Avançar para o conteúdo principal

Anne of Cleves

Anne (German: Anna) was born on 22 September 1515, in Düsseldorf. She was the second daughter of John III, Duke of Jülich jure uxoris, Cleves, Berg jure uxoris, and his wife, Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg. Her father was influenced by Erasmus and followed a path within the Reformation: Anne grew up a Lutheran.



In 1527, at the age of 11, Anne was betrothed to Francis, the son and heir of the Duke of Lorraine. However, Francis was only 10, therefore the betrothal was considered unofficial and was cancelled in 1535.

 In October 1939, a marriage treaty overseen by Thomas Cromwell was signed between Cleves and England and one of the Duke's sisters was to become Henry VIII’s fourth wife. Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Duren to paint portraits of Anne and her sister, Amalia. Anne was the chosen sister: she was of middling beauty and had a very assured and resolute face; she was fair haired, with a high forehead, heavy lidded eyes and pointed chin.

 Henry VIII met privately with Anne on New Year's Day 1540, in Rochester. Following a courtly-love tradition, he went into Anne's room disguised to surprise her. Anne didn't recognise the King and it is said he was put off the marriage from then on (I like her not!). On 6 January 1540, Anne married Henry VIII and became Queen of England.

 Henry was disappointed with Anne and couldn't bring himself to consummate the wedding. He complained about her body odour and her sagging breasts, even suggesting she was not a virgin. His roving eye had already rested in one of Anne's pretty and young ladies-in-waiting, Catherine Howard.

 Anne was commanded to leave the court on June 1540 and on 6 July, she was informed of her husband's decision to reconsider the marriage. Shortly afterwards, Anne was asked for her consent to an annulment, to which she agreed. The marriage was annulled on 9 July on the grounds of non-consummation and her pre-contract to Francis of Lorraine.

 On 28 July 1540, Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.

 The former Queen received a generous settlement, became good friends with the King and lived a peaceful life in England. When her health began to fail, Anne moved to Chelsea Old Manor, one of her houses. There, on July 1557, she dictated her last will. She was remembered by everyone who served her as a particularly generous and easy-going mistress.

 Anne died at Chelsea Old Manor on 16 July 1557, eight weeks short of her 42nd birthday. She was the last of Henry VIII's wife to die, outliving him by 10 years and his last wife, Catherine Parr, by 9 years.

Anne of Cleves
Hans Holbein the Younger
(c. 1539)

Etiquetas:

Comentários

Enviar um comentário

Mensagens populares deste blogue

Mihrimah Sultan

Mihrimah was born in Istanbul in 1522; she was the daughter of Sultan Süleyman I (aka The Magnificent) and his concubine, Hürrem Sultan . Her mother was freed in 1533 or 1534 and became the Sultan’s legal wife. On 26 November 1539, Mihrimah, aged 17, married Rüstem Pasha, who later rose to become her father’s Grand Vizier. Though this union was unhappy, Mihrimah flourished as a patroness of the arts and continued her travels with her father until her husband’s death. Mihrimah had two children: Osman and Hümaşah. Mihrimah travelled the Ottoman Empire with her father as he surveyed the lands and conquered new ones. In international politics, her mother sent letters to the Sigismund II, King of Poland, and the contents of these letters were mirrored in the letters Mihrimah sent. Although there is no proof of Hürrem and Mihrimah’s direct involvement in her half-brother Mustafa’s downfall, Ottoman sources and foreign accounts indicate that it was widely believed they worke...
1 comentário
Ler mais

Margaret of Provence

Margaret (French: Marguerite) was born during the spring of 1221, in Forcalquier. She was the eldest daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence, and Beatrice of Savoy. She had three younger sisters, who would all become queens like her: Eleanor (Queen of England), Sanchia (Queen of Germany) and Beatrice (Queen of Sicily). Margaret has a especially close relationship with Eleanor, and they remained friends until they grew old. In 1233, Blanche of Castile sent one of her knights to Provence to meet Margaret, whose grace and beauty was famous. Margaret and her father entertained the knight well, and soon Blanche and Ramon Berenguer were negotiating a marriage contract between Margaret and Louis IX of France, Blanche's son. Margaret was escorted to Lyon by her parents, where the marriage treaty was signed. From there, she was escorted to her wedding ceremony, in Sens. On 27 May 1234, Margaret became the wife of Louis IX and Queen of France; she was just 13. The marriage...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais

Charlotte of Prussia (Alexandra Feodorovna)

Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine, better known as Charlotte, was born a princess of Prussia on 13 July 1798. She was the eldest surviving daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia and his wife, Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Her childhood was marked by the Napoleonic wars and the death of her mother when she was just 12. On February 1814, Grand Duke Nicholas Pavlovich, the future Tsar of Russia, and his brother. Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich visited Berlin. Arrangements were made by the two families for Nicholas to marry Charlotte and strengthen the alliance between Prussia and Russia. On a second visit, Nicholas fell in love with Charlotte; the feeling was mutual. She wrote: I like him and am sure of being happy with him . By the end of this visit, they were engaged. On 9 June 1817, Princess Charlotte travelled to Russia. When she arrived in Saint Petersburg, she converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and took the Russian name of Alexandra Feodorovna. On her 19th birthday, ...
Enviar um comentário
Ler mais