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Queen Anne was accused and convicted of committing adultery with five men, incest with her brother, and high treason. Mark Smeaton, Sir Henry Norris, Sir Francis Weston, Sir William Brereton, and George Boleyn were her supposed lovers.

Modern historians see her trial and conviction as a sham that her husband Henry VIII of England used to get rid of her and replace her with Jane Seymour, her lady-in-waiting. Only Mark Smeaton admitted to his guilt and gave evidence against the Queen, but since he was not a lord like the other men, he was not protected from being tortured-which he was.

The evidence the State presented against the Queen was insuficient in the sense that some of the dates of the supposed adultery did not match with the place of residence of the Queen-or the King, the men in question being in his household-and that all the other men denied their guilt. Regardless all the men and the Queen were found guilty and sentenced to death.

All the men died on May 17, 1536 by beheading, maintaining that they were not guilty-except for Mark Smeaton. Before being led to her death the Queen heard mass and swore on the eternal salvation of her soul that she was innocent of all charges, in the presence of the constable of the Tower of London. Her husband had ordered an executioner from France who used a sword rather than an axe as an act of mercy-but in order for the executioner to come on time the King would have had to have ordered the executioner before the trial. Queen Anne was beheaded in the morning on May 19, 1536.

On May 20, 1536 King Henry VIII of England announced his engagement to Lady Jane Seymour. Ten days later the two were married.

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14y ago

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