Anne Of Cleves
The Queen Who Profitted From Not Pleasing Henry VIII
There are six paths at Hever Castle Maze, one named for each of Henry VIII´s wives. You choose one. Many people choose Katherine Parr, who outlived the king. But there was a greater success; Anne of Cleves.
An Unreliable Husband
King Henry VIII had a poor reputation as a husband. In May 1533, he had Archbishop Thomas Cranmer pronounce his 23-year marriage, to the popular Katherine of Aragon, null and void. From six pregnancies, Katherine had only one living child, Mary. At 48, she would not produce a male heir.
Henry had secretly married Anne Boleyn five months earlier. Anne gave him another daughter, Elizabeth, then suffered several miscarriages, after which Henry´s infatuation with her waned.
On 24 January 1536, Henry had a serious jousting accident. Historians debate whether, or to what extent, this affected his personality. Around this time, he was becoming interested in Jane Seymour, who had been Maid of Honor to both Katherine and Anne.
Desperate for a son and heir, Henry had Anne executed on dubious charges of “adultery, incest, and conspiracy against the king.” She was beheaded on 19 May 1536. Henry married Jane 11 days later. She was never crowned queen, but achieved something the king´s first two wives could not.
Jane Seymour gave birth to Henry´s son, Edward VI, on 12 October 1537. Twelve days later, she died of puerperal fever, a post-partum infection common in days before adequate medical hygiene during childbirth.
Henry Seeks A Fourth Wife
Thomas Cromwell was Henry´s Principal Advisor from 1532–1540. He played a major role in the Reformation (which replaced Catholicism with the Church of England) and dissolution of the monasteries. Cromwell´s father was a smith; many aristocrats resented his influence with the king.
For political reasons, Henry chose his next wife from European nobility. In 1538, the French royal family signed a truce with the Habsburgs, uniting two leading Catholic powers. A marriage alliance with a leading Protestant family would reduce risk of invasion and increase English prosperity.
Cromwell sent the court painter, Hans Holbein the Younger, to create portraits of likely candidates. He first tried Princess Christina of Denmark. She was very beautiful and only sixteen; the widow of the Duke of Mantua. She rejected Henry.
Anne of Cleves was the second daughter of John III, Duke of Jülich, Cleves, and Count of Marck (died 1539), and his wife Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg. The family was wealthy and politically influential. Maria was Catholic, but Anne´s sister Sybille married the Elector of Saxony, a Protestant and friend of Martin Luther.
Cromwell sent Holbein to paint Anne´s portrait. Henry liked the picture and wanted to marry her. Holbein may have exaggerated her beauty, but we don´t really know. Cromwell negotiated for Anne with her brother, Duke Wilhelm.
Anne arrives in England
After a long, difficult journey, Anne first met Henry at Bishop´s Palace, Rochester on New Year´s Day, 1540. Their relationship started badly. Disguised, he tried to surprise Anne, believing she would recognize the love of her life. She did not, and was offended at his behavior.
Speaking hardly any English, and with a very different cultural background, she needed time to adapt. Henry must have noticed she was not schooled in the arts, especially music and dancing which were not customary for German ladies. She was literate, and good at housekeeping, especially needlework.
Afraid of losing his valuable alliance with a Protestant family, Henry married her at Greenwich on 6 January 1540. He was 48, Anne was 24. The marriage was not consummated. Henry described her as “undesirable.”
By this time, Henry had a 52 inch (132.08 cm) waist and suppurating ulcers on his legs; it´s likely the disgust was mutual. Maybe the king was temporarily impotent. Blaming the woman would not be unusual.
Anne of Cleves is often referred to as Henry´s “ugly wife”, but this may be Tudor propaganda. (The term “Flanders Mare,” often used about Anne, was invented later, by 17th century bishop, Gilbert Burnet, who never saw her.)
A lucky escape
Whatever the truth about their failed marriage, Anne was both smart and lucky, wise enough to agree to an annulment on grounds of non-consummation and her previous contract with Francis of Lorraine.
A delegation of councilors declared the union invalid. Annulment was granted on 12 July 1540, by which time Henry was taking an interest in one of her ladies-in-waiting, Katherine Howard.
Anne, maybe ashamed at the failure of her marriage, did not return to Germany to live. She soon adapted to life in England, and made friends there. She seems to have been a pleasant, likeable woman, who treated others with respect; always a winning formula.
Less fortunate was Thomas Cromwell, who organized the match. Charged with treason, heresy, corruption, and plotting to marry the Princess Mary, he was beheaded on 28 July 1540.
The Annulment Settlement
Henry treated Anne of Cleves as an honorary family member, calling her “The King´s Dear and Beloved Sister,” second only in importance to any future wife. By accepting friendship in place of marriage, she gained great wealth.
The king gave her an allowance of £3,000 a year for her household, and use of Richmond Palace, Bletchingley Manor, Bisham, Dartford, Anne Boleyn´s childhood home Hever Castle, and smaller estates.
She lived mostly at Richmond Palace, later a favorite home of Elizabeth I. The Palace was destroyed during the English Civil War in the 1650s.
With her income from these manors, Anne was one of the wealthiest women in England. She lived for 17 years in luxury, receiving equivalent to £29,630,000 in today´s money.
Anne was popular, visiting Court on several occasions, and entertaining Henry and his daughters at Richmond. She remained friends with the ill-fated Katherine Howard, and also with Henry´s children.
We know little of her private life, except that she did not marry again. Some historians believe she hoped to remarry the king; if so, it could have been for political motives. There were also rumors she had a child, but no evidence.
She was comfortably pensioned off and answerable to no man; a pretty good deal for a 16th century woman.
Postscript
Anne made her last public appearance in 1553. She died on 16 July 1557, at Chelsea Old Manor, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
Although only in her forties, she had outlived many of her contemporaries, including Henry VIII (died 1547), both his later wives (Katherine Howard was executed1542, Katherine Parr died 1548), and Edward VI (died 1553). Archbishop Cranmer, another Reformation leader, was executed by Mary I for “treason and heresy” in 1555.
Sources:
https://yesterday.uktv.co.uk/blogs/article/cost-castle-living/
https://tudortimes.co.uk/people/anne-of-cleves-from-the-rhine-to-richmond
