Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 4
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. Accord...