Could Anne of Cleves Have Remarried? Flanders' Mare

From History Calling

Could ANNE OF CLEVES have remarried after her annulment? Best known as the fourth wife of Henry VIII, the story of the Tudors took an unexpected turn when the German Anne of Cleves was unceremoniously dumped by her husband in 1540 so that he could marry her lady-in-waiting, Katherine Howard. She had been Queen of England for barely six months. Anne never remarried, but could she have followed Henry’s example and done so if she’d wished and if so, at what point in time might she have been able to do this? In this six wives documentary from History Calling we’ll take an in-depth look at the annulment of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves, examining the reasons the King claimed they weren’t married, including her childhood precontract with Francis I, Duke of Lorraine (who later married Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan), Henry’s inability to consummate the marriage and his reluctance to marry Anne in the first place. We’ll then ask whether Anne was free, according to the laws of England as well as those of the Catholic Church (which was the religion of most of Europe at this stage) to remarry and examine the practical and financial problems which would have ensued if she had tried to do so. We’ll also look at the life of Anne of Cleves after her annulment, consider why life as an unmarried woman in Tudor England may have been preferable to marriage and learn why she might rightfully be regarded as perhaps the greatest Tudor survivor.