(Introductory information about the Six Wives of Henry VIII is located in the summary information of the geocache for Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife. For those with interest, it may be interesting to read the information in that geocache description).
Shortcut summary: Anne of Cleves was Henry VIII’s fourth wife. She was mostly chosen because her marriage to Henry was supposed to create an international political alliance that would greatly benefit England. Henry and Anne met for the first time when she sailed to England for the marriage ceremony, and Henry was displeased, to say the least, with Anne’s physical appearance. After six (6) months, their marriage was annulled by the Anglican Church of England; Henry gave Anne lots of money, houses, servants, and the title of the King’s Beloved Sister, when she did not contest the annulment. She moved away from London to her castle in Hever and started life anew. Anne of Cleves lived the rest of her life in England, and she was treated well, almost (but not quite) as a Tudor family member, almost as a dear aunt to Henry’s daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. She died, most likely from cancer, in 1557 at the age of 41. She is buried at Westminster Abbey in London. She outlived Henry VIII and all his other wives.
FULL STORY: FOURTH WIFE: ANNE OF CLEVES
It was 1539, and King Henry VIII was still grieving the loss of his third wife, Jane Seymour, who died almost three (3) years before from a fatal infection that she developed after giving birth to Henry’s long-awaited, cherished, and living son, Edward.
Henry’s court and friends were concerned about his continued grief for Jane Seymour and urged him to remarry. His political advisors wanted Henry to marry to create an ally amongst his European rivals. Anne of Cleves was a young “pure” noblewoman in a Protestant and powerful family from Cleves, a very strong province in German territory. Marriage to Anne would help to geographically counterbalance two (2) continental powerhouses, the staunchly Catholic territories of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, and England’s long-time rival, France. England needed the Cleves alliance, and Henry needed a wife.
A very famous painter from the time, Hans Holbein, was dispatched to Cleves to paint a portrait of Anne of Cleves so Henry would have some idea of her appearance. When the portrait of Anne arrived in London, Henry was satisfied with Anne’s physical appearance in the painting, so the marriage was arranged, and Anne of Cleves sailed for England, arriving in January, 1540.
“I like her not! I like her not!” was Henry’s reaction when he first met his betrothed when he frantically rode a horse to Dover to meet Anne of Cleves as her ship docked on the English coast. Things went downhill from there. Anne was not a great beauty, and her physique was tall and straight – she had a thick waist, floppy breasts, loose skin, and "evil smells,” Henry complained. Even worse, Anne of Cleves was not schooled in the art of romance. AT ALL. Henry loudly and publicly complained that his and Anne’s marriage could not be consummated because “his body did not desire her.” When Anne was delicately questioned about her physical relationship with King Henry, to determine if she might become “with child” as was her duty, she said, “When [Henry] comes to bed, he kisses me and taketh me by the hand and biddeth me 'good-night, sweet heart' and in the morning kisses me and biddeth me, 'Farwell, darling.' Is this not enough?" Anne’s English ladies-in-waiting were convinced that poor Anne actually had no idea how a woman became “with child.” Apparently, in the Cleves household, dominated by her brother and other males, no one helped Anne understand her upcoming “wifely duties.”
Six (6) months after Anne of Cleves set foot on English soil, she was told by Henry’s advisors that her marriage to King Henry VIII was over; it would be annulled (due to non-consummation, which actually seemed to be true). Anne would receive a generous annual “pension,” a few palaces, many servants, and she would be known as “the King’s Beloved Sister.” Also, she was free to marry whoever she wished. Anne of Cleves was a plain, German maiden, but she was NOT stupid. She knew that she was Henry’s fourth wife, and she knew that he would not hesitate to end the marriage in any plausible way, including ending her life, if she refused to cooperate. And, truth be told, she wasn’t that enamored of Henry. His girth had widened quite a bit during his mourning for Jane Seymour (he appeared to be a stress eater), he scowled constantly, he had gout and probably diabetes and a very large, open, painful, and odorous thigh wound that he received in a fall from his horse while hunting (it refused to heal and troubled him for decades, from its receipt until his death). Basically, Anne found Henry as unattractive as he found her.
So Anne readily agreed to the annulment and moved to one of her new properties, Hever Castle, with great speed. Henry was forever grateful that Anne did not challenge the annulment of their marriage (as opposed to the monumental challenges posed by his first two (2) wives), and, over the years, they did grow to like each other as persons, and Henry did treat Anne of Cleves like a good friend of the family. She was regularly invited to London for holidays and to participate in the court ceremonies, rituals, and observances, and she grew close to Henry’s daughters, especially Mary (who turned Anne into a Catholic and whose eventual coronation ceremony, evidence indicates, Anne probably attended).
Anne lived in England for the rest of her life and was well treated by the Tudors, although in the twilight of her years, she often voiced her desire to return to her native home province of Cleves on the European continent. She was known as a gentle, kind soul with a sunny disposition; she treated everyone equally and well. She died in Chelsea (outside of London), at one of the many homes of Mary Tudor, on July 16, 1557, at age 41 (probably from cancer). She is buried at Westminster Abbey among many other English royal persons. She was the last wife of Henry VIII to die.
The original swag of the Anne of Cleves cache are small playing cards. These cards symbolize an activity that Anne and King Henry VIII enjoyed together, playing all kinds of card games and, yes, enjoying more than a few alcoholic libations (Anne liked to drink). They were both excellent card players, but some opined that Anne probably was a better player than Henry, and he seemed to enjoy the challenge she presented; she would not allow him to win just because he was King of England, like everyone else did. The cache is hidden in an area across the street from a very lovely arboretum on MSU's campus, showcasing some very pretty individual gardens, including a finely sculptured English garden which Anne of Cleves would have enjoyed. The cache is close to the lovely gardens, but not part of the gardens. In the same way, Anne of Cleves' relationship to Henry VIII was similar; close enough, but she was not and never would be the "real deal" for Henry.
I think Anne of Cleves was Henry VIII’s luckiest wife. He eventually grew very fond of her as a friend, he expected nothing from her except a good game of cards, she lived very comfortably as a member of Henry's court, she chose her own friends (and lovers? as she never remarried), and she outlived Henry himself and the other five (5) wives. Not too shabby for a naiive, plain, German girl who was forced to enter into and then dissolve her marriage to one (1) of the most powerful and dangerous men ever to hold a throne.
Congratulations to dotdotdash on a very fast FTF!