Wedding of Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves
The wedding of King Henry VIII to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, took place in early 1540.
History
The wedding was arranged by King Henry's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, as early as 1538 (AUDIO: The Doomsday Chronometer [+]Loading...["The Doomsday Chronometer (audio story)"]) soon after the death of Henry's previous wife, Jane Seymour. By 1539, Cromwell had found Anne of Cleves. After months of negotiations, plans for marriage were made which would have secured a valuable political alliance for England against the Pope. Cromwell particularly favoured the match as it would increase his influence over that of his Catholic rival, the Duke of Norfolk. (PROSE: God Send Me Well to Keep [+]Loading...["God Send Me Well to Keep (short story)"])
According to one account, Henry was cured of his cataracts by the Third Doctor. A portrait of Anne was commissioned in advance of her arrival, of which Henry was angered, declaring her to be "ugly as [his] privy". Henry subsequently ordered Norfolk to have the portrait redone to make her look more appealing so that he could feign ignorance and "innocently" learn the truth upon meeting her. (PROSE: Hiccup in Time [+]Loading...["Hiccup in Time (short story)"])
The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa had travelled to Henry's court prior to Anne's arrival. Norfolk attempted to influence Henry into abandoning the plans for the marriage, and instead marrying his niece, Katherine Howard. Henry, sceptical of Cromwell's plan, became infatuated with Nyssa to the chagrin of both Cromwell and Norfolk. Believing Nyssa to be "grave and wise" as befitting of a queen, he prepared to cancel the wedding with Anne. However, the Doctor and Nyssa would later escape from court.
At five o'clock on 27 December, Anne of Cleves arrived in England, specifically Dover. The couple would first meet on New Year's Day 1540 at Rochester Abbey. Henry had a bad first impression as Anne looked out of a window instead of paying attention to him. Anne was unaware that she was talking to Henry, and was disgusted when he attempted to kiss her. Anne had been distracted by the sight of the Doctor posing as a magician outside and performing a "magic trick" as his TARDIS dematerialised.
Despite this first impression, the two would wed nonetheless, particularly due to already signed treaties organised by Cromwell. (PROSE: God Send Me Well to Keep [+]Loading...["God Send Me Well to Keep (short story)"])
At some point prior to his sixth incarnation, the Doctor received an invitation to the wedding. (COMIC: The Gift [+]Loading...["The Gift (comic story)"])
Soon afterwards, the couple would divorce, and Henry would marry Katherine Howard. (PROSE: The Roundheads [+]Loading...["The Roundheads (novel)"], God Send Me Well to Keep [+]Loading...["God Send Me Well to Keep (short story)"])
Behind the scenes
In non-valid sources
In an attempt to display his wealth of up-to-date information, AIEIO asked Doctor Doctor and Patience Patience if they were aware that King Henry VIII was going to be married for the fourth time "very soon". This failed to effectively prove his point. (TV: The STARSHED Experience [+]Loading...["The STARSHED Experience (TV story)"])
Other matters
As suggested in Hiccup in Time [+]Loading...["Hiccup in Time (short story)"], there is evidence to suggest that the first portrait Henry VIII had seen of Anne of Cleves was redone. A contemporary portrait of Anne by Barthel Bruyn the Elder, possibly one of the first portraits shown to Henry, was examined using X-ray in 1989. The examination showed that the portrait's pentimento featured a longer nose, among other differences.[1][2]
The title of the short story God Send Me Well to Keep [+]Loading...["God Send Me Well to Keep (short story)"] alludes to the wedding itself, using the phrase "God send me well to keep" which had been engraved on Anne's wedding ring.
Footnotes
Sources
- ↑ Hacker, Peter, and Candy Kuhl. "A Portrait of Anne of Cleves" The Burlington Magazine vol. 134, no. 1068 (1992): pp. 172–75.
- ↑ Melanie V Taylor - A Portrait of Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King’s Beloved Sister
