Anne of Cleves was born on 22nd September 1515 in Dusseldorf into a highly influential and politically active family.

Anne of Cleves was born on 22nd September 1515 in Dusseldorf into a highly influential and politically active family. Her sister Sybille was married to the Elector of Saxony, and her brother, Wilhelm, became the future Duke of Cleves-Burg, and would be instrumental in negotiations regarding her future marriage.

Anne was originally intended to be married into the House of Lorraine when she was eleven in 1527. There were numerous negotiations regarding the union, but nothing was cemented, and by 1535 all official wedding discussions had essentially been rejected, leaving the desirable duke’s daughter available on the European marriage market. 

Henry VIII and his council were searching for a new wife after the death of Queen Jane Seymour in 1536. The French had aligned themselves to the Habsburgs and signed a ten-year truce in 1538 (although this never lasted), cementing a union between Europe’s two major Catholic powerhouses. Cromwell, Henry’s leading minister at the time, suggested a counter alliance with a Lutheran house in Germany, even though Anne’s family were relatively mild in their reformist views. Cromwell was aware that England was potentially vulnerable to a Franco-Habsburg invasion and influenced the king that negotiating with the newly appointed Duke Wilhelm (Anne’s father had died in 1539) would be a successful diplomatic adventure, that would ensure the prosperity of England against foreign invasion. Renowned artist Hans Holbein the Younger travelled to Wilhelm’s court with the instruction to paint both Anne and her sister Amalia. 

With negotiations settled and Duke Wilhelm’s approval, on 26th November 1539 Anne of Cleves embarked on her journey to England. Her mother Maria was not overly fond of the union, likely the result of Henry’s previously failed marriages, with his second ending in an execution that shocked even the most conservative of Europe. Anne arrived in Rochester on 31st December the same year, after a tiring journey, which was delayed by violent storms. In reference to Anne’s comparison with a horse, popular history repeats the story that Henry was repulsed by her unappealing appearance. However, upon her arrival, the jovial Henry had decided to surprise the soon to be Queen of England, dressed in disguise. The repercussions of this event made for a disastrous first impression, with Anne and her German speaking entourage horrified at Henry’s brash and uncivilised gesture. It is important to note that Anne had not received the kind of education in court culture as her predecessors had, she was no sparkling Renaissance princess from the fashionable English or French courts and was not raised with the importance of perfecting her singing or dancing skills. 

 Anne’s lack of dutiful response has led historians to believe that this event highly affected Henry’s egotistical personality. She had not responded as expected, as Katherine of Aragon had done in earlier instances of Henry’s juvenile acts of courtly humour. As a result of this unfortunate meeting, the king’s feelings for Anne never manifested into anything other than disappointment and repulsion.

Anne married Henry on 6 January 1540, but after six months, the marriage was declared unconsummated and, as a result, she was not crowned Queen Consort. Following the annulment, Henry gave her a generous settlement, and she was thereafter known as *the King's Beloved Sister*. Remaining in England, she lived to see the reign of Edward VI and the coronation of Mary I, outliving the rest of Henry's wives. Anne of Cleves died on 16th July 1557 at Chelsea old Manor, aged 41. Anne was the only one of Henry’s six wives to be honoured with a burial fit for a woman of her status, in Westminster Abbey. None of Henry’s other five wives was given this privilege.