Henry VIII's real marriage to Anne of Cleves explained

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, Episode 5.Episode 5 of the long-awaited Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light investigates Henry VIII's courtship with Anne of Cleves. This follows the death of Jane Seymour after giving birth. The highly rated period drama often faithfully depicts events from real history, even details of artifacts like the tapestry shown in Wolf Hall episode 3.

Episode 5 continues detailing the oddities in the courtship between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves. Thomas Cromwell's role in the proceedings is the focus, but, strangely, the true story of his disastrous non-romance takes a backseat. Even their initial meeting is merely described and not dramatized, which is a missed opportunity in this gripping series. This is a slight drop in Wolf's Halland previous episode that left Cromwell haunted by the death of Anne Boleyn.

Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves was political

Henry's fourth marriage was not a personal arrangement

Before marrying Anne of Cleves, Henry had already been married three times to women he met before getting married, which was quite remarkable for a member of royalty at the time. At least two of them were love marriages, shown in the nine-year-old first season of Wolf Hall. After Jane Seymour's death, Henry genuinely suffered, according to PRH. He was isolated for some time after her death, the court covered in black. As Jane finally gave him the son he had wanted for so many years, Henry may not have felt optimistic about another marriage..

Having an heir and a “spare” was a common practice at a time of high infant mortality rates. However, it wasn't just this that led Henry to remarry – he needed allies. Anne was the daughter of a prominent German duke – William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berge (by English Heritage). He was an influential nobleman with lands north of Düsseldorf. Germany would have been a prudent choice of ally at the time. This was because Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, and Francis I of France swore not to ally with Henry and were advised to attack by Pope Paul III.

Henry's Disguise Prank Really Happened

Disguises were part of the tradition of courtly love

According to PRH, Henry and Anne of Cleves had a very awkward first meeting. Upon Anne's arrival in England, she was told that she would have a few days to prepare to meet the king. However, Henry was too impatient to wait that long. THE Wolf Hall episode recounts his intention to surprise Anne by appearing in disguise to meet her – Notably, the show misses the opportunity to dramatize the incidentmerely describing the result and Anne's perplexity at the disguise, unfamiliar with “Amour Courtois”.

The disguised meetings were part of the English court tradition that Anne did not understand, so she cannot be blamed for being surprised. Henry, having a traditional view of monarchy, often adhered to traditions of courtly love, and the disguise narrative was common in the early modern literary tradition. For example, Arthurian myths featured disguises as part of their chivalric romance, which Henry always idolized. The Tudor period saw a great revival of these sensibilities (On the Tudor Trail). This added to Henry's embarrassment, as he was trying to inject some charm into the diplomatic arrangement.

Anne Of Cleves Is Unfairly Known As The “Ugly” Wife

Henry VIII did not find Anne of Cleves attractive

According to True History Geeks, Henry complained about Anne's appearance. His nose was much larger than in the painting – this is true, as the painting that Henry VIII fell in love with originally showed a larger nose, but it was painted over. He also claimed that she had smallpox scars and was plain. When requesting an annulment, he also complained to his doctor that Anne was unable to rouse him. – four nights of honeymoon passed without the marriage consummated. Furthermore, he found her body undesirable. He summed up his opinion of Anne with “I don’t like her”.

However, Henry kept the artist responsible for Anne's portrait as the royal painter and kissed Anne upon meeting her, so it is unlikely that he was as repulsed by her as he described. It's more likely that the painter portrayed a flattering angle of Anne, but also that they got off on the wrong foot and didn't improve. Anne not playing the courtly love game was a culture shock, and the pair didn't seem to have any chemistry. However, it is unlikely that he was rude to her face. Anne described him as a kind husband.

Anne of Cleves graciously accepted Henry's annulment

Anne's decorum in the process helped her position

Catherine's steadfast resistance to the annulment was probably fresh in Henry VIII's mind. However, to your relief, Anne of Cleves had no personal or political reasons to resist the annulment that Catherine of Aragon made. She also knew and was probably told that she was entirely at Henry's mercy, just as Wolf's Halls Mary was in accepting her illegitimacy. According to Tudor Times, Anne of Cleves accepted the news of her and Henry's annulment “without change of appearance”. She said in a dictated letter that she felt comforted by Henry's intention to treat her like a sister.

Anne's grace in accepting the annulment greatly helped the settlement she would receive from Henry, with whom she got along personally. She received a generous annual income of £4,000, access to more than one royal estate and was awarded a high position. She also visited court frequently and was loved by Henry's daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and even attended Mary's coronation procession, which was supposedly Anne's last public appearance (for Tudor Times). Compared to Henry's other wives, Wolf Hall'In the end, Anne of Cleves had good luck. Her “patience under affliction” He was admired by his contemporaries.

Source: PRH, English Heritage, On the Tudor Trail, True History Geeks