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The first major biography of Henry VIII least favourite wife - but the one who outlived them all. 'I like her not!' was the verdict of Henry VIII on meeting his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, for the first time. Anne could have said something similar on meeting Henry and, having been promised the most handsome prince in Europe, she was destined to be disappointed in the elderly and corpulent king. Henry also felt that Anne was not as she had been described, complaining that he had been sent a Flander's mare. Forced to proceed with their wedding for diplomatic reasons, Henry and Anne tried to make the best of the situation, but attempts to consummate the match were farcical. Henry could not bring himself to touch his new bride and Anne, entirely ignorant of such matters, did not even notice that there was a problem. After only seven months of marriage Henry was so desperate to rid himself of Anne that he declared himself impotent in order to secure a divorce. Anne was also eager to end her marriage and, with her clever handling of Henry obtained one of the biggest divorce settlements in English history. Following her divorce, Anne made good use of her many properties, including Richmond Palace, Hever Castle and the house at Lewes now known as 'Anne of Cleves' House'. Anne of Cleves is often portrayed as a stupid and comical figure. The real Anne was both intelligent and practical, ensuring that, whilst she was queen for the shortest period, she was the last of all Henry VIII's wives to survive. Henry's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell lost his head for his role in the Cleves marriage, but Anne's shrewdness ensured she kept hers. Even after Henry's death, Anne managed to work to her own advancement, attempting to annul her divorce in order to ensure her financial security as a dowager queen. Anne of Cleves led a dramatic and often dangerous life but, for all this, of Henry VIII's six wives, she is truly the wife that survived.… (meer)
A decent look at the life of Henry VIII's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Plucked from a German duchy, Anne came to the court of Henry VIII expecting to be Queen of England, which she was for about six months. Her life became one of irrelevance after he decided to divorce her because "I like her not". Because of her willingness to divorce, Anne was richly rewarded by her former husband with a comfortable income and estates. And her friendship with his daughter, Mary, ensured that she was a fixture at court in subsequent reigns.
The book is interesting, especially so after Henry VIII's death. I enjoyed reading Anne's life beyond Henry. It's interesting to note that she was the last of his wives to die, outliving them all. One of the drawbacks of the book, for me, is the use in full of letters written by or about Anne. These letters are produced in their original writing or Old English. This makes them difficult to read and I quickly lost interest. I wish the author would've summed them up in today's vernacular and then noted the letter in the "Notes" section. One of the assets of the book is its plethora of illustrations that accompany the text.
Good reading if you wish to know a little more about Anne of Cleves. ( )
3.5 stars - A good summary of Anne of Cleves' life, detailed and with numerous pictures I hadn't seen before. A good book for someone who isn't familiar with her story. However, the claim that this is "the first major biography of Henry VIII's least favourite wife" is not really justified, as it contains absolutely nothing of Anne's life prior to her wedding. I had been hoping for details of her childhood and upbringing, so I was disappointed to find that Anne was shown only in the context of her relationship with Henry. ( )
A very good, if basic, biography. Although there's some conjecture and Norton doesn't really offer anything new, this bio is highly readable and short enough so that people won't get tired of the book and not finish. I think Norton makes some very good points about how, even though Anne of Cleves was made wealthy and treated relatively well by Henry VIII, she would still have been much better off if she'd never met the man. This book makes me want to read the other biographies in this series on Henry VIII's wives. ( )
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
To my sister, Jo With thanks to Stefanie and Renate Worden
Eerste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
The woman who would become Henry VIII's fourth wife was born into a princely German family during the first years of her future husband's reign.
Citaten
Laatste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
Catherine Parr's death in 1548 left Anne as the last survivor of Henry VIII's six wives, but she will always be remembered simply as his discarded bride.
The first major biography of Henry VIII least favourite wife - but the one who outlived them all. 'I like her not!' was the verdict of Henry VIII on meeting his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, for the first time. Anne could have said something similar on meeting Henry and, having been promised the most handsome prince in Europe, she was destined to be disappointed in the elderly and corpulent king. Henry also felt that Anne was not as she had been described, complaining that he had been sent a Flander's mare. Forced to proceed with their wedding for diplomatic reasons, Henry and Anne tried to make the best of the situation, but attempts to consummate the match were farcical. Henry could not bring himself to touch his new bride and Anne, entirely ignorant of such matters, did not even notice that there was a problem. After only seven months of marriage Henry was so desperate to rid himself of Anne that he declared himself impotent in order to secure a divorce. Anne was also eager to end her marriage and, with her clever handling of Henry obtained one of the biggest divorce settlements in English history. Following her divorce, Anne made good use of her many properties, including Richmond Palace, Hever Castle and the house at Lewes now known as 'Anne of Cleves' House'. Anne of Cleves is often portrayed as a stupid and comical figure. The real Anne was both intelligent and practical, ensuring that, whilst she was queen for the shortest period, she was the last of all Henry VIII's wives to survive. Henry's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell lost his head for his role in the Cleves marriage, but Anne's shrewdness ensured she kept hers. Even after Henry's death, Anne managed to work to her own advancement, attempting to annul her divorce in order to ensure her financial security as a dowager queen. Anne of Cleves led a dramatic and often dangerous life but, for all this, of Henry VIII's six wives, she is truly the wife that survived.
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The book is interesting, especially so after Henry VIII's death. I enjoyed reading Anne's life beyond Henry. It's interesting to note that she was the last of his wives to die, outliving them all. One of the drawbacks of the book, for me, is the use in full of letters written by or about Anne. These letters are produced in their original writing or Old English. This makes them difficult to read and I quickly lost interest. I wish the author would've summed them up in today's vernacular and then noted the letter in the "Notes" section. One of the assets of the book is its plethora of illustrations that accompany the text.
Good reading if you wish to know a little more about Anne of Cleves. (