Lady Anne of Cleves: The Queen Who Survived (1515-1557)

It is commonly thought that whenever it's about the women who married the King of England, Henry VIII, his wives were not the merriest neither the luckiest. Catherine of Aragon was forced to deal with a humiliating divorce whilst seeing her husband marrying a younger woman beneath their station; Anne Boleyn, on the other hand, despite the wrongs she caused, payed with her life in a very unfair execution. Then there's Jane Seymour, who died giving the King a son and heir in a very difficult labour. After his grief, marrying again was necessary for political and, by then, religious reasons as well. 

Coming across with his wives, we know his fourth marriage was brief and, again, a divorce came on its way. But what's to know about her? Her sucessor, Catherine Howard, whom she was fond of, met the same destiny that of her cousin, Anne Boleyn, had years before; afterwards, the one who Henry VIII finally settled down with was Catherine Parr. All of the ladies above awoke the interest of the majority, except, perhaps the woman whom he divorced from because he found her 'ugly'. 

And what's so interesting about this german wife, whose life was out of common? Not only she outlived the King of England and his sixth consort, but that she witnessed the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I, though not living enough to see Elizabeth being crowned Queen. And that is precisely what it is to be discussed here. Considering the context which these ladies were born and raised, regardless of the country they lived, the higher their status was, the higher were the chances that one was meant to marry according to the family's wishes, following always their interests in order to enrich or improve their connections, those being marked in a world where it seemed to be divided in Catholics and Protestants.

Anne of Cleves was, then, born on the 22nd day of September in 1515, in the region of Dusseldorf, Germany. She was the second daughter of the Duke of Cleves, Johann III, and the sister of his heir, named Wilhelm. Raised by a very strict Catholic mother, the Dowager Duchess Maria, Anne was betrothed at the age of eleven to the heir of the dukedom of Lorraine, François. But the match was cancelled. 

The background those days remeted to the Reformists who chose to opposite Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and support Luther in a movement that would later be known as Protestantism. Lady Anne's father was a man who followed Eramus' ideas in such matters, though he renegated the pope authority in his duchy, much what Henry VIII did in England. But, whilst it was said before that her mother was a Catholic, the same cannot be said of her brother. He was a staunch Protestant and made sure the family followed this way, especially when he married his oldest sister to the Elector of Saxony, whose family was the head of the Lutheran families.

In the meantime, Henry VIII's third wife came to past away after complications resulted from a difficult labour. After twelve days, Lady Jane Seymour left the King a widow and her son, the future Edward VI, motherless. Pressed by his councillors, permission was granted that a new wife to be found. As we can see below:

"His two great rivals, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and French king Francis I, had forged a treaty, and to make matters worse, a short while later Pope Paul III had reissued the bull of excommunication against the English king. (...) An alliance with Cleves would (...) provide a major boost to the Reformation in England, and it was for this reason that Henry's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, championed it so enthusiastically."

"In March 1539, Henry finally agreed that negotiations could begin. Cromwell was quick to relay reports of Anne's beauty, assuring his sovereign: "Every man praiseth the beauty of the same lady as well for the face as for the whole body... she excelleth as far the duchess [of Milan] as the golden sun excelleth the silver moon." But Henry (...) dispatched (...) Hans Holbein to Cleves (...)."

"The king was delighted with the result. Holbein's portrait showed a pretty young woman with fair hair, a doll-like face, delicate eyes, mouth and chin, and a demure, maidenly expression. The match was confirmed and a treaty was signed on 4 October 1539. A few weeks later, Anne embarked upon her journey to England."

But one small incident would change the course of their lives: for when Anne had arrived in her new homeland, Henry decided to visit and surprise her bride to be. What happens next is only the cause of the misfortune that would mark their marriage:

"Henry disguised himself in ugly old clothes, and rode to the place where Anne was staying. He burst in on Anne in her guest room, and pretended to be a messenger from the king. Anne, who was watching a bear-baiting out the window, didn't act too interested in this odd visitor. She barely glanced at him, and answered his questions without much attention or enthusiasm. When he finally reveleaded his true identity as her bridegroom, Anne of Cleves was shocked. Henry may have still thought himself the handsomest prince in Christendom, but in all reality, he was no longer the golden Adonis of his youth. In his royal garments, he could present the illusion of his former self, and hide some of his fat, but his messenger outfit didn't flatter him in the least."

Still, proceedings were made to have the marriage going... despite it lasting only for six months and Anne being wise enough in agreeing with the divorce. In matters concerning her relationship with her stepdaughters, as Edward had his own household and was but a baby still, records claim she had a good relationship with both Elizabeth and Mary. Below, a letter written by Elizabeth to Anne, by the time she probably had six years old.

"Madame, --I am struggling between two contending wishes--one is my impatient desire to see your Majesty, the other that of rendering the obedience, I owe to the commands of the King my father, which prevent me from leaving my house till he has given me full permission to do so. But I hope that I shall be able shortly to gratify both these desires. In the meantime, I entreat your Majesty to permit me to show, by this billet, the zeal with which I devote my respect to you as my queen, and my entire obedience to you as to my mother. I am too young and feeble to have power to do more than to felicitate you with all my heart in this commencement of your marriage. I hope that your Majesty will have as much good will for me as I have zeal for your service."

And, according to this same source,"Anne showed the letter to the king and he would not let Elizabeth come to court. Henry "took the letter and gave it to Cromwell" ordering him to write a reply. "Tell her", he said brutally, "that she had a mother so different from this woman that she ought not to wish to see her" (Weir 408). Whether or not the story is true, Henry did not withhold permission for long as Elizabeth was eventually brought to Court from Hertford Castle to meet Anne."

Also, "Leti reports that "Anne of Cleves, when she saw Elizabeth, was charmed by her beauty, wit, and... that she conceived the most tender affection for her. Anne claimed that to have had Elizabeth "for her daughter would have been greater happiness to her than being queen" (Strickland Life of Queen Elizabeth I, 15) This sentiment should not be diluted by the fact that Anne was queen for only six months."

"When the "conditions of her divorce were arranged, she (Anne) requested, as a great favour, that she might be permitted to see her (Elizabeth) sometimes" (Strickland Life of Queen Elizabeth I 15). Henry agreed as long as Elizabeth addressed her as Lady Anne instead of Queen Anne. (Lindsey 156). Anne's relationships and status were established by that new title."

As for her relationship with Mary, they seemed to have got along well, despite the weirdness at first, though for no reason known and what could be speculated is that Anne might have felt at uneasy for having a steppdaughter that is close to her in age. Nevertheless, "(...) the two struck up an apparently warm friendship. It is an indication of how likeable Anne was that Mary overcame her natural aversion to reformers and refused to listen to the rumours that Anne was conspiring against her when she became queen"

Following the grounds of the divorce, which was seemingly to have been taken well by Anne, who was probably aware of what had happened to the wives before her who refused to attend the will of the monarch, she "wrote a letter of submission to the king, referring to 'your majesty's clean and pure living with me', and offering herself up as his 'most humble servant'. Anne was richly rewarded for her compliance. She was given possession of Richmond Palace and Bletchingly Manor for life, together with a considerable annual income. This was further boosted by her right to keep all of her royal jewels, plate and goods (...). Moreover, she was to be accorded an exalted status as the king's 'sister', taking precedence over all of his subjects, with the exception of his children and any future wife that he might take"

And finally, "Henry later granted her some additional manors, including Hever Castle, the former home of Anne Boleyn. This was to become her principal residence, and she lived very comfortably there on the fringes of public life."

Unusual for a woman those days, Anne of Cleves was smart by knowing where she should not repeat the mistakes her predecessors did. Although it was clear in moments when the divorce and the love affair with Catherine Howard distressed her, no other reward could have made her happier. She had her own households, mini courts, and was always kind with her servants. She often received her stepdaughters, and when Mary ascended as Queen, Anne had predecense only after Elizabeth. There is also a letter where she congratulates her for the marriage with Philipp of Spain. But with Wyatt's rebellion, she lost royal favour, following rumours -which were probably untrue considering her sensitive nature- that she was conspiring with Elizabeh as they both had not joined to attend the mass.

Which might explain why Anne died as Catholic can be read below:

"Although 'Madam of Cleves always paid great honour to Madam Mary' (Hume 92), Anne did create controversy when she joined Elizabeth in not attending the Catholic Mass during the early part of Mary's reign. The Queen had words with Anne and she afterwards did attend services.(Ridley 47)"

Nevertheless, it seemed the favour was restored and friendly terms remained between them, though Anne had retired for good. What is curious to note is that it was with Elizabeth Anne was closer to and one suspects she had influenced the Princess in her life style as unmarried woman, besides shaping the character of the future Gloriana in matters of religion and man.

Lady Anne of Cleves was, from the six wives of Henry VIII, the one who had a very desirable life...and without a husband or a crown. This perspective inside the context of sixteenth century was just as problematic as when Elizabeth I vowed to have married to England. Yet, she achieved her happiness and lived well in a foreigner country. Though she wished she had remarried Henry VIII, who instead had chosen Catherine Parr instead -of whom she was resented-, accounts claims the loss of a husband barely troubled the peace of her mind. She was strong and charismatic, a woman who was not simple for lacking qualities that Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon had for the demands of the Tudor court, and it was her good nature that had saved from situations that others failed in succeeding. It is also proper to remind that, despite the nature of Henry VIII, he was not the one to call her a "flander's mare", this was actually a rumour spread in the following century.

So, it was with 41 years of age, in 1557, that she left the world -one hopes in peace- after a struggle with disease.  And we can conclude with this, reaffirming with what as said above: 

"It is a testament to her sensible and cheerful nature that she had managed to stay in everybody's good graces throughout those turbulent times. Even her dogmatic stepdaughter Mary (...) held Anne in such esteem that she ordered the full pomp and ceremony of a royal funeral at Westminster Abbey. It was a lesson that was not lost on her younger stepdaughter, Elizabeth: to succeed in the dangerous and volatile world of the Tudor court, one must be guided by pragmatism, not principle."

And her life was, after all, what her motto translate well: "God send me well to keep"

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Cleves

https://elizregina.com/2013/05/23/the-second-step-mother-to-elizabeth-anne-of-cleves/

http://mary-tudor.blogspot.com.br/2009/04/anne-of-cleves-and-princess-mary.html

http://www.royalpaperdolls.com/ACStory.htm

http://www.historicroyalpalaces.com/henry-s-wives-tree-decorations-anne-of-cleves.html

http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=2160&CollID=28&NStart=2809

http://www.historyextra.com/article/premium/anne-cleves-henry-VIII-most-successful-queen

http://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com.br/2013/05/seven-surprising-facts-about-anne-of.html