Sir Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and 1st Earl of Ormond, KG (c. 1477 – 12 March 1539) was an English diplomat and politician in the Tudor era, and the father of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. As such, he was the maternal grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I. He was born at the family home, Hever Castle and buried at St. Peter's parish church in the village of Hever. His parents were Sir William Boleyn (1451 – 10 October 1505...
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Sir Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire and 1st Earl of Ormond, KG (c. 1477 – 12 March 1539) was an English diplomat and politician in the Tudor era, and the father of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII. As such, he was the maternal grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I. He was born at the family home, Hever Castle and buried at St. Peter's parish church in the village of Hever. His parents were Sir William Boleyn (1451 – 10 October 1505) and Lady Margaret Butler (1454–1539).
Boleyn married Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. They had five known children, only three of whom survived:
Through the connections of his extended family, he became one of King Henry VIII's leading diplomats. Known appointments and missions included:
He garnered honours by letting Henry dally with his elder daughter Mary, then marry his younger daughter, Anne. Boleyn's ambition was so considerable that unsubstantiated rumours had it that he even allowed his own wife...
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