Did ANNE BOLEYN have a PSEUDO PREGNANCY in 1534? The second wife of Henry VIII is generally assumed to have had three pregnancies; one which resulted in the birth of Elizabeth I in 1533, one which ended in an unrecorded miscarriage or stillbirth in the summer of 1534 and one which ended in a miscarried son in January 1536. These are also the pregnancies frequently shown in films, TV shows and documentaries about Henry’s doomed Queen, such as The Tudors and Wolf Hall. There is debate however, as to whether Anne Boleyn’s second pregnancy was real, or if she mistakenly thought she was expecting again; a condition known as a pseudo pregnancy (or pseudocyesis). Indeed her stepdaughter, Queen Mary I, would later experience one of the most famous cases of pseudo pregnancy in history, due to the extreme psychological stress she felt around the need to produce an heir. In Anne’s case, the Imperial Ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, reported that by September 1534, Henry was beginning ‘to entertain doubts as to his mistress’ reported pregnancy’ and this comment has fuelled speculation that Mary was not the only Tudor Queen affected by pseudocyesis. In this six wives documentary from History Calling, we’ll look at the evidence for Anne’s middle pregnancy, the causes of pseudo pregnancies and how likely it is that she suffered from this phenomena. In the course of the video, I’ll also reveal how many pregnancies Anne Boleyn had and discuss the theory that she was pregnant in the summer of 1535.

Patreon:   / historycalling  
Instagram:   / historycalling  

SUBSCRIBE with NOTIFICATIONS switched on for new videos every Friday.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:

THE BIRTH OF ANNE BOLEYN
   • WHEN WAS ANNE BOLEYN BORN? Six wives ...  

THE LIFE OF HENRY VIII, PART 2 | THE STORY OF ANNE BOLEYN
   • THE LIFE OF HENRY VIII, part 2 | The ...  

ANNE BOLEYN’S EXECUTION: HOLLYWOOD VS HISTORY    • ANNE BOLEYN’S EXECUTION. Hollywood ve...  

DIGGING UP ANNE BOLEYN AND OTHERS
   • DIGGING UP ANNE BOLEYN and others | B...  

WHAT HAPPENED TO QUEEN ANNE’S CHILDREN [VIDEO ON ANNE STUART]
   • WHAT HAPPENED TO QUEEN ANNE’S CHILDRE...  

SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST
   • Six wives of Henry VIII  

BUY OR RENT

The Tudors, season 1 https://amzn.to/3rFmveg (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/2VCwQ0j (US link)
The Tudors, season 2 https://amzn.to/3m64HIn (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/2VMPnHw (US link)
The Tudors, season 3 https://amzn.to/3wiwPwi (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3BijsPB (US link)
The Tudors, season 4 https://amzn.to/3rNeggF (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3z16S58 (US link)

Wolf Hall (2015) https://amzn.to/2UJ9Mwz (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3B70Qlp (US link)

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) https://amzn.to/3jhXAgo (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3xKvbEg (US link)

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) https://amzn.to/3dAIlf9 (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3z5xt18 (US link)

Henry and Anne The Lovers Who Changed History (2014 docudrama) https://amzn.to/2Stho5w (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/2USJc3Z (US link)

Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docudrama) https://amzn.to/3jiCkag

Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docudrama) https://amzn.to/3hd93vd (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3wH2mr2 (US link)

DVDS

The Tudors complete collection: https://amzn.to/3gWs4Ty (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3z3Ef7n (US link)

Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016 docudrama): https://amzn.to/3h7Qh8z (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3xKuBGA (US link)

BOOKS

Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (WileyBlackwell, 2005) https://amzn.to/3h9efQD (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3xLivgr (US link)

Sarah Morris and Natalie Grueninger, In the Footsteps of Anne Boleyn (2013) https://amzn.to/3y8rt6z (UK LINK) OR https://amzn.to/2W9oJct (US LINK)

Antonia Fraser, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (2nd edn, Phoenix, 2009) https://amzn.to/3atiEfi (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/36IqD5r (US link)

David Starkey, Six Wives: the Queens of Henry VIII (Vintage, 2004) https://amzn.to/3k9uD4Z (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/3wImKIh (US link)

Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate, 2010) https://amzn.to/3AbIr6D (UK link) OR https://amzn.to/2UQmA48 (US link)

THUMBNAIL: Portrait of Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle. Detail of a photo taken by a friend and used with permission.

NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.

Creative Commons licenses used see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/