Anne of Cleves

The King’s Mistress: Letter from Anne Bassett to Lady Lisle

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This letter was written around 1539 and found in Lisle Paper, Vol. I. No 86. It states that Anne of Cleves had passed through Calais where Lady Lisle was to greet her. It is around this time (1538-1539) that Anne Bassett is first rumored as a mistress to King Henry VIII. Bassett was sent to court with her sister during the end of the reign of Queen Jane Seymour. The Queen had informed their mother, Lady Lisle, that she only had room for one lady - she chose Anne. It is [More]

Evidence Against the Marriage of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves

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Here we look at all the King's men and their given depositions regarding the validity of the marriage between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves. It gives us an interesting insight into each of their statements. We recently looked at Thomas Cromwell: Downfall and Execution and the events of his decline - now we look at what happened after his execution. How Henry VIII wished to rid himself of his fourth wife with the help of his closest courtiers: Suffolk, Wriothesley, Audle [More]

Thomas Seymour: Prisoner to Greed

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Thomas Seymour had a way with women - his charisma so great and his looks so good that even Katherine Parr couldn't help but fall for him. He was described as "...fierce in courage, courtly in fashion, in personage stately, in voice magnificent."  Yet with all those wonderful attributes he did not marry until he was nearly forty years old. In 1547, after the death of King Henry VIII, his son Edward succeeded him as King Edward VI of England. Young Edward's mother, Jan [More]

Portraits of a Queen: Anne of Cleves

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  Anne of Cleves was the fourth wife of King Henry VIII and many say the most lucky of his six wives. Anne was born in 1515 to John III, Duke of Cleves and Maria of Jülich-Berg in Düsseldorf, Germany. She and her sister Amelia were both considered as a future wife to Henry VIII - Anne was the lucky one. Lucky in the sense that it got her out of Germany and into a more free life in England. After her marriage with Henry was annulled Anne stayed in England for the res [More]

The Letter that Saved Anne of Cleves’ Life

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Anne of Cleves is likely the most fortunate of all of Henry VIII's wives; She was only married to him for six months before their marriage was annulled and declared void and she never consummated their marriage with him - that alone would have been worth avoiding. Just imagine what Henry smelled like with that festering ulcer on his leg. Like rotting flesh. Eww. After reading this letter I believe it's what saved her from a worse fate. The more I think about it, I'm not so [More]

Elizabeth Seymour, Lady Cromwell

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We've heard a lot about Jane Seymour and her life as queen consort to Henry VIII. We've learned about how she was the only of his consorts to give him a male heir. We've also learned about her social-climbing brothers, Edward and Thomas. Were you aware that Jane had a sister by the name of Elizabeth who also well-known at court? Depending on where you get your information Elizabeth Seymour was either ten years younger than her older sister, Jane or she was the oldest [More]

Early Tudor Palaces and Country Houses

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  Early Tudor Palaces and Country Houses 1485-1550 Compton Wynyates "The delightful red-brick manor house of Compton Wynyates in Warwickshire, was begun by Edmund Compton in 1481, just prior to the accession of the House of Tudor. Edmund's sturdy but good-looking country home was given some elegant editions, including porch and some towers by his son, the prominent Tudor courtier, Sir William Compton, between 1493 and 1528." -The Illustrated Encyclopedia of [More]

Children of Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII

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Chapter 1 In mid 16th century England there were rumors of the epic proportion that had spread throughout the kingdom and beyond. These said rumors are what will be examined in this article. Rumor: Anne of Cleves had one, maybe two children by Henry VIII after they were separated from marriage. At this time in England, Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard was in the midst of being exposed for her past indiscretions along with her adulterous relationship wit [More]

Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII: The Short Life of a Marriage

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  This guest article is the sequel to - Anne of Cleves: Betrothal to Henry VIII Guest Article Written By: Samia Chebbah   Anne of Cleves was a German princess. She arrived from Dusseldorf to England, two months after being betrothed to Henry VIII, on December 11th,1539.[1] She would become his fourth wife. What was different with this marriage was that the king waited two years before marrying again. Actually, his last queen, Jane Seymour died o [More]

Book Review: The Forgotten Tudor Women

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While searching for books to add to my Christmas list I came across The Forgotten Tudor Women by Silvia Barbara Soberton. The book intrigued me because it was about three women in Tudor history that we often don't hear enough about - Margaret Douglas, Mary Howard and Mary Shelton. As you probably already know I recently wrote an article about Mary Howard and really enjoyed learning more about her during my research.  All I had known prior to researching her was that sh [More]

Anne Parr: Witness to History

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Lady Anne Parr was sister to Kateryn Parr -- sixth wife of Henry VIII. Anne Parr is unique because she was either a Maid-of-Honor, or Lady-in-Waiting to all the wives of Henry VIII, all six. A Maid-of-Honor was generally a young girl in her teens, just starting out at court. In order to hold the position one had to be part of a noble family. Physical beauty was also requirement, so we must assume Anne was considered attractive. A Maid-of-Honor also had to impress courtiers [More]

The Legacy of Henry VIII

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When you think of infamous English monarchs who is the first to come to mind? Henry VIII? King Henry VIII is popularly known for marrying six times and executing two of his wives, as well as his famous split from Rome. It might surprise you to learn that Henry VIII was considered one of the most prolific builders of the English monarchs. He also helped to increase the size of the English Navy with ships like: Henry Grace a Dieu, The Mary Rose, The Peter and man [More]

Hever Castle

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Hever Castle “The moated and fortified manor house of Hever Castle, near Edenbridge in Kent, was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, mother of Elizabeth I. Henry VIII was a frequent visitor in the 1520’s when he paid court to Anne.”- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Royal Britain by Charles Phillips (p.352) After the death of Anne’s father Hever Castle was taken over by the Crown. Henry VIII gave it to Anne of Cleves after their divorce in 1540. When Anne of C [More]

The Tudor Dynasty

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The Tudor Dynasty began when Henry VII took the throne of England, married Elizabeth of York and had children. You could argue that the Tudor dynasty began with Margaret Beaufort and Edmund Tudor or maybe even Catherine of Valois and Owen Tudor. For now, let's assume it began with Henry and Elizabeth. To make things a little easier to understand I tried to color code: Green: Children of Henry VII & Elizabeth of York (E.o.Y) Purple: Descendants of Margaret Tudor Blue: [More]

Anne of Cleves: Betrothal to Henry VIII

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  In early 1539, King Henry VIII was ready for a fourth queen after being urged for months, if not years, by his advisers to marry again. The loss of Jane Seymour was significant to Henry but even he knew to carry on the dynasty he'd need another male heir - the "spare". When he began looking for a suitable queen there was much hesitation from European royals. The outcome of his previous queens had frightened many of them away. The beautiful Christina of Mila [More]