Anne Boleyn was born c.1501 to Sir Thomas Boleyn and his wife Elizabeth Howard. She had an older sister, Mary, and a younger brother George, the future Viscount Rochford (Anne was later accused of incest with him and was executed alongside her).

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In 1514, at the age of thirteen, Anne was sent to be educated at the court of Margaret of Austria, the regent of the Low Countries (a principality of the Holy Roman Empire). Her court was renowned for its splendour, attracting musicians, artists and intellectuals under her patronage. Furthermore, her court educated her nieces Eleonore, Ysabeau, and Marie and nephew Charles who all became highly influential rulers and consorts. At court, Anne learnt French, court etiquette, to dance, and to play the lute and sing.

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Anne’s skill in the French language led to her selection as one of Mary Tudor’s attendants on her marriage to Louis XII of France. Organised by her brother Henry VIII, Mary’s marriage to Louis XII lasted about two months before Louis died in early 1515. While Mary and many of her attendants left, Anne stayed on as lady-in-waiting to the new French consort, Queen Claude, wife of Francis I. During her further six years at the French court, Anne was surrounded by various influential individuals, including Renee of France and the “Mother of the Renaissance”, Marguerite de Navarre. Anne’s later religious beliefs appeared to have developed during this period, holding Protestant sympathies which she ultimately shared with Henry VIII. Henry would later establish the Church of England, reformed without papal influence and influenced by many Protestant beliefs.

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Anne’s later Francophile influence is clear – her iconic French fashions led to her association with the style even after her death, both during Henry's reign and in the modern day. Furthermore, her time in France cultivated a French-leaning style within political alliances, ultimately leading to a dispute in 1536 with Thomas Cromwell, Henry’s chief minister, who advocated for a Imperial alliance.