Also I guess a very different life to what she had been brought up to expect. We can’t know whether or not she might have wanted that, wanted children, etc. It’s great she missed out on having to be with Henry, but it also barred her from a life she may otherwise have wanted.
Henry: «We are getting our marriage annuled. You are going to become my sister from now on.» Anne: «So you are not climbing into my bed anymore?» Henry: «No, but you’ll get lots of estates and gifts» Anne: «Where do I sign?» Best deal ever😂
Anne knew that if she did marry again, her wealth would go to her new husband and she’d be under his control. I believe Anne was not only intelligent but quickly learned how to play the “game” at Court. Going back to Cleaves would put her under the control of the head of the family. She seems to be as happy as any woman of the day, navigating the whimsical, and often deadly, ways of royalty. She played Henry well and kept her head and still lived in luxury. She was well liked by all. She’s a great example of looking ahead and planning and taking control of her future. Too bad she died so young.
I’ve grown increasingly interested in Anne of Cleves over the years and admired her independence in a patriarchal society. This video has been so helpful in understanding her life, post divorce. I had no idea of the various rumours surrounding Anne after her separation from Henry or that she expressed a desire to remarry him following Catherine Howard’s downfall. Very interesting. As you say, whilst she experienced happy times, it seems Anne’s later life was tinged with isolation, sadness and difficulties. I wonder if Anne ever thought about what her life would have been like had she never left her native Germany 🤔 Who knows.. Great video, thanks Claire 🙏🧡
I agree that Anne was an attractive and interesting woman, but she was not exactly independent. She lived under a form of house arrest (even though it was pleasant); she wasn't allowed to marry or to leave the country, even after Henry died. She was fortunate, but not really free.
Lovely lovely video on my second favourite Tudor Queen. I think her portrait is the most beautiful of Holbein's work.... especially now it has been cleaned and restored.
I do believe that Anna von Kleeves, while disappointed at the turn of events, was intelligent enough and pragmatic enough to use them to her advantage. We often make the mistake of looking at past events through a 21st-century lens. We don't know how she felt about not being able to remarry. If she had, all of the properties would have either become possessions of her new husband or, more likely, reverted back to the crown. As it was, Anne was an independent, wealthy woman held high in the king's favor. That fact couldn't have gone unnoticed by her.
Another fantastic video, Claire!! It certainly seems like in was the lucky one in some respects but I completely agree with you, she must have been lonely at times. ❤ She is the survivor 🌹 RIP Anna daughter of Cleves
I think up until Katherine Parr died, Anne probably did not see herself as the "lucky one" but perhaps, near the end of her life, when she was the only one left, she did.
I can’t even imagine the level of stress Anne was under and the toll it must’ve taken on her mind and body! That poor woman! Anne has always been my favorite of Henry’s 6 wives. How she was able to maintain her dignity throughout her years in England considering the stressful and sometimes terrifying circumstances she found herself in is a masterclass in how to be a class act at all times in public. (What I wouldn’t give to know what her private thoughts were!) Henry, his children and the court could’ve learned a lot from her. I feel badly that Anne wasn’t able to remarry and have the love and the children she so richly deserved and wanted. 😢
Brilliant in her handling of a volatile situation where she could have allowed emotions and pride to drive how she acted and in her response. ❤Anne of Cleaves 😊
I think she was all the things you said, but I think she was a very likable person and really one of the only figures in that area that nobody hated. She seemed to get along with everybody. What happened to the other wives? Yes she was successful but that’s setting the bar pretty low. Thank you for bringing more sensitivity and light on this lovely woman. By the way, you look fabulous tonight. I love your leopard blouse and your hair looks fabulous. Presentation is everything.❤
Thank you for this insightful video. I have never before heard such an in-depth account of Anne's situation, particularly your follow-up details such as her relationship with the subsequent Queen. I've subscribed. Since you ask about whether or not your viewers believe that she felt lucky, history is written by the victors and I wonder who wrote the account of her bedroom naivety, and when. It would certainly have contributed to her survival when she was later being investigated, making her seem more harmless and less of a challenge to the King. She seems to have been a genuinely likeable person, but I do wonder to what degree, if any, that she played on that. Your account of her graceful recovery after being pounced on by what appeared to be a randy old peasant illustrates that she had presence and wit. She was not the wide eyed innocent of the approaching honeymoon night, she had been brought up in a Court. She surely knew, biologically, what to expect (although who could expect Henry?) I suspect that she knew that she had had a lucky escape, and actually felt blessed. Women, indeed all people, of the time expected to live their lives at the whim of God and the State, the belief that we can control our lives is a modern attitude. This lady survived because she was a survivor, and that involved humble acceptance of God's will in those days. Contrast her fate with that of Lady Jane Grey. Both were knowingly shoved into a perilous situation by their ambitious families, but Jane had no ability to parley the situation to ensure her survival. (imo, I'm no historian!) Thanks again for the video, you have fired up my little grey cells.😊
What are your sources for Anne of Cleves' feelings, opinions, etc. Are there many of her papers extant? Is she mentioned in many people's letters or memoirs? It's difficult to tell how happy someone is. She might have people she was friends with among her staff or in the neighborhood and we would know nothing about them. By the way, Anne of Cleves is one of my favorites of the wives because she enabled me to impress a large group of people during a Trivia game. No one else knew "Who was Henry VIII's fourth wife?"
I believe she did the best she could considering her options, which were limited. If she returned to Cleves, her brother would have married her to someone else.
I wouldn’t call her the lucky queen, maybe the relatively lucky queen. I never really envied the lives of royals back then. I think they probably grew up realizing they were just pawns and had no real personal choices
hello claire..........nice , very nice as usual 😊😊😊😊. anne of cleves was the luckiest wife , for sure . great content , thank you for sharing🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰.............
Very impressive. I always thought that Anne of Cleves disliked Henry as much as he did her. That she was very content in living in England as a single woman
When Katherine Howard met her end, Anne was hopeful that she and Henry would remarry. She was very aggrieved when Henry chose Katherine Parr. Anne thought she was much better looking than Katherine.
I wonder: what exactly was "court?" Was it a fixed place, such as the royal palace? Was it wherever the monarch was at any given time? Or was it essentially a concept, i.e., occupying a place within the monarch's favor?
She actually would have made Henry s good queen. I think she was really pretty. Far prettier than Anne Boleyn anyway ( in my opinion) thank you Claire. 🙏🙏👵🇦🇺
Never being able to go home again, how sad. I don’t know what I’d have done or if I would have been able to get back on my feet if I’d had to stay where I lived while married and rejected by my husband and children! Also, who would have taken care of my Elderly mother at the end of her life. Poor Anne.
Basically, no one walked away from Henry VIII unscathed, and their future, whether long or short, was always marred by it. It was a sad fate for Anne, the Queen who did everything 'right'.
i really cannot imagine her or anyone being in love with henry, by that time, but i had never added that to my equation of anne. i had 3 traumatic births all would have killed me in those days, but considered normal now i consider the not having children such a good thing back then, never thought anyone would take the risk thoughtlessly, let alone really want children. never occurred to me she may have been unhappy with her lot
It had to be stressful for Anne. Yes, she had material needs met. But the constant bending to be in favor had to be exhausting. Smiling when she probably didn't want to. I wouldn't say she was lucky. I would say she was smart.
Poor Henry..He was such a child really wasn't he...He fascinating because of the ' nature of the beast'...but he behaved like a spoilt brat.... Can't believe no one had the 'conversation' with Anne about sex & what would happen!! What a disaster!! 😮
Given how volatile Henry was, she was lucky to survive, but did not lead a “lucky” life. I’m not sure “lucky” could be applied in that way to anyone in Henry’s court, much less the women. The only “luck” they could hope for was survival and maybe enough favor with the King to have a decent income awarded in some way.
Hi Claire! Good video as always. AC is my favorite queen after AB. I think AC was lucky in that she was able to stay alive after the dissolution of her marriage to H8. But you're right ~~ her life was not her own. She was dependent on the money she was given to survive, and she worried when those funds did not come to her with E6. And M1 ~~ this woman saw conspiracies hiding under every rock. I guess we can hope AC had a better time under M1 than E6. At least M1 gave AC a good burial in Westminster Abbey. Thanks again for the video! ps: Now that I think about it, AC's life was never her own. Not in Cleves, not in England, not before H8 or after. Poor girl ~~
I don't think she ever returned to Cleves, even for a visit, though she seems to have contemplated it in Edward's reign. Certainly while Henry was alive, returning there as a sort of reject Queen may not have been appealing.
Do you know if Anne corresponded with her sister Sybille ? Are their letters still available to read? Sybille died in her early forties as well but after having children.
Like all Royal woman I doubt if Anne had any choice in the marriage and found some comfort in her hopes of bearing children,Henry must have been a real shock to her when he met her at Rochester!
Very few women back then were able to live the life they would have chosen. She might have hoped that had he fot back with her she might have had a sin, but what would have happened to her had it been another girl. She cut her losses and did the best she could in the circumstances
I like one opinion I read, where someone speculated about Henry's behavior toward Anne following their wedding. "Whether it "strake Anne to the heart" to be briefly pawed, then rejected on her wedding night, Henry did not report." I think in today's terms, Henry would definitely be a "Swipe LEFT!!" kind of guy on the marriage market.
I think she was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Perhaps after the divorce when she was "taking all the recreation she could" it was because she feared that at any point Henry could decide to off her, and she wanted to make the most of the life she had? Enjoy what little things she could? 🤔
The rejection was a blessing. But it was still a rejection. Anne really had no option but to agree to the annulment.
Also I guess a very different life to what she had been brought up to expect. We can’t know whether or not she might have wanted that, wanted children, etc. It’s great she missed out on having to be with Henry, but it also barred her from a life she may otherwise have wanted.
Henry: «We are getting our marriage annuled. You are going to become my sister from now on.»
Anne: «So you are not climbing into my bed anymore?»
Henry: «No, but you’ll get lots of estates and gifts»
Anne: «Where do I sign?»
Best deal ever😂
Anne knew that if she did marry again, her wealth would go to her new husband and she’d be under his control. I believe Anne was not only intelligent but quickly learned how to play the “game” at Court. Going back to Cleaves would put her under the control of the head of the family. She seems to be as happy as any woman of the day, navigating the whimsical, and often deadly, ways of royalty. She played Henry well and kept her head and still lived in luxury. She was well liked by all. She’s a great example of looking ahead and planning and taking control of her future. Too bad she died so young.
I think Anne was smart not to remarry as her wealth would have went to another Husband. She had a bargain for a rejected Queen.
Just keeping her head and getting free of that monster seems very lucky to me.
I agree she kept her head and got a place to live.
Free-ish.
He could only kill the English queens any foreign queen would cause a war with an already angry Europe
I’ve grown increasingly interested in Anne of Cleves over the years and admired her independence in a patriarchal society. This video has been so helpful in understanding her life, post divorce. I had no idea of the various rumours surrounding Anne after her separation from Henry or that she expressed a desire to remarry him following Catherine Howard’s downfall. Very interesting. As you say, whilst she experienced happy times, it seems Anne’s later life was tinged with isolation, sadness and difficulties. I wonder if Anne ever thought about what her life would have been like had she never left her native Germany 🤔 Who knows.. Great video, thanks Claire 🙏🧡
I agree that Anne was an attractive and interesting woman, but she was not exactly independent. She lived under a form of house arrest (even though it was pleasant); she wasn't allowed to marry or to leave the country, even after Henry died. She was fortunate, but not really free.
Lovely lovely video on my second favourite Tudor Queen. I think her portrait is the most beautiful of Holbein's work.... especially now it has been cleaned and restored.
I agree. I think Henry just made up the “she’s too ugly” excuse because nobody else seemed to think that Anne was ugly.
I do believe that Anna von Kleeves, while disappointed at the turn of events, was intelligent enough and pragmatic enough to use them to her advantage. We often make the mistake of looking at past events through a 21st-century lens. We don't know how she felt about not being able to remarry. If she had, all of the properties would have either become possessions of her new husband or, more likely, reverted back to the crown. As it was, Anne was an independent, wealthy woman held high in the king's favor. That fact couldn't have gone unnoticed by her.
Saddling her with a precontract of marriage was a low blow. How many times did Henry promise his daughter Mary in marriage? He was vile.
Another fantastic video, Claire!! It certainly seems like in was the lucky one in some respects but I completely agree with you, she must have been lonely at times. ❤ She is the survivor 🌹 RIP Anna daughter of Cleves
I think up until Katherine Parr died, Anne probably did not see herself as the "lucky one" but perhaps, near the end of her life, when she was the only one left, she did.
I can’t even imagine the level of stress Anne was under and the toll it must’ve taken on her mind and body! That poor woman! Anne has always been my favorite of Henry’s 6 wives. How she was able to maintain her dignity throughout her years in England considering the stressful and sometimes terrifying circumstances she found herself in is a masterclass in how to be a class act at all times in public. (What I wouldn’t give to know what her private thoughts were!) Henry, his children and the court could’ve learned a lot from her. I feel badly that Anne wasn’t able to remarry and have the love and the children she so richly deserved and wanted. 😢
Brilliant in her handling of a volatile situation where she could have allowed emotions and pride to drive how she acted and in her response. ❤Anne of Cleaves 😊
Thank you so much for your information on Ann-that poor girl.
I think she was all the things you said, but I think she was a very likable person and really one of the only figures in that area that nobody hated. She seemed to get along with everybody. What happened to the other wives? Yes she was successful but that’s setting the bar pretty low. Thank you for bringing more sensitivity and light on this lovely woman. By the way, you look fabulous tonight. I love your leopard blouse and your hair looks fabulous. Presentation is everything.❤
Maybe it was Henry's loss. She may have given him the "spare" he did not know he needed.
Thank you for this insightful video. I have never before heard such an in-depth account of Anne's situation, particularly your follow-up details such as her relationship with the subsequent Queen. I've subscribed. Since you ask about whether or not your viewers believe that she felt lucky, history is written by the victors and I wonder who wrote the account of her bedroom naivety, and when. It would certainly have contributed to her survival when she was later being investigated, making her seem more harmless and less of a challenge to the King. She seems to have been a genuinely likeable person, but I do wonder to what degree, if any, that she played on that. Your account of her graceful recovery after being pounced on by what appeared to be a randy old peasant illustrates that she had presence and wit. She was not the wide eyed innocent of the approaching honeymoon night, she had been brought up in a Court. She surely knew, biologically, what to expect (although who could expect Henry?) I suspect that she knew that she had had a lucky escape, and actually felt blessed. Women, indeed all people, of the time expected to live their lives at the whim of God and the State, the belief that we can control our lives is a modern attitude. This lady survived because she was a survivor, and that involved humble acceptance of God's will in those days. Contrast her fate with that of Lady Jane Grey. Both were knowingly shoved into a perilous situation by their ambitious families, but Jane had no ability to parley the situation to ensure her survival. (imo, I'm no historian!) Thanks again for the video, you have fired up my little grey cells.😊
I'm so happy that Anne got away from Henry. Lord knows how things would have turned out if she hadn't.
What are your sources for Anne of Cleves' feelings, opinions, etc. Are there many of her papers extant? Is she mentioned in many people's letters or memoirs? It's difficult to tell how happy someone is. She might have people she was friends with among her staff or in the neighborhood and we would know nothing about them.
By the way, Anne of Cleves is one of my favorites of the wives because she enabled me to impress a large group of people during a Trivia game. No one else knew "Who was Henry VIII's fourth wife?"
You tell a wonderful story Claire...thankyou SO much X
I believe she did the best she could considering her options, which were limited. If she returned to Cleves, her brother would have married her to someone else.
And Anne might not have minded that, also her sister Amelia never married so who knows.
Thank you again claire anne of cleves is so amazing ❤
Many thanks Claire for producing this tremendous episode.
Anne never returned to Cleves. So sad, she never saw her family again. In some ways the annulment made her a prisoner of the King.
Thank you for sharing all about her ❤️
I wouldn’t call her the lucky queen, maybe the relatively lucky queen. I never really envied the lives of royals back then. I think they probably grew up realizing they were just pawns and had no real personal choices
hello claire..........nice , very nice as usual 😊😊😊😊. anne of cleves was the luckiest wife , for sure . great content , thank you for sharing🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰.............
Very impressive. I always thought that Anne of Cleves disliked Henry as much as he did her. That she was very content in living in England as a single woman
When Katherine Howard met her end, Anne was hopeful that she and Henry would remarry. She was very aggrieved when Henry chose Katherine Parr. Anne thought she was much better looking than Katherine.
I wonder: what exactly was "court?" Was it a fixed place, such as the royal palace? Was it wherever the monarch was at any given time? Or was it essentially a concept, i.e., occupying a place within the monarch's favor?
She actually would have made Henry s good queen. I think she was really pretty. Far prettier than Anne Boleyn anyway ( in my opinion) thank you Claire. 🙏🙏👵🇦🇺
You look lovely Claire. loved this, Thank you
Fascinating
Never being able to go home again, how sad. I don’t know what I’d have done or if I would have been able to get back on my feet if I’d had to stay where I lived while married and rejected by my husband and children! Also, who would have taken care of my Elderly mother at the end of her life. Poor Anne.
So sad, Anna never got to see her Mother, Sisters or Brother again.
Basically, no one walked away from Henry VIII unscathed, and their future, whether long or short, was always marred by it. It was a sad fate for Anne, the Queen who did everything 'right'.
i really cannot imagine her or anyone being in love with henry, by that time, but i had never added that to my equation of anne. i had 3 traumatic births all would have killed me in those days, but considered normal now i consider the not having children such a good thing back then, never thought anyone would take the risk thoughtlessly, let alone really want children. never occurred to me she may have been unhappy with her lot
It had to be stressful for Anne. Yes, she had material needs met. But the constant bending to be in favor had to be exhausting. Smiling when she probably didn't want to. I wouldn't say she was lucky. I would say she was smart.
I remember hearing that Anne and Catherine hung out at the twelfth night. Did the ladies have much of a friendship after that party?
Poor Henry..He was such a child really wasn't he...He fascinating because of the ' nature of the beast'...but he behaved like a spoilt brat....
Can't believe no one had the 'conversation' with Anne about sex & what would happen!!
What a disaster!! 😮
Given how volatile Henry was, she was lucky to survive, but did not lead a “lucky” life. I’m not sure “lucky” could be applied in that way to anyone in Henry’s court, much less the women. The only “luck” they could hope for was survival and maybe enough favor with the King to have a decent income awarded in some way.
Hi Claire! Good video as always. AC is my favorite queen after AB. I think AC was lucky in that she was able to stay alive after the dissolution of her marriage to H8. But you're right ~~ her life was not her own. She was dependent on the money she was given to survive, and she worried when those funds did not come to her with E6. And M1 ~~ this woman saw conspiracies hiding under every rock. I guess we can hope AC had a better time under M1 than E6. At least M1 gave AC a good burial in Westminster Abbey. Thanks again for the video!
ps: Now that I think about it, AC's life was never her own. Not in Cleves, not in England, not before H8 or after. Poor girl ~~
I don't think she ever returned to Cleves, even for a visit, though she seems to have contemplated it in Edward's reign. Certainly while Henry was alive, returning there as a sort of reject Queen may not have been appealing.
Do you know if Anne corresponded with her sister Sybille ? Are their letters still available to read? Sybille died in her early forties as well but after having children.
I feel bad for Anne but she truly showed herself to be a faithful loving wife.
Like all Royal woman I doubt if Anne had any choice in the marriage and found some comfort in her hopes of bearing children,Henry must have been a real shock to her when he met her at Rochester!
Very few women back then were able to live the life they would have chosen. She might have hoped that had he fot back with her she might have had a sin, but what would have happened to her had it been another girl. She cut her losses and did the best she could in the circumstances
I like one opinion I read, where someone speculated about Henry's behavior toward Anne following their wedding. "Whether it "strake Anne to the heart" to be briefly pawed, then rejected on her wedding night, Henry did not report." I think in today's terms, Henry would definitely be a "Swipe LEFT!!" kind of guy on the marriage market.
I think she was just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Perhaps after the divorce when she was "taking all the recreation she could" it was because she feared that at any point Henry could decide to off her, and she wanted to make the most of the life she had? Enjoy what little things she could? 🤔
Anne was independently wealthy after the divorce. What’d she need a new husband for?
Anne was naive to have not known what went on in the bedroom. Her Mother should have told her.
Tell all books. An age old tradition
Did Edward have some beef with Anne?
Smart girl
Background packed with titles on the Tudor world rather on the overdone side. No sub.