 |
| Portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger (1539) |
- King Henry VIII of England and Ireland (m. 1540 - 1540)
- N/A
Appearance:
Contrary to popular belief, she is not believed to have actually been ugly. Her husband famously described her as being a 'Flanders' mare', but this never happened. His rejection of her was likely due to her snubbing him during their first meeting, hurting Henry's ego.
She was actually frequently described as tall, thin, with a pale complexion and blonde hair. A French ambassador described her as being of 'medium beauty.'
However, her appearance has unfortunately been slandered by King Henry VIII, which has stained the mainstream view of her. She is more famous for being the 'ugly' wife of Henry, though this was likely far from the case.
Character:
Anne was known to be kind, gentle, and humble. She was also quite athletic and enjoyed playing sports, and was also a lover of fashion.
She became good friends with Henry's new wife, Katherine Howard, after their marriage had been annulled; they even enjoyed dancing together. She was fully co-operative with Henry's wishes to annul their marriage, which can either be viewed as her having a submissive personality, or that she likely had a high degree of clever self-preservation.
She was also close with her step-children, and remained unmarried and independent for the rest of her life, enjoying learning English culture and continuing to live in the kingdom in peace.
Anne was remembered fondly by her servants, particularly for her relaxed attitude and generosity.
Biography:
Anne was born in the Duchy of Berg in the Holy Roman Empire in 1515. She was the second of four children born to John III, Duke of Cleves, and his wife, Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg, and would mostly be raised in the city of Solingen.
Her family were followers of the Protestant movement that was occurring in Europe during this time, and were often in opposition to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. However, her mother remained Catholic, so Anne received a rather mixed religious upbringing, and appeared to have had no strong affiliation one way or the other. She also had no formal education, could only speak German, and only taught skills considered appropriate for a woman.
When she was 11 years old in 1527, Anne was betrothed to Francis, the son of the Duke of Lorraine, though this would eventually be cancelled a few years later. A possible match between Anne and King Henry VIII of England began to be strongly considered around the late 1530s, due to the common enemy they shared in the Holy Roman Emperor. England was also quite politically isolated during this time, due to Henry breaking away from the Catholic Church. England had very few allies, and Henry's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was determined to establish a strong Protestant alliance for England. The court painter, Hans Holbein the Younger, was sent to create true to life portraits of Anne and her sister, Amelia, so that Henry VIII could choose who would become his fourth wife. When he received the portraits, Henry became smitten with Anne, and, with the encouragement of Cromwell, the betrothal went ahead.
In 1539, Anne began her journey to England just after the death of her father, which resulted in no family being able to accompany her. Instead, she was escorted by a large group of English merchants. Anne finally arrived in England in 1540, and Henry, a fan of courtly love, disguised himself with the belief that as his true love, Anne would recognise him. However, Anne did not pay any attention to him, and was shocked when Henry suddenly embraced and kissed her. Awkwardly, Anne continued to try and ignore him, likely not knowing what was going on or what to do. This greatly offended Henry, and was likely what began his initial dislike of her.
Regardless, the marriage went ahead, though Henry claimed that he was unable to consummate it, referring to Anne's portrait having been misleading. Immediately, Henry became desperate for an annulment, but doing so would destabilise the alliance they had just built with Cleves. Henry blamed Cromwell for the unhappy marriage, and he would subsequently fall from favour, and then be arrested and executed.
During the marriage, Anne maintained that Henry had treated her kindly, but confirmed that the marriage had never been consummated. After just six months of marriage, Henry was able to exploit the fact that she had been previously betrothed to the son of the Duke of Lorraine, which along with the marriage having never been consummated, an annulment was granted.
Anne fully co-operated with the king, and was handsomely rewarded for this. She was granted lands in England, was invited to stay in the kingdom, was given an income, and was free to re-marry if she so chose. Both Anne and Henry became good friends with each other, and she was regarded as part of the royal family, also forming a close relationship with Henry's daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. She became one of the richest and most powerful women within England, and would frequently attend court.
After the annulment, Anne also became good friends with Henry's new wife, Katherine Howard, and the two of them often enjoyed dancing together. However, after she was executed, Henry remarried again, this time to Katherine Parr, who Anne appeared to have not gotten along as well with.
After this, it appears that Anne led a much more quiet life, and retreated more from the English court. She was supportive of her step-daughter, Mary's, ascension to the throne, and congratulated her on her marriage to Philip of Spain. Anne would then convert to Catholicism, though it's not known whether this conversion was genuine, or simply because Queen Mary I of England pressured her into doing so.
Anne would continue to enjoy a quiet life in England, never returning to her homeland in Germany. In her later years, she also appears to have still kept away from court. But in 1557, she began to grow increasingly ill, and attempted to make sure her affairs were in order. She ensured her servants would be looked after, asking her step-daughters to take them into their care.
Anne would then die later that year, likely as a result of cancer.
Rule:
Because she only reigned for around six months, she did not play a large, active role during her tenure.
- She was the longest living wife of Henry VIII.
No comments:
Post a Comment