When was anne cleves born

Henry himself was far more demanding in the matter of wives than most royal husbands. He had known his first three wives before marrying them, and had consciously chosen them. This was very different from most royal marriages of the time, when it was very unlikely for the couple to meet before the wedding date was imminent. He wanted a wife whom he could love. Anne and her sister Amelia had been mentioned in as possible wives for the King of England , although the ambassador to the Low Countries, Thomas Wriothesley, mentioned that neither was considered particularly attractive or learned, but with few other avenues available in , emissaries were sent to Cleves.

Nevertheless, the prospect of a crown and an alliance with England was too good an opportunity to be missed and Duke John pursued discussions. He was eager to promote the match and welcomed the envoys from England who were sent to report on the suitability of either Anne or her sister Amelia as a bride for Henry. The Lady Anne was also reported to be extremely modest in her bearing. In both, Anne is presented in the fashions of the court of Cleves, very different from the French and Italian styles popular in England.

Before matters could proceed to a conclusion, it had to be established that Anne was free to marry. There had, perhaps, been an earlier betrothal, to the infant son of the Duke of Lorraine.

On 4th October , the marriage treaty was signed. As the season was now unfavourable for a sea-journey, a safe-conduct was requested from Mary of Hungary, Regent of the Low Countries, to allow Anne to travel overland to Calais.

The permission was granted, and Anne said goodbye to her family and set out to a foreign land and an unknown husband. On her arrival in Antwerp, she was greeted with enthusiasm by the English merchants of the city, who gave her a torchlit procession.

As she entered English territory at Calais, guns were fired in salute. Anne passed the time in learning to play English card games, to speak some of the language of her new home, and admiring the English ships. Presumably, she had never seen a ship or the sea before.

All in all, Anne made an excellent impression. Whilst gracious, she was not over-familiar, and showed every sign of wanting to fit in with English customs, even going so far as to ask about table manners.

Henry was by now so impatient to see his bride that he decided to make an unannounced visit. It was a common courting trick for the groom to arrive incognito, and the lady, who was supposed to recognise him, was to pretend to be overcome by his charms. James IV had paid just such an incognito visit to Margaret Tudor when she first arrived in Scotland, and Henry himself had liked to dress up to surprise his first wife. Unfortunately, Anne was either completely unaware of this courtly game, or genuinely had no idea that it was Henry who had burst into her apartments in Rochester, and tried to embrace her.

She received the intruder coldly, and continued to watch the bull-baiting that was being carried on outside the window of her room. Henry was brought face-to-face with the fact that, without his royal persona, a young woman would have no interest in him. He exited the room swiftly, to return covered in purple velvet, to the oohs and aahs of the assembled company.

Nevertheless, it was immediately apparent that he found Anne deeply physically unappealing. But, of course, physical attraction is an elusive thing, and cannot be legislated for, even amongst kings. Anne certainly had more to complain of than Henry , but, of course, she had no option but to try to make the best of things. Could Cromwell come up with a scheme to stop the marriage? Her father John 'the Peaceful' died, leaving her younger brother William as her ruler.

The king was delighted and the marriage confirmed and Anne set off for England. But alas, Henry was disappointed in his bride, calling her fat and ugly. It is an account of Anne that has endured throughout history yet there were no other contemporary accounts of her repellent looks. It is my belief that Anne, untrained in courtly ways and new to England, was not prepared to meet Henry.

They suddenly discovered there was no dispensation from the precontract; Anne was still officially betrothed to Francis. For once, his decision to end a marriage was legally valid and acceptable to all. Luckily for her, she had only a small knowledge of English and even less knowledge of the physical relationship between a man and wife. Her English ladies were astounded by her innocence. No, she was told emphatically, it most certainly was not. In the end, she ruled as queen for just four months; her last official appearance as the royal consort was during the May Day celebrations.

She was never crowned, though even if the king had wished it, he could not have afforded such a ceremony. During those months, the Catholic nobility pushed their advantage against the Protestant Cromwell. Too young and ill-educated to be aware of how others used her as a pawn, she happily danced before the king and accepted his gifts.

She was granted lands in April and the next month received rich gifts of fabric and jewelry. There is every possibility Catherine consummated her relationship with the king in May. How else can we explain the sudden race to rid himself of Anne?

The investigation into her precontract with Lorraine had been hastily done in January and February but for two months afterwards, the king merely lamented his fate. But suddenly in May there was a fierce new determination to annul the marriage; the king was no longer content to complain. It is possible, and was rumored, that Henry had slept with Catherine and consequently there was a chance she was pregnant.

And so Anne had to go. She succumbed to the inevitable with surprising grace. Henry was very grateful. If she had not cooperated…. He knew, from the example of Katharine of Aragon, what could happen if a queen fought an annulment. He had no desire to alienate Cleves or engage in another lengthy legal and theological dispute.

The king declared the marriage had not been consummated and, in any case, it was invalid from the start. Would Anne agree? She did agree, most readily. They brought an interpreter so there would be no misunderstanding. For her part, Anne quickly grasped the situation.

She had no advisers and the king had already executed one wife and harassed another to death. Certainly she enjoyed the role of queen, was more fluent in English and had taken a liking to her new country; even the people cheered her on the occasional public ride between palaces.

But did she dare fight Henry? Of course not. She agreed the marriage had never been consummated and signed all necessary documents. For his part, Henry was now prepared to be generous. This guaranteed her an income of pds a year, making her one of the wealthiest women in England. All this depended upon her remaining in England, and this Anne was more than willing to do. Anne was perhaps as content with the arrangement as Henry. These rumors were understandable enough; Anne occupied a nebulous place in English society, unmarried but wealthy and independent.

She was not an heiress but still honored as a royal. She answered to no male authority but that of the king, and he did not choose to trouble her. For the rest of her life, rumors spread about her lifestyle.

Her will is perhaps most representative of her kindly character. In it, she remembered gifts to everyone who had ever served her, no matter how humble or long ago. If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content.

Link will appear as Hanson, Marilee. Engraving of Anne of Cleves, after Holbein. Read More English History Topics. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.

However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Read more on our privacy policy here. Cookie Settings Accept All. Manage consent. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.