The Execution of a Queen
On the 19th May 1536, Queen Anne Boleyn was beheaded at the Tower of London after being charged with adultery, incest and treason. Boleyn, who was born into an aristocratic Protestant family, was the second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I.

The first queen to be executed in Britain, Boleyn is widely thought to have been innocent of the charges – reasons cited for her death include King Henry's all-consuming desire for a male heir (Boleyn had several miscarriages after giving birth to Elizabeth), a politically-driven plot to ensure Britain became allied with Spain once more and superstitious hysteria surrounding witchcraft, sexual deviancy and devil worship.