Was Anne Of Cleves Really “Too Ugly” For Henry VIII To Sleep With?
How Henry VIII got his giant ego bruised by his new bride and she paid the price but it saved her life in the long run.
Here’s the story most people believe...
Henry VIII married Anne of Cleves based on a portrait. Then, when he met her, he was horrified. Said she was so ugly he couldn’t bear to consummate the marriage. The portrait lied, she’s ugly. So he annulled the marriage.
People think of her as the “ugly” wife.
Except, she wasn’t really ugly, and that’s not how it went down. There was more to the story. There usually is.
The whole mess started when Jane Seymour died
For a while, Henry was probably thinking third time’s the charm. All he had to show for the first two wives was a couple of daughters.
Then Jane Seymour delivered a live son. Third time’s the charm! Except she died after delivering. Everyone knew one son isn’t enough. A King needed male heirs to keep the throne in the family. Simple as that.
Problem was, his choices were slimmer after Anne Boleyn.
