Anne of Cleves
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After the death of
Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's minister, Thomas Cromwell was eager to pursue a Protestant
alliance to counteract the fear of invasion from France and the Empire. The King was
enchanted by glowing descriptions of Anne, the Duchess of Cleves, and was further hooked
upon seeing Hans Holbein's painting of her. Unfortunately, when Henry actually met Anne in person on New Years 1540 he vehemently disliked her. Anne agreed to a seperation after just months of marriage. She was adopted as the 'King's sister', and lived out her years in England with a handsome divorce settlement. |
Pictured: Anne of Cleves (Elvi Hale) from the BBC series The Six Wives of Henry
VIII.
