On this day in Tudor history, Frances Grey (née Brandon), Duchess of Suffolk, was born; Anne Askew was burnt at the stake for heresy with two others; and Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife, died at Chelsea Old Manor…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 16 July
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#OTD in Tudor history – 9 July
On this day in Tudor history, 9th July, Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne of Cleves was officially annulled; the Lady Mary (Mary I) wrote to the Privy Council stating her claim to the throne and demanding their allegiance; and Elizabeth I began a 19-day visit at Robert Dudley’s home, Kenilworth Castle…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 20 June
On this day in Tudor history, 20th June, Anne of Cleves complained about Henry VIII’s flirting with Catherine Howard; the Casket Letters, which would be used to condemn Mary, Queen of Scots, were discovered; and Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland, allegedly shot himself through the heart…
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#OTD in Tudor history – 6 January
What happened on this day in history, 6th January, in the Tudor period?
Here are some event from 6th January in the reigns of the Tudor monarchs…
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#OTD in Tudor History – 3 January
What happened on this day in Tudor history? Let me share with you some events from 3rd January during the reigns of the Tudor monarchs…
1521 – Pope Leo X issued the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem excommunicating reformer, German priest and professor of theology Martin Luther from the Catholic Church. See below.
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1540 – Official reception of Anne of Cleves at Greenwich Palace. See below.
1541 – Anne of Cleves visited Hampton Court Palace to greet her former husband, Henry VIII, and his new wife, Catherine Howard, and to exchange New Year’s gifts. -
Anne of Cleves True or False Quiz
As yesterday was the anniversary of the marriage of Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII being agreed in 1539, I thought I’d test your knowledge of this fourth wife of Henry VIII with a true or false quiz.
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Anne of Cleves Places Word Search
This week’s puzzle tests your knowledge of places associated with Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII.
Note: the words can go in any direction!
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1 January – Catherine of Aragon has a son, and Henry VIII meets Anne of Cleves
On 1st January 1540, Henry VIII met Anne of Cleves for the very first time.
This meeting between King Henry VIII and the woman who would soon become his fourth wife, was a bit of a disaster, but exactly how much of a disaster was it? The accounts differ and Claire shares with you two slightly different contemporary accounts, one given in a chronicle and one shared in the annulment proceedings a few months later in 1540.
What happened on New Year’s Day 1540 at Rochester?
Find out all about Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves’ first meeting in this talk…
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27 December – The death of Katherine Killigrew and Anne of Cleves arrives in England
On this day in Tudor history, 27th December 1583, scholar and Puritan Katherine Killigrew died after giving birth to a stillborn child.
Katherine was the daughter of renowned humanist and scholar, Sir Anthony Cooke, and was known for her ability at writing poetry and her knowledge of languages, including Hebrew, Latin and Greek. She was a very accomplished Tudor lady.
Find out more about Katherine, and hear the epitaphs that were written in her honour, in this talk...
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11 December – A lavish reception for Anne of Cleves and the burial of Douglas Sheffield, lover of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
On this day in Tudor history, 11th December 1539, Anne of Cleves and her retinue were received at Gravelines, just a few miles outside of Calais, by Lord Lisle, Deputy of Calais.
Anne of Cleves was on her way to England to marry King Henry VIII, but her journey had been rather slow and she was about to be delayed even more.
The reception was rather lavish, with everyone dressed up to the nines.
Enjoy a contemporary description in this talk…
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22 September – Amy Robsart and Anne of Cleves
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd September 1560, Amy Dudley (née Robsart), wife of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was buried in the chancel of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, Oxford.
Amy had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of her home and the subsequent inquest had ruled her death as caused by “misfortune”. She was buried in a lavish ceremony which cost her widower over £2,000.
Find out more about her burial, and who attended…
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4 September – Another marriage is arranged for Henry VIII and the death of Robert Dudley
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…
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These Tudors Are Your Favourites
A couple of weeks ago we asked our Instagram followers to vote on their favourite Tudor Monarch and wife of Henry VIII. We combined the votes with the most searched questions on Google and the country in which they are most popular. Here are the results!
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Anne of Cleves – Heather R Darsie – Expert Talk
In this month’s expert talk, Heather R Darsie, author of “Anna, Duchess of Cleves”, looks at what Anne of Cleves’ early life in Germany was like.
Join Heather in the Tudor Society chatroom for a live Q&A session on Anne of Cleves on 23rd January.
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11 December – A lavish reception for Anne of Cleves
On this day in Tudor history, 11th December 1539, Anne of Cleves and her retinue were received at Gravelines, just a few miles outside of Calais, by Lord Lisle, Deputy of Calais.
Anne of Cleves was on her way to England to marry King Henry VIII, but her journey had been rather slow and she was about to be delayed even more.
The reception was rather lavish, with everyone dressed up to the nines. Enjoy a contemporary description from a Tudor chronicler in today’s talk.
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4 September – 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.
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16 July – 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.
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20 June – Anne of Cleves is cross about Catherine Howard
On this day in Tudor history, 20th June 1540, Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Queen Anne of Cleves, complained to her advisor about her husband’s interest in one of her maids of honour, a certain Catherine Howard. What was going on and what happened next?
Find out more about the final weeks of Henry VIII’s and Anne of Cleves’ marriage in today’s talk.
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28 April – A man involved in the falls of two queens
On this day in Tudor history, 28th April 1548 (some sources say 6 May), courtier, diplomat, soldier and Keeper of Oatlands Palace, Sir Anthony Browne, died at Byfleet in Surrey. He had been one of Henry VIII’s most important and richest courtiers and was also involved in the falls of two queens: Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves.
Find out more about this man and how he was involved in the falls of the two Annes in today’s talk.
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1 January – Henry VIII’s disastrous meeting with Anne of Cleves
In today’s “on this day in Tudor history talk”, Claire Ridgway, author of several Tudor history books, puts you out of your misery from the cliffhanger she left you with on 27th December, by telling you all about Henry VIII’s first meeting with his bride-to-be, Anne of Cleves, on 1st January 1540.
This meeting between King Henry VIII and the woman who would soon become his fourth wife, was a bit of a disaster, but exactly how much of a disaster was it? The accounts differ and in the video I share two slightly different contemporary accounts, one given in a chronicle and one shared in the annulment proceedings a few months later in 1540.
What happened on New Year’s Day 1540 at Rochester? Find out all about Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves’ first meeting in today’s talk.
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27 December – 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.
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22 September – 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.
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The extraordinary story of the Anne of Cleves Panels – Sarah Morris – Expert Talk
We are thrilled to have Sarah Morris with us this month as our guest expert. Sarah talks about the Anne of Cleves panels and that fact turned out to be stranger than fiction … enjoy!
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9 July – 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?
I explain the situation in today’s talk.
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Claire Chats – Anne of Cleves Books
I’ve recently started researching Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII, and as well as using contemporary sources, such as Tudor chronicles, ambassadors’ dispatches etc., I also look at secondary sources to see what other historians say about the person and to look at the sources they rely on. I love these research journeys and the different tangents and branches I end up following.
I thought it would be useful to Tudor Society members if I shared some of the books that I have found useful or have bought and will be using for my research into Anne and her life, so here you are!
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6 January
Happy Epiphany! In today’s “on this day in Tudor history” video, I talk about the wedding of Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII, an event that took place on this day in 1540.
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The will and funeral of Anne of Cleves
Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII, died on 16th July 1557 and was buried on 4th August 1557 at Westminster Abbey.
While I was looking for some information on her funeral, I found a wonderful resource, Samuel Bentley’s Excerpta historica, which not only has a detailed account of Anne of Cleves’ funeral, but also has a transcript of her will.
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Anne of Cleves Part 3: 1540 – 1557
In today’s Claire Chats, I finish our series on Anne of Cleves by looking at her life following the annulment of her marriage to Henry VIII until her death in July 1557.
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Anne of Cleves Part 2: Her marriage to Henry VIII and its annulment
In today’s Claire Chat’s video talk, I look at Anne of Cleves’ marriage to Henry VIII and what happened between 6th January 1540, her wedding day, and 28th July 1540 when Henry VIII married Catherine Howard, his fifth wife.
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Anne of Cleves Part 1 – September 1539 to 6 January 1540.
As tomorrow is the anniversary of Henry VIII’s fourth marriage, his marriage to Anne of Cleves, I thought I’d start a series of Claire Chats video talks on the marriage.
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