Anne of Cleves

Epic card · No. 6113

Anne of Cleves (German: Anna von Kleve; 28 June or 22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) was a German princess who briefly became Queen of England in 1540 as the fourth wife of Henry VIII, from their marriage on 6 January until its annulment on 12 July. Born in Düsseldorf to John III, Duke of Cleves and Maria of Jülich-Berg, little is known about Anne before 1527. She was betrothed to Francis I, Duke of Lorraine, but the marriage did not take place. In March 1539, Henry started negotiations with the German Protestants to form an alliance against the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire. He sought to marry Anne, the sister of William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, and ordered Hans Holbein the Younger to paint him a portrait of her. Once Henry found it flattering, he agreed to the marriage. Anne arrived in England in December 1539, and met Henry in January, where he surprised her by wearing a disguise. The difference in Henry and Anne's personalities made them incompatible with each other...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Hans Holbein the Younger, Public domain