Anne of Cleves (22 September 1515 –- 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII.
She was born on September 22, 1515, in Düsseldorf, in the Duchy of Cleves, which is now part of Germany. Anne was the daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves, and his wife Maria of Jülich-Berg. Her father (though influenced by Erasmus) did support the reformation of the Church, however, Anne and her sisters had a Catholic upbringing as her mother was a strict Catholic. Despite this, Anne’s older sister, Sibylle, her younger brother, William and her younger sister Amelia became Lutherans as adults. Anne also became a Lutheran upon being betrothed to the Protestant King Henry VIII.
Anne did not receive a brilliant education like her Fiancé’s first two wives. She could read and write a little and only in German. Instead of learning languages like other Foreign princesses, Anne’s mother made sure her daughters focused on studying strictly feminine skills, such as sewing. When Anne was 11 years old, she had been betrothed to the 9 year old Francis, the son and heir to Antoine, Duke of Lorraine. However, as Francis was under the age of consent in Tudor times (the age of consent for boys was fourteen and for girls twelve), the engagement was considered unofficial and was cancelled in 1535, when Anne was 19 and Francis 17.
In 1539, Henry VIII was seeking a new wife after his marriage to his third wife, Jane Seymour, had ended with her death. He had spent a couple of years mourning Jane’s death, however he only had one son, Edward VI and child mortality was high at the time. Henry himself had been the second son of his father and was never expected to rule England, but his elder brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales, died unexpectedly of the swearing sickness. As such, Henry knew the importance of a spare. But unsurprisingly, foreign Princesses were not competing to marry the King. He had annulled his first marriage to Catherine of Aragon for failing to deliver a son, and beheaded his second wife, Anne Boleyn for the same reason (as well as accusing her of adultery, incest and treason). One candidate for Queen, Christina of Denmark (who ended up marrying Anne’s childhood Fiancé) said “If I had two heads, one should be at the King of England's disposal.”
Thomas Cromwell, the King's chief minister, arranged for a marriage alliance between England and Cleves (a mostly Lutheran state in Germany which supported the reformation), and suggested Anne as a potential bride for Henry. The marriage would provide an alliance with the Protestant German states, as well as a way for Henry to gain another male heir. Anne, like all of Henry's six wives, was a descendant of Edward I (he through his son Edward II, she through his daughter Margaret), but she was the most distantly related to him of all his wives, being his seventh cousin, twice removed. Henry sent Hans Holbein, a famous artist, to paint portraits of Anne and her younger sister Amelia. Hans Holbein was instructed to be as accurate as possible and that he could not change anything to flatter the sisters (ironic seeing as by this point Henry’s portraits were very much not faithful to his real appearance).
Henry agreed to the marriage without ever having met Anne in person as he was besotted with her portrait, and she arrived in England in December 1539. Anne’s mother was not happy letting her daughter move to another country even though she was 25, but could not stop it as Henry paid Anne’s brother (the new Duke of Cleves) 100,000 gold coins. The first meeting between the couple was a disaster. Henry tried to surprise Anne by disguising himself as a peasant, believing that she’d fall in love with him instantly. But when the sheltered Anne was shocked rather than lovestruck with the old, obese, badly dressed stranger who burst in and attempted to kiss her, Henry felt humiliated. Henry claimed that it was Anne who was ugly and that he considered her too ugly to marry, saying “I like her not” and even calling her the "Flanders Mare." Despite this, it does seem Henry was the only person to think that (if he ever did). Anne was said to actually look very similar to her portrait according to advisors. She was said to be tall, slim and Blonde. In fact, judging by the fact that before she unintentionally humiliated him, Henry was seemingly attracted to her before seeing as he attempted to kiss her, before she began cussing at him in German. It’s also important to remember that Anne was a sheltered 25 year old woman while Henry was a three-times married 48 year old. The couple could not communicate either as Anne only spoke German. Despite this, the marriage went ahead, and the couple were married on January 6, 1540. Thomas Cromwell was beheaded over the embarrassing marriage using trumped up charges of treason.
The marriage was not consummated, and Henry soon sought to have it annulled. Anne was lucky she could only speak German, as she didn’t have to hear the cruel gossip going on about her. Anne did learn English and was soon able to communicate with the King (who by then had begun sleeping with 16 year old Catherine Howard). Anne was willing to agree to the annulment, as it would leave her a very wealthy woman with land and an estate in England, rather than having to return to Germany as a failure. The annulment was granted in July 1540, and Anne was given the title of "the King's Sister" and a generous settlement of lands and money.
Anne lived the rest of her life in England, and was regarded as a kind and generous woman. She became close to Henry's children, especially his daughter Elizabeth (who would later become Elizabeth I), and was a Lutheran (though her mother was a Catholic). When her stepdaughter, Mary Tudor became Queen, Anne (a good friend of Mary’s) wisely converted to Catholicism and was involved in her coronation. She never remarried and died on July 16, 1557, at the age of 41, at her home in Chelsea. She was given a grand funeral by Mary and buried in Westminster Abbey.
Tropes associated with Anne of Cleeves as portrayed in fiction:
- Historical Beauty Update: Zig-zagged between this and Historical Ugliness Update. Some depictions portrayed her as ugly similar to how Henry described her, while others portray her as fairly pretty, often due to contemporaries from her time having different views of her appearance. One of the most well-known descriptions of her appearance comes from the Venetian ambassador, who wrote: "She is not very young, but of middle age, and of very good presence; her face is said to be rather long and melancholy, and her complexion sallow; but many say she has a very good look in her eyes, and that if she were dressed in the French fashion she would be thought very handsome; she enjoys good health, and is of middling stature."
- The Pawn: Anne of Cleves is often depicted as a pawn in the political machinations of her time, used by her family and other powerful figures to secure alliances and advance their own interests.
- Stronger Than They Look: Despite her status as a foreigner in a hostile court, Anne of Cleves is often depicted as surprisingly resilient and resourceful, able to navigate the complex political landscape of Tudor England and maintain her dignity in the face of adversity.
Portrayals of Anne of Cleves in fiction:
- Anne's marriage to Henry is depicted in the British version of Drunk History where Anne's played by a man.
- Briefly mentioned in Handmaid: Because Henry revived the handmaid system to have sons with Anne Boleyn while still legally married to Katherine of Aragon, Anne of Cleves never becomes Henry's fourth wife, marries the Duke of Lorraine, and actually becomes good friends with Mary Tudor after she marries the Duke of Bavaria.
- Pia Girard plays Anne in the 2003 ITV series Henry VIII.
- Elsa Lanchester portrayed Anne in the 1933 film The Private Life of Henry VIII.
- In Six: The Musical, Genesis Lynea of the premiere West End cast portrays her as a Sassy Black Woman and spells her name as 'Anna' from her native German.
- Rebecca Dyson-Smith portrays Anne in the BBC documentary mini-series Six Wives with Lucy Worsley.
- Elvi Hale plays Anne in the episode "Anne of Cleves" in the television series The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
- Joss Stone plays Anne in the Showtime cable television series The Tudors.
