George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford
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George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford (c. 1503 - May 17, 1536) was grandson to Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, son to Elizabeth Howard and leading diplomat Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, brother to Mary Boleyn and Anne Boleyn.
Lord Rochford became a member of the Privy Chamber of Henry VIII of England, and in December 1529 undertook his first assignment as a diplomat, to France. It is commonly believed that it was the influence of his younger sister Anne which secured him this post, since the French ambassador, du Bellay, commented on how he was considerably younger than many of the other foreign diplomats. However, Thomas Wyatt (b. 1503) was sent to Rome several years previously and Lord Rochford's "great wit" was later praised in contemporary poetry. Dr. David Starkey has said that he had "some of Anne's talents and all of her pride."
He unhappily married Jane Parker. It is thought that Lord Rochford may have been homosexual, and that this may have been the cause of his unhappy marriage. However, this is only speculation and it is entirely possible that his marital unhappiness was simply due to a clash of personalities - after all, numerous members of the aristocracy were trapped in loveless marriages during this era. Furthermore, he also had a reputation as a womaniser which would seem to suggest his orientation was not homosexual.
Lord Rochford was accused with four others of adultery with his sister, who had become the second queen of King Henry VIII. He was effectively held to have been the father of Anne's stillborn child in January. He stood trial with her on May 15, was found guilty and beheaded at the Tower of London on May 17. The charges are now generally accepted to have been fabricated, though they were widely believed at the time. His speech at the scaffold was primarily concerned with defending the Protestant religion which he had come to embrace in his adulthood, he spoke passionately of the Scriptures and the evils of "the vanities of this world." His sister was beheaded two days later, showing remarkable bravery and composure.
"In July, 1534 the Brotherhood (of the Cinque Ports) agreed that Thomas Wingfield should give the oath at the court of Shepway to George Boleyn, Lord Rochford, the new lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and two years later he was again chosen to perform this ceremony when Sir Thomas Cheney assumed office."
| Preceded by: Sir Edward Guilford | Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1534 | Succeeded by: The Duke of Richmond and Somerset |