Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves also known as "The Flanders Mare" (see below) (September 22, 1515 - July 16, 1557) was the queen consort of Henry VIII of England from January 6, 1540 to July 9, 1540.

Anne was born on September 22, 1515, at Düsseldorf, the daughter of John III, ruler of the duchy of Cleves, who had died in 1538. Then her brother William IV "The Rich" was Duke of Cleves, Jülich and Berg, bearing the promising epithet "The Rich". Her elder sister Sybille was married to

John Frederick, Elector of Saxony, head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany, the "Champion of the Reformation". William was a Catholic personally, but the family politics made them suitable allies for Henry in the aftermath of the Reformation, and the match was urged on the king by his chancellor, Thomas Cromwell. The artist Hans Holbein the Younger was dispatched to paint a portrait of Anne, and Henry was pleased with the result. It was usual for court painters to be flattering in their portrayal of important people, and it is likely that Holbein covered up the evidence of Anne's smallpox scars.

This image of Anne being "the ugly queen" was prevalent amongst traditional historians. However, more recent viewpoints suggest that it is more likely she found Henry to be the ugly one (he was by this time grossly obese) and purposely made him dislike her.

Another theory suggests that they agreed that they just did not get along well with each other — Anne had been raised in the small provincial court at Düsseldorf and shared none of the musical and humanistic literary tastes of Henry's court — and they split on amicable terms. This theory is supported by the good settlement she received.

The marriage occurred on January 6 at the royal Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London despite any misgivings by either party. The marriage was annulled on July 9, 1540, on the grounds that it had never been consummated, and she was given a generous settlement, including Hever Castle, home of Henry's former in-laws the Boleyns. Made a Princess of England and called "sister" by her former husband, Anne remained in England for the rest of her life. She was the last of Henry's six wives to die, in London, on July 16, 1557, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. By that time she had converted to Roman Catholicism, and remained on good terms with one-time stepdaughter Princess Mary (also known as "Bloody Mary") Tudor.

In film

The Six Wives of King Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard
Catherine Parr

Elsa Lanchester appeared as Queen Anne in the 1933 film The Private Life of Henry VIII opposite Charles Laughton as Henry VIII. In this fanciful comedy of manners, Anne deliberately portrays herself as unattractive and naïve in order to persuade Henry to divorce her, thus enabling her to find love elsewhere.

In 1970, actress Elvi Hale played the title role in the 90-minute BBC television drama Anne of Cleves opposite Keith Michell's Henry VIII and Molly Sudgen as Anne's German lady-in-waiting. In this, relatively accurate piece, Anne comes to England full of youthful naïveté and joyous hope, only to be horrified upon meeting her hideous future husband. She quickly befriends her young stepdaughter, the Princess Elizabeth (true to history), and encourages Henry in his infatuation with the young Catherine Howard (played by Angela Speak — appearing only once in bed awaiting Henry and once, glowing with quiet joy, at the king's funeral seven years later).

Historiography

It was Sir Horace Walpole, writing in the 18th-century, who resurrected the myth which described Anne as "The Flanders Mare" — a monument to ugliness. This view persisted, and it is still a popular stereotype. Most historians, however, disagree with it.