Anne was gifted land, estates and a yearly allowance from Henry VIII for agreeing to divorce him. Marrying a King for 6 months and not losing her head... she won the Tudor lottery.
And she never had to have sex with him, he was morbidly obese! She said of his final bride: "Madam Parr is taking a great burden on herself." I'm surprised that comment didn't cost her her head.
@@morganophelia5963 As the video explained (and as my high school history teacher told the class fifty-something years ago) the portrait deliberately DIDN'T look like Anne because the plan was to get Henry to marry her even if it took fooling him into meeting her. Once prospective royal marriage partners acknowledged each other formally it wasn't easy to stop the international diplomatic and political machinery from rolling right along, all the way to the altar. The point is we DON'T KNOW Anne's appearance and I don't know of any picture anywhere that we can consult to find out. My own guess is she looked like a pleasant-tempered German hausfrau, not ugly and not pretty, just a nice girl. EDIT: What I like about her isn't anything to do with looks, just that she was kind and smart - and apparently charming because she somehow got England's most homicidal monarch to let her out of the marriage without beheading her. EDIT: Elsewhere in these threads I just found out about the portrait by Barthel Bruyn the Elder. So I was wrong, there IS another source we can turn to. In it she looks nice, maybe a bit too austere like some of the old-fashioned country Christians of my childhood.
Don Taylor By the time Henry married Anne of Cleves he was overly obese. Including a rotten leg which had pus coming out of it sometimes. So he smelt awful. Of course one can never be 100% sure what somebody looks like based off portraits. You can get some ideas and characteristics. Before Henry and Anne met formally, Henry dressed as a peasant with some other men and barge into Anne of Cleves room. She wasn’t aware it was the king, since they never met. I guess he took it to the heart how Anne didn’t realize that it was king Henry.
Don Taylor She was very well liked by all Henry children, Mary, Elizabeth, Edward. They all loved her, everybody thought Anne was very kind and just sweet. Mary liked her besides their religious differences when she married Henry before Mary was on the throne. Including Elizabeth who stayed with her from time to time. Anne of Cleves wasn’t told about marital relations, so that also caused issues in the marriage.
@@brooke6549 thanks! You're providing some pretty fascinating nuggets of detail about Anne. I liked her in the beginning and I'm getting to like her more and more.
Married for only 6 months at the age of 24 and then generously taken care of following the annulment!! Anne was definitely luckier than others!! Thank you Jon
@Christine R Henry was already infamously well known when Cromwell approached Anne's father - three dead wifes - one died in isolation, one got her head chopped off and the third died in childbirth - how was the remark, one princess made "I would marry him if I had two heads" - so yeah, I think she was briefed before she set sail
Like Catherine of Aragon, Henry could not afford to execute her. Anne had powerful relatives. England was still pretty weak from splitting from the Catholic Church and getting more enemies would leave England ripe for invasion. However when it came to Mary's reign, Anne was left friendless (On the European stage.) That's when her diplomacy skills came in handy...
Anne was the smart Queen. She didn't have to put up with a fat, gross, tyrant, got castles and money for the rest of her life, and kept her head. Win win.
How was she smart?? She didn’t do anything to help or hurt her situation, she was simply along for the ride which turned out to be a fortunate one. I’m sure at the time she would have liked to earn Henry’s affection as she had no way of knowing things would end so smoothly for her, but she was unable to which can be a testament to her lack of intelligence. Especially when you consider Henry was attracted to educated woman of the time.
@@jamesong.a.7695 In retrospect, those who Henry was attracted to didnt fare well. So in that regard, she was lucky. Also in retrospect, those who were congenial to Henry and gave him what he wanted with respect and no disagreement, fared well too. So in that regard, she was smart.
@@jamesong.a.7695 I think she was very smart. Unlike Henry's first 2 wives who fought to keep him she let him go when he asked. Catherine ended up being sent away and was sent from one place to another each getting slightly worse until she got sick and died. Anne B was beheaded. If Anne of Cleves had fought to keep Henry which she could of done as there was a contract. It is very likely that Henry would of come up with someway to dispose of her. I think she knew what had happened to the previous wives and didn't want to share their fate, so chose the only option she could see whereby she would survive and prosper.
There was probably nothing wrong with Anne's appearance. Holbein was skillful, his job was to make an accurate portrait and she looks lovely. If she was a turn off, Henry would not have kissed her, nobody was forcing him. Anne didn't recognise him, she was engaged to be married and naturally she wasn't going to encourage a stranger, it was all MeToo for her. But Henry, being a narcissist, was wounded and turned it all around, pretending it was all her fault. And there was talk of Henry's potency problems earlier, when he was married to Anne Boleyn.
when he was married to Anne Boleyn, I’m really sure Henry didn’t have a potency problem. Most likely just another rumor at that time to make Anne look bad. He didn’t have his head accident yet till the last months leading up to Anne’s execution, nor his leg accident and wasn’t obese. He was still fit and good looking, it just really went all downhill after his third marriage. Anne Boleyn did fall pregnant 3-4 times besides her first pregnancy with Elizabeth.
I think ANN OF CLEVES WAS A NICE LOOKING LADY ,The King was the problem ,he did not understand the lady she just did not jump all over him ,he probably frightened the life out of her silly man,but didn't she do well, she agreed to everything, kept her head lived well ,NICE ONE Anne
Exactly, Henry's pride was hurt because Anne didn't jump all over him as you say. An educated man such as Henry should've known better and been a little more understanding to a women shipped off to a new and strange land.
I think you're right. I think she was beautiful, but she wasn't pompously high-class and sophisticated like the the women he was used to in the English court, such as Anne Bolyn, who was educated in France. I think she didn't play childish flirtatious games and flatter his male ego, she didn't act like he was very sexy and attractive. Lucky for her. She was probably instructed to act exceedingly pure and virtuous, so that she wouldn't be accused of adultery like Anne Boleyn. And he found it to be a huge turn-off, lol.
Historians say Henry VIII was impotent by the time he chose Anne of Cleves. Harry didn't want the court to know about this so he made up the excuse that she was too ugly to have sex with to explain why he didn't have sex with her.
Anne was the smartest of them all. She lived a happy life on the periphery of the court and became one of Henry’s favorites AND she outlived Henry and his five other wives. You Rocked it Anne!♥️
She was beautiful, and kind, and generous to her servants and stepchildren. She would have made a wonderful queen and mother. You missed the boat, Henry! And poor Cromwell lost his head because he and Henry have different opinions about what constitutes a hot babe.
Anne of Cleves my second favorite wife. I see her as the luckiest of them all. She in a way was spared from Henry’s cruelty. Anne made the best for herself no matter what life through at her. She’s the only wife buried at Westminster Abbey. Thank you for your video sir.
Henry would never have sent Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves to the block as they were foreign royalty whose families abroad could have waged a war on Henry so he knew better in that regard
@@Shane-Flanagan Valid point as well! However,It certainly could not have been out of the realm of possibilities for Henry to take her head... At this time imho I believe Henry was at his most dangerous ! His anger most certainly had the best of him & the never ending pain he was in...That’s a very dangerous combination for such a Man.
@@nancym9993 True, Henry was certainly unpredictable and dangerous but if had sent Anne to the block, her powerful brother back home would've retaliated
Anna von Kleves fared the best, receiving a pension, Hever, and Bletchingly, the right to remain in England, to see Henry’s children, and finally, keeping her head.
It's interesting how differently women interpret this story. I see her as not having been attracted to Henry and that bruised his ego. Her comment about Catherine Par taking on a huge burden seems genuine to me. I'd say Anne got the best deal out of all Henry's wives. She escaped him without having to die and still had riches at her disposal.
Poor Anne. Yes she may have lived well after Henry divorced her but her short time with him must have been hell. I've heard several times that by account of the very few people that knew her AND had the guts to speak on her TRUE appearance, said that she was actually quite beautiful... in fact she may have been the most beautiful of ALL of his wives!
Ann was a lovely lady with a sweet nature kind generous and the most human of souls, sadly she never got to see her family again despite that I'd like to think she was a happy, thank you for this trip down Tudor history John. 👍
Anne was a beautiful woman. Henry VIII was too blind to see that. Anne was a cunning woman who was able to keep her head; a dignified woman. She’s my favorite of all of Henry VIII’s wives.
I can imagine that those months at court were the lonely and scary for her in a strange land with a court she doesn't know how to manoeuvre. She also had the disadvantage of not speaking english fluently. Also the shame the society must have put on her for being divorced but at the end she got away and lived a better faith then the others.
Anne was certainly the most fortunate of Henry’s wives. Firstly, she got to keep her head! She also received a title, two houses, servants, and a substantial pension. I think she was smarter than anyone gave her credit for. She knew how to learn from her predecessors and how to play Henry’s game.
Henry rejected Anne when he saw she was big-busted. He openly preferred small busted women. And I suspect after Anne got a glimpse of the gross size of the actual Henry and that it wasn't his clothing which made him look rotund, she was relieved he'd rejected her for her chest. Most women would have been quite happy gal in her shoes! Given her freedom when few women had theirs, all while being financially supported by a king for life? Who wouldn't?
That's how one of my Tudor books suggests she behaved & who can blame her.However,it also suggests she had an affair with Kat Howard which I find hard to believe.
The thing is Holbein's portrait over flattered her looks. The portrait of Anne by Barthel Bruyn the Elder was a bit more accurate, Henry understood Holbein was an artist but his courtiers who met Anne before him were dismayed when they saw her. She wasn't his type.
@@einezcrespo2107 Do you really think Holbein would've gone unpunished if he had wilfully disobeyed the king's explicit order to make an accurate portrait of Anne? Knowing Henry's temper? Very much doubt it. Anne of Cleves was very pretty, just not Henry's type. Aside from the abysmal 1st meeting and Henry's fragile ego, she was a tall, voluptuous, full figured German woman and based on his other wives, he preferred short, petite, willowy women. Plainly spoken, she was too much woman for his pathetic ass.
Correction: Henry supporters created the narrative of Anne being the “Unsightly” one to conceal the fact that Henry was smelly with gout, obese, and impotent. Saving face.
Anne was beautiful. Henry was a dunderhead 😣 However, I am so so glad that Anne was able to get off and away scot free from that monster! Bet she felt the same way 😄
I always wondered if with his weight and age it was Harry who couldn't make it happen that fateful wedding night. She sure sounds loverly. I'd happily marry and divorce based on her new life and own wealth! Good for her! Well done as always!
You might be right Maddie, maybe he was getting softer in his old age! I'm talking in the mind! But she went along with everything and seems quite happy with her lot. Thanks 😊
Henry tried to win her heart outside of being king and she rejected him. His pride didn't make it happen. My guess is that he knew she would never fall in love with him. So ending the marriage was the best result for both
I never knew that Anne of Cleves was suspected of plotting with Elizabeth by Mary the First in the Wyatt rebellion. Always learning something new I love it.
Good short video 😊 It's believed the infamous Holbein portrait Anne of Cleves is quite accurate and that she was indeed a beauty. It's actually a myth that Henry called her a Flanders Mare. The reason Henry was displeased with her was because of their disastrous first meeting. Anne had failed to give Henry the reaction he had hoped for so his pride was hurt and he could not look past that. They could easily have had a happy marriage but Henry was a stubborn man who hated to be made look like a fool. Cromwell took the fall for the whole disaster although your animation of Cromwell falling through the ground was quite amusing. Anne certainly seemed like a good woman who adapted to English life well. Apparently she enjoyed experimenting with cooking in the laundresses kitchen at one of her estates. Although she got along with Henry and his children in the years after her divorce, she must have longed to see her homeland and family again. Anne certainly received a funeral befitting a former Queen and is only wife of Henry's to be laid to rest at Westminster Abbey. Thanks Jon! 👍😀
If Henry had not turned up in fancy dress he may have had a more pleasing reaction! They say first impressions etc! But he had to go change into his splendour before she realised who he was. Cromwell's (hole) haha if only there was an image of him stood up would have been so much better! All in all, I think she was quite possibly a lovely lady, one who certainly had charm, wit and charisma and one who learnt very quickly about the Tudor protocol. As always Shane, fascinating read, thank you for your comment. Have a great day. 😊
"Well said Shane". As you know Anne of Cleves is one of my favourite women from Tudor times. Not just because she was one of Henry's six wives, but because she was a remarkable and lovely lady. Beyond reproach! No point me leaving a comment, as you said it all perfectly. 👍 By the way. NO - I'm not 'stalking' you! LOL ☺ .. we just like the same Tudor subjects, and I come across your name (now and then). Go figure! 🙃🙄 "It is a small world" 🌐 🇭🇲 🦘
@@HistoryRoadshow Very funny 😂🤣 I'm an Aussie 🇭🇲🦘 We can take a joke. Shane and I often watch similar sites (so he knows me) hence my comment to him. Poor Shane! He is very tolerant of me though. 👍
Another excellent video. They just keep getting better and better. I would like to find out even more about her after watching this. Best history Channel out here. I eagerly await the next. Jon par excellence once again. Thank you so much for giving us your time.
I've often thought that Henry treating Anne better after their annulment was a way of asserting his power because he's the King. See, this is what happens when you do everything I WANT! IE: say yes to the annulment, don't make a lot of noise around court and you can continue to live an okay life. It's very much him trying to drive home that he has control over life and death but agreeing to do whatever he wants is the key to survival.
If Henry was ever going to have a wife who could give him sons, it was Anne! A healthy hearty German girl, not one of his small fragile English ladies.
Great topic Jon. As usual well presented. Anne was quite interesting and she seemed to be a nice person. Off topic: Hans Holbein was a magnificent painter, very talented👍 Greetings from Frankfurt😊
Thanks Anita, I have done a video on Holbein, about a year ago. But he also had an incredible life, not to mention his incredible talent. I think Anne was a nice person, but the whole thing was doomed from the off! Hope it's sunny in Frankfurt 😊
I still adore the scene between Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester (as Anne of Cleves) in the "The Private Life of Henry VIII." Of course they were husband and wife in real life, so the scene on the wedding bed (where they play cards together) is both funny and spirited. I want to believe they respected and loved each other - thanks for confirming this! Country girl saves her neck over a card game. Priceless.
Henry may have been the happiest with Anne of Cleves if he had given her a chance. He might have even had lots of sons with her. But, if that had happened, history would be much different.
I think she was rhe prettiest . Holbein wouldn’t have dared paint a portrait that wasn’t accurate. She didn’t respond to Henry’s ‘game of courtly love’ and it embarrassed him in front of his courtiers. Funny enough, she would have the been , apart from Catherine of Aragon, the best and most suitable queen he’d have. Silly man 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I agree. Holbein had been explicitly ordered by Henry to paint the potential brides as accurately as possible; an order he was not likely to have ignored, that is, if he valued his job and his life. The fact that Henry kept Holbein on as court painter indicates to me that even Henry had to admit that Master Holbein had done exactly as asked.
It seems that even though Anne of Cleves was one of the more sadder stories within the era of the life of Henry Tudor, she had the decency, quiet strength and level headedness to cope with, and make the best use of her very small life. However I do seriously question whether she had any moments of extremely intense, yet quiet emotional and mental suffering, due to the restricted circumstances imposed upon her.
"Lady Anne,the King's sister" isn't so bad. His grandmother Margaret called herself " My Lady the King's Mother" after all and was much more influencial than the Queen.
The awkward moment when you see that 4 of Henrys wives and Henry share many ggg-grands with you and you feel the need for tea 500 plus years after the fact.
There's actually no evidence whatsoever to suggest Hans Holbein's portrait of Anne was anything other than accurate. He wouldn't have risked his high station at court by deceiving Henry. Bear in mind that Cromwell was executed yet Holbein continued to have a successful career after Henry and Anne divorced. Odds are on that picture was indeed what she looked like -- and Henry couldn't really deny that. In all likelihood, the narcissistic Henry never quite moved passed the slight she (unwittingly) gave him when the first met, appears to have suffered with impotancy by this point, owing to his bad leg and growing obesity, it seems to have been looking for a scapegoat to blame his problems on.
Seems like there was a reverence that Henry had for her. Wonder what they may have talked about when they were alone. He could of beheaded her, but didn’t.
Not if he didn’t want a war with Cleves. Katherine of Aragon kept her head, too and lived a nice life although she seems to have really loved him and they suited one another fire almost 20 years. She kept a blind and probably an amused eye on his other evening amusements.
Anne was a shrewd woman who was gifted land, estates, money from Henry VIII after agreeing to divorce him. Sends him her wedding ring with the request that he destroy it, he does it, and she becomes "the kings beloved sister". She retains her head and out lives Henry and his last wife.
She was the happiest one. She had a great life after Henry. After the way he treated his other wifes, she thought hell no. She was beloved by the people and could live on great style. She was a typical rheinisches Mädel.
Anne of Cleves made out better then the other 5 wives of Henry the 8th. Even Parr almost lost her head. I would rather have land, money, and title of the Kings beloved Sister then just be another one of his wives who lost their head.
The only error was he snuck into her room without telling her who she was. He assumed he would win her heart. But she was in fact insulted that a fat stinky old man presumed to enter her room. His feelings got hurt so in his mind it was her who was ugly and called her a flanders mare. She was the luckiest of his wives because Henry was a scumbag. His first wife he tossed aside, his second wife he beheaded for daring to have an opinion. His third wife died in filth after giving birth. His fifth wife beheaded and sixth wife barely survived him he was planning to kill her too but she outsmarted him and played to his ego. Anne was the one who got 3 castles and presidence over all other women in the realm. Sounds to me she easily the best of his wives.
She smeared herself with pig fat and told the English it was a beauty treatment. Henry wouldn't screw her because of her foul smell. She was the smartest of all his wives, and outlived him.
… Hans Holbein after painting Anne of Cleaves 1539 went on to further Tudor commissioned works painting Henry’s next wife Catharine Howard 1541 and Prince Edward in 1543. If his depiction of Anne of Cleaves was a bad one and Henry felt betrayed he wouldn’t be rehired to do more work. Nope Anne of Cleaves was a proper respectful lady that didn’t flirt and make out with strangers when she was betrothed to the King, Henry had a lot to learn from her obviously. He had a lot of growing up to do that was the real reason their marriage didn’t work.
I feel that by the time Anne of Cleves was lined up, Henry had decided he liked his wives to be young and docile. Anne of Cleves was probably too independent minded for him and her body was not that he associated with a young virgin. He never found a young docile wife after Jane Seymour. Katherine Howard was young but as he found out, she wasn't docile. Katherine Parr was an exception being an older widow but by then he was looking for a nursemaid I think.
I don't believe that she was that unattractive. Henry was so jaded, he never would have had her at court if she had been that ugly. More than likely Henry who was fat by that time couldn't get it up. She was blamed. Poor lady and to be so vilified. She is rhe queen he should have kept.
History taught me that Cromwell was ... Now I know he was no match-maker and a bit of a fool, even though I may be a republican sort of guy. Never meet your hero's. Anne shines in my eyes, for she never did harm to her adopted country, and was loved by all.
Good for you Anne you made the best of a bad situation I font blame you one bit. If she were that horrible he wouldn't have married her at all. I hope she escaped untouched if you get my meaning.
What I've never understood is this............ Ok , Henry sends Holbein to paint her , granted he MAY have taken a slight artistic hand in making her more appealing in the portrait but if it was such a "lie" , why wasn't Holbein killed for misleading the King who had no qualms about killing someone with even the slighest mistake.........? Makes me think the painting wasn't a lie.........also no reliable records of the court saying she was ugly.
Holbein didn't paint her in a different light to any other portrait. Henry just wasn't attracted to her when they met. Think it's as simple as that Kathryn. Thanks 😊
@@HistoryRoadshow Yeah that's what I thought too. Holbein might of been a brilliant painter but Henry wasn't forgiving. From the few portraits I've seen of her and the others....she was actually prettier to me than the majority of the rest .
annes portrait was every bit accurate ,another trashing of anne by a male perspective anne was held in high regard by all who knew her time to ditch the old stereotypes here was a worty queen of england.
Anne was gifted land, estates and a yearly allowance from Henry VIII for agreeing to divorce him. Marrying a King for 6 months and not losing her head... she won the Tudor lottery.
Definitely.
Yes, I'd say she was pretty fortunate there.
What is the thumbnail on about?! Anne of Cleves made out like a bandit! Talk about the stars aligning...
And she never had to have sex with him, he was morbidly obese! She said of his final bride: "Madam Parr is taking a great burden on herself." I'm surprised that comment didn't cost her her head.
@@lilyroza Sounds like she had a helluva sense of humor. LOL
I thought she was the prettiest, definitely the smartest and most clever. She came out of that bad situation smelling like a rose. Good for her!
She actually does look like she quite pretty
@@morganophelia5963 As the video explained (and as my high school history teacher told the class fifty-something years ago) the portrait deliberately DIDN'T look like Anne because the plan was to get Henry to marry her even if it took fooling him into meeting her. Once prospective royal marriage partners acknowledged each other formally it wasn't easy to stop the international diplomatic and political machinery from rolling right along, all the way to the altar.
The point is we DON'T KNOW Anne's appearance and I don't know of any picture anywhere that we can consult to find out. My own guess is she looked like a pleasant-tempered German hausfrau, not ugly and not pretty, just a nice girl.
EDIT: What I like about her isn't anything to do with looks, just that she was kind and smart - and apparently charming because she somehow got England's most homicidal monarch to let her out of the marriage without beheading her.
EDIT: Elsewhere in these threads I just found out about the portrait by Barthel Bruyn the Elder. So I was wrong, there IS another source we can turn to. In it she looks nice, maybe a bit too austere like some of the old-fashioned country Christians of my childhood.
Don Taylor By the time Henry married Anne of Cleves he was overly obese. Including a rotten leg which had pus coming out of it sometimes. So he smelt awful. Of course one can never be 100% sure what somebody looks like based off portraits. You can get some ideas and characteristics. Before Henry and Anne met formally, Henry dressed as a peasant with some other men and barge into Anne of Cleves room. She wasn’t aware it was the king, since they never met. I guess he took it to the heart how Anne didn’t realize that it was king Henry.
Don Taylor She was very well liked by all Henry children, Mary, Elizabeth, Edward. They all loved her, everybody thought Anne was very kind and just sweet. Mary liked her besides their religious differences when she married Henry before Mary was on the throne. Including Elizabeth who stayed with her from time to time. Anne of Cleves wasn’t told about marital relations, so that also caused issues in the marriage.
@@brooke6549 thanks! You're providing some pretty fascinating nuggets of detail about Anne. I liked her in the beginning and I'm getting to like her more and more.
Married for only 6 months at the age of 24 and then generously taken care of following the annulment!! Anne was definitely luckier than others!! Thank you Jon
@Christine R I agree.
@Christine R Henry was already infamously well known when Cromwell approached Anne's father - three dead wifes - one died in isolation, one got her head chopped off and the third died in childbirth - how was the remark, one princess made "I would marry him if I had two heads" - so yeah, I think she was briefed before she set sail
Like Catherine of Aragon, Henry could not afford to execute her. Anne had powerful relatives. England was still pretty weak from splitting from the Catholic Church and getting more enemies would leave England ripe for invasion.
However when it came to Mary's reign, Anne was left friendless (On the European stage.) That's when her diplomacy skills came in handy...
Anne was the smart Queen. She didn't have to put up with a fat, gross, tyrant, got castles and money for the rest of her life, and kept her head. Win win.
How was she smart?? She didn’t do anything to help or hurt her situation, she was simply along for the ride which turned out to be a fortunate one. I’m sure at the time she would have liked to earn Henry’s affection as she had no way of knowing things would end so smoothly for her, but she was unable to which can be a testament to her lack of intelligence. Especially when you consider Henry was attracted to educated woman of the time.
Any day you survive Henry is a good day.
Don't forget smelly too.
(Henry).
@@jamesong.a.7695 In retrospect, those who Henry was attracted to didnt fare well. So in that regard, she was lucky. Also in retrospect, those who were congenial to Henry and gave him what he wanted with respect and no disagreement, fared well too. So in that regard, she was smart.
@@jamesong.a.7695 I think she was very smart. Unlike Henry's first 2 wives who fought to keep him she let him go when he asked. Catherine ended up being sent away and was sent from one place to another each getting slightly worse until she got sick and died. Anne B was beheaded. If Anne of Cleves had fought to keep Henry which she could of done as there was a contract. It is very likely that Henry would of come up with someway to dispose of her. I think she knew what had happened to the previous wives and didn't want to share their fate, so chose the only option she could see whereby she would survive and prosper.
There was probably nothing wrong with Anne's appearance. Holbein was skillful, his job was to make an accurate portrait and she looks lovely. If she was a turn off, Henry would not have kissed her, nobody was forcing him. Anne didn't recognise him, she was engaged to be married and naturally she wasn't going to encourage a stranger, it was all MeToo for her. But Henry, being a narcissist, was wounded and turned it all around, pretending it was all her fault. And there was talk of Henry's potency problems earlier, when he was married to Anne Boleyn.
Great points Solo, Thanks for watching 😊
Abit like the Brexiteers today😉
Hi ego hurt
when he was married to Anne Boleyn, I’m really sure Henry didn’t have a potency problem. Most likely just another rumor at that time to make Anne look bad. He didn’t have his head accident yet till the last months leading up to Anne’s execution, nor his leg accident and wasn’t obese. He was still fit and good looking, it just really went all downhill after his third marriage. Anne Boleyn did fall pregnant 3-4 times besides her first pregnancy with Elizabeth.
He might’ve had one when he married Anne of Cleves.
She was blessed she didn’t have to actually consummate the marriage! 🤢 AND she kept her head!! Extremely blessed girl!
My favorite of all of Henry's queens. She was the original Queen of Hearts.. Rest in Peace dear Anne.🌹
A lot of people saw Catherine of Aragon as the Queen of Hearts
I think ANN OF CLEVES WAS A NICE LOOKING LADY ,The King was the problem ,he did not understand the lady she just did not jump all over him ,he probably frightened the life out of her silly man,but didn't she do well, she agreed to everything, kept her head lived well ,NICE ONE Anne
Exactly, Henry's pride was hurt because Anne didn't jump all over him as you say. An educated man such as Henry should've known better and been a little more understanding to a women shipped off to a new and strange land.
The problem back then was, whoever was monarch! They always had the final word. Thanks Veronica 😊
I think you're right. I think she was beautiful, but she wasn't pompously high-class and sophisticated like the the women he was used to in the English court, such as Anne Bolyn, who was educated in France. I think she didn't play childish flirtatious games and flatter his male ego, she didn't act like he was very sexy and attractive. Lucky for her. She was probably instructed to act exceedingly pure and virtuous, so that she wouldn't be accused of adultery like Anne Boleyn. And he found it to be a huge turn-off, lol.
Historians say Henry VIII was impotent by the time he chose Anne of Cleves. Harry didn't want the court to know about this so he made up the excuse that she was too ugly to have sex with to explain why he didn't have sex with her.
@@sherrydrake9578 What was his excuse for Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr
She was a Beautiful person and had a good soul.
Anne was the smartest of them all. She lived a happy life on the periphery of the court and became one of Henry’s favorites AND she outlived Henry and his five other wives. You Rocked it Anne!♥️
She was beautiful, and kind, and generous to her servants and stepchildren. She would have made a wonderful queen and mother. You missed the boat, Henry! And poor Cromwell lost his head because he and Henry have different opinions about what constitutes a hot babe.
@@lilyroza Poor Cromwell?I know he had to do as he was told,but he was still a brute & got what he deserved.
Anne of Cleves my second favorite wife. I see her as the luckiest of them all. She in a way was spared from Henry’s cruelty. Anne made the best for herself no matter what life through at her. She’s the only wife buried at Westminster Abbey.
Thank you for your video sir.
Thanks Leticia, enjoy the rest of your week 😊
Above all: she kept her head! She is the archetype of the practical German women of my acquaintance.
Anne boleyn
I don't think her head was ever in threat! As long as she did exactly what was asked of her! Thanks EH 😊
Henry would never have sent Catherine of Aragon and Anne of Cleves to the block as they were foreign royalty whose families abroad could have waged a war on Henry so he knew better in that regard
@@Shane-Flanagan
Valid point as well!
However,It certainly could not have been out of the realm of possibilities for Henry to take her head... At this time imho I believe Henry was at his most dangerous ! His anger most certainly had the best of him & the never ending pain he was in...That’s a very dangerous combination for such a Man.
@@nancym9993 True, Henry was certainly unpredictable and dangerous but if had sent Anne to the block, her powerful brother back home would've retaliated
Anna von Kleves fared the best, receiving a pension, Hever, and Bletchingly, the right to remain in England, to see Henry’s children, and finally, keeping her head.
It's interesting how differently women interpret this story. I see her as not having been attracted to Henry and that bruised his ego. Her comment about Catherine Par taking on a huge burden seems genuine to me. I'd say Anne got the best deal out of all Henry's wives. She escaped him without having to die and still had riches at her disposal.
Anne of Cleves is the only wife of Henry VIII's to be buried at Westminster Abbey.
Poor Anne. Yes she may have lived well after Henry divorced her but her short time with him must have been hell. I've heard several times that by account of the very few people that knew her AND had the guts to speak on her TRUE appearance, said that she was actually quite beautiful... in fact she may have been the most beautiful of ALL of his wives!
Ann was a lovely lady with a sweet nature kind generous and the most human of souls, sadly she never got to see her family again despite that I'd like to think she was a happy, thank you for this trip down Tudor history John. 👍
Well said Robert, Thanks as always for watching 😊
She might not have wanted to see them. There was nothing stopping her to go and visit or invite them to see her.
It did end with tears for Anne--tears of relief. She dodged the bullet.
Anne was a beautiful woman. Henry VIII was too blind to see that. Anne was a cunning woman who was able to keep her head; a dignified woman. She’s my favorite of all of Henry VIII’s wives.
Very well done. I'm glad that many are now giving Anna the attention she deserves.
Thanks Ann, she's worthy of the attention. Have a good evening 😊
l like the way Joss Stone played her in the "Tudors".👌👌
I can imagine that those months at court were the lonely and scary for her in a strange land with a court she doesn't know how to manoeuvre. She also had the disadvantage of not speaking english fluently. Also the shame the society must have put on her for being divorced but at the end she got away and lived a better faith then the others.
The King’s Sister lived a very happy life as a wealthy, close family (including Henry) friend.
Anne was certainly the most fortunate of Henry’s wives. Firstly, she got to keep her head! She also received a title, two houses, servants, and a substantial pension. I think she was smarter than anyone gave her credit for. She knew how to learn from her predecessors and how to play Henry’s game.
Henry rejected Anne when he saw she was big-busted. He openly preferred small busted women. And I suspect after Anne got a glimpse of the gross size of the actual Henry and that it wasn't his clothing which made him look rotund, she was relieved he'd rejected her for her chest. Most women would have been quite happy gal in her shoes! Given her freedom when few women had theirs, all while being financially supported by a king for life? Who wouldn't?
So 500 years ago, I would have been fine thanks to my G cups. Fine by me.
From whence, pay tell, did you get this description of Anne's physical build?
Thank you for posting this video! It made my day. I have always found Ann the most misunderstood and underrated of Henry the eighth’s wives.
Appreciate you watching, thank you 😊
@@HistoryRoadshow you are most welcome!
She was very clever and bright to survive in the Tudor ‘s Court; where heads were decapitated as cabbages.
RIP ANNE OF CLEVES ❤️🌷♥️🌺
Anne Von Klëve was a beautiful, honorable woman.
Lovely video! Thank you! We can all learn a lot from Anne of Cleves, I think!
You're so right Holly! She comes across as a really decent lady. Thanks for watching 😊
@@HistoryRoadshow Thank you! ❤️
Thank you. This was a lovely telling of Anne's tale.
i think she played it smart. make yourself into someone he doesn't find attractive. it kept her alive
That's how one of my Tudor books suggests she behaved & who can blame her.However,it also suggests she had an affair with Kat Howard which I find hard to believe.
Anne was a pretty woman. Henry was a blind man, he does not seem to have had human eyes, the JERK.
The thing is Holbein's portrait over flattered her looks. The portrait of Anne by Barthel Bruyn the Elder was a bit more accurate, Henry understood Holbein was an artist but his courtiers who met Anne before him were dismayed when they saw her. She wasn't his type.
@@einezcrespo2107 Do you really think Holbein would've gone unpunished if he had wilfully disobeyed the king's explicit order to make an accurate portrait of Anne? Knowing Henry's temper? Very much doubt it. Anne of Cleves was very pretty, just not Henry's type. Aside from the abysmal 1st meeting and Henry's fragile ego, she was a tall, voluptuous, full figured German woman and based on his other wives, he preferred short, petite, willowy women. Plainly spoken, she was too much woman for his pathetic ass.
@@einezcrespo2107 Thank you! All these years I didn't realize there was another source to go to about Anne's appearance.
Correction: Henry supporters created the narrative of Anne being the “Unsightly” one to conceal the fact that Henry was smelly with gout, obese, and impotent. Saving face.
42. So young, goes to show how difficult life was back then.
I don't think she was unsightly I think she was pretty and lucky to have kept her head and been treated as Henrys sister great video thank you
I agree Wendy, but we all know what Henry was like! I suppose on the brightside, they atleast remained friends. Thanks for watching 😊
Lucky Anne. 🌈
Bless you Anne if Cleve's
So sad that you never got to go home..A kind gentle soul
Anne was beautiful. Henry was a dunderhead 😣 However, I am so so glad that Anne was able to get off and away scot free from that monster! Bet she felt the same way 😄
I always wondered if with his weight and age it was Harry who couldn't make it happen that fateful wedding night. She sure sounds loverly. I'd happily marry and divorce based on her new life and own wealth! Good for her! Well done as always!
You might be right Maddie, maybe he was getting softer in his old age! I'm talking in the mind! But she went along with everything and seems quite happy with her lot. Thanks 😊
Henry tried to win her heart outside of being king and she rejected him. His pride didn't make it happen. My guess is that he knew she would never fall in love with him. So ending the marriage was the best result for both
They just didn't have that magic sexual chemistry. They looked at each other and didn't hear the bells.
I never knew that Anne of Cleves was suspected of plotting with Elizabeth by Mary the First in the Wyatt rebellion. Always learning something new I love it.
Henry VIII was the problem not Anne of Cleves👍
❤️-your videos deserve to be seen by everyone.
You're too kind Bang! Thank you for watching 😊
That smirk in Anne's portrait says it all. She could only win.
Good short video 😊
It's believed the infamous Holbein portrait Anne of Cleves is quite accurate and that she was indeed a beauty.
It's actually a myth that Henry called her a Flanders Mare. The reason Henry was displeased with her was because of their disastrous first meeting. Anne had failed to give Henry the reaction he had hoped for so his pride was hurt and he could not look past that. They could easily have had a happy marriage but Henry was a stubborn man who hated to be made look like a fool.
Cromwell took the fall for the whole disaster although your animation of Cromwell falling through the ground was quite amusing.
Anne certainly seemed like a good woman who adapted to English life well. Apparently she enjoyed experimenting with cooking in the laundresses kitchen at one of her estates.
Although she got along with Henry and his children in the years after her divorce, she must have longed to see her homeland and family again. Anne certainly received a funeral befitting a former Queen and is only wife of Henry's to be laid to rest at Westminster Abbey.
Thanks Jon! 👍😀
If Henry had not turned up in fancy dress he may have had a more pleasing reaction! They say first impressions etc! But he had to go change into his splendour before she realised who he was. Cromwell's (hole) haha if only there was an image of him stood up would have been so much better! All in all, I think she was quite possibly a lovely lady, one who certainly had charm, wit and charisma and one who learnt very quickly about the Tudor protocol. As always Shane, fascinating read, thank you for your comment. Have a great day. 😊
"Well said Shane". As you know Anne of Cleves is one of my favourite women from Tudor times. Not just because she was one of Henry's six wives, but because she was a remarkable and lovely lady. Beyond reproach! No point me leaving a comment, as you said it all perfectly. 👍
By the way. NO - I'm not 'stalking' you! LOL ☺ .. we just like the same Tudor subjects, and I come across your name (now and then). Go figure! 🙃🙄 "It is a small world" 🌐 🇭🇲 🦘
Stalker Alert 📢 Joking Lyndell! Shane is a good guy! Thanks for watching 😊
@@HistoryRoadshow Very funny 😂🤣 I'm an Aussie 🇭🇲🦘 We can take a joke. Shane and I often watch similar sites (so he knows me) hence my comment to him. Poor Shane! He is very tolerant of me though. 👍
He tolerates me too! Well together we just doubled Shane's friends to two, he'll be so happy 😃
Another excellent video. They just keep getting better and better. I would like to find out even more about her after watching this. Best history Channel out here. I eagerly await the next. Jon par excellence once again. Thank you so much for giving us your time.
More to come Helen, as always, thank you for taking the time to watch, have a great day 😊
@@HistoryRoadshow Also put a link to your coffee page at the end too.
Facebook and Twitter too! Pop by and say Hi 👋😉
@Helen Marshall. Philippa Gregory has written an interesting book about her . The Boleyn Inheritance, published by Harper Collins. K
I've often thought that Henry treating Anne better after their annulment was a way of asserting his power because he's the King. See, this is what happens when you do everything I WANT! IE: say yes to the annulment, don't make a lot of noise around court and you can continue to live an okay life. It's very much him trying to drive home that he has control over life and death but agreeing to do whatever he wants is the key to survival.
Seems like she was a sweet woman and smart
Henry deemed not to be worthy for her. She was too much.
If Henry was ever going to have a wife who could give him sons, it was Anne! A healthy hearty German girl, not one of his small fragile English ladies.
He wasn’t gonna have no kids no how. He certainly would have impregnated his next wife if he could.
Great topic Jon. As usual well presented. Anne was quite interesting and she seemed to be a nice person. Off topic: Hans Holbein was a magnificent painter, very talented👍 Greetings from Frankfurt😊
Thanks Anita, I have done a video on Holbein, about a year ago. But he also had an incredible life, not to mention his incredible talent. I think Anne was a nice person, but the whole thing was doomed from the off! Hope it's sunny in Frankfurt 😊
@@HistoryRoadshow will have to watch your video about Hans Holbein, thanks for the advice👍. It is sunny and for me too hot😄🤣 take care
You'll be fine after a few of those German beers 🍻😉
@@HistoryRoadshow i prefer irish or english ones🤣
HIC 😋
Thank you for posting this very interesting video. Best wishes from Norway.
You're welcome, enjoy your week 😊
Anne of Cleves is my favourite wife of Henry.
Well done indeed again! I learned a lot today!
In her last will she gave all his wealth to her servants
"I ain't saying I'm a gold digger/ But check my prenup, and go figure." Lolololol! Anna made out like a bandit, you go girl!
She must of had the same motto i have. Kill em with kindness. It ever worked with a tyrant. lol
I still adore the scene between Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester (as Anne of Cleves) in the "The Private Life of Henry VIII." Of course they were husband and wife in real life, so the scene on the wedding bed (where they play cards together) is both funny and spirited. I want to believe they respected and loved each other - thanks for confirming this!
Country girl saves her neck over a card game. Priceless.
Henry may have been the happiest with Anne of Cleves if he had given her a chance. He might have even had lots of sons with her. But, if that had happened, history would be much different.
Anne was obviously smart enough to know how to keep her head and life.
There is the thought that Ann was so none plussed by by him that it was not lost on Henry, and his ego couldn't take it.
I think she was rhe prettiest . Holbein wouldn’t have dared paint a portrait that wasn’t accurate. She didn’t respond to Henry’s ‘game of courtly love’ and it embarrassed him in front of his courtiers. Funny enough, she would have the been , apart from Catherine of Aragon, the best and most suitable queen he’d have. Silly man 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
I agree. Holbein had been explicitly ordered by Henry to paint the potential brides as accurately as possible; an order he was not likely to have ignored, that is, if he valued his job and his life. The fact that Henry kept Holbein on as court painter indicates to me that even Henry had to admit that Master Holbein had done exactly as asked.
Just found your channel...really impressed....you are also very ☺️....you look very similar to my gorgeous Hubbie x
Love your videos!
Glad you like them Trish, much appreciated 😊
I quiet enjoy history of centuries bygone. Thanks.
Thanks for watching Marietjie 😊
I always figured Henry was just trying to cover up for the fact that he probably couldn't get it up anymore 🤷♀️
I really enjoy the Illustrations!
Thanks Charles 😊
She is my favorite
She is beautiful, smart
And she got away alive
It seems that even though Anne of Cleves was one of the more sadder stories within the era of the life of Henry Tudor, she had the decency, quiet strength and level headedness to cope with, and make the best use of her very small life. However I do seriously question whether she had any moments of extremely intense, yet quiet emotional and mental suffering, due to the restricted circumstances imposed upon her.
"Lady Anne,the King's sister" isn't so bad. His grandmother Margaret called herself " My Lady the King's Mother" after all and was much more influencial than the Queen.
I could have had the SAME meeting with His Majesty.
The awkward moment when you see that 4 of Henrys wives and Henry share many ggg-grands with you and you feel the need for tea 500 plus years after the fact.
There's actually no evidence whatsoever to suggest Hans Holbein's portrait of Anne was anything other than accurate. He wouldn't have risked his high station at court by deceiving Henry. Bear in mind that Cromwell was executed yet Holbein continued to have a successful career after Henry and Anne divorced. Odds are on that picture was indeed what she looked like -- and Henry couldn't really deny that. In all likelihood, the narcissistic Henry never quite moved passed the slight she (unwittingly) gave him when the first met, appears to have suffered with impotancy by this point, owing to his bad leg and growing obesity, it seems to have been looking for a scapegoat to blame his problems on.
Seems like there was a reverence that Henry had for her. Wonder what they may have talked about when they were alone. He could of beheaded her, but didn’t.
Not if he didn’t want a war with Cleves. Katherine of Aragon kept her head, too and lived a nice life although she seems to have really loved him and they suited one another fire almost 20 years. She kept a blind and probably an amused eye on his other evening amusements.
Her picture is lovely.
Anne of Cleves has always been my favorite wife of King Henry VIII. I just think she is so beautiful.
She is my favorite of Henry's wives, after Catherine of Aragon.
Queen Elizabeth II is a distant niece of Anne as she is descended from her brother Duke William V of Cleves.
Anne was a shrewd woman who was gifted land, estates, money from Henry VIII after agreeing to divorce him. Sends him her wedding ring with the request that he destroy it, he does it, and she becomes "the kings beloved sister". She retains her head and out lives Henry and his last wife.
She had a lucky escape and kept her head! In both ways. 😉
She was the happiest one. She had a great life after Henry. After the way he treated his other wifes, she thought hell no. She was beloved by the people and could live on great style. She was a typical rheinisches Mädel.
Anne of Cleves made out better then the other 5 wives of Henry the 8th. Even Parr almost lost her head. I would rather have land, money, and title of the Kings beloved Sister then just be another one of his wives who lost their head.
You and me both Jamie! Thanks for watching 😊
Could it have been that she was the likeness of the painting but that Henry embarrassed himself and in doing so rejected her?
Most likely
He must have recognised her when he went to kiss her? So the portrait must have been a good likeness.
The only error was he snuck into her room without telling her who she was. He assumed he would win her heart. But she was in fact insulted that a fat stinky old man presumed to enter her room. His feelings got hurt so in his mind it was her who was ugly and called her a flanders mare. She was the luckiest of his wives because Henry was a scumbag. His first wife he tossed aside, his second wife he beheaded for daring to have an opinion. His third wife died in filth after giving birth. His fifth wife beheaded and sixth wife barely survived him he was planning to kill her too but she outsmarted him and played to his ego. Anne was the one who got 3 castles and presidence over all other women in the realm. Sounds to me she easily the best of his wives.
She smeared herself with pig fat and told the English it was a beauty treatment. Henry wouldn't screw her because of her foul smell. She was the smartest of all his wives, and outlived him.
… Hans Holbein after painting Anne of Cleaves 1539 went on to further Tudor commissioned works painting Henry’s next wife Catharine Howard 1541 and Prince Edward in 1543. If his depiction of Anne of Cleaves was a bad one and Henry felt betrayed he wouldn’t be rehired to do more work.
Nope Anne of Cleaves was a proper respectful lady that didn’t flirt and make out with strangers when she was betrothed to the King, Henry had a lot to learn from her obviously. He had a lot of growing up to do that was the real reason their marriage didn’t work.
That Hans Holbein the Younger kinda dodged a bullet, all things considered?
I feel that by the time Anne of Cleves was lined up, Henry had decided he liked his wives to be young and docile. Anne of Cleves was probably too independent minded for him and her body was not that he associated with a young virgin. He never found a young docile wife after Jane Seymour. Katherine Howard was young but as he found out, she wasn't docile. Katherine Parr was an exception being an older widow but by then he was looking for a nursemaid I think.
Interestingly enough, she is a very distant cousin of mine. We even share an eventful date July 9.
Anne is my favorite queen of Henry’s and in my mind she is smart, strong and resilient to outlive all the other queens.
Excellent channel!
Thanks Connie 😊
I don't believe that she was that unattractive. Henry was so jaded, he never would have had her at court if she had been that ugly. More than likely Henry who was fat by that time couldn't get it up. She was blamed. Poor lady and to be so vilified. She is rhe queen he should have kept.
Love your channel ❤ South Dakota
Much appreciated Shelly 😊
If you were married to a tyrant, and he wanted to divorce you, for someone younger. Would you fight it? Take the money and run.
"Unsightly"?
Henry, my lad.
History taught me that Cromwell was ... Now I know he was no match-maker and a bit of a fool, even though I may be a republican sort of guy. Never meet your hero's. Anne shines in my eyes, for she never did harm to her adopted country, and was loved by all.
Anna came out of our hometown Kleve, she was our Princess!!
Good for you Anne you made the best of a bad situation I font blame you one bit. If she were that horrible he wouldn't have married her at all. I hope she escaped untouched if you get my meaning.
What I've never understood is this............ Ok , Henry sends Holbein to paint her , granted he MAY have taken a slight artistic hand in making her more appealing in the portrait but if it was such a "lie" , why wasn't Holbein killed for misleading the King who had no qualms about killing someone with even the slighest mistake.........? Makes me think the painting wasn't a lie.........also no reliable records of the court saying she was ugly.
Holbein didn't paint her in a different light to any other portrait. Henry just wasn't attracted to her when they met. Think it's as simple as that Kathryn. Thanks 😊
@@HistoryRoadshow Yeah that's what I thought too. Holbein might of been a brilliant painter but Henry wasn't forgiving. From the few portraits I've seen of her and the others....she was actually prettier to me than the majority of the rest .
God send me well to keep - Motto of Anne of Cleeves
Richmond was a major palace. Anne did well and she got Hever Castile. How ironic.
My guess is that she found him repulsive. She was pretty. He was not.
annes portrait was every bit accurate ,another trashing of anne by a male perspective anne was held in high regard by all who knew her time to ditch the old stereotypes here was a worty queen of england.
I agree Mick, when Holbein painted you knew he was 99.9% perfect, and what's not to like about Anne? Thanks for watching 😊