Anne of Cleves The King's Beloved Sister
She was born in Germany. Europe was divided by religion and the English King
needed support. Negotiations took place and portraits painted. But would they be
honest in their depiction? A marriage that did more harm than good, and some
lives would never be the same again. We now look at the story of Anne of Cleves.
On the 22nd of September 1515, a lady was born in the city of Dusseldorf in
Germany. She was the second daughter of John the third from the House of
La Marck, Duke of Jülich, but he is often called the Duke of Cleves. His wife
was Maria, who was the Duchess of Jülich-Berg. Anne of Cleves had been initially
influenced by the Dutch philosopher and Christian scholar, Erasmus. He had come to
the aid of the Schmalkaldic League, a military alliance of Lutheran princes, who
opposed Emperor Charles the fifth. After her father's death, her brother William
would now take hold of the reins, becoming Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg. In 1526 her
sister Sibylle would marry the head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany,
John Frederick, a man considered the "Champion of the Reformation." At the age of
11, Anne found herself betrothed to a 9-year-old who was son and heir to Antoine,
the Duke of Lorraine. It wouldn't be long later that this was cancelled and
considered unofficial. However, due to ongoing disputes between her father and
Charles V, it now seemed that this family would make great allies for
England, especially after King Henry the Eighth had signed a Truce of Nice.
A match was declared by Henry's minister Thomas Cromwell, but it would take quite
some time to convince the King himself as to how this would and should pan out.
To find out more about this lady. Henry sent his Court artist Hans Holbein the
Younger to travel over and paint a portrait of her so the King could see precisely what
he was letting himself in for.
Henry stipulated that the image must be as accurate as possible; he wasn't in
the mood for flattery!
For Cromwell, this was a minor success; he had at least got the King to take
some notice of this potential bride. By 1539 Henry was now becoming impatient,
but Cromwell continued to make preparations and instigate a marriage treaty
in his usual steadfast way. Henry loved women, but not just any woman. He mainly
went for those that have been educated and carried themselves with
sophistication. Unfortunately, Anne wasn't one of those! In fact, she had
received no formal education at all, unless you include her card playing skills
and a well-heeled trait of sewing socks. Not to be too unkind, she was adept
at reading and writing, even if that was only in German! Anne was looked upon as
a gentle soul, one who was virtuous. The main reasoning behind her
recommendation as a suitor to Henry. Charles de Marillac, the French ambassador, once
proclaimed her as "of middling beauty and of very assured and resolute countenance."
Her fair hair hanging and her lovely face gave her a beauty that would appeal to
the English Court and general public. It was now down to Holbein to make his
easel full of life and convey to Henry a picture that was fit for a King, well,
in this case, not just any king! The big day arrived in 1540, it was New Year's
eve, and Henry, who was now over excited to see this woman, jumped on his steed and
travelled to Rochester Abbey. Some of Henry's courtiers had gone on ahead with
Henry turning up in disguise later in the day. The following day, Henry would
make his entrance. Eustace Chapuys, who was the Spanish Ambassador to Henry's
Court, reported on the meeting.
Henry's first impressions were not pleasing, and Cromwell was probably thinking,
she'll grow on you! But no, she wouldn't! Henry said this was not the woman
portrayed in the image by Holbein. But it was all a little too much too late. On
3 January, outside the gates to Greenwich Park, Henry finally met Anne
officially. A sizeable grand reception was laid out to welcome her to Court. Now
at this point, it is worth noting that many historians believe the arrangement
between the two was so uninspiring due to Anne's appearance along with her failure
to consummate the marriage. As Henry clearly found her not suitable to become Queen,
and he felt misled by his advisors to her beauty.
Thomas Cromwell had to
reluctantly accept a portion of the blame at this. He was the one who had
instigated the whole affair, and the hole he had dug himself was getting
considerably deeper. Although Henry ordered Cromwell to find legal ways in
stopping the marriage, this was going to be another stumbling block. More so due
to the Alliance which had been agreed with the Germans. Henry had tears in his
eyes, not of joy, but anger. And Cromwell was now running scared, and the King
was hot on his trail. Another royal wedding was now set, and it's entirely
possible this would end up being one of the more embarrassing days for Henry. One
can imagine the Court were at loggerheads about celebrating if a celebration was
indeed the right thing to do. That aside, the two of them were married on
the sixth of January 1540, at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich. Archbishop
Thomas Cranmer had the front row seat and the words required to carry out the
ceremony. On her arrival in England, Anne had conformed to the new religion; this at least
put a wry smile on Henry's face. Apart from that, there was literally nothing he
liked about her. I see Cromwell cowering in the corner; let me go speak to him! He told
Cromwell in no uncertain terms that they had not consummated the marriage and
ended by stating,
February 1540, Anne was praising the King while speaking to the Countess of
Rutland. She said that
It would all end in tears for Anne, who was asked to leave Court on the 24th of June.
Henry had spoken, and his words were the usual defamatory way of saying goodbye.
To be more factual, he had doubts about the marriage and that he could not
believe she was a virgin. Anne was asked to agree to an annulment within a few
days, and quite possibly with a sigh of relief, she agreed. Thomas Cromwell
wasn't so lucky he was attained for treason. The marriage was officially
annulled on 9 July 1540 on the grounds of non-consummation and a pre-
contract with Frances of Lorraine. Anne would now be placed away from court; she
received a very generous settlement and possibly thanked for her time! Sarcasm
aside, she received Richmond Palace and Hever Castle, home to the King's former wife,
Anne Boleyn. Although there was never any love between the pair, Anne and Henry did go
on to become great friends. Henry even made her an honorary member of the royal
family; she was declared now the King's Beloved Sister. Invitations to Court
would come thick and fast, quite possibly to give Henry a game of cards and
have a few drinks. Henry also stipulated that she would be given precedence over
all other women throughout his realm, except his own wife and daughters. Catherine
Howard was the next wife for Henry but after the tragic ending of this. Her
brother William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, asked Henry to consider marrying Anne
again. But Henry, once bitten and now twice shy, refused. For now, the sixth and
final wife for the King would step forward, Catherine Parr. For some reason, not
really known, Anne seemed to dislike the new lady on the block. She said "Madam
Parr is taking a great burden on herself." After Henry died, his Will had specific
requests with regards to Anne. She was asked to move out of her home at
Bletchingley Palace by Edward VI's Privy Council. This was to make way
for Thomas Cawarden, Master of Revels. Penshurst would be her new home, and to look
on the bright side, it was also nearer to Hever Castle.
Later in the year of
1553, Anne had written a letter to Mary I, congratulating her on
marriage to Philip of Spain. It would be in September when Mary left St. James's
Palace for Whitehall. She was accompanied by both her sister Elizabeth and Anne.
But this wasn't the only occasion that Anne found herself in the company of Mary. She
also took part in Mary's coronation at Westminster Abbey, but this would be the
last time Anne was given any role at a public gathering. Mary was, of course,
a robust catholic leader. For Anne, this meant changing her religion again to comply
with the new Queen. This was all to no avail, as Anne eventually found she was to
be excluded from Court. It all began when rumours surfaced that she was part of
Wyatt's Rebellion in 1554. Anne at the time held a close association with Elizabeth,
Mary's sister. This had convinced Mary that somehow Anne certainly had some
input into the plot. Yet there was no evidence, and it all seems highly
contentious in the way Mary had gathered such information. For Anne, she was not
invited back to Court after this event, and left to live a quiet existence on
one of her estates. It's pretty sad to think that Anne never left England again.
She became homesick at times and quite possibly wanted more than anything else
to visit her relations back home. It is said she was content most of the time
and was once described as "a lady of commendable regards, courteous, gentle, a
good housekeeper, and very bountiful to her servants." Over time, Anne's health started
to go downhill; Mary now allowed her to live at Chelsea Old Manor. The exact
destination as Henry the Eighth's his last wife, Catherine Parr. It would be at the
manor that Anne drew up her last Will. She mentioned her family along with the future
Queen of England, Elizabeth. Some monies were left to her servants, and requests
were sent to both Mary and Elizabeth to employ them after Anne's passing.
People who knew and were close to Anne said they all agreed that she was a
generous lady and perfect mistress. On 16 July 1557, Anne died at
Chelsea, it would be just eight weeks short of her 42nd birthday. Her funeral took
place at Westminster Abbey on 3 August. The epitaph is simple in its
eloquence. Anne of Cleves, Queen of England, born 1515 died 1557. Anne of Cleves is
another lady that led an extraordinary life within the Tudor period. She
encompasses everything we today would expect of a lady of her standing.
It seems looks were equally crucial in the 16th century for some as they are
today for others. But we must look beyond the outer skin, and inside, you will
find a lady that is quite possibly the most dignified, honest, and caring person
you could wish for. She was happy; it seems no matter what hardship lay ahead,
she would just simply move with the times and react accordingly. Her leadership
skills also warrant a mention. It must have been most gratifying for members of
her inner circle to attend such a lady. Non-judgemental, happy to assist and help
where possible. She took a hands-on approach to life and created a stable and
enduring backdrop to the hustle and bustle of the Tudor regime. Her attitude
was to satisfy and encourage individuals to come forth and have no fear.
These qualities have been admired. Anne of Cleves would always make the best of awkward
situations. Yet, even the mighty Henry had to eventually submit with a smile,
which was a rare and uncommon sight
for the Court in England.