Anne+of+Cleves

Anne of Cleves was a princess of Germany before she met Henry VIII. She was betrothed to him in an attempt to combine Germany and England. Anne was Henry’s fourth wife. Anne of Cleves was not like a lot of other princesses because she really had no talent except for sewing. She was twenty-three years old and daughter of John Duke of Cleves and Duchess Maria. Anne knew German and learned English quickly, but she knew no French or Latin. Anne was Lutheran, but her mother was Catholic. Henry VIII was not her first betrothal. When she was twelve years old, she was promised to a ten year old boy named Francis, who was a duke’s son. However, the betrothal was broken off because her brother did not approve of the wedding. After King Henry saw the picture of Anne he decided to meet her but played a terrible trick on her. King Henry decided to dress up as a poor person, not as a king. When she arrived at the castle he came up to speak to her but she shunned him because she did not know he was King Henry and thought he was poor. Henry was incredibly insulted by her reaction and decided he needed to find a way out of the engagement. Henry and his adviser, Thomas Cromwell, invented a story and told the kingdom of England that she was his “sister”. Obviously, the marriage was annulled but Henry gave her a castle for her family to make up for the disappointment. Poor Cromwell, however, received a beheading from Henry as a result of his poor matchmaking skills.
 * Anne of Cleves**

Sabrina Shafer