Mark Smeaton: #1 of Five Co Accused in Anne Boleyn Trial
Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII found Anne Boleyn guilty of committing adultery with five men who also plotted to assassinate the King.
Was their case sound and credible? This video starts by looking at Mark Smeaton - the first (#1) of the five co-accused in the Anne Boleyn trial
Chapters:
00:00 Henry VIII’s decision to execute Anne Boleyn
00:06 Thomas Cromwell
00:16 Beheading of Anne Boleyn and her co-accused
00:23 Mark Smeaton
00:33 Mark Smeaton’s “Confession”
00:57 The Only One Tortured
01:08 Smeaton Confession as Evidence
01:29 Were the Others Guilty?
01:37 Outro
When Henry VIII killed Anne Boleyn in 1536, he based his decisions on the case presented by Thomas Cromwell, that Anne Boleyn was committing Adultery with five men who planned to kill him.
He beheaded Anne and all five men but were they guilty? We will look briefly at the cases against each of these men, starting with Mark Smeaton.
Mark Smeaton was a musician in the court of Henry VIII of England and the household of Queen Anne Boleyn.
Spanish Chronicle recorded that Thomas Cromwell tortured him with a knotted cord around his eyes at the Tower of London before he confessed to being the Queen's lover.
However, his confession did not align with the facts: Smeaton stated that he was with the Queen on 13 May 1535 at Greenwich, but the records showed Anne was at Richmond that day.
As he was of low birth, he was the only one tortured and the only one who confessed. His confession was the basis for the case of Anne and all other men. Everyone else maintained their innocence.
Smeaton's charge also caused the most significant scandal because everyone, including Anne, was shocked that Cromwell would charge the Queen to have had an affair with a person of such a low rank.
Who were the other four co-accused with Anne Boleyn? Were Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell's cases against them more credible?
The Music is “The Days” by Christian Larssen licensed via Music Vine: TUVA3CMXE620ZDUB
These are our videos on Anne Boleyn:
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Real Look of Anne Boleyn:
Anne Boleyn Stories
Boleyn Family
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