Wives of Henry VIII– Anne of Cleves
The Life of the Fourth Wife of Henry VIII 1515-1557
Sep 30, 2009
Following a brief marriage, in exchange for an annulment, Ann of Cleves was granted a freedom and independence denied to most women.
Birth and Early Life of Anne of Cleves
Born the daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves, very little is known of Anne's background. It is known that when compared to Henry VIII's first two wives, her education was limited and she seemed to have little regard for literature and music.
In 1527, at the age of 12, Anne was betrothed to Francis, the heir to the Duke of Lorraine, however, as he was only 10 at the time, the betrothal was deemed unofficial and cancelled.
Following the death of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII had started searching for a new wife. Anne of Cleves was eventually decided upon as a suitable choice based upon her portrait and her docile, obedient manner.
Engagement of Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII
In the Summer of 1539, Hans Holbein was dispatched to complete a portrait of the possible future Queen. The painting having been approved of, the marriage treaty was signed in October 1539.
Anne set sail from her home in November, arriving in England in late December. The couple finally met in January 1540. Almost immediately, Henry VIII was sorely disappointed at what he perceived as her unattractiveness- complaining "she is nothing so fair as hath been reported" and ordered his chancellor, Thomas Cromwell to find a legal reason to break the engagement.
Marriage to Henry VIII
Despite the objections of the King, the marriage between took place on 6th January 1540.
However, both agreed that the marriage was never consummated, the King complaining he was unable to, based upon Anne’s physical appearance.
Investigations into whether Anne’s previous betrothal was still valid (which would render the marriage between Anne and Henry void) turned up nothing, thus the King could find no legal reason to nullify his marriage. It may have been around this time that Henry met one of Anne's lady’s in waiting, Catharine Howard, who was to become his fifth wife.
Annulment
After being sent from court in June 1540, Anne was informed of her husband's decision to annul their marriage in July. Soon after, she wrote to the King accepting his decision.
Having consented to the annulment, Anne was granted a very generous settlement, consisting of many properties and was referred to by Henry as his "beloved sister". Anne was often invited to court and was given precedence over all other ladies in England save for the Queen and Royal princesses.
Anne's income of £3000 a year made her one of the wealthiest single women in England, and she enjoyed the independence now granted to her. For the first time in her life, Anne did not have to answer to anyone and was free to run her households, play cards and attend functions.
The Last Years of Anne of Cleves
During her time spent at court and after her annulment, Anne seems to have built up a favourable relationship with her former step-daughter Mary (later Mary I of England), greeting her at her coronation and writing to congratulate Mary upon her marriage.
Towards the end of her life, Anne resided at Chelsea Old Manor. In her will she mentioned her step daughter Elizabeth (later Elizabeth I of England) and asked her step daughters to employ her staff following her death.
Anne of Cleves died on 16th July 1557, being buried in August at Westminster Abbey.
Sources:
The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Antonia Fraser, (Phoenix; New Ed edition, Aug 2002)
Six Wives: The Wives of Henry VIII, David Starkey, (Vintage; New edition edition, Mar 2004)
Letters of the Queens of England, ed. Anne Crawford, (Sutton Publishing Ltd; New edition edition, Aug 2002)
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