Revealed: Henry VIII's unborn heir

Yesterday, in the tiny chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, within the ancient walls of the Tower of London, a basket of red roses was laid on the grave of Anne Boleyn.

Yesterday, in the tiny chapel of St Peter ad Vincula, within the ancient walls of the Tower of London, a basket of red roses was laid on the grave of Anne Boleyn.

The anonymous tribute, laid every year, marks the anniversary of her death in 1536, the victim of murderous power play and a show trial at the court of Henry VIII. Anne faced 22 trumped-up accusations, including charges of adultery and incest with her own brother.

Now, 500 years after her birth, new research is offering an extraordinary insight into her downfall. On the day she lost her head to the executioner's broadsword, Anne Boleyn, ­ the mother of Elizabeth I ­ was pregnant with the child who could have changed the entire course of English history. Until now, Anne's death has been blamed on Henry's desire for Jane Seymour, who became his third wife, on the desperate search for a son and heir or the Machiavellian nature of the Tudor court.

But a new book by the Tudor historian Alison Weir, tells another story. Henry VIII: King and Court, published by Jonathan Cape, contends that the King knew of Anne's pregnancy, but was falsely convinced by his scheming Master Secretary, Thomas Cromwell, that the child was not his ­ and ordered her execution.

"For me, this was a cataclysmic discovery," said Ms Weir. "Historians have debated it furiously for hundreds of years, but nobody ever knew the real reason for Anne's death, before. The evidence strongly suggests that Anne had conceived another child by the end of February 1536. Had the child been allowed to live, and it was a son, the Reformation might have taken a very different course.

"It is staggering to think how different things would be. Arguably, there would have been no Armada, no Gunpowder Plot, no Civil War, and without the Stuart succession, perhaps no establishment of constitutional government as we know it. We might still have a Tudor dynasty reigning over us today."

Ms Weir's argument is centred on a letter which Henry VIII wrote to his ambassador in Rome, Richard Pate, on 25 April 1536, implying that "our most dear and entirely beloved wife the Queen" was once more expecting a child. Henry specifically referred to "the likelihood and appearance that God will send us heirs male".

Weir argues that Cromwell, a shrewd courtier, deadly enemy of Anne and hungry for power himself, quickly crushed the King's hopes of the birth of a son in order to safeguard his own position.

"There was little doubt that Anne was pregnant," said Ms Weir, "but the succession question had become a crisis. Henry was quite a suggestible man, and Cromwell, a brilliant lawyer and tactician, was able to manufacture a convincing case against the child's paternity.

"Henry couldn't afford to take the risk. He was in a highly emotional state and would rather destroy both her and the child than risk corrupting the royal succession, which was considered absolutely sacred, with bastardy. This child could not be allowed to live.

"There are bound to be some historians who dispute this for some reason, but the theory fits into every other fact I have amassed."

Dr David Starkey is one of the sceptics. The celebrity historian, who is currently working on a book and television series entitled The Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII for Channel 4, said: "There are many details about the death of Anne Boleyn which will probably remain unlocked. However, it is overwhelmingly likely that pregnancy would have protected Anne, not destroyed her.

"Anne was very clever, sexy, and a bit too strident. Her techniques often shocked and broke 16th century conventions of what a Queen should be like.

"She certainly overplayed her hand. The King's mind was obviously oscillating violently at this time, and the charges against Anne were absolutely savage ­ but there are absolute mysteries about her case that can never be solved."

Professor John Guy of St Andrews University, the author of Tudor England, one of the most respected texts on this period, was more eager to discuss Ms Weir's claims.

"Henry was certainly a monster by 1536," he said. "People he thought were his friends had gone against him. It made him absolutely determined to have no loose ends.

"I am sceptical of this argument, but Cromwell did want to get rid of Anne, and never underestimate Henry's belief that God spoke directly to him.

"Anne Boleyn was one of the most important women in British history. This claim will arouse controversy in the historical community. It's an interesting argument, but much more evidence will be needed for it to be proven fully."

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