On This Day in History Anne of Cleves Arrived In Kent to Become a Queen On 27th December 1539, at 5pm, Anne of Cleves landed at Deal on the Kent coast, where she was met by Sir Thomas Cheyne and taken to Deal Castle to rest after her long journey. But first let’s hear a little something about Anne of Cleves, before we delve into the troubles she faced with Henry VIII. Anne was born in 1515 in Dusseldorf as the Duchy of Cleves. At the age of 12 she was betrothed to Frances son of the Duke of Lorraine but the marriage did not take place. She received no formal education but learnt needlework and music. The education of Anne of Cleves was quite basic as her mother was very strict and traditional and she was not well tutored in music, dancing literature or languages. Her family were of the Lutheran faith, and eventually she became a suitable match in Thomas Cromwell’s search for a new wife for Henry following the death of Jane Seymour. There were three sisters in the royal family of Cleves and Hans Holbein, a famous Tudor court painter, was sent to paint the pictures of Sybilla, Amelia and Anne. While Henry VIII viewed the portrait of Anne of Cleves, painted by Hans Holbein, it did more than anything to sell Henry on making her his wife. That painting sold Henry VIII on Anne of Cleves. But later, Holbein the artist had some ‘splainin’ to do! And he was very lucky to keep his head. Cromwell didn’t fare so well. When Henry VIII saw Anne in person for the first time, he was polite to her face, but left in a hurry, and made his famous proclamation, “You sent me a mare!” Anne of Cleves, the 4th wife of Henry VIII - their union was never consummated as Henry found Anne homely, preferring instead to divorce and grant her status and homes, including, eventually, Hever Castle, the former home of the Boleyns. Henrys only truly arranged marriage. He disliked her and annuled the marriage. Anne agreed and was given a pension, castles,and the ability to keep her head. Anne had a kinder fate than the rest of Henrys wives. After the divorce she became the Kings Beloved Sister, receiving several properties and a generous allowance. She spent the rest of her life in England, enjoying English ale and gambling, and spending a fortune on her pretty dresses. When she died at the age of 41, she had outlived Henry, his male heir, and all his other wives. Anne of Cleves burial is in Westminster Abbey. I’ve included the floor plan of Hever Castle in Kent for lots of reasons, for one it was the childhood home of Queen Anne Boleyn and the oldest part of the castle dates back to 1270. After the ill-fated Annes death the castle passed from the disgraced Boleyns to the Crown, and thence to Anne of Cleves. It was bought in 1903 by William Waldorf Astor and transformed into a Gilded Age party house. So there’s a lot of great history within those walls. And worth the trip to visit. The Duchess
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 15:11:31 +0000
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