After a long wait – nine years, to be precise – the tense, critically acclaimed Tudor drama first-look images of Wolf Hall season 2 this spring.
Wolf Hall season 1 has an incredible 99% critical score on excellent historically accurate TV show, which applies to Wolf Hall's accurate depiction of the tragic execution proceedings of the intelligent and irable Anne Boleyn (Claire Foy).
Wolf Hall Season 2 Had Anne Boleyn's Execution In The Opening
The Tragic Reminder Of The Moving Wolf Hall Season 1 Scene
Because of the long wait between seasons 1 and 2, the showrunners decided to open the new season with a truncated version of the events near the end of the last season – the execution of Anne Boleyn. Although the huge gap between Wolf Hall's seasons necessitated a recap, the brutal opening left some viewers "traumatized" by seeing these events play out again, almost a decade after the impactful scene in season 1 (via The Mirror). Anne Boleyn was executed on May 19, 1536.
Fine garments are removed from Anne on the scaffold while Henry is given more layers of finery.
The scene, a condensed version of the same sequence in season 1, juxtaposes Anne's preparation for execution with Henry's (Damian Lewis) preparations for marriage to Jane Seymour (Kate Phillips). This has a fantastic dramatic effect, as fine garments are removed from Anne on the scaffold while Henry is given more layers of finery. However, in real life, Henry married Jane two weeks after Anne’s execution — the nonetheless short turnaround is emphasized by the artistic choice in the show.
Anne's death is especially significant to Wolf Hall which, based on the Hilary Mantel book of the same name, centers on Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell played a huge part in orchestrating the accusations against Anne Boleyn. This plays out dramatically in the story because Cromwell is the figure who helped to pave Anne's way to the throne in the first place, only to send her to her doom by capitalizing on her miscarriage (via Tudor Times). As well as his ultimate loyalty to Henry VIII, there also seemed to be conflict between Cromwell and Boleyn.
Wolf Hall Depicts Anne Boleyn's Execution Method
Anne Boleyn Was Granted A Sword Instead Of An Axe
The final writ regarding Anne Boleyn's execution reveals that she was originally condemned to be either burned at the stake or beheaded, and the choice was King Henry VIII's prerogative. It paints the beheading method as a mercy: "We moved by pity do not wish the same Anne to be committed to be burned by fire. We, however, command that [...] upon the Green within our Tower of London aforesaid, the head of the same Anne shall be caused to be cut off" (via National Archives).
Henry, facing the end of his second marriage, identified with King Arthur, casting Anne Boleyn as the adulterous Guinevere, destined for a similar fate.
Another detail portrayed in Wolf Hall is Henry's demand for a further perceived "mercy," that Anne be granted a sword rather than the usual axe. Henry, facing the end of his second marriage, identified with King Arthur, casting Anne Boleyn as the adulterous Guinevere, destined for a similar fate. "The choice of a sword—the symbol of Camelot, of a rightful king, and of masculinity—was Henry's alone," (via Tudor by Leande de Lisle). Anne Boleyn was the only Tudor figure to be executed with a sword instead of an axe.
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Wolf Hall also correctly depicts the employment of a French swordsman specifically. In the scene, he is shown to pivot to distract Anne to look to her left before he makes his move for the swift beheading. The expert, the famed swordsman of Calais, was imported from specifically for the execution because of the perceived civility of French beheadings compared to the English. Another detail Wolf Hall seems to have paid attention to is that he wore soft-soled shoes so as not to alarm his victim (via The Anne Boleyn Files).
Her French executioner may have strangely been a small source of comfort to Anne, who spent almost a decade of her early years in . Her education in the household of Queen Claude taught her much about the customs of "courtly love," which involved a lot of harmless flirtation. Unfortunately, this playful disposition only served to fuel rumors about infidelity, which assisted Cromwell in building a case against her, as chronicled in Wolf Hall.
There Seems To Be A Small Audience For Anne's Execution In Wolf Hall
This Is One Wolf Hall Detail That Is Debated Among History Buffs
The audience in attendance at Anne Boleyn's execution has been a contentious issue in history. Reportedly, there was a fairly large crowd present at the execution – around 1000 spectators. However, Wolf Hall, along with several other dramatizations, shows a smaller crowd. This is in line with some assertions that there were no swathes of onlookers. However, while dying in the Tower was considered a "private" death, it was open to the public. It was only relatively attended by fewer people because the precise time was not announced and had been subject to multiple delays.
Most of the shots in the execution scene in Wolf Hall are close-ups, making it unclear how many people are in attendance. Anne is seen to hand out gold from her purse to some people at the front before she makes her way to the scaffold, but because she places it in outstretched hands with the people holding them out obscured, it is unclear whether they are meant to be of the public. They may be of the court entrusted to hand the gold out to the poor.
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William Kingston, Constable of the Tower of London, expressed anxiety about Anne's potential public declaration of innocence to a sympathetic audience. Despite efforts to limit the crowd, determined onlookers still gathered. "Kingston received orders from Cromwell to clear the Tower of 'strangers,' meaning foreigners. Ostensibly this was to thwart any attempts by foreigners to write sympathetic descriptions of the execution which would reflect poorly of the King."(via The Freelance History Writer) This shows that in addition to concerns about public opinion, there was concern about gossip traveling to foreign courts.
The uncertainties around those in attendance give a lot of creative license to producers.
The uncertainties around those in attendance give a lot of creative license to producers. For example, in The Other Boleyn Girl, Anne's sister Mary Boleyn is shown to be present because the whole movie focuses on their relationship, but there is no evidence of this in history. Mary does not seem to be present in the Wolf Hall scene. Indeed, save for her uncle and aunt, none of Anne Boleyn’s family attended.
Wolf Hall Depicts Anne's Last Words
Anne Publicly Accepted The Law, Calling Henry Merciful
In the opening of season 2, episode 1 of Wolf Hall, the showrunners chose to use an abridged version of the events of last season. They show only Anne's muttered prayers in this episode, but they have previously shown her last words in season 1. According to s of the execution, Anne Boleyn publicly accepted the court's ruling in her final words to the witnesses.
The motives behind this are interesting since Anne bravely insisted upon her innocence — she swore it on the host until the last. This major tragedy is part of what makes Wolf Hall one of the best period dramas to watch. The detail of Anne glancing at the Tower right up until the end is also true, according to s — she did hold out hope that Henry may have mercy on her and send her to a convent instead of condemning her to die. This context imbues her last words with tragedy:
"I am come hither to die, for according to the law and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it […] I pray God save the King […] for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never" (via HRP).
Wolf Hall shows the careful wording of what the law has ruled, emphasizing the innocence she knew in her heart but was powerless to defend. A poem she wrote in the Tower of London while waiting for her execution refers to her "weary guiltless ghost." One of the reasons behind her accepting her fate publicly was likely to protect her daughter, Elizabeth, who would be declared illegitimate following her death. In 1543, Henry reinstated Elizabeth, then aged 10, to the line of succession through the Third Succession Act.
Source: The Mirror, Tudor Times, National Archives, Tudor by Leande de Lisle, The Anne Boleyn Files, The Freelance History Writer, HRP
Wolf Hall is a historical drama series starring Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell. Set in the early 16th century, it chronicles Cromwell's rise to power in the court of King Henry VIII, played by Damian Lewis. The series is an adaptation of Hilary Mantel's novels "Wolf Hall" and "Bring Up the Bodies," depicting the political maneuvers and personal drama of the Tudor era.
- Creator(s)
- Peter Straughan, Peter Kosminsky, Hilary Mantel
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