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Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII, was initially considered a naive misfit in the English court. Their marriage was annulled after six months, but Anne survived the dangerous situation and remained in England for the rest of her life. She was able to befriend people, including Lady Mary and Katherine Howard, and was a frequent dinner guest of the king and his new queen. Anne’s careful handling of her marriage annulment suggests that she possessed considerable wisdom.
Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of King Henry VIII, although their marriage was annulled after six months. Daughter of the German Duke of Cleves, Anna is often considered a naïve woman who was lucky enough to survive the wrath of a king known for getting rid of her wives. Other experts consider Anne’s survival and prominent place in the English court to be a sign of considerable wisdom.
Born in 1515, Anne is thought to have had a provincial and uneducated youth at the court of Cleves. She was not educated in music or literature and she only spoke German. Accounts from the time state that Anne of Cleves was modest, quiet, and reserved. In the glittering and extravagant English court, Anne was at first an obvious misfit.
After Queen Jane Seymour’s death, Henry went into mourning for two years. Finally desiring a second child should anything happen to his precious heir, Henry began the search for his fourth bride. To get a clear idea of the foreign nobility available, Henry sent artists to paint the bridesmaids. Henry’s advisers, desperate for a political alliance with the Duchy of Cleves, ordered a famous English painter named Hans Holbein the Younger to make Anne of Cleves’ portrait as attractive as possible. Henry was enchanted by the resulting painting and decided to marry Anne.
Unfortunately, upon meeting Anne, Henry realized the portrait was deceptive and famously complained “I don’t like it!” But their marriage negotiations were at a critical juncture, and Henry could not leave quietly without offending a much-needed ally. Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII were married on January 6, 1540. According to the king, the union was never consummated, which only served as grounds for annulment six months later.
Hoping to avoid a fracas, Henry sent his ministers to Anne to persuade her to cooperate in the annulment. Anne of Cleves had clear examples of the danger in disagreeing. Catherine of Aragon, the king’s first wife, had fought their divorce for years, having been forced to live in near-poverty and kept away from her only son as punishment. Anne Boleyn, Henry’s fiery second wife, had been tried and executed when she attempted to cross the king. Succeeding in ending her marriage while maintaining the goodwill of the king, Anne of Cleves survived a dangerous situation that had brought two brilliant women to the brink of collapse.
King Henry, perhaps as a relief, officially made his beloved sister Anna, heaping property and money on her. Anne of Cleves never returned to Germany, remaining in England for the rest of her life. She possessed a great ability to befriend people, forging close relationships with Lady Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon, and Katherine Howard, who would succeed her as queen. She and Henry remained warm friends, and Anne was a frequent dinner guest of the king and his new queen.
Along with Katherine Parr, Anne of Cleves was one of two surviving wives of Henry VIII. Anne lived long enough to see her close friend Mary crowned Queen, before she died at her Chelsea estate in July 1557. A modest and quiet woman, Anne is often overlooked by scholars, perhaps unjustly. Her integration into the tangled English court and her careful handling of her marriage annulment suggest that Henry VIII’s fourth queen possessed a wisdom that surpassed some of her better known female sisters.
