Anne of Cleves

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Image:AnneCleves.jpg Queen Anne of England née Anne of Cleves (September 22, 1515–July 16, 1557) also known as "The Flanders Mare" (see below)—was the fourth queen consort of Henry VIII of England from January 6, 1540 to July 9, 1540.

Anne was born on September 22, 1515, at Düsseldorf, the daughter of John III, ruler of the duchy of Cleves, who died in 1538. Then her brother William became Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, bearing the promising epithet "the Rich". Her elder sister Sybille was married to John Frederick, Elector of Saxony, head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany, the "Champion of the Reformation". Her brother William was a Catholic personally, but the family politics made them suitable allies for Henry in the aftermath of the Reformation, and the match was urged on the king by his chancellor, Thomas Cromwell. The artist Hans Holbein the Younger was dispatched to paint a portrait of Anne, and Henry was pleased with the result. It was usual for court painters to be flattering in their portrayal of important people, and it is likely that Holbein covered up the evidence of Anne's smallpox scars. The portrait is currently displayed in the Louvre. Anne and Henry were seventh cousins twice removed.

Negotiations with the Cleves court were in full swing by March 1539. Cromwell oversaw the talks and marriage treaty was signed on October 4 of the same year. Anne’s major fault was her lack of a proper education. Instead of being taught to sing or play an instrument she was skilled in needlework and learned to read and write in German only. However, Anne was thought to be gentle, virtuous, and docile, qualities that made her a realistic candidate for Henry.

This image of Anne being "the ugly queen" was prevalent amongst traditional historians. However, more recent viewpoints suggest that it is more likely she found Henry to be the ugly one (he was by this time morbidly obese) and purposely made him dislike her.

Another theory suggests that they agreed that they just did not get along well with each other—Anne had been raised in the small provincial court at Düsseldorf and shared none of the musical and humanistic literary tastes of Henry's court—and they split on amicable terms. This theory is supported by the good settlement she received.

Henry, impatient to finally see his future bride, journeyed to Rochester on New Year’s Day (1540) and walked in on Anne unannounced. Henry took an immediate disliking to Anne, reporting back to Cromwell that she was nothing like her glowing reports. Henry urged Cromwell to find a legal way to avoid the marriage. However, at this point evading the marriage was impossible without causing an angry reaction.

The Six Wives of King Henry VIII
Image:CatherineAragon.jpg Catherine of Aragon
Image:Anne boleyn.jpg Anne Boleyn
Image:JaneSeymour.jpg Jane Seymour
Image:AnneCleves.jpg Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard
Image:Kathparr.jpg Catherine Parr

The two were married on January 6 at the royal Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, despite any misgivings by either party. The phrase “God send me well to keep” was engraved around Anne’s wedding ring. The marriage was annulled on July 9, 1540, on the grounds that it had never been consummated, with Henry claiming that he found his bride so unattractive that he could not bear to sleep with her.

Anne was commanded to leave the court on June 24 and on the sixth of July she was informed of her husband's decision to reconsider the marriage. In a short time Anne was asked for her consent to a divorce to which she agreed, receiving a generous settlement, including Hever Castle, home of Henry's former in-laws the Boleyns. Made a Princess of England and called "sister" by her former husband, Anne remained in England for the rest of her life. There is evidence that during the reign of Edward she suffered some financial reverses with Edward not paying her allowance. She gave up Richmond Castle and Hever (both part of her settlement from Henry) and moved to a small country house at Dartford. Things improved with the ascension of Mary Tudor and for the short remainder of her life she occupied an honored place at court. She was the last of Henry's six wives to die, in London, on July 16, 1557, and was buried in Westminster Abbey after a royal funeral. By that time she had converted to Roman Catholicism, and remained on good terms with one-time stepdaughter Princess Mary Tudor.

[edit] In film

Elsa Lanchester appeared as Queen Anne in the 1933 film The Private Life of Henry VIII opposite Charles Laughton as Henry VIII. In this fanciful comedy of manners, Anne deliberately portrays herself as unattractive and naïve in order to persuade Henry to divorce her, thus enabling her to find love elsewhere.

In 1970, as part of the series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, actress Elvi Hale played the title role in the 90-minute BBC television drama "Anne of Cleves" opposite Keith Michell's Henry VIII. Mollie Sugden played Anne's German lady-in-waiting. In this, relatively accurate piece, Anne comes to England full of youthful naïveté and joyous hope, only to be horrified upon meeting her future husband. She quickly befriends her young stepdaughter, the Princess Elizabeth (true to history). Jenny Bos played Anne in the 1972 film Henry VIII and his Six Wives. Catherine Siggins portrayed Anne in David Starkey's documentrary on the wives in 2001. In 2003, Pia Girard played Anne of Cleves in the mini-series Henry VIII through she does not even speak—appearing only once in bed awaiting Henry and once, glowing with quiet joy, at the king's funeral seven years later).

[edit] Historiography

It was Sir Horace Walpole, writing in the 18th century, who resurrected the myth which described Anne as "The Flanders Mare"—a monument to ugliness. This view persisted, and it is still a popular stereotype. Most historians, however, disagree with it.

[edit] External links

A quick overview of Anne's life, including a very good portrait gallery
A more in-depth examination of Anne's political career
More information on Anne's life after her divorce
A Google Earth biography tour of the Six Wives of Henry VIII on the Google Earth Community

Preceded by: Jane Seymour	Queen Consort of England 6 January–9 July, 1540	Succeeded by: Catherine Howard

Persondata
NAME	Anne of Cleves
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Queen Consort of Henry VIII
DATE OF BIRTH	September 22, 1515
PLACE OF BIRTH	Düsseldorf, Duchy of Cleves (now Germany)
DATE OF DEATH	July 16, 1557
PLACE OF DEATH	London, England