The Resume

(circa April 1504-May 17, 1536)
Born in Norfolk, England, United Kingdom
Brother of Anne Boleyn
2nd Viscount Rochford (1529-36)
Appointed Royal Cupbearer (1526), Master of the Buckhounds (1528), Governor of Bethlehem Hospital (1529), and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports (1534)
Knighted (1529)
Accused of adultery with Anne and treason
Executed by beheading

Why he might be annoying:

Much of his rise in court was due to King Henry VIII's infatuation with his sister.
He had a reputation as a womanizer.
He presumably pissed off English Catholics when he remarked up the death of Catherine of Aragon that it was 'a shame' that she had not been 'joined' by her daughter, the future Queen Mary I.
He and Anne allegedly mocked the King's virility.

Why he might not be annoying:

The poet Thomas Wyatt praised his 'great wit.'
When he was sent on a diplomatic mission to France, the official papers described him as someone the King 'specially loveth and trusteth.'
He put up a spirited defense, with Imperial Ambassador Eustace Chapuys reporting that bettors at court were offering 10 to 1 odds in favor of his acquittal.
The vast majority of historians consider the charges against him to be completely bogus.

Credit: C. Fishel

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

• British Royalty: Tudors
• C. Fishel's Profiles [Series 82]
• Executed by the State
• I Died in My 30s (Ranked: 32)
• I Live in My Sibling's Shadow
• I Lost My Head [Decapitation]
• Imprisoned in the Tower of London
• Knights
• Look at Me, My Picture Is Art
• Profiles 51501-51750 (Ranked: 51634)

Year In Review:

For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
In 2023, Out of 751 Votes: 22.10% Annoying
In 2022, Out of 111 Votes: 52.25% Annoying
In 2021, Out of 18 Votes: 77.78% Annoying