Anne of Cleves

1515 - 1557. Anna von Jülich-Kleve-Berg. Fourth wife of Henry VIII.

Anne was the second daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves, and his wife Maria, Duchess of Julich-Berg. The future Queen was born near Düsseldorf. Anne had two sisters, Amelia, and Sybilla, (the latter was married to the Duke of Saxony), and a brother William, who succeeded to the position of ruler of the German duchy after their father's demise.

When Anne was 12, she was betrothed to the son of the Duke of Lorraine, while he was only 10. Several years after that, the betrothal was considered “unofficial” and was cancelled.

Henry VIII agreed to marry Anne, although he had not met her before. He believed that he needed to form a political alliance with her brother William, duke of Cleves, who was a leader of the Protestants of western Germany. A painting by Hans Holbein seemed to be attractive enough, so the marriage contract was finalised and Anne crossed the Channel to England in 1539. After Henry VIII first saw his future wife at Rochester, he became disappointed because he did not find her attractive.

The marriage of Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII took place on 6 January 1540 at the royal Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London. Only a few months after the marriage of Henry VIII with Anne of Cleves, on 9 July 1540 their marriage was annulled, on the grounds of non-consummation. She is not known to have protested against this annulment. (After the violent end of Anne Boleyn too much protest was also considered not safe for the life of the wife).

After that, Anne acquired many properties and lived in the countryside, endowed with a generous income by Henry (who called her "dear sister"). She was invited to court often and was an honorary member of the King's family. Since then, Anne of Cleves never left England. At the age of 42 she died and was the only wife of Henry VIII buried in Westminster Abbey.

Sources

Williams, Brenda and Williams, Brian. Kings & Queens. History Press Jarrold Publishing, 2004.

http://englishhistory.net/tudor/pricleve.html

http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/tudor_16.htm

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/26272/Anne-of-Cleves