1. Anne Boleyn and British Protestantism By Cas Morris

2. Thesis  Anne Boleyn was instrumental in the transformation of England from a Catholic state to a Protestant one.

3. Main arguments  She had reformist tendencies herself and was a patron of reformers.  Henry at least thought he was truly in love with her and so was in a position to be influenced by her ideas.  She introduced Henry to certain reformist ideas which encouraged him in his break from the church, primarily by lending him the book Obedience of a Christian Man.  added urgency to his desire for a divorce from Catherine which may have made him more prone to rash action.

4. Three most useful Primary sources  Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn: The Love Letters  Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic from the Reign of King Henry VIII by James Gairdner  Obedience of a Christian Man William Tynsdale

5. Two most useful Secondary Sources  Rethinking the Fall of Anne Boleyn by Greg Walker  The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn by Retha Warnicke

6. 9 out of 10 scholars disagree  Literally no one agrees on anything.  Some say there was a conspiracy to bring Anne down  Others say there wasn’t  Some say she was a reformer  Others say she wasn’t  Born in 1501 or 1507?

7. Henry VIII Auditioning for the Role of Othello  As it turns out it seems most likely that there was no conspiracy at all and Anne simply had a few indiscreet conversation that taken with Mark Smeaton’s confession drove him to believe she was guilty.

8. Contribution to Class Topic  The creation of the Church of England had enormous and lasting effects on the monarchy and society of Great Britain.  It made the monarch the head of the church and brought about laws such as the Succession Act which banned Catholics from gaining the throne.  Heretics were now traitors as well.