10 Burning Questions About Anne of Cleves, the Queen who Defied the Odds

Curious about Anne of Cleves? She's the queen who defied the odds—and Henry VIII! Known as the "King's Beloved Sister," Anne of Cleves only reigned as queen for a brief six months, but her life story is packed with fascinating details and lingering questions.
In this talk, I dive into 10 must-know FAQs about the queen who charmed Henry and then chose independence over the crown! Why did Henry marry her? Did he ever consummate the marriage? And why did Anne, unlike so many others, walk away with her life—and a fortune? Join me as I uncover secrets about her looks, life after the annulment, and where her fascinating story ended. If you’re a fan of Tudor history, you won’t want to miss this!
Don’t miss the answers to the FAQs everyone’s been asking about Anne of Cleves!
#AnneOfCleves #TudorHistory #HenryVIII #TudorQueens #historymysteries
00:00 Introduction 00:43 Why did Henry VIII marry Anne of Cleves? 01:34 Did Henry VIII consummate his marriage with Anne of Cleves? 02:25 Why was Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne of Cleves annulled? 03:21 How did Anne of Cleves become known as the “King’s Beloved Sister”? 03:52 What did Anne of Cleves look like? 05:26 How long was Anne of Cleves queen? 05:43 Did Anne of Cleves ever remarry? 05:59 Was Anne of Cleves happy in England after her annulment? 06:21 Where did Anne of Cleves live after the annulment? 06:45 Where is Anne of Cleves buried?

The Tudors in their own words - Anne of Cleves to Henry VIII

Today's Tudor quote is from Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII, and is taken from a message she wrote to the king following the annulment of their marriage in July 1540.
Hear historian and author Claire Ridgway read Anne's rather sad words.

20 Interesting Facts about Anne of Cleves

Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of King Henry VIII, the woman whose marriage the king annulled after just six month!
Anne of Cleves has rather unfairly gone down in history as "The Flanders Mare", the wife Henry VIII just wasn't attracted to, but she's a fascinating Tudor lady. Find out some interesting Anne of Cleves facts from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/mFAclC873b8

September 4 - A marriage is agreed between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves

On this day in Tudor history, 4th September 1539, William, Duke of Cleves, signed the marriage treaty promising his sister, Anne of Cleves, in marriage to King Henry VIII. 
Anne would, of course, become Henry VIII's fourth wife.
Find out all about the marriage agreement and its terms, and what happened next, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/WPs_rlPhg8I
Also on this day in Tudor history, 4th September 1588, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, died at Cornbury while on his way to Buxton to take the waters for his health. The death of her favourite, and the man that is considered to be her 'true love', was a devastating blow to Elizabeth I and her reaction to the news shows just how much she loved her "sweet Robin". Find out more in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/BlUicDYZI7s 

July 16 - The death of Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of Henry VIII

 
On this day in Tudor history, 16th July 1557, forty-one-year-old Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII, died at her home, Chelsea Old Manor. She'd been ill for a few months.
 
Anne of Cleves was a warm and generous lady, something which is shown in her last wishes with the bequests to her household, friends and stepdaughters. 
 
Find out more about her bequests and her funeral arrangements in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/7fnGH8RBcAk
 
Also on this day in Tudor history, 16th July 1546, in the reign of King Henry VIII, Protestant martyrs Anne Askew, John Lascelles, John Adams and Nicholas Belenian were burned at the stake at Smithfield in London for heresy. Poor Anne had been illegally racked, so special provision had to be made for her execution. Find out more about their executions in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/29QImEPHhbE 

December 27 - Anne of Cleves arrives in England

On this day in Tudor history, 27th December 1539, Anne of Cleves landed at Deal in Kent in preparation for her forthcoming marriage to King Henry VIII. Anne of Cleves would be King Henry VIII's fourth wife.
 
Find out more about her journey, the background to it, and what happened next, in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/sl5n06RIlgc
 
You can find Claire at:
https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com 
https://www.tudorsociety.com
https://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles 
https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety 
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/ 
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/

September 22 - Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of Henry VIII

This day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1515, is the traditional birthdate of Anne of Cleves, or Anna von Jülich-Kleve-Berg, a woman who would become King Henry VIII's fourth wife and queen consort, but only for six months!
 
She may have only been queen for six months, but Anne of Cleves outlived Henry and all of his wives, and seems to have had a very good life.
 
Find out more about her and how she came to be Henry VIII's queen in today's talk from Claire Ridgway, founder of the Tudor Society.
 
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/zvuUNFA8U3Q

July 9 - Anne of Cleves, "right entirely beloved sister"

On this day in history, 9th July 1540, Anne of Cleves went from being Henry VIII's queen consort to being his "right dear and right entirely beloved sister" after their marriage was annulled.
 
Why was their marriage annulled? How did Anne of Cleves react to the news? What happened to her and Henry VIII afterwards?Claire Ridgway, author of "On This Day in History", explains the situation in today's talk.
You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:
https://youtu.be/DUblFQhi58M
 
You can find Claire at:
https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com 
https://www.tudorsociety.com
https://www.facebook.com/theanneboleynfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/tudorsociety/
https://twitter.com/AnneBoleynFiles 
https://twitter.com/thetudorsociety 
https://www.instagram.com/tudor.society/ 
https://www.instagram.com/anneboleynfiles/