Anne of Cleves
| Anne of Cleves | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1539. Oil and Tempera on Parchment mounted on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris.
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| Queen consort of England | |
| Tenure | 6 January 1540 – 9 July 1540 |
| Born |
22 September 1515 Düsseldorf, Duchy of Berg, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 16 July 1557 (aged 41) Chelsea Manor, England |
| Burial | 3 August 1557 Westminster Abbey |
| Spouse | Henry VIII of England (m. 1540; annulled 1540) |
| House | La Marck |
| Father | John III, Duke of Cleves |
| Mother | Maria of Jülich-Berg |
| Religion | Lutheran, then Anglican, then Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
Anne of Cleves (German: Anna von Kleve; 22 September 1515 – 16 July 1557) was Queen of England from 6 January to 9 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. The marriage was declared never consummated and, as a result, she was not crowned queen consort. Following the annulment of their marriage, Anne was given a generous settlement by the King, and thereafter referred to as the King's Beloved Sister. She lived to see the coronation of Queen Mary I, outliving the rest of Henry's wives.
Anne was born on 22 September 1515 in Düsseldorf, the second daughter of John III of the House of La Marck, Duke of Jülich jure uxoris, Cleves, Berg jure uxoris, Count of Mark, also known as de la Marck and Ravensberg jure uxoris (often referred to as Duke of Cleves) who died in 1538, and his wife Maria, Duchess of Julich-Berg (1491–1543). She grew up living in Schloss Burg on the edge of Solingen.
Anne's father was influenced by Erasmus and followed a moderate path within the Reformation. He sided with the Schmalkaldic League and opposed Emperor Charles V. After John's death, Anne's brother William became Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg, bearing the promising epithet "The Rich". In 1526, her elder sister Sibylle was married to John Frederick, Elector of Saxony, head of the Protestant Confederation of Germany and considered the "Champion of the Reformation".
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