Although she was only 41 years of age, she had outlived each of Henry VIIIâs five other wives â and had had a happier ending than any of them. She knew it would take some time for Henry to secure a divorce, so she kept Henry interested with her love letters. When he became king he had been a trim 32 inches around the waist; by the time he met Anne of Cleves it was closer to 52 inches. The marriage was duly declared illegal on 9 July, and the annulment was confirmed by parliament three days later. This was further boosted by her right to keep all of her royal jewels, plate and goods in order to furnish her new properties. Harald V of Norway, 84 46. Incapacitated by an ulcerated jousting wound in his leg, Henryâs girth had increased at an alarming rate. Catherine was a flighty and flirtatious girl, some 32 years younger than her husband, and she soon began an illicit affair with Thomas Culpepper, a gentleman of the privy chamber. But it was all in vain and Henry had Cromwell executed a few days after the marriage was annulled. She is often dismissed as the 'ugly wife', little more than a blip in the history of Englandâs most-married monarch. Lewes Castle Marlipins Museum. When her adultery was discovered, she went to the block in February 1542. Thanks! After her first disastrous meeting with Henry, Cromwell urged Anne to âbehave in a way which might please the kingâ â in short, she should âexcite lustâ in her new husband. He had therefore âleft her as good a maid as I found herâ. The official website for BBC History Magazine and BBC History Revealed, Try 6 issues of BBC History Magazine or BBC History Revealed for only £9.99.  Elizabeth I. Anne cherished an abiding affection for Henryâs youngest daughter, Elizabeth. Forever the pragmatist, Anne resolved to make the most of the life that she had left. Among the potential candidates was Anne of Cleves. Abdullah II, 59 36. With characteristic discretion, Anne left court soon after Maryâs accession, resolved to live out her days quietly at Hever and Chelsea â another manor left to her by Henry. Thank you for subscribing to HistoryExtra, you now have unlimited access. Although the then Duke of Juliers-Cleves, Johann (Anneâs father) was no Protestant, he â like Henry â had expelled papal authority from his domain. Kings, even more than ordinary men, prided themselves on their sexual potency: it was, after all, vital for the continuation of their dynasty. It was while staying at the latter that Anne died on 16 July 1557, after a short illness.  Thomas Cromwell, Arranging the kingâs disastrous fourth marriage was the beginning of the end for his chief minister. She once claimed that âto have had [Elizabeth] for her daughter would have been [a] greater happiness to her than being queenâ. This was to become her principal residence, and she lived very comfortably there on the fringes of public life. You can unsubscribe at any time. A portrait of Anne of Cleves comes to life in a gallery and she talks to the night time security guard about her life. Cromwell had championed Anne enthusiastically, aware that the marriage would cement his religious reforms. A contemporary depiction reveals the king as a grotesque figure. Henry and Catherine Howard were married at Oatlands Palace in Surrey on 28 July 1540. The new kingâs council viewed her as an irrelevance, not to mention a drain on their resources, and confiscated two of the manors that Henry had given her. Anne Boleyn is the most famous of Henry VIII's six wives, executed by a French swordsman on 19 May 1536 after being arrested for adultery and incest.  Mary Tudor, Anne of Cleves was about the same age as her eldest stepdaughter, Mary, and the two struck up an apparently warm friendship. His two great rivals, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and French king Francis I, had forged a treaty, and to make matters worse, a short while later Pope Paul III had reissued the bull of excommunication against the English king. Anne wrote to her family, assuring them that she was very happy with her husband. By that time, Anne was comfortably ensconced at Hever with all the riches and honours of being a queen, but none of the disadvantages of being married to the ageing, bloated and increasingly tyrannical king. [3], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}50°52′8.7″N 0°0′16.6″E / 50.869083°N 0.004611°E / 50.869083; 0.004611. Pressure was brought to bear on Thomas Cromwell, who had been arrested for treason and was now obliged to give evidence from the Tower in support of the annulment. Anne est un prénom très populaire dans toute l'Europe et à toutes les époques. Anne was then 22 years of age, and had already been used as a pawn in the international marriage market when she had been betrothed to François, heir to the duchy of Lorraine, in 1527. Holbeinâs portrait showed a pretty young woman with fair hair, a doll-like face, delicate eyes, mouth and chin, and a demure, maidenly expression. He dispatched the renowned portrait painter Hans Holbein to Cleves so that he could see what he was letting himself in for. The Long Call coming from ITV. The education of noble ladies in Cleves was very different to England. 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