Episode 309 - Anne Boleyn Through the Centuries with Helene Harrison

2025-08-15

Host Natalie Grueninger welcomes historian Helene Harrison to explore how Anne Boleyn crafted her image and how it was reshaped after her death. They discuss Anne’s coronation symbolism, self-fashioning, and efforts by Henry VIII’s court to win public favour. The conversation examines key portraits and artefacts—from the Hever Rose portrait and the Chequers ring to the 1534 medal—and the ongoing debates around their dating and identification. Helen traces contemporary reactions at home and abroad,...

The conversation examines key portraits and artefacts—from the Hever Rose portrait and the Chequers ring to the 1534 medal—and the ongoing debates around their dating and identification.

Helen traces contemporary reactions at home and abroad, Anne’s reappearance in Elizabeth I’s reign, and the clash between Nicholas Sander and John Foxe. She then follows Anne’s evolving legacy through Stuart drama, Victorian myth‑making, and modern screen portrayals, including Anne of the Thousand Days, The Tudors, Wolf Hall, and Six the Musical.

Helene also shares details of her new book, The Many Faces of Anne Boleyn, teases a forthcoming study of Henry VIII’s Great Matter, and offers a lighthearted Tudor-themed reading recommendation.

Visit Helene's blog

https://tudorblogger.com/author/tudorblogger/

Find out more about your host at https://www.nataliegrueninger.com

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