Portrait of Anne Boleyn by an unknown English artist

Anne Boleyn at the Tower of London: Coronation, Execution and Grave

She was educated at two of the finest courts in Europe, turned down the role of royal mistress and helped change the religion of England. The Tower saw her prepare to be crowned, and three years later saw her die.

Visit

Timed entry to the fortress, the Crown Jewels and the White Tower. Tower of London tickets

Location

Tower of London, London EC3N 4AB, on the north bank of the Thames.

Visit duration

Historic Royal Palaces suggests two or three hours. Plan your visit

Buried

In the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, beside Tower Green, inside the fortress walls.

Who Was Anne Boleyn?

Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII and the mother of Elizabeth I. Raised partly at the French court, she refused to become the king’s mistress and held out for marriage, and she brought reformist books to a king looking for a way out of his first marriage. She was crowned in 1533, arrested in 1536 and beheaded on Tower Green on 19 May, one of the women of the Tower of London who were killed for what they represented.

Anne Boleyn in Brief

She was born around 1501 and spent her childhood at Hever Castle in Kent.

She lived for seven years in the household of Queen Claude of France.

She gave Henry VIII a copy of Tyndale’s Obedience of a Christian Man.

She was the first royal patron of Hans Holbein.

She was crowned on 1 June 1533, six months pregnant with Elizabeth.

Henry VIII married Jane Seymour 11 days after her execution.

An Education at the Courts of Europe

In 1513 Anne’s father sent her to the court of Margaret of Austria, then to France, where she stayed seven years with Queen Claude. She came home able to sing, play and dance, and set new fashions at court.

Henry VIII’s interest grew serious in 1526. Anne refused to become a mistress, as her sister Mary had been, and held out for marriage while the king sought to end his marriage to Katherine of Aragon.

She may also have shown him a way to do it: Tyndale’s book argued that authority lay with the Bible, not the Pope. They married in January 1533.

Anne Boleyn at the Tower: From Coronation to Arrest

The Byward Tower at the Tower of London — Photo: Christine Matthews, geograph.org.uk, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In May 1533 Anne was escorted by river to the Tower and prepared for her coronation in the royal apartments. Elizabeth was born that September, but miscarriages followed in 1534 and 1536.

She also fell out with Thomas Cromwell, who sent the money from the monasteries to the king rather than to the charitable causes she had hoped for. In 1536 he moved against her with charges of adultery and plotting.

She was arrested on 2 May and brought by barge through the postern gate now called the Byward Tower. Asked if she would go to a dungeon, she was told she would lodge where she had stayed before her coronation.

Anne Boleyn’s Execution and Grave

the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula beside Tower Green — Photo: Michael Coppins, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A trial packed with her enemies found her guilty. Henry granted her one mercy, a skilled swordsman from France instead of an axe, and the execution of a queen was staged inside the walls, away from the public.

On 19 May 1536 she was beheaded on Tower Green. Her last words spoke no ill of the king, probably to protect her daughter.

She was buried in the chapel beside the green. In 1876 remains thought to be hers were found and reburied near the altar, under a memorial pavement that carries her name and arms.

Where to Find Anne Boleyn at the Tower

The Byward Tower

The postern gate where she arrived after her arrest is now the visitors’ way in.

Tower Green

The scaffold site memorial stands near the place where she was beheaded.

The Chapel Royal

Her name is set into the memorial pavement near the altar.

Her Daughter, Elizabeth I

Held in her mother’s old rooms in 1554, she was released on 19 May, the anniversary of Anne’s death.

Visiting the Tower of London for Anne Boleyn

Follow her last journey in order: in through the Byward Tower, across to Tower Green and the scaffold site memorial, then into the chapel where she is buried. The chapel holds regular services, so it can close at times, and the Crown Jewels and the White Tower are on the same ticket.

Tower of London: An Iconic and Intriguing Location!

Highlights

Explore an iconic landmark steeped in political intrigue and royal history.

Discover the newly restored Medieval Palace showcasing stories of monarchs and their households.

See the Crown Jewels, a highlight of the exhibition.

Admire the White Tower with Henry VIII’s oversized armor and London’s oldest church, St John’s Chapel.

Experience thrilling narratives about the Tower’s past, including imprisonment and executions.

Questions About Anne Boleyn

Where is Anne Boleyn buried?

In the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London, where her name is on a memorial pavement near the altar.

How did Anne Boleyn die?

She was beheaded with a sword by an executioner brought from France, on Tower Green inside the Tower of London.

When was Anne Boleyn executed?

On 19 May 1536, after three years of marriage to Henry VIII.

How old was Anne Boleyn when she died?

Around 35. Historians generally place her birth in about 1501.

Why was Anne Boleyn executed?

She was convicted of adultery and plotting against the king. Many historians see the charges as the work of court faction.

Can you see Anne Boleyn’s grave?

Yes. The chapel and its memorial pavement are inside the fortress and included in admission, outside service times.