"God Send Me Well To Keep"

Anne of Cleaves was Henry's fourth wife. She was chosen for a few reasons- one, Henry had been alone for two years following the death of Jane Seymour, and had but one legitimate heir to the throne- the son Jane had died giving birth to, Prince Edward. Henry Had two daughters- Mary, by first wife Katharine of Aragon, and Elizabeth, by second wife Anne Boleyn. His lust for Anne had caused Henry to declare Mary a bastard and strip her of her sovereign inheritance; his wrath toward Anne only a few years later had caused him to do the same to their daughter, Elizabeth, shortly after having Anne beheaded. Thus, neither daughter was eligible to inherent the throne.

Henry was overjoyed to at last have a son, but needed another to ensure succession- his own brother, Arthur, had died at 15, changing Henry's destiny from a man of the clergy to future king.

Secondly, marriages were means of political gain, and Henry could forge an alliance with another country by taking a princess. In henry's case, he needed to gain Protestant alliance throughout Europe- his divorce and subsequent marriage of Katharine and Anne, respectively, had caused him to break from the Holy See and form the Protestant church.

Henry would have trouble getting a fourth wife- his reputation was not favorable. He had driven Katharine to her death, the beheading of Anne was sudden and considered to be too harsh a punishment, and even his loving marriage with Jane Seymour was suspect- the gossip was that he desired an heir so greatly he'd had the baby ripped from her womb in a butchered c-section. This was completely false, and most knew it, but it showed the attitude toward Henry's ever changing tastes in women.

No princess would have him. As Cristina of Milan (who was also the great-niece of Katharine of Aragon) put it, "I would gladly marry the king, had I two necks, but I have just the one, and would rather keep it."

Anne was 24, German, and had no english skills. She was shown by way of the painting here, and the king took an interest in her. Unfortunately, upon seeing her, Henry was disappointed- she was badly complected due to childhood smallpox, sallow, ill-shaped, lacked intellect and musical talent, and was not flirtatious- all things the king was quite attracted to. In fact, Henry was repulsed by her, and unable to consumate the union.

In addition, he no longer needed the German alliance, and had come under the enchantment of Catharine Howard, destined to be wife number five.

In contrast with Anne of Cleve's dull, shy, solemn disposition, Catharine was lively, flirtatious, and thirty years younger than he. Citing Anne of Cleves' previous engagement, which was never fulfilled, but never dispensed, he had the marriage anulled. Unlike Katharine, Anne did not fight. It's unclear if it was because she spoke very little english and had no idea what was happening, or because she was so naive.

Having been raised in a strict Protestant castle, she was not taught languages, music, reading, or dancing, like other European princesses, so it should surprise no one that she did not know there was something wrong in the fact that Henry wasn't having sex with her. Her strict Protestant beliefs meant sex was a topic that would never be discussed, so Anne Of Cleves' mother never told her what to expect on her wedding night. (When asked by her ladies in waiting what her marital night had been like, Anne said he held her hand, slept soundly, and was kind to her. Her ladies in waiting were surprised and asked if there hadn't been anything else- and Anne simply looked at them in confusion and asked, "What else is there?")

It's also possible that Anne simply remembered the fate of the last two women to arouse Henry's anger; whatever the reason, Anne agreed to the kings terms. She was granted a wealthy settlement that made her one of the wealthiest women in England, kept her place at court (often referred to as the king's sister), and maintained her relationship with Princesses Mary and Elizabeth.

Anne of Cleves died in 1557, at the age of 41. Thanks to her willingness to split amicably from Henry, she died extremely wealthy, and was quite content.