Anne of Cleves (22 September 1515–16 July 1557) (German: Anna von Jülich-Kleve-Berg) was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and 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...
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Anne of Cleves (22 September 1515–16 July 1557) (German: Anna von Jülich-Kleve-Berg) was a German noblewoman and the fourth wife of Henry VIII of England and as such she was Queen of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540. The marriage was never consummated, and 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 was the second longest-lived of all of Henry's wives, after Catherine of Aragon, and the last of them to die.
Anne was the subject of two portraits by Hans Holbein the younger who painted her in 1539.
Anne was born in 1515 near Düsseldorf, the second daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves, Julich, Berg, Count of Mark and Ravensberg (often referred to as Duke of Cleves) who died in 1538, and his wife Maria, Duchess of Julich-Berg (1491- 1543). Her father was influenced by Erasmus and followed a moderate path within the Reformation. He sided...
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