Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was Queen of England as the fourth wife of Henry VIII. She married him in January 1540, but their marriage ended just six months later in July 1540.

Anne was born in Düsseldorf to John III, Duke of Cleves and Maria of Jülich-Berg. Not much is known about her early life.

Henry wanted to marry Anne to make friends with German Protestants. An artist painted her picture, and Henry liked it, so he agreed to marry her. Anne came to England in December 1539. When she met Henry, he surprised her by wearing a disguise.

Henry and Anne did not get along well. Their marriage was annulled, meaning it was ended and declared as if it never happened. After this, Anne remained in England and was treated well by Henry. She lived there for the rest of her life and saw Henry’s children, Edward VI and Mary I, become rulers.

Anne died in 1557 and was buried with honors in Westminster Abbey.

Early life

Anne was born in 1515 in Düsseldorf. Her parents were John III, Duke of Cleves, and Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg. She grew up in a castle near Solingen.

When Anne was 11, she was promised to marry a young boy named Francis, but this plan was cancelled because Francis was too young. Her family was important and had strong connections in European politics.

Wedding preparations

The artist Hans Holbein the Younger went to Düren to paint pictures of Anne and her sister, Amalia. Henry VIII was thinking about marrying one of them. The paintings are now in the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Plans to marry Anne started in 1539, and the marriage agreement was signed in October that year.

Anne did not have much education, but she liked needlework and card games. She could read and write in German. She was tall, slim, with fair hair and a pretty face. When Henry met her in 1540, he was not pleased with how she looked and thought she had been described better than she really was. Still, they married because ending it would have caused trouble with Germany.

Marriage

Anne and King Henry VIII of England were married on January 6, 1540, at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London. The ceremony was led by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. For the wedding, Anne wore a beautiful gown made of cloth of gold with large pearls.

After they married, Anne followed the religious traditions that Henry VIII preferred. But Henry was not happy, and by June he decided the marriage should end. Anne agreed to this. The marriage was officially ended on July 12, 1540.

After the annulment

After her marriage ended, Anne was given many lands and homes to live on, including Richmond Palace and Hever Castle. She stayed friendly with King Henry and was often invited to court. She was treated like part of the royal family and had special respect in ceremonies.

Later, Anne lived quietly on her own properties. She changed her religion a few times to match the current monarch. Even though she missed her home sometimes, she was happy in England and known for being kind and generous to those who worked for her.

Death

When Anne's health began to fail, Queen Mary let her stay at Chelsea Old Manor, where another queen, Catherine Parr, had lived. There, in July 1557, Anne wrote her last wishes. She asked Queen Mary and the future Queen Elizabeth to look after her servants.

Anne died at Chelsea Old Manor on 16 July 1557, when she was about 41 or 42 years old. It is thought that cancer caused her death. She was buried in Westminster Abbey on 3 August, near the shrine of Edward the Confessor. She was the last of Henry VIII's wives to die.

Fictional portrayals

Anne of Cleves has been played by many actors in films and TV shows.

Elsa Lanchester acted as Anne in The Private Life of Henry VIII from 1933. Her husband, Charles Laughton, played Henry VIII.

Other actors who have played Anne include Elvi Hale in The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Jenny Bos in Henry VIII and His Six Wives, Pia Girard in the ITV series Henry VIII, Joss Stone in The Tudors, Rebecca Dyson-Smith in a BBC documentary, Genesis Lynea in the musical Six, and Dana Herfurth in Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light.