England: United Kingdom

Description of Figure/Doll

Handcrafted figure of Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII of England. She is made with stuffed cloth and felt that is decorated with gold trim. Being a German by birth, Anne is dressed in a style typical of Germany, with a lace head-dress and high-necked dress with big sleeves. She also wears a lot of jewels (gold trim) on her head-dress, sleeves, and bodice. Her facial features are created with pen on her face of felt. Anne is wearing garments customary for the British culture at that time. To learn more, read her story.

Link to higher resolution images at ClipPix

Location: Europe

Capital: London

Main language: English

Currency: British Pound

Figure/Doll

Construction: felt, appliques

Height in Centimeters: 16

Height in Inches: 6

Anne of Cleves: 4th Wife of King Henry VIII (the "Ugly Wife")

Reading Level: 6.20

My name is Anne of Cleves, and I was the 4th wife of Henry VIII of England. After Henry’s third wife (Jane Seymour) died, he started looking for a new bride so he could have another son. His advisor, Thomas Cromwell, suggested that he marry a princess from Germany so that England and Germany could work together. Since King Henry did not want to marry anyone he had never seen, he paid an artist (Hans Holbein) to come to Germany to paint my portrait. The portrait was very nice (the artist made me look prettier than I really was). When Henry saw the painting, he agreed to the wedding.

A little while later, I went to England and met King Henry. He did not think I was pretty and he wanted to cancel the wedding. I did not speak English and he did not speak German, so we had a hard time communicating. Thomas Cromwell knew that if the wedding was called off, the royalty in Germany would not be happy. Finally, King Henry agreed to go ahead with the wedding.

But we did not live happily ever after. After the wedding ceremony, King Henry went directly to his chambers and sent me to a different bedroom. I realized that we would never have a child.

It did not take very long for Henry to punish his minister, Thomas Cromwell. Two weeks after our wedding, I found out that Henry ordered Cromwell to be hanged. Then he sent for me and demanded a divorce. I was smart enough to realize that if I refused I might end up like Cromwell. I agreed to the divorce and Henry told me that I would be able to live in a castle the rest of my life. He also said he would pay for my maids and other expenses.

I actually lived longer than Henry by ten years. I saw him marry twice more after our divorce. When King Henry died in 1547 (at the age of 56) he left orders that his third wife, Jane Seymour, was to have her bones placed in his casket. Of all his wives she was his favorite. But he never went back on his word when it came to supporting me. I lived a very happy life in England and even learned to speak English.