Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was Queen of England as the fourth wife of Henry VIII, from January to July 1540. She was born in Düsseldorf to John III, Duke of Cleves, and Maria of Jülich-Berg. Not much is known about her early life before 1527.

In 1539, Henry VIII wanted to form an alliance with the German Protestants against France and the Holy Roman Empire. He decided to marry Anne to help this alliance and asked an artist to paint her portrait. When Henry saw the portrait and liked it, he agreed to marry her. Anne arrived in England in December 1539 and met Henry in January 1540, but Henry surprised her by wearing a disguise.

Henry and Anne were not a good match, and their marriage was annulled in July 1540 because they did not live as husband and wife. After this, Anne received many gifts from Henry and became known as "The King's Beloved Sister." She lived in England for the rest of her life, seeing the rule of Henry's children Edward VI and Mary I. Anne was buried as a queen in Westminster Abbey after she died in 1557.

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 in marriage to a young boy named Francis, but this promise was later cancelled because Francis was too young. Her family had important connections and played a role in European politics during her lifetime.

Wedding preparations

The artist Hans Holbein the Younger traveled to Düren to paint portraits of Anne and her sister, Amalia, as Henry VIII was thinking about one of them to be his fourth wife. The paintings are now kept in the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Talks to arrange the marriage began in 1539, and a marriage agreement was signed that October.

Anne was not very educated, but she was good at needlework and enjoyed card games. She could read and write in German. She was described as tall, slim, and having fair hair and a lovely face. When Henry met her in early 1540, he was not happy with how she looked and felt she had been described better than she really was. Even so, the marriage went ahead because breaking it would have caused problems 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, designed in the style of her homeland.

After they married, Anne followed the religious traditions that Henry VIII preferred. However, their first night together did not go as Henry hoped. He later told others that he was not pleased with how things went between them.

In February 1540, Anne spoke highly of Henry to a lady named the Countess of Rutland, saying he was kind and gentle toward her at night. But Lady Rutland suggested that more affection was needed if they were to have a child, which many people wanted.

By June, Henry decided the marriage should end. Anne was asked to agree to this, and she did. The marriage was officially ended on July 12, 1540, because Henry said the marriage was never fully completed and because Anne had previously agreed to marry someone else before marrying Henry.

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 allowed her to stay at Chelsea Old Manor, a place where Henry's last wife, Catherine Parr, had also lived. There, in July 1557, Anne wrote her final wishes, mentioning her family and asking Queen Mary and the future Queen Elizabeth to care for her servants.

Anne passed away at Chelsea Old Manor on 16 July 1557, at the age of 41 or 42. It is believed that cancer was the reason for her death. She was buried in Westminster Abbey on 3 August, in a tomb that is not easy to find, near the shrine of Edward the Confessor. She was the last of Henry VIII's wives to pass away.

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 and won an award for his work.

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.