Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 4

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On 6th January 1540 Henry VIII married the German princess Anne of Cleves, in a politically arranged marriage. The king's advisor Thomas Cromwell persuaded the him to re- marry because it had been three years since Jane Seymour had passed away after succeeding giving Henry the thing he wanted most: a son. 

Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Cleves in Germany with the orders to paint the Duke of Cleve's daughters. Two very flattering images were sent back to the king but he chose the older sister- Anne above the younger sister- Amalia. Henry was about 49 years old whereas Anne was about 25 and a year older than Henry's eldest daughter Mary! Thankfully, unlike most of the other candidates to be the queen, Anne's family had already agreed to let Henry wed there daughter! 

Henry first met Anne at Rochester Abby where she was standing by a window watching the bull- bating in the courtyard. With a group of friends, he disguised himself and entered the room. According to witnesses, he took the woman up in his arms and kissed her. This confused Anne because she had no idea who this man was but she politely thanked him. Then Henry went and changed into his kingly garments and re- entered. Anne did not impress the king...

To English standards, Anne was not at all attractive! She was described as solemn and looked to old for her young age. Myth states that he exclaimed that Anne was a 'Flander's Mare' This did not impress the king. Click here to find out more about Anne's appearance. Also, Henry liked women who were well educated and lively, who enjoyed dancing and music. On the other hand, Anne was a keen and skilled needlewoman and liked partaking in card games. She also only knew how to read and write in her first language: German. 

Admittedly, Henry did not wish to go ahead with the marriage but eventually he did because Anne did not want to be sent back to Germany to face humiliation with her family and so he married her. They married at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich by Archbishop Thomas Crammer. They were married on 6th January 1540. 

After six months of strenuous marriage, Henry divorced and annulled the marriage. Anne was very agreeable to this so she received an annual allowance and several castles. She also was given the title 'The King's Beloved Sister' and Henry visited her often and the pair would sit and converse. 
Anne of Cleve's Tomb

To be honest, although she was not queen for a long time and she did not have any issue, Anne was the luckiest wife because she outlived Henry and all his queens. Then she was the only one of Henry's queens to be buried in Westminster Abbey!

  1. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 1
  2. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 2
  3. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 3
  4. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 4
  5. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 5
  6. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 6


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