View source for Anne of Cleves

{{other people}}
{{Short description|Queen of England in 1540}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| consort      = yes
| image        = Anne de Clèves - Hans Holbein le Jeune - Musée du Louvre Peintures INV 1348 ; MR 756 - version 2.jpg
| image_size   = 225px
| caption      = Portrait by [[Hans Holbein the Younger]], 1539
| succession   = [[Queen consort of England]]
| reign        = 6 January − 12 July 1540{{sfn|Weir|2007|p=424}}
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Henry VIII of England]]<br/>|6 January 1540|12 July 1540|end=annulled}}
| house        = [[House of La Marck|La Marck]]
| father       = [[John III, Duke of Cleves]]
| mother       = [[Maria of Jülich-Berg]]
| birth_date   = 28 June or 22 September 1515
| birth_place  = [[Düsseldorf]], [[Duchy of Berg]], [[Holy Roman Empire]]
| death_date   = 16 July 1557 (aged 41 or 42)
| death_place  = [[Chelsea Manor]], England
| burial_date  = 3 August 1557
| burial_place = [[Westminster Abbey]]
| signature    = Anne of Cleves Signature.svg
}}
'''Anne of Cleves''' ({{langx|de|Anna von Kleve}}; 28 June or 22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557){{sfn|Weir|2002|p=155}} was [[List of English royal consorts|Queen of England]] from 6 January to 12 July 1540 as the [[Wives of Henry VIII|fourth wife]] of [[Henry VIII]].{{sfn|Weir|2002|p=155}} Born in [[Düsseldorf]] to the [[House of La Marck]], little is known about Anne before 1527, when she became betrothed to [[Francis I, Duke of Lorraine|Francis, Duke of Bar]], son and heir of [[Antoine, Duke of Lorraine]], although their marriage did not proceed.

In March 1539, negotiations for Anne's marriage to Henry began. Henry believed he needed to form a political alliance with her brother, [[William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg]], a leader of the Protestants of Western Germany, to strengthen his position against potential attacks from Catholic [[Kingdom of France|France]] and the [[Holy Roman Empire]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.english-heritage.org.uk/henry-viii-and-anne-of-cleves/|title=Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves: journey to a doomed marriage?|first=Kevin|last=Sanders|date=22 September 2017|website=English Heritage Blog}}</ref> Anne arrived in England in December 1539<!--on 27 December--> and married Henry a week later, but the marriage was declared [[unconsummated]] after six months and Anne was not crowned [[queen consort]].{{sfn|Schutte|2018}}{{sfn|Schutte|2022|p=111}}

Following the [[annulment]], Henry gave her a generous settlement and Anne was thereafter known as ''the King's Beloved Sister''. Remaining in England, she lived to see the reigns of Henry's children, [[Edward VI]] and [[Mary I]], and attended [[Coronation of Mary I of England|Mary's coronation]] in 1553. Anne outlived the rest of Henry's wives.{{sfn|Schutte|2018}}{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=161}} Upon her death she was interred as a queen in [[Westminster Abbey]].

==Early life==
Anne was born in 1515, on either 22 September{{sfn|Weir|2002|p=155}}{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=7}} or 28 June.{{efn|Heather Darsie quotes from a contemporary record: "This year [sc 1515] the day before St Peter and St Paul a second daughter was born[…]." The martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul is celebrated on 29 June. Darsie attributes the incorrect date of 22 September to  [[Maurus Dantine|Maur-François Dantine]] in his {{ill|L'Art de vérifier les dates|fr|italic=yes}} of 1750.{{sfn|Darsie|2019|pp=17–20}}}} She was born in [[Düsseldorf]], [[Duchy of Berg]], the second daughter of [[John III, Duke of Cleves|John III]] of the [[House of La Marck]], Duke of [[Duchy of Jülich|Jülich]] ''[[jure uxoris]]'', [[Duchy of Cleves|Cleves]], Berg ''jure uxoris'', [[County of Mark|Count of Mark]], also known as [[de la Marck]] and [[County of Ravensberg|Ravensberg]] ''jure uxoris'' (often referred to as Duke of Cleves) who died in 1538, and his wife [[Maria, Duchess of Jülich-Berg]] (1491–1543). She grew up in [[Burg Castle (Solingen)|Schloss Burg]] on the edge of [[Solingen]].

Anne's father was influenced by [[Erasmus]] and followed a moderate path within the [[Reformation]]. He decided to side with the [[Schmalkaldic League]] and opposed Emperor [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]]. After John's death, Anne's brother [[William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg|William]] became [[United Duchies of Jülich-Cleves-Berg|Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg]], bearing the promising epithet "The Rich". In 1526, her elder sister [[Sibylle of Cleves|Sibylle]] was married to [[John Frederick, Elector of Saxony]], head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany and considered the "Champion of the Reformation".

In 1527, at the age of 11, Anne was betrothed to [[Francis I, Duke of Lorraine|Francis]], the 9-year-old son and heir of [[Antoine, Duke of Lorraine]]{{sfn|Norton|2009|pp=13–14}} but because Francis was under the age of consent (10 years old) at the time of the arrangement, the betrothal was considered unofficial and was cancelled in 1535.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Warnicke |first=Retha |date=23 September 2004 |title=Anne [Anne of Cleves] |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-558?rskey=pR9Twf&result=1}}</ref> Her brother William was a [[Lutheran]] but the family was unaligned religiously, with her mother, the Duchess Maria, described as a "strict Catholic".{{sfn|Fraser|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/sixwivesofhenryv0000fras_p2d1/page/364/mode/1up 364]}} Her father's ongoing dispute over the [[Duchy of Guelders]] with Charles V made the family suitable allies for England's King Henry VIII in the wake of the [[Truce of Nice]]. The match with Anne was urged on the King by his chief minister, [[Thomas Cromwell]].

==Wedding preparations==
[[File:Anne of Cleves by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1540s?.jpg| thumb|Portrait from 1538{{sfn|Darsie|2019|loc=Chapter 5:&nbsp;|ps="Wilhelm sent portraits of Anna and Amalia to England. These were the portraits painted by [[Barthel Bruyn the Elder]] in late 1538. The painting of Anna is now in the possession of the [[Rosenbach Museum and Library]] in Philadelphia […]"}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Object Record Anne of Cleves |url=https://rosenbach.catalogaccess.com/objects/2084 |website= |publisher=[[Rosenbach Museum and Library]] |access-date=11 August 2024}}</ref>]]
The artist [[Hans Holbein the Younger]] was dispatched to [[Düren]] to paint portraits of Anne and her younger sister, [[Amalia of Cleves|Amalia]], each of whom Henry VIII was considering as his fourth wife. Henry required the artist to be as accurate as possible, not to flatter the sisters. The portraits are now located in the [[Louvre Museum]] in Paris and the [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] in London.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foister |first=Susan |date=21 May 2009 |title=Holbein, Hans, the younger |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-13478?rskey=4tjCqF&result=2}}</ref> Another 1539 portrait, by the school of [[Barthel Bruyn the Elder]], is in the collection of [[Trinity College, Cambridge]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Trinity College, University of Cambridge|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/yourpaintings/paintings/search/located_at/trinity-college-cambridge-5846_locations|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329135246/https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/anne-of-cleves-15151557-queen-consort-to-henry-viii-134673|url-status=|archive-date=29 March 2024|publisher=[[ArtUK]]}}</ref>

Negotiations to arrange the marriage were in full swing by March 1539. [[Thomas Cromwell]] oversaw the talks and a marriage treaty was signed on 4 October of that year.

Henry valued education and cultural sophistication in women (e.g., Anne Boleyn), but Anne lacked these traits. She had received no formal education but was skilled in needlework and liked playing card games. She could read and write, but only in German.{{sfn|Norton|2009|pp=10–11}} Nevertheless, Anne was considered gentle, virtuous and docile, which is why she was recommended as a suitable candidate for Henry.

Anne was described by French ambassador [[Charles de Marillac]] as tall and slim, "of  medium beauty, and of very assured and resolute countenance."{{sfn |Gairdner |Brodie |1896 |p=[https://archive.org/details/letterspapersfor15lond/page/10/mode/2up p. 10, #22]}} She was fair-haired and was said to have had a lovely face. In the words of the chronicler [[Edward Hall]], "Her hair hanging down, which was fair, yellow and long&nbsp;... she was apparelled after the English fashion, with a [[French hood]], which so set forth her beauty and good visage, that every creature rejoiced to behold her."{{sfn|Hall|1809|pp=836–837}} She appeared rather solemn by English standards, and looked old for her age. Holbein painted her with a high forehead, heavy-lidded eyes and a pointed chin.

Anne was initially to travel to England alone with her cortège – the death of her father prevented her brother and mother from travelling – but there were concerns about a beautiful, sheltered young woman who had never travelled by sea making such a journey, especially during the winter. She travelled from Düsseldorf to Cleves, and then to Antwerp where she was received by fifty English merchants.{{sfn |Fraser |2003 |p=[https://archive.org/details/sixwivesofhenryv0000fras_p2d1/page/370/mode/2up 370]}}

Henry met her privately on New Year's Day 1540 at Rochester Abbey in [[Rochester, Kent|Rochester]] on her journey from [[Dover]].{{sfn|Warnicke|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P1PrjR79wzgC&pg=PA138 138]}} Henry and some of his courtiers, following a [[Courtly love|courtly-love]] tradition, went disguised into the room where Anne was staying.{{sfn|Warnicke|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P1PrjR79wzgC&pg=PA138 138]}} The chronicler [[Charles Wriothesley]] reported:
{{Wives of Henry VIII}}

<blockquote>[The King] so went up into the chamber where the said Lady Anne was looking out of a window to see the bull-baiting which was going on in the courtyard, and suddenly he embraced and kissed her, and showed her a token which the king had sent her for [[New Year's Day gift (royal courts)|New Year's gift]], and she being abashed and not knowing who it was thanked him, and so he spoke with her. But she regarded him little, but always looked out the window&nbsp;.... and when the king saw that she took so little notice of his coming he went into another chamber and took off his cloak and came in again in a coat of purple velvet. And when the lords and knights saw his grace they did him reverence.{{sfn|Wriothesley|1875|p=[https://archive.org/details/achronicleengla04hamigoog/page/n172/mode/2up?view=theater 110]}}</blockquote>

According to the testimony of Henry's companions, he was disappointed with Anne, feeling that she was not as described. Although Anne "regarded him little", it is unknown whether she knew this was the King.{{sfn|Warnicke|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P1PrjR79wzgC&pg=PA132 132]}} Henry then revealed his true identity to Anne, and although he is said to have been put off, the marriage preparations proceeded. Henry and Anne then met officially on 3 January on [[Blackheath, London|Blackheath]] outside the gates of [[Greenwich Park]], where a grand reception was laid out.{{sfn|Warnicke|2000|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=P1PrjR79wzgC&pg=PA146 146]}}

Most historians believe that Henry's misgivings about the marriage derived from his assessment that Anne's appearance was unsatisfactory and failure to inspire him to consummate the marriage. He felt that he had been misled by his advisors' praise: "She is nothing so fair as she hath been reported", he complained.{{sfn|Schofield|2011|p=361}} He told others in his court that if "it were not that she had come so far into my realm, and the great preparations and state that my people have made for her, and for fear of making a ruffle in the world and of driving [[William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg|her brother]] into the arms of the Emperor and the French King, I would not now marry her. But now it is too far gone, wherefore I am sorry."{{sfn|Weir|2007|p=[https://archive.org/details/sixwivesofhenryv0000weir_o4f8/page/402/mode/2up 403]}}{{efn| Henry's reported response, likening Anne to a "Flanders mare", has no contemporary source but originates from a "misogynist" coining only in 1679, by [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]] historian [[Gilbert Burnet]].{{sfn|Warnicke|2000|p=[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/_/P1PrjR79wzgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA256 256]}}}}

Cromwell received some blame for the Holbein portrait, which Henry believed not an accurate representation of Anne, and for some of the exaggerated reports of her beauty.{{sfn|Elton|1978|p=[https://archive.org/details/englandundertudo00elto/page/157/mode/1up 157]}} Henry urged Cromwell to find a legal way to avoid the marriage but, by this point, doing so was impossible without endangering the vital alliance with the Germans. In his anger and frustration, the King turned on Cromwell, to his subsequent regret.{{sfn|Lehmberg|1977|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=MhY9AAAAIAAJ&dq=Henry+VIII+execution+of+cromwell+later+regretted&pg=PA127 127]}}
[[File:The Palace of Placentia.jpg|thumb|The Palace of Placentia circa 1500s]]

== Marriage ==
[[File:Bruyn Anne of Cleves.jpg|right|thumb|A portrait of Anne in the 1540s by [[Barthel Bruyn the Elder|Bartholomäus Bruyn the Elder]]]]
Despite Henry's very vocal misgivings, the two were married on 6 January 1540 at the royal [[Palace of Placentia]] in [[Greenwich]], London, by [[Archbishop of Canterbury|Archbishop]] [[Thomas Cranmer]]. The phrase "God send me well to keep" was engraved around Anne's wedding ring.{{sfn|Weir|2007|p=412}} According to [[Edward Hall]], she wore a "gowne of ryche cloth of gold set full of large flowers of great and Orient pearl, made after the Duche fassion rownde".{{sfn|van Pelt|2024|p=[{{GBurl |id=jYjlEAAAQBAJ|pg=PA136}} 136]}} A round gown had no train.{{sfn |Hayward |Worsley |2007 |p=[{{GBurl |id=LTorDwAAQBAJ |pg=PA85}} 85]}} On the Sunday after the wedding there were [[joust]]s, Anne dressed in the English fashion, with a [[French hood]].{{sfn|van Pelt|2024|p=[{{GBurl |id=jYjlEAAAQBAJ|pg=PA137}} 137]}} 

Immediately after arriving in England, Anne conformed to the Catholic form of worship which Henry had retained after his break with Rome.{{sfn|Weir|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=M1yHXitDdyQC&pg=PA412 412]}} The couple's first night as husband and wife was not a successful one. Henry confided to Cromwell that he had not consummated the marriage, saying, "I liked her before not well, but now I like her much worse".{{sfn |Gairdner |Brodie |1896 |loc=[https://archive.org/details/letterspapersfor15lond/page/390/mode/2up #823, p. 391]}}

In February 1540, speaking to the [[Eleanor Manners, Countess of Rutland|Countess of Rutland]], Anne praised the King as a kind husband, saying: "When he comes to bed he kisseth me, and he taketh me by the hand, and biddeth me 'Good night, sweetheart'; and in the morning kisseth me and biddeth 'Farewell, darling.{{'"}} Lady Rutland responded: "Madam, there must be more than this, or it will be long ere we have a duke of York, which all this realm most desireth."{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=74}} 

Anne was commanded to leave the Court on 24 June, and on 6 July she was informed of her husband's decision to reconsider the marriage. Witness statements were taken from a number of courtiers and two physicians which register the King's disappointment at her appearance. Henry had also commented to [[Groom of the Stool#Grooms of the Stool under Henry VIII|Thomas Heneage and Anthony Denny]] that he could not believe she was a virgin.{{sfn|Strype|1822|pp=[https://archive.org/stream/ecclesiasticalme0102stry#page/450/mode/2up 450–463]}}

Shortly afterwards, Anne was asked for her consent to an annulment, to which she agreed. Cromwell, the moving force behind the marriage, was [[attainder|attainted]] for [[treason]]. The marriage was annulled on 12 July 1540, on the grounds of non-consummation and her pre-contract to Francis of Lorraine. Henry VIII's physician stated that, after the wedding night, Henry said he was not impotent because he experienced "''{{lang|la|duas pollutiones nocturnas in somno}}''" (two [[nocturnal emission|nocturnal pollutions]] while in sleep).{{sfn|Strype|1822|p=[https://archive.org/stream/ecclesiasticalme0102stry#page/460/mode/2up 461]}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Holbein en Angleterre |work=Amateur d'Art, par Lunettes Rouge |date=29 November 2006 |publisher=[[Le Monde|La Vie–Le Monde Group]] |url=http://lunettesrouges.blog.lemonde.fr/2006/11/29/holbein-en-angleterre/ |access-date=4 January 2014 |language=fr }}.</ref>

==After the annulment==
[[File:Coat of Arms of Anne of Cleves.svg|thumb|250px|Anne of Cleves' arms as queen consort{{sfn|Boutell|1863|p=243}}]]

Anne had been given dower lands in January 1540 to fund her household, including manors in Hampshire formerly owned by [[Breamore Priory]] and [[Southwick Priory]].{{sfn |Historical Manuscripts Commission |Salisbury |1883 |loc=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101076190451?urlappend=%3Bseq=34%3Bownerid=27021597769097074-38 p.12 #58]}} Following the annulment she received a generous [[legal settlement|settlement]], including [[Richmond Palace]], and [[Hever Castle]], home of Henry's former in-laws, the [[Boleyn family|Boleyns]]. [[Anne of Cleves House]], in [[Lewes]], [[East Sussex]], is just one of many properties she owned, though she never lived there. Henry and Anne became friendly—she was an honorary member of the King's family and was referred to as "the King's Beloved Sister". She was invited to court often and, out of gratitude for not contesting the annulment, Henry decreed that she would be given precedence over all women in England save his own wife and daughters.{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=108}}

After [[Catherine Howard]] was beheaded in 1542, Anne and her brother William pressed the King to remarry Anne. Henry quickly refused to do so.{{sfn|Farquhar|2001|p=77}} Anne seems to have disliked [[Catherine Parr]] and reportedly reacted to the news of Henry's sixth marriage in 1543 with the remark "Madam Parr is taking a great burden on herself."{{sfn|Weir|2007|p=498}}

In March 1547, [[Edward VI]]'s [[Privy Council of England|Privy Council]] asked her to move out of [[Bletchingley]] Palace, her usual residence, to [[Penshurst Place]] to make way for [[Thomas Cawarden]], [[Master of Revels]]. They pointed out that Penshurst was nearer to Hever and the move had been Henry VIII's will.{{sfn|Acts of the Privy Council 2|pp=[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=1177&sp=3&pg=82 82–83], [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=1177&sp=3&pg=471 471–472]}}{{sfn|Ellis|1817|pp=131–132}}
On 4 August 1553, Anne wrote to [[Mary I]] to congratulate her on her marriage to [[Philip II of Spain|Philip of Spain]].{{sfn|Norton|2009|pp=153–154}} On 28 September 1553, when Mary left [[St James's Palace]] for [[Palace of Whitehall|Whitehall]], she was accompanied by her sister [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth]] and Anne of Cleves.{{sfn|Whitelock|2010|p=192}} Anne also took part in Mary I's coronation procession,{{sfn|Norton|2009|pp=144–145}}{{sfn|Porter|2008|pp=256, 260–261}} and may have been present at her coronation at [[Westminster Abbey]].{{efn|According to [[Antoine, 1st comte de Noailles|Antoine de Noailles]], Elizabeth and Anne followed Mary into the Abbey{{sfn|Porter|2008|p=260}}}} These seem to have been her last public appearances,{{sfn |Schutte |2022 |p=116}}{{sfn |Strickland |1864 |p=[https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015029414060?urlappend=%3Bseq=285%3Bownerid=13510798888813128-289 273]}} although there is an account of Anne at Westminster Abbey in August 1554 after the [[Wedding of Mary I of England and Philip of Spain|wedding of Mary and Philip]].{{sfn |Black |1840 |pp=[{{GBurl |id=dGtbAAAAQAAJ |pg=PA64 64]}}–[{{GBurl |id=dGtbAAAAQAAJ |pg=PA65}} 65]}} As the new queen was a strict Catholic, Anne yet again changed religion, then becoming a Roman Catholic.{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=146}}{{sfn|Weir|2007|p=388}}

After a brief return to prominence, she lost royal favour in 1554, following [[Wyatt's rebellion]]. According to [[Simon Renard]], the Imperial ambassador, Anne's close association with Elizabeth had convinced the Queen that "the Lady [Anne] of Cleves was of the plot and intrigued with the Duke of Cleves to obtain help for Elizabeth: matters in which the king of France was the prime mover".{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=151}} There is no evidence that Anne was invited back to court after 1554.{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=154}} She was compelled to live a quiet and obscure life on her estates.{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=155}} After her arrival as the King's bride, Anne never left England. Despite occasional feelings of homesickness, Anne was generally content in England and was described by [[Raphael Holinshed]] as "a ladie of right commendable regards, courteous, gentle, a good housekeeper and verie bountifull to her servants."{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=165}}

In the summer of 1556, Anne's brother William complained about some of her servants. He had heard that Otto Wylick, Jasper Brockhausen, and his wife, Gertrude, made difficulties in Anne's household. Gertrude was said to have beguiled Anne with impostures and incantations. The matter came before Queen Mary and the English council of Philip II, and in September Brockhausen and Wylick were expelled.<ref>Gonzalo Velasco Berenguer, 'The Select Council of Philip I: A Spanish Institution in Tudor England, 1555–1558', ''The English Historical Review'', 139:597 (April 2024), pp. 326–359. {{doi|10.1093/ehr/cead216}}</ref>

==Death==
When Anne's health began to fail, Mary allowed her to live at [[Chelsea Manor|Chelsea Old Manor]], where Henry's last wife, [[Catherine Parr]], had lived after her remarriage.{{sfn|Fraser|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/sixwivesofhenryv0000fras_p2d1/page/504/mode/1up 504]}} Here, in the middle of July 1557, Anne dictated her last will. In it, she mentions her brother, sister, and sister-in-law, as well as the future Queen Elizabeth, the [[Katherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk|Duchess of Suffolk]], and the [[Mary Arundell (courtier)|Countess of Arundel]].{{sfn|Norton|2009|pp=159–161}} She left some money to her servants and asked Mary and Elizabeth to employ them in their households.{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=161}} She was remembered by everyone who served her as a particularly generous and easy-going mistress.{{sfn|Norton|2009|p=165}}

Anne died at Chelsea Old Manor on 16 July 1557, aged 41 or 42. The most likely cause of her death was [[cancer]].{{sfn|Fraser|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/sixwivesofhenryv0000fras_p2d1/page/504/mode/1up 504]}} She was buried in [[Westminster Abbey]] on 3&nbsp;August{{sfn|Machyn|1968|pp=145–146}} in what has been described as a "somewhat hard-to-find tomb" on the opposite side of [[Edward the Confessor]]'s shrine and slightly above eye level for a person of average height.

Anne's [[epitaph]] in Westminster Abbey, reads simply:<ref name="Kjærgaard 2018">{{cite web |last=Kjærgaard |first=Jørgen <!--Please see https://virtualglobetrotting.com/user/Dania/ that links ID of Dania to Kjærgaard--> |title=Queen Anne of Cleves grave at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom |website=Virtual Globetrotting |date=25 March 2018 |url=https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/queen-anne-of-cleves-grave-at-westminster-abbey/ |access-date=27 May 2022}}</ref>

{{center|ANNE OF CLEVES}}
{{center|QUEEN OF ENGLAND}}
{{center|BORN 1515 • DIED 1557}}

She was the last of Henry VIII's wives to die.{{sfn|Norton|2009|pp=161, 165}}

==Fictional portrayals==
The role of Anne of Cleves was played by:
* [[Elsa Lanchester]] in ''[[The Private Life of Henry VIII]]'', which was released in 1933. Lanchester's husband [[Charles Laughton]] played Henry VIII and won an Academy Award for his portrayal.{{cn|date=December 2024}}
* [[Elvi Hale]] in the episode ''Anne of Cleves'' in the 1971 television series ''[[The Six Wives of Henry VIII (BBC TV series)|The Six Wives of Henry VIII]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.museum.tv/eotv/sixwivesof.htm |title=Six Wives of Henry VII, The |website=Encyclopedia of Television |publisher=Museum of Broadcast Communications |access-date=3 January 2019 |archive-date=12 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812175117/http://www.museum.tv/eotv/sixwivesof.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Jenny Bos in the 1972 British film ''[[Henry VIII and His Six Wives]]''
* Pia Girard in the 2003 [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] series ''[[Henry VIII (TV serial)|Henry VIII]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://mpt-legacy.wgbhdigital.org/wgbh/masterpiece/henryviii/whoswho/cleves.html |title=Anne of Cleves |website=[[WGBH-TV|WGBH]] |access-date=3 January 2019 |archive-date=4 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190104021740/http://mpt-legacy.wgbhdigital.org/wgbh/masterpiece/henryviii/whoswho/cleves.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Joss Stone]] in the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] cable television series ''[[The Tudors]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sho.com/the-tudors/cast/anne-of-cleves |title=Anne of Cleves Played by Joss Stone |website=The Tudors |publisher=Showtime |language=en-US |access-date=3 January 2019}}</ref>
* Rebecca Dyson-Smith in the [[BBC]] documentary mini-series ''Six Wives with Lucy Worsley'' 
* [[Genesis Lynea]] originated the role of Cleves in the musical ''[[Six (musical)|Six]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=New musical about Henry VIII's wives finds its West End cast {{!}} WhatsOnStage|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/casting-announced-for-six-henry-viii-arts-theatre_45251.html|access-date=28 December 2020|website=www.whatsonstage.com|date=30 November 2017 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
* Dana Herfurth  portrays her in the [[BBC]] miniseries ''[[Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/wolf-hall-further-casting-the-mirror-and-the-light|title=BBC announces cast for the return of Wolf Hall|website=BBC |publisher=Media Centre |language=en-UK |access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref>
{{Family tree of the Wives of Henry VIII}}

==Notes==

{{Notelist}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book
  |editor-last=Black
  |editor-first=William Henry
  |editor-link=William Henry Black
  |title=Illustrations of Ancient State and Chivalry: From Manuscripts Preserved in the Ashmolean Museum
  |url={{GBurl |id=dGtbAAAAQAAJ}}
  |publisher=W. Nicol, Shakspeare Press
  |publication-place=London
  |year=1840
  |oclc=24868577
  |via=Google Books
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Boutell
  |first=Charles
  |author-link=Charles Boutell
  |title=A Manual of Heraldry, Historical and Popular
  |location=London
  |publisher=Winsor and Newton
  |year=1863
  |url=https://archive.org/stream/amanualheraldry00boutgoog#page/n346/mode/2up
  |oclc=608764832
  }}
* {{cite book |last1=Darsie 
  |first1=Heather
  |title=Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King's 'Beloved Sister'
  |date=2019
  |publisher=Amberley
  |location=Stroud
  |isbn=978-1-4456-7710-1 
  |oclc=1112676028
  }}
* {{cite book|editor=Dasent, John Roche
  |title=Acts of the Privy Council
  |volume=2
  |year=1890
  |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/source.aspx?pubid=1177&sp=3&pg=82
  |publisher=British-history.ac.uk
  |access-date=5 January 2014
|isbn=978-1-55429-207-3
  |oclc=1091427947
  |ref={{sfnref|Acts of the Privy Council 2}}
}}
* {{cite book|last=Ellis
  |first=Henry
  |author-link=Henry Ellis (librarian)
  |chapter=Extracts from the Proceedings of Privy Council from the Year 1545 to the Year 1558
  |title=Archaeologia: or Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity
  |volume=XVIII
  |location=London
  |publisher=Society of Antiquaries of London
  |year=1817
  |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8FEMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA131
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Elton
  |first=G. R.
  |author-link=G. R. Elton
  |title=England Under the Tudors
  |publication-place=London
  |publisher=Methuen
  |year=1978
  |isbn=978-0-416-70690-1
  |oclc=1034675675
  |url=https://archive.org/details/englandundertudo00elto
  |url-access=registration
  |via=Internet Archive
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Farquhar
  |first=Michael
  |title=A Treasury of Royal Scandals: The Shocking True Stories of History's Wickedest, Weirdest, Most Wanton Kings, Queens, Tsars, Popes, and Emperors 
  |url=https://archive.org/details/treasuryofroyals00farq
  |url-access=registration
  |location=New York
  |publisher=Penguin Books
  |year=2001
  |type=hardback 
  |isbn=0-7394-2025-9
  |oclc=792946105
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Fraser
  |first=Antonia
  |author-link=Antonia Fraser
  |title=The Six Wives of Henry VIII
  |publication-place=London
  |publisher=Phoenix
  |year=2003
  |isbn=978-1-84212-633-2
  |oclc=1245812271
  |url=https://archive.org/details/sixwivesofhenryv0000fras_p2d1
  |url-access=registration
  |via=Internet Archive
}}
* {{cite book
  |editor-last=Gairdner
  |editor-first=James
  |editor-link=James Gairdner
  |editor2-last=Brodie
  |editor2-first=Robert Henry
  |title=Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII
  |volume=15 (Jan.–Aug. 1540)
  |year=1896
  |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office
  |publication-place=London
  |oclc=1048325542
  |url=https://archive.org/details/letterspapersfor15lond
  |via=Internet Archive
  }} Republished in 2006: {{ISBN|978-1-4356-5447-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Hall
  |first=Edward
  |author-link=Edward Hall
  |title=Hall's chronicle; containing the history of England, during the reign of Henry the Fourth, and the succeeding monarchs, to the end of the reign of Henry the Eighth, in which are particularly described the manners and customs of those periods
  |location=London
  |publisher=Printed for J. Johnson; F. C. and J. Rivington; T. Payne; Wilkie and Robinson; Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme; Cadell and Davies; and J. Mawman
  |year=1809
  |url=https://archive.org/stream/hallschronicleco00halluoft#page/n845/mode/2up
  |oclc=697778955
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last1=Hayward
  |first1=Maria
  |author-link=Maria Hayward
  |last2=Worsley
  |first2=James
  |title=Dress at the Court of King Henry VIII
  |publisher=Maney
  |publication-place=Leeds, UK
  |year=2007
  |isbn=978-1-351-56917-0
  |oclc=1001980057
  }} [{{GBurl |id=LTorDwAAQBAJ}} Partial preview] at [[Google Books]].
* {{cite book
  |author=Historical Manuscripts Commission
  |author-link=Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts
  |last2=Salisbury
  |first2=Robert Cecil
  |author2-link=Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
  |title=Calendar of the manuscripts of the Most Honourable the Marquess of Salisbury ... preserved at Hatfield House, Hertfordshire
  |series=Historical Manuscripts Commission
 |volume=1
  |year=1883
  |hdl=2027/njp.32101076190451
 |oclc=557935820
  |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101076190451
  |via=HathiTrust
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Lehmberg
  |first=Stanford E.
  |author-link=Stanford E. Lehmberg
  |title=The Later Parliaments of Henry VIII: 1536–1547
  |location=London, New York and Melbourne
  |publisher=Cambridge University Press
  |year=1977
  |isbn=978-0-511-89613-2
  |oclc=776967691
  |url=https://archive.org/details/laterparliaments0000lehm
  |url-access=registration
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Machyn
  |first=Henry
  |author-link=Henry Machyn
  |editor=Nichols, John Gough
  |title=The Diary of Henry Machyn, Citizen and Merchant-Taylor of London, from A.D. 1550 to A.D. 1563
  |series=Camden Society. Series I
  |volume=42
  |location=New York; London
  |publisher=AMS Press
  |year=1968
  |url=https://archive.org/stream/diaryofhenrymach00machrich#page/146/mode/2up
  |isbn=978-0-548-94254-3
  |oclc=664246000
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Norton
  |first=Elizabeth
  |author-link=Elizabeth Norton
  |title=Anne of Cleves: Henry VIII's Discarded Bride
  |publisher=Amberley Pub.
  |year=2009
  |isbn=978-1-4456-0677-4
  |oclc=1244223280
  |url=https://archive.org/details/anneofcleveshenr0000nort
  |url-access=registration
  |via=Internet Archive
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Porter
  |first=Linda
  |author-link=Linda Porter (historian)
  |title=Mary Tudor: The First Queen
  |publisher=Piatkus
  |publication-place=London
  |date=2008
  |isbn=978-0-7499-0982-6
  |oclc=1310731732
  |url=https://archive.org/details/marytudorfirstqu0000port_t5a0
  |url-access=registration
  |via=Internet Archive
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Schofield
  |first=John
  |title=The Rise and Fall of Thomas Cromwell: Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant.
  |publisher=The History Press
  |publication-place=Stroud
  |date=2011
  |isbn=978-0-7524-5866-3
  |id={{OCLC|1311052046|779141098}}
  |url=https://archive.org/details/risefallofthomas0000scho_q7m2
  |url-access=registration
  |via=Internet Archive
  }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Schutte |first1=Valerie |title=Anne of Cleves in Book and Manuscript |journal=The Journal of the Early Book Society for the Study of Manuscripts and Printing History |date=2018 |volume=21 |url=https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&u=anon%7Edc016d55&id=GALE%7CA607662031&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&aty=open-web-entry |publisher=[[Pace University Press]] |location=New York}}
* {{cite book
  |last=Schutte
  |first=Valerie
  |chapter=Anne of Cleves: Survivor Queen
  |chapter-url= https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95197-9_7
  |chapter-url-access=subscription
  |editor-last=Norrie
  |editor-first=Aidan
  |title=Tudor and Stuart Consorts: Power, Influence, and Dynasty
  |series=Queenship and Power
 |publisher=Springer International Publishing AG
  |publication-place=Cham
  |year=2022
  |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-95197-9
  |isbn=978-3-030-95197-9
  |oclc=1336986822
  |pages=101–117
  |author-mask1=——
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Strickland
  |first=Agnes
  |author-link=Agnes Strickland
  |chapter=Anne of Cleves, Fourth Queen of Henry VIII
  |chapter-url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015029414060?urlappend=%3Bseq=248%3Bownerid=13510798888813128-252
  |title=Lives of the Queens of England, from the Norman Conquest
  |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015029414060
  |volume=4
  |publisher=Taggard & Thompson
  |publication-place=Boston
  |year=1864
  |orig-year=1840
  |oclc=898617630
  |pages=236–278
  |hdl=2027/mdp.39015029414060?urlappend=%3Bseq=248
 |via=HathiTrust
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last=Strype
  |first=John
  |title=Ecclesiastical Memorials, Relating Chiefly to Religion and the Reformation of it, and the Emergencies of the Church of England, under King Henry VIII, King Edward VI and Queen Mary I
  |volume=1, Part 2, Appendix, Henry VIII
  |chapter=XCIII
  |location=Oxford
  |publisher=Clarendon Press
  |year=1822
  |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/ecclesiasticalme0102stry#page/450/mode/2up
  }}
**Republished in 2008, TannerRitchie Pub., Burlington, {{ISBN|978-1-4356-5136-4}}, {{OCLC|234521488}}
*{{cite book
  |last=van Pelt
  |first=Nadia Thérèse
  |chapter=Fashion Victims
  |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192863447.003.0004
  |chapter-url-access=subscription
  |title=Intercultural Explorations and the Court of Henry VIII
  |publisher=Oxford University Press |publication-place=Oxford
  |year=2024
  |isbn=978-0-19-195431-3
  |oclc=1402101757
  |doi=10.1093/oso/9780192863447.001.0001
  |pages=125–157
  }} [{{GBurl |id=jYjlEAAAQBAJ}} Partial preview] at [[Google Books]].
* {{cite book|last=Warnicke
  |first=Retha M.
  |author-link=Retha Warnicke
  |title=The Marrying of Anne of Cleves: Royal Protocol in Early Modern England
  |location=Cambridge
  |publisher=Cambridge University Press
  |year=2000
  |isbn=0-521-77037-8
  |oclc=41404564
  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P1PrjR79wzgC&pg=PA132
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Weir
  |first=Alison
  |author-link=Alison Weir
  |chapter=The Tudors
  |title=Britain's Royal Families:The Complete Genealogy
  |publisher=Pimilco
  |year=2002
  |isbn=978-0-7126-4286-6
  |oclc=1285468939
  |url=https://archive.org/details/britainsroyalfam0000weir
  |url-access=registration
  |via=Internet Archive
  }}
* {{cite book|last=Weir
  |first=Alison
  |title=The Six Wives of Henry VIII
  |publisher=Vintage
  |year=2007
  |isbn=978-1-4464-4909-7
  |oclc=1100698192
  |url=https://archive.org/details/sixwivesofhenryv0000weir_o4f8
  |url-access=registration
  |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book|last=Whitelock
  |first=Anna
  |title=Mary Tudor: England's First Queen
  |location=London
  |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing
  |year=2010
  |isbn=978-1-4000-6609-4
  |oclc=491897829
  |url=https://archive.org/details/marytudorengland0000whit
  |url-access=registration
  |page=[https://archive.org/details/marytudorengland0000whit/page/192 192]
  |via=Internet Archive
  }}
* {{cite web|last=Wriothesley
  |first=Charles
  |author-link=Charles Wriothesley
  |editor-last=Hamilton
  |editor-first=William Douglas
  |title=A Chronicle Of England During The Reigns Of The Tudors: From A.D. 1485 To 1559
  |series=Camden Society. New Series
  |volume=1
  |location=London
  |publisher=Camden Society
  |year=1875
  |id={{OCLC|1096776828|73998658}}
  |url=https://archive.org/details/achronicleengla04hamigoog/page/n172/mode/2up?view=theater
  }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Anne of Cleves}}
{{commons category|Anne of Cleves}}
* [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anne-of-Cleves-queen-of-England Anne of Cleves] from the online ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''.
* {{NPG name}}
* [http://tudorhistory.org/cleves/ A quick overview of Anne's life], including a portrait gallery
* [http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/cleves.html A more in-depth examination of Anne's political career]
* [http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/aboutAnneofCleves.htm More information on Anne's life after her annulment]

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of La Marck]]||1515|16 July|1557}}
{{S-roy|en}}
|-
{{S-vac| last= [[Jane Seymour]]}}
{{S-ttl| title = [[Queen consort of England]]<br />[[List of English royal consorts|Lady of Ireland]] | years = 6 January – 12 July 1540}}
{{S-vac| next= [[Catherine Howard]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{English consort}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anne of Cleves}}
[[Category:Anne of Cleves| ]]
[[Category:1515 births]]
[[Category:1557 deaths]]
[[Category:16th-century English royal consorts]]
[[Category:House of Tudor]]
[[Category:Wives of Henry VIII]]
[[Category:People from the Duchy of Cleves]]
[[Category:Nobility from Düsseldorf]]
[[Category:Burials at Westminster Abbey]]
[[Category:Repudiated queens]]
[[Category:Annulment]]
[[Category:House of La Marck]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:People from Hever, Kent]]