his death: “I had thought to have lived in abomination yet this twenty or thirty years and then to have made amends. I thought little it would come to this.” |
Archives
April 2023
Categories
All
← Resize me
|