ANNE BOLEYN’S B NECKLACE | Anne Boleyn’s jewellery | Famous Tudor jewels | Six wives documentary
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- čas přidán 5. 05. 2022
- What do we really know about ANNE BOLEYN’S B NECKLACE, one of the most recognisable and famous Tudor jewels? This pearl necklace with golden B pendant and accompanying gold chain is seen in multiple portraits of Henry VIII’s second wife, but as with so many other pieces of Anne Boleyn’s jewellery, its history and fate are obscure and a number of legends have grown up around it which may or may not be true, including the theory that it was inherited by her daughter Elizabeth I and that some of its pearls now sit in the Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom. In this six wives documentary from History Calling, we go back to the original sources to discover what we actually know about this infamous royal jewel, how much (if any) merit the stories around it deserve and what Anne’s attitude to initial or monogram jewellery was. We’ll also look at the wider fame and significance of the necklace, including its many appearances in screen depictions of Anne (such the portrayals of her by Natalie Dormer in The Tudors, Natalie Portman in The Other Boleyn Girl and Jodie Turner-Smith in Channel 5’s Anne Boleyn) and its continuing impact on modern fashion through its appearance in TV and fashion shows not related to this doomed Queen. As such, we’ll discuss the appearance of modernised versions of it in The Vampire Diaries, Ugly Betty, a Balenciaga fashion show and around the neck of famous individuals such as Bella Hadid.
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Henry and Anne - The Lovers Who Changed History (2014 docu-drama) amzn.to/2Stho5w (UK link) OR amzn.to/2USJc3Z (US link)
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READ
Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005) amzn.to/3h9efQD (UK link) OR amzn.to/3xLivgr (US link)
Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (2nd edn, Phoenix, 2009) amzn.to/3atiEfi (UK link) OR amzn.to/36IqD5r (US link)
David Starkey, Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII (Vintage, 2004) amzn.to/3k9uD4Z (UK link) OR amzn.to/3wImKIh (US link)
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What do you think happened to Anne Boleyn's B necklace? Let me know below and check out my PATREON site for extra perks at www.patreon.com/historycalling. You can also see my Amazon storefront at www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling
I have subscribed to your Chanel, I love that you are bringing a piece of my families history. As for the necklace, I would say it would have been melted down, and the pearls used for the Royal Crown.
Thanks Bryce and welcome aboard :-)
I have followed you as well when you started talking about Anne and her execution. It brought up my ancestry royal line. So I was wondering what more do you know of King Edward 1st Longshanks Plantagenet and Queen Eleanor Castile? Their daughter Princess Joan of Acre is my great ×generations grandmother. I have full physical proof of this lineage.
Knowing how much of a royal pig Henry was, I'm certain that he had the "B" melted down and used in something else, and who knows where the pearls ended up. I doubt he would've felt comfortable giving it to Elizabeth at any time, in fact, he tried so hard to erase Anne's memory from History, and he most likely wouldn't have wanted to remind Elizabeth of her constant loss due to his appetites. The lovely thing about this piece is that Anne can still be honored and remembered with fondness. I don't see anyone wearing laughably huge codpieces around in memory of Henry these days.
Thanks again, HC. You continue to inspire and amaze.
I'm always bemused when Anne Boleyn is portrayed in films as still wearing her "B" necklace after her marriage to the king. She is now the queen, why would she be wearing something that doesn't refer to her new royal state? I have a sneaking suspicion that she herself may have "repurposed" the "B" necklace.
Knowing the effort Henry put into destroying all evidence of her, I have no doubt this piece was broken down and repurposed. It is sad. Can you imagine if it had somehow survived and we could go look at it? The stuff historian's dreams are made of.
I agree, it was so instantly recognisable as hers and quite an unusual piece for the time, I imagine it was destroyed or repurposed almost immediately after her death. Having it intact or even just a more thorough drawing/description of it would be a dream come true, though!
He did his best to erase her from history but can we take a moment to recognize how badly that backfired.
I agree.. the likelihood is that sadly the necklace no longer exists.
What an amazing relic this would have been. I do love the story about it being in the crown. But it’s just fantasy.
Lots of videos on this platform that try to get inside the heads of serial killers! He definitely was one!
@@hardyquinn9442 This makes me irrationally happy. He was a murderous bully.
Imagine wearing a piece of jewelry so well that people are still trying to imitate that jewelry centuries later.
It wasn't just Anne's jewellery,she unconsciously captivated Henry's eyes with her passion and beauty which wasn't the traditional type of beauty at that time in England (she had brown eyes and relatively tanned skin as she was in the French court previously,in France so she wore French hoods and styled herself in French fashion most of the time)and then became queen with her intelligence which later made her this spectaculation she is today,if she hadn't been the queen of England and if Henry hadn't reformed the English church for her she wouldn't have been so well known in history neither the icon she is today.
Yes, Diana had her D necklace
One thing to note at this time pearls were the most valuable “gem” as diamonds were not readily available and modern cutting tools to bring out their brilliance hadn’t been invented. This necklace was to demonstrate the importance of her family that they could afford a necklace so expensive. As a graduate gemologist this important historical aspect of jewels tend to get lost in what we consider today.
I think that a nice strand of pearls is always associated with class, taste, and elegance. No doubt a link to past value and who was fiscally able to afford such a necklace. I love diamonds and pearls.
They were in Africa ( Egypt) where it was plentiful and the Jewelers were way ahead of their time. Unlike other folk
Back then pearls were entirely natural, they did not grow them. This would have meant their luster was very deep and they were extremely expensive. That many perfectly round natural pearls shows an extreme amount a wealth, especially if they all matched in color
@@vickiekay8317 lol wow you are everywhere with your egypt comments
Oh please do more talks about historical aspects of jewels; I would sign up for those videos STAT
As a jewellery nerd, I can confirm this is one of the most of not THE most iconic necklace in all of history, super glad you took the time to make a video on it
Thank you. I enjoyed this one and didn't see any other videos on CZcams on the necklace, so I was excited to do something new. Of course, I bet the people who steal my video ideas will steal this one as it's doing well :-|
It is very iconic but I have a feeling that the DuBarry Necklace is a little more iconic because of the chaos it caused with the French Revolution and the Affair of the Necklace
@@wiseowl9182 I don't know. I know the story of the DuBarry necklace, but I don't know what it looked like right off the top of my head. But I know what Anne's necklace looks like the second someone says Anne's B necklace. I'd hazard to guess most people do. Now role in history, yeah, the DuBarry necklace played a significant role, but in terms of recognition by the public at large, Anne's necklace would probably take the cake.
You must haven't seen jewels from Africa like Eygpt. Where diamonds and gold are plentiful. Lol
@@vickiekay8317 none are famous
The symbolism of the necklace design has always intrigued me: The letter B is an obvious one. However wondered if the three drop pearls refer to George, Mary, and Ann (The three children descending from Thomas Boleyn & Elizabeth Howard). While the Pearl has many symbolic meanings of wisdom gained through experience. Protection, as well as attract good luck and wealth. While gold can be symbolic of success, achievement, and triumph.
Ah, that's a lovely idea about the 3 pearls :-)
It failed at the, "Protection and good luck"...
The three pearls are really sweet, like getting peas-in-a-pod jewelry today
May grandmother never wore pearls. She was brought up to believe they were bad luck.
The 3 drop pearls were a common style/motif in this era. A nice idea but unlikely.
Thank you History Calling for insight into Anne's 'B' necklace. For me, the romanticist, I would hope that the necklace was given back to the Bolyen family and kept for her daughter Elizabeth. But I think the realist imagines, that like so many other things, Henry would have tried to erase them out of history. Oh to be a fly on the wall back in those days. Many blessings x
You're welcome. I would love to think it made its way back to her blood family too.
I doubt if any of her belongings were given to Elizabeth They were destroyed like her mom.
Anne is one of (if not my most) favorite historical figures. I have a B necklace in my jewelry box. I don't know why I bought it, other than I adore Anne and her story. I'm glad to have learned more about it with this video than before
I was just so happy you mentioned the necklace in "Ugly Betty" I loved that show, but didn't think very hard about the significance of its appearance. Tempted to make a version with freshwater pearls, silver wire and shells for myself after seeing the history
Your version of the necklace sounds lovely. Go for it! :-)
Ohh that’s a nice idea… my maiden last name starts with a B.. would be cool to make a kind of replica for myself lol
Tempted to get it in the future cause of Ugly Betty too
@@HistoryCalling I recommend to you the original Betty La Fea, a colombian telenovela in wich Ugly Betty was base off. Just for curiosity hahahaha
I think the necklace is so fascinating to us all because it's on one of the most beautiful images of Anne and it's such a stunning piece of jewelry. But it also kind of looks like those necklaces we all bought at Claire's Accessories when we were in our tweens with our names/initials. It makes us feel a little bit like Anne! Hey, I bought a necklace with my initials on it, too!
The B necklace is so fascinating and yet it was a simple item.
My thoughts exactly. I wish we had some documentary evidence regarding its existence.
I agree, we should start doing things like that again! Your initials or letter of your name.and stuff!
@HistoryCalling I find it hard to believe that they did not have at least a yearly inventory of such valuable items. Why wouldn't they do just such a thing when household items were inventoried regularly.
@Jason.cbr1000rr this seemed to go out of fashion when the government reccomended not giving such items as their names or initials to children as predators could use them to lurechildren into compromising situations. Someone always has to always ruin it for others.😢
@@HistoryCalling Forgive me for not replying to this until a full year later. I’ve been subscribed to your channel since about the summer of 2021 and the first video I’ve ever watched was the life of Mary I Queen of England and I was hooked from the very start. You’ve greatly fueled my passion for European History and I deeply appreciate the hard work and effort you put into each and every one of your videos and podcasts.
I have a copy of Anne Boleyn's B pendant, I saw it on Amazon and my mom was sweet enough to get it for me from a museum's gift shop in California, I believe (for about $20). It came on a simple long gold chain, but that was okay, because I already had a pearl necklace choker, and I just took a few good pairs of pliers to it and tweaked the B onto the pearls and called it a day. I love it. 😁
U can keep that!!!!!
It’s such a beautiful piece. It is just all about Anne! I’m sure Cromwell separated it and disposed of it! Wonderful review - thank you. 😊
It was gorgeous. It's such a shame it no longer exists. :-(
I had the same idea and its truly unfortunate...
My opinion is that the B necklace was a Boleyn family piece belonging to Elizabeth, the mother of Anne, and was a gift to her upon her engagement to Henry... possibly just fantasy as any other theory, but the 3 dangling pearls may have stood for Mary, Anne, and George, the Boleyn children. It is possible that the original necklace had an E and the same 3 dangles, switched to a B for Anne. That way the E may have also been in Anne's possession and later passed to Anne's daughter Elizabeth, her grandmother's namesake, or it stayed with Anne's mother who later passed it to her granddaughter. Since Elizabeth the daughter of Anne and Henry wears a very similar necklace in the family portrait, she received the pearls at some time, or closely resembling the original, and wears a similar pendant. Anyway that's my thought.
Who is the POC playing Boleyn and why would she be cast as her considering Boleyn was definitely white?
Wokeness. 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
I couldn't agree more! This diversity hire bs has gone too far. I was beyond ecstatic when i heard there was going to be a show about Anne Boleyn, until I saw the actress playing her and decided to never watch the ridiculous history remake. I doubt anyone would accept a Mlk Jr movie with a White man or woman playing the part, so why do this?!?
Ask the modern revisionists/Media experts. Complete turnoff.
I thought that was pretty stupid, too. Anne Boleyn was the mother of Queen Elizabeth, who had fair skin and red hair, and was definitely not a person of color. I'm not being racist, it's just fact. Anne Boleyn was a white person
She is an actress. The last Henry actor looked nothing like him either.
Pearls were very expensive and the size of those pearls are huge…on Elizabeth.
Omg, I just absolutely totally love everything that you do!!! You're incredible!!! I literally can't say enough good things about how you construct your videos!!! I'm just so glad to have found your channel a year or so more ago...I so look forward to everything you do! You're the BEST!!!!!
Wait why tf is Anne boylen Black in the 2021 channel 5 version ? Is that a joke?
This is so beyond ridiculously stupid!!!! Why is the world trying so damn hard to rewrite history???
Wokeness destroying history.
I have some scrap gold and two drop pearls, and I'm seriously considering making a replica of the pendant for my mother to wear. I'm not a Boleyn, but I am a Bourbon, so the letter would work for my family
Your voice is so calming and relaxing to me, almost like ASMR and I am obsessed with Tudor history so I’m so glad I’ve found your videos, will be subbing for sure! ❤️
Thank you and welcome aboard :-)
Im not sure why but I always thought her daughter had it
Thanks for the videos each week. Like you I love to “keep learning.” Thanks so much!
You're very welcome :-)
My last names Batten, my grandmother got me an Anne Boleyn B neckless when I was a lot younger I still treasure it today
This is a great topic for this post. I’ve been wondering about the authenticity of the “B” necklace for years. My own research lead to frustrating grey areas that were effectively opinions without any clear source on the matter in the literature. Thank you for your honest & thorough interpretation. Thanks also you the reproduction necklace links!
You're very welcome. Yes, it's one of those items that is fascinating and annoying at the same time, because we know enough to know that the necklace is interesting, but not enough to say where/when it came from or what happened to it.
I thought the most interesting pop culture reference to this necklace was the one Anna Marie Tendler wore after her divorce from John Mulaney. I think she even put a reference in the caption. Really cool video! Well done, love the channel.
Oh, I'm not familiar with that one, but I just went and looked it up and you're right - she was making a clear reference to Anne. Well spotted :-)
Those pictures of King Henry the 8th, that were computerized/animated to make them more life like, are both great and creepy.
Very creepy!
A bit like Henry himself at times :-)
Thank you for uploading this. You have a beautiful voice and it is a joy to listen to you.
You're welcome and thank you very much :-)
Thanks, I always love your videos, most informative and balanced information and the fact you reger to your source materials is fantastic. I love reading books, but your reference to other historians works is a great resource. Your research is 1st class. Please keep it up. 💯.
Thank you so much for your kind donation Sean and I hope you enjoyed hearing about Anne's necklace :-)
I love your content i am sorry i couldn't give more i have my mortgage payment.. but i love ur content please keep it up i love tudor history
Tht “a” necklace Elizabeth was wearing, almost looks like a bow to me personally
i am finding your series on the various royal jewels fascinating. genuinely surprised at how much scholarship there is out there.
Thank you. I love the jewels too :-)
Love your videos! Fascinating. Thankyou 👏🏼👏🏼
Thanks Linda. I thought this one would be a little different, so I hope you enjoy it.
You certainly put amazing research into everything you do, thank you makes everything interesting
Thanks Scott. This one was fun to look into, particularly as I didn't see any other videos on CZcams on the topic and I love finding something fresh to say (always a very difficult thing to do with the Tudors).
I am so fascinated by the clothing and jewels that were worn by the Royals at this time. I really think the drawings by Holbein are the real Anne. It’s just something I feel, no research other than listening to historians like you. I know there are pros and cons on the drawings but the paintings look like the drawing, they just don’t emphasize her features. I bet Elizabeth got that necklace. I am so glad she became the Queen. ❤️Thank You for all you do. Your videos are awesome❤
LOVED this video - thank you Ms HC 💜
You're welcome :-)
Thanks! I love your content, it is wonderfully constructed and very clear!
THANK YOU so much McKinley for your generous donation and kind words. I'm delighted that you're enjoying the channel's content. :-)
Brilliant video very detailed. Love the clarity of your voice
Love Friday! Another great video on an unexpected topic! Thank you!
You are so welcome :-)
Brilliant video- well researched and beautifully presented. Love it ❤
Thank you very much :-)
Very enjoyable and informative. Thank you!
Ummmmm
I think there’s a mistake in the thumbnail.
Loved loved LOVED this!! I'm obsessed with the Tudors, and this piece of jewellery is, indeed, iconic. Subscribed immediately, even though the moving paintings really creepier me out! 😂
Thank you so much and welcome aboard. Do check out the Tudor Monarchs and Six Wives of Henry VIII playlists that I have. They'll be right up your street.
What's the explanation for the brown-skined woman wearing the pendant?
Wokeness.
You always do such a well-researched video. Well done!👏👏👏😍
Thank you :-)
Thanks!
THANK YOU so much for your generous donation Raithen. It's much appreciated and I hope you enjoyed hearing about Anne's B necklace :-)
cant wait to watch, love love the jewelry episodes!
Thank you. Hope you liked it :-)
Thanks HS! Your videos never disappoint 💜💜💜
THANK YOU for your very kind donation Anna. Your support is much appreciated and I'm glad you enjoyed learning about Anne's necklace :-)
@@HistoryCalling you're most welcome! Happy to support you 🤗🙌
Thank you :-)
I’m a teacher and my kids wear necklaces that were obviously inspired by Anne’s (gold letters studded with gems and tear drop shaped dropping down) and they have noooooooooo idea. It makes me happy.
Love this channel, one of my favourites
Thanks Vicky :-)
Thank you for your important work.
THANK YOU BRAD for your generous donation to the channel and kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed hearing about Anne's B necklace.
Really enjoyed this, so interesting!
Thank you :-)
Another great video. I'm so happy you didn't include the odd portrait of Anne in this. I think that artist was just imagining Anne as if she was an Habsburg version.
Haha, thank you :-)
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for keeping the Tudors alive! 🖤♥️✨
You're very welcome and THANK YOU for your generous donation to my channel. I appreciate it :-)
I really appreciate the depth of your research.
As to the family portrait with the 'A' pendant: I wonder whether, given the fact poor Anne died in disgrace, such a tribute would have been allowed by Henry to be made to her memory? Particularly since Anne's successor wife was in the same picture.
I doubt it too.
He would never have allowed Elizabeth to honor her mother, either publicly in a painting, or privately. He actually considered having his daughter Mary executed for going against his wishes.
As far as Jane Seymour being in the painting, she had been dead for more than a decade when the picture was painted.
That was quite interesting. Nicely done!
Great episode, thank you 👵👵🇦🇺🇦🇺👍👍
Five out of six actresses make good sense.
I seem to recall reading that these type initial pendants were very popular at the time, almost like a piece of fashion jewelry, but I don’t recall where I read that or seeing anyone else (Besides Elizabeth) wearing such a necklace.
I do remember reading that line in Weir’s book and thinking how bold young Elizabeth must have been. I even wondered if it could’ve been added later. Henry was of such mercurial temperament that maybe he was simply over whatever anger he had at Anne by that point. Catherine Parr playing such a role of peacemaker with Henry and his children might have had something to do with that.
You're correct about the popularity of initial necklaces. There's a drawing of Mary Brandon, Lady Monteagle wearing a big M for instance.
Thank you for a very informative video 📹 on Anne Boleyn 👑 and her famous 'B' necklace💎. I am obsessed with Anne and everything about her.
You're welcome :-)
Well done again, HC! I can't imagine this subject would have appealed to me without your engaging presentation. Other than buying jewelry for my lady love, I've never had much interest in beads and baubles. 😉 Thoroughly enjoyable. I'd actually forgotten about Charlotte Rampling's portrayal of Anne. I was always partial to Bujold's performance, but I still haven't viewed "The Tudors."
You're welcome. The Tudors is actually fairly good. Yes, they fudge the timeline in season 1 a lot, but beyond that, it's much more accurate than they needed to make it.
@@HistoryCalling I enjoyed The Tudors also, to the extent that I bought the series on DVD 📀.
@@HistoryCalling parts of it, sure, but I found the mangling of the stories of Henry's sister(s) incredibly annoying.
One (Margaret) had an incredibly interesting life married to the King of Scotland which is almost completely ignored.
And for no reason her name is given to the story of the other sister, Mary, who slso for no reason is said to have married the King of Portugal, not France as she actually did.
Changes for the sake of a better or tighter story are one thing, but this just make no sense on any level.
I have the full set of The Tudors on DVD -- can't get enough of them - my favourite British era.
Meh.....The Tudors is INCREDIBLY historically inaccurate!!!! I enjoyed it, until I found actual GOOD shows about them!!!! I would highly HIGHLY recommend watching The White Queen, The Whote Princess and The Spanish Princess. Yes, there is some inaccuracies, but FAR LESS than even a single episode of The Tudors. I absolutely hated that they kept Johnathan Rhys Meyers as Henry through the entire series....Henry NEVER ages!!! He never gets fat!! [insert eye roll] Like, I get it...he's good looking....who cares tho!! Put that man in a fat suit immediately!!! LOL
I love your thorough and balanced documentaries. Your research is obviously excellent. Just curious, do you plan on doing anything on England’s very early monarchs, such as the Anglo Saxon kings of both pre and post unified England? I realize there’s less information out there on them, but I’m so fascinated and would like to know more. Thanks for what you do.
No plans at the moment I'm afraid. I think it would be hard, as you say, to gather up sufficient evidence to do much more than speculate. :-(
Thanks for this interesting video. What a pity that we don't have this necklace anymore! I'm not an Anne's fan, but it would be exciting to see this iconic jewel. I saw some Mary Stuart's personal items in Scotland and it was deeply thrilling. Some simply items have the power to materialize history and give us the idea we can reach and touch it with our own hands... I think the necklace suffered a damnatio memoriae and probably Henry used it to made other jewels because it was impossibile to recycle it as he did with other most rich jewels. But I like to think that some lady in waiting gave it to Elizabeth, even if she preferred not to use it. To adfirm her mother's innocence it was to declare her father guilty of murder, as he was.
Argh! Every time I see the ridiculously incorrect channel 5 version of Anne, I want to cry. Anyway, I bought a replica of this necklace but with my initial rather than a B, I love it ♡
Wow, yeah I likened it to fingernails down a chalk board ...... Kind of like that Marie Antoinette movie, but I think that movie was not shot in the light of "historical" accuracy. Alot of this "Revisionist history" needs to be exclaimed as such, and it is channels such as this that are helping to separate "fact from fiction". As always very well done and I'm subscribing!
I don't want to get drawn into a conversation about the colour-blind casting and historical inaccuracies of the Channel 5 show as I think the woke extremists would come for me, but I will say that that channel is not known for high quality history shows in general. For example, I watched a show about Princess Grace's children last year and at two separate points, Grace was under discussion, but footage of Ingrid Bergman was shown!
@@HistoryCalling You are exactly right and wise, it is unfortunate that many people in the general public will consume whatever is fed them or "popular" and no one is the wiser. I foresee this as a modern case of "ignorance is bliss". But who am I to judge.... The truth has a funny or rather "poetic" way of catching up sooner or later. A few of your vids have expertly displayed this.
For is History not the judge of us all?
Thanks again for such quality content!
I agree with you. That's not her.
Thank you for a great presentation :)
Thanks Jens. I had fun researching and putting this one together, especially as I didn't see any other videos on the topic on CZcams. It's always nice to be able to offer something fresh.
Enjoyed this very much, just subscribed, thankyou
Welcome aboard! :-)
I can't think of a more recognisable piece of jewellery (or at least one which isn't so frequently replicated and placed in adaptations) than this one. Also goddammit, Oliver Cromwell strikes again with the crown jewels. I wonder tho if perhaps something of Anne may have made its way into the collection before he got his hands on it and ruined everything for historians of the future.
Do you mean 'made its way out of the collection' and therefore beyond his grasp? That's certainly possible. Queen Henrietta Maria may have taken some jewels when she fled for instance, though I don't know if she actually did.
@@HistoryCalling I meant, "there might have been some in the collection but now we'll never know because Oliver Cromwell". Maybe Henrietta Maria did take some but again, who knows?
@@naomiskilling1093such a fool Cromwell was not to place historic value on the crown jewels. Even then they could have set up exhibits to produce income. Not in such a large sum at one time, but all the same, the jewels were significant to just not the Crown but to England.
Thank you for a great video anne boleyn is my favorite queen consort ever love your channel
Thanks Leila. I find her fascinating too and didn't see any other videos addressing her necklace, so I thought this would be something fresh on her.
Actually, Henry crowned Anne Queen Regnant for all the good it did her. 🌹💔
As always fantastic and interesting video!! 🖤🌸
Thank you so much. I enjoyed researching this one.
@@HistoryCalling Very well done! My grandmother's name is Bonnie and she often wears a B necklace. It always reminds me of Anne.
I agree with you when the necklace is utilized a little too much in depiction of the late queen. She would have possessed more elaborate jewelry once she was queen. But the B is indeed so iconic.
Funny how a "historical" channel includes a photo of an extremely not historical representation of Anne.
Thanks! much enjoy your professional presentations😊
OH WOW! Thank you Philip for your incredibly generous donation to the channel. That really is so kind of you. I certainly hope that for $50 you enjoyed hearing about Anne's B necklace.
@@HistoryCalling My pleasure, not just for Anne's necklace but as a very amateur history enthusiast I've enjoyed so many of your presentations. Do keep up the good work!
I don't think there is any way in Hell that Elizabeth would have worn a necklace referencing Anne Boleyn in a portrait that included Henry VIII. He'd have been furious.
Thanks for another great video!
I was just watching one of your videos on Anne of Cleves, and it got me wondering about the relationships that Henry's kids had with their stepmothers. It seems like we only hear about Katherine Parr and Elizabeth, or Anne Boleyn and Mary, and I'd love to know more about the dynamics the kids had with their other stepmothers.
My videos on Mary and Elizabeth should help with that I think (it's been a while since I looked at them, which is why I can't remember exactly what I said in them). Mary and Katherine Howard had a tricky relationship, but Katherine gifted a necklace to Elizabeth and seems to have been kind to her in general.
I haven’t any theories about what happened to the necklace, except that we know more recent British royals have recycled gems from older pieces to suit changing fashion, so why wouldn’t earlier ones have done the same (at least until Cromwell got hold of what survived)? That said, I really enjoyed this happy topic!
Yes, recycling was a big thing and I imagine the same happened to Anne's necklace.
Allison Weir describes the lavish gifts of jewels exchanged by Henry and his courtiers, so the gold and pearls could equally well have gone into gifts for others as to new items for Anne’s use or the use of whoever inherited her collection.
I don't think there's any reason to believe the necklace Elizabeth is wearing in Henry's family portrait is Anne's old necklace as Mary and Jane are wearing necklaces in the exact same style. Of course, Jane wasn't really there but if she was painted wearing that style of necklace, then it's likely she did wear them when she was alive. So if all the ladies were wearing them, it was obviously just a common design for jewellery at the time which means Elizabeth may have had several of them.
I've seen articles on the Imperial State Crown, listing the individual jewels, which say the pearls may have belonged to Elizabeth I but as the history of most of the crown jewels was lost during Cromwell's reign, we can't be sure. They're pretty generic droplet shaped pearls so they could have come from anywhere.
Exactly what I was going to say, they ALL wear that kind of necklace. It seemed to be pretty popular.
Yes, pendants were popular (Jane is wearing the consort's pendant that you can also see in her Holbein). I'm afraid I don't buy into the pearls in the crown story at all. Much as I would love that to be true, I think it's just wishful thinking. As you say, pearls are so generic looking, they could date from any time.
I love these videos
I've often wondered about it so thank you
You're welcome :-)
I’d love to know more about Holbein’s jewelry designs, thats something I hadn’t heard of before!
Me either, I would love to know more.
So much was lost, destroyed or repurposed that we may never know.
This was a really absorbing video, as are all History Calling videos. I have to go along with the idea that the necklace didn't survive in tact much past Anne's death, that Henry broke it down and had new pieces fashioned.
As always amazing, funny how something that people at the time mist likely didn't spend a lot of time thinking about keep us enthralled and debating what could it mean, was there a hidden message, etc
Also the thought that she wore it almost daily is funny but I bet if you asked the average person they would say that she did
Most likely over time it got incorporated into other things
Yes, it just goes to show that you often don't know something is important until much later.
@@HistoryCalling Agreed, H C. *True in many Facets of Life.*
Thank you.
Stay free. Rab 🍻😎 🎲 ⏳ 🌠
At last I can contribute! ❤️
Amazing video, Dr Ms History!. Being from the East End I am incredibly biased towards her. My local teams stadium is said to be built on the Boleyn old castle.
THANK YOU very much Jay for your donation and your constant support, as you're one of my most active and engaged followers. Tis much appreciated :-)
@@HistoryCalling it is my honour my dear doctor!
I'm flattered to be so noticed haha.
Of course. :-) CZcams lets you filter out the Super Thanks comments so that they are the only ones you see, so I'm making an effort to respond to them all. I figure it's the least I can do to say thank you to everyone.
@@HistoryCalling I can't recall you ever not replying to my comments in fairness!
I found a replica of an AH pendant online, and was very tempted as it’s my initials. I spend a while pondering what the H stood for, not even thinking of Henry. Now it makes more sense
Well done! Thanks
Thanks Nathan. This was a fun one to put together.
@@HistoryCalling it definitely sounded like you enjoyed this one, as an American all of your subjects are new and interesting.
Such a fun video!
Thank you :-)
Bein interested in history I've had an interest in the Tudors since being at school many years ago; knowing of this my husband gave me a beautiful pearl choker necklace very similar to the famous B necklace, but with a gold initial F attached for my surname; this piece is obviously one of my favourites and always a conversation starter when I wear it to functions! I found your video very interesting and have subscribed to view many more to which I look forward.
Thanks Vikki and welcome aboard :-)
Brilliant. I love this necklace.
I can’t state my source because I honestly don’t remember. But I have heard and believed a few things over my years of reading about this amazing lady’s life.
First is that when Henry confiscated her personal belongings, those things of value were dismantled and remade and went back into his coffer. And I’m sure Henry regifted things to future Queens after a little facelift.
The second thing is that a few choice items were somehow saved and hid for her daughter, like her recently discovered Book of Hours. But I think if this jewel was saved it would have definitely resurfaced by now.
The movies put it that her necklace was a single strand with her B for Boleyn, compared to in books putting that Henry gifted her a 7 strand pearl necklace of rose colored pearls that later was sold to the Queen of France after Anne's death. The B necklace could have been a gift from her father when she was put forward to catch Henry's eye.
Thank you.
those animated portraits took me by surprise !!
Just keeping you on your toes :-)
Very interesting topic! It only occurred to me recently that you can easily get a replica of her necklace online. I may just have to look into that! As for what happened to it, I think either Henry had it broken up and repurposed or it got destroyed by Cromwell.
The most recent use outside of telling Anne’s story that I’ve seen was actually at the end of one of Burnadette Banner’s videos. (For those who don’t know about her, she’s a dress historian here on CZcams) It was fun to see a piece of historically inspired jewelry that I actually recognized!!
Great video as always and I look forward to the next one!
Ah, yes. A B necklace would make perfect sense for Ms Banner :-)
Great vid. We'll narrated has ever.
Hi,, I love your video's, soo interesting,, also like your Irish accent
If Henry did not have the B Necklace destroyed after Anne's death, then it probably made its way to Elizabeth I. She probably had the option of merely possessing it but never wearing it, or refashioning it to something less symbolic of her mother. This could have been something as simple as a solid cover that clipped onto the B, or the B was detached and a new emblem or emblems created for it. Its final fate, I believe, was that it survives in some fashion. She either passed it on in her lifetime, or it was buried with her.
Didn't she have a locket or ring with a picture of her mother?
What was the video you referenced? Your videos are my favorite on historical topics because of your dedication to finding as much of the truth as can be found. Thank you!
Hmm, I referenced a few. My own ones are linked in the on-screen cards, end-screen and below the video. I also mentioned Dr Owen Emmerson's channel.
@@HistoryCalling thank you so much for your reply! It was Dr Owen Emmerson. I was looking at the description on my phone which could be why I didn’t see them.
Thanks.
Henry and anne deserve each other...Catherine is a good Faithful Queen and she dont deserve Henry
My guess is that the original portrait was painted much earlier than 1534… as you point out, as queen or queen in waiting she was wearing A, AR or HA or even complicated initial pendants that had hidden meanings to the wearer and perhaps their beloved. Her gown and cap, though embellished and rather chic and sophisticated, is not particularly ostentatious or extravagant… as queen I’d assume she’d be wearing a much more embellished gown and cap, and more expensive jewelry. It’s possible she preferred to dress with an emphasis on style rather than ostentation, but the Tudors were known to dress richly as a form of propaganda and Anne as a second and unpopular queen probably would have been extra careful to show off her regal status as queen through her clothing. If you look at the Holbein sketch that’s believed to be of her, and the Moost Happi coin, she’s wearing an English gable hood in keeping with her status as Queen of England with much more elaborate jewelry.
As for the rose, it either could be a style choice of the painter and not in the original painting, or simply that the rose wasn’t symbolic of her marriage to Henry at all, but ‘just a rose’. Or… it could be her showing off her own distant ancestry from the Plantagenets and Lancasters. Since it’s not a contemporary painting, and it’s the only existing B portrait that showcases it, we can guess that the rose wasn’t likely to be in the original portrait all the others are copies of.
This portrait is also very similar to one believed to be painted of her as a child, perhaps when she was in France as a portrait for the aborted Butler marriage… it also bears a striking similarity, including the mysterious smile, of a certain portrait by Leonardo, which she may have seen in France.
She would probably not be wearing a B for Boleyn anytime after, say 1527 or 28, when she was openly the king’s queen in waiting. Her royal coat of arms prove she was trying to promote her lineage to a wide array of semi-royal families, not just the Boleyn’s so I rather think she’d be downplaying her Boleyn ancestry from about 1527-8 onwards.
Yes, I agree actually that the jewellery and clothing aren't over the top enough to be a Queen. Henry's other wives, when painted as Queens, looked a lot more extravagant.
👑❣👑 thanks!