This week we took a trip out to the countryside and saw Hever Castle. I didn't have any expectations for it since I didn't really know what it was. It wasn't until the bus ride there (or coach ride, as they say here in the UK), that I discovered it was Anne Boleyn's childhood home! At this point I got really excited. I love anything that is connected with her because I find her to be such a strong, fascinating woman and a pivotal figure in history. I also have this deep sadness for her that I cannot really explain. It's not that I can directly relate to what she went through; I'm not exactly in the position to marry a king and then subsequently get my head chopped off. However,I do see her as someone to look up to. In a time where women had no rights at all and were basically seen as birthing vessels, she truly held power over the most powerful man in England. I also admire how strong she was, how she refused to settle for being his mistress and only had her sights set on being his wife.
Coming to the castle was amazing. It was such an intense experience to walk the same grounds that she had walked, before her life was changed forever. I could picture her as a young girl living at the castle, walking around the gardens, looking out the window at the mote and seeing the way the light reflected off the water, making it glitter. When I made it to the room that served as her bedroom, I really took the time to stop and breathe it all in. It was a powerful moment that I couldn't explain. There have been a lot of instances where I have looked forward to seeing something, and then once I saw it, the experience was over. This was different. I really felt a powerful and sad feeling. It was strange to stand in her bedroom, such a personal space. I looked out her window and felt as though I was looking through her eyes at what she would have seen everyday. I tried to stay in the room as long as I could, just drinking in the powerful atmosphere that surrounded it. I felt so sad to be standing in her childhood bedroom, a symbol of innocence and potential, when I was already well aware of her tragic fate. I saw her as a young girl and I just felt so sad for her.
The castle was also filled with paintings of Henry VIII and some of his things. I wondered what Anne would think of that if she could see it. The man that had passionately pursued her and then mercilessly ended her life has a permanent place in her childhood home, the place that was separate from her life with Henry. Would she have wanted him to be forever following her, even in death? I came upon a letter that Henry had written to Anne that was framed on the wall. It was addressed to her as "My mistress and my friend". I felt a tingle as I read this letter. It was so beautiful and loving, and to call a woman his friend seemed to indicate love on a deeper level. The irony of that letter was constantly hanging over me as I read his loving, eloquent words to her. He killed her. He loved her, she was his friend, his mistress, his wife, and he killed her. He decided she deserved to have her head chopped off. He married Jane Seymour soon after. It was painful for me to see this letter, and to understand Anne's pain, her fallen grace, her tragedy. It is a feeling that has stayed with me, even after leaving Hever Castle. The experience of that will never really be over.
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