Summary of Greg Jenner's Ask A Historian - E-book - ePub

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #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.