Anne's father continued his diplomatic career under Henry VIII.
In Europe,
his charm won many admirers, including Margaret of Austria, daughter
of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. During this period, Margaret ruled
the Netherlands on her nephew Charles's behalf and was so impressed
with Boleyn that she offered his daughter Anne a place in her household.
Ordinarily, a girl had to be 12 years old to have such an honour, but Anne
may have been younger, as Margaret affectionately called her "la petite
Boulin [sic]".[25] Anne made a good impression in the Netherlands with her
manners and studiousness; Margaret reported that she was well spoken
and pleasant for her young age,[26] and told Thomas that his daughter was
"so presentable and so pleasant, considering her youthful age, that I am
more beholden to you for sending her to me, than you to me" (E.W. Ives,
op.cit.). Anne stayed with Margaret from spring 1513 until her father
arranged for her to attend Henry VIII's sister Mary, who was about to
marry Louis XII of France in October 1514.
In France, Anne was a maid of honour to Queen Mary, and then to Mary's
15-year-old stepdaughter Queen Claude, with whom she stayed nearly
seven years.[27][28] In the Queen's household, she completed her study
of French and developed interests in art, fashion, illuminated manuscripts,
literature, music, poetry, and religious philosophy. She also acquired
knowledge of French culture, dance, etiquette, literature, music, and poetry;
and gained experience in flirtation and the game of courtly love.[29] Though
all knowledge of Anne's experiences in the French court is conjecture, even
Ives, in the latest edition of his biography, suggests that she was likely to
have made the acquaintance of King Francis I's sister, Marguerite de
Navarre, a patron of humanists and reformers. Marguerite de Navarre was
also an author in her own right, and her works include elements of Christian
mysticism and reform that verged on heresy, though she was protected by
her status as the French king's beloved sister. She or her circle may have
encouraged Anne's interest in religious reform, as well as in poetry and
literature.[28] Anne's education in France proved itself in later years, inspiring
many new trends among the ladies and courtiers of England. It may have
been instrumental in pressing their King toward the culture-shattering
contretemps with the Papacy. The latest version of Ives's biography
hypothesizes that Anne may have had evangelistic conviction and a strong
spiritual inner life. William Forrest, author of a contemporary poem about
Catherine of Aragon, complimented Anne's "passing excellent" skill as a
dancer. "Here", he wrote, "was [a] fresh young damsel, that could trip and
go."[30]
Anne Boleyn by Hans Holbein the Younger
Anne was of average height and had a slender build with long straight and
thick black or dark brown hair, dark brown eyes, a considerably strong
nose, a definite wide mouth with slim lips, and an olive complexion. She
was considered brilliant, charming, driven, elegant, forthright, and graceful,
with a keen wit and a lively, opinionated, and passionate personality. Anne
was depicted as "sweet and cheerful" in her youth and enjoyed cards and
dice games, drinking wine, French cuisine, flirting, gambling, gossiping, and
good jokes. She was fond of archery, falconry, hunting, and the occasional
game of bowls. She also had a sharp tongue and a terrible temper.[31]
Anne exerted a powerful charm on those who met her, though opinions
differed on her attractiveness. The Venetian diarist Marino Sanuto, who
saw Anne when Henry VIII met Francis I at Calais in October 1532,
described her as "not one of the handsomest women in the world; she is of
middling stature, swarthy complexion, long neck, wide mouth, bosom not
much raised... eyes, which are black and beautiful".[32] Simon Grynée wrote
to Martin Bucer in September 1531 that Anne was "young, good-looking, of
a rather dark complexion". Lancelot de Carle called her "beautiful with an
elegant figure", and a Venetian in Paris in 1528 also reported that she was
said to be beautiful.[33]
The most influential description of Anne,[34] but also the least reliable, was
written by the Catholic propagandist and polemicist Nicholas Sanders in
1586, half a century after Anne's death:
"Anne Boleyn was rather tall of stature, with black hair, and an oval face of
a sallow complexion, as if troubled with jaundice. It is said she had a
projecting tooth under the upper lip, and on her right hand six fingers.
There was a large wen under her chin, and therefore to hide its ugliness
she wore a high dress covering her throat... She was handsome to look at,
with a pretty mouth".[35]
As Sanders held Anne responsible for Henry VIII's rejection of the Catholic
Church, writing 50 years after her death, he was keen to demonise her.
Sanders's description contributed to what Ives calls the "monster legend" of
Anne Boleyn.[36] Though his details were fictitious, they have formed the
basis for references to Anne's appearance even in some modern
textbooks.[37]
Anne's experience in France made her a devout Christian in the new
tradition of Renaissance humanism. Anne knew little Latin and, trained at a
French court, she was influenced by an "evangelical variety of French
humanism," which led her to champion the vernacular Bible.[38] She later
held the reformist position that the papacy was a corrupting influence on
Christianity, but her conservative tendencies could be seen in her devotion
to the Virgin Mary.[39] Anne's European education ended in 1521, when her
father summoned her back to England. She sailed from Calais in January
1522.[40]
