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OTD in 1557, Henry VIII's 4th wife, Anne of Cleves, died, having outlived all his other wives, Henry, and even his son, Edward.


Henry, enchanted by a flattering Hans Holbein portrait of his bride-to-be, was repulsed by the “tall, big-boned and strong-featured” woman who arrived in England at the beginning of 1540. Declaring “I like her not! I like her not!” after his first meeting with her, the English king only went through with the wedding to maintain diplomatic ties with Anne’s home, the German Duchy of Cleves, and other Protestant allies across the European continent.

After just six months of marriage, Henry, eager to replace his queen with the young, vivacious Catherine Howard, had the union annulled on the grounds of non-consummation. Anne, from then on known as the “King’s beloved sister,” spent the rest of her days in England.

From the king's testimony:

“She is nothing fair, and have very evil smells about her,” Henry reportedly said, adding that he “plainly mistrusted her to be no maid by reason of the looseness of her belly and breasts and other tokens.” The king concluded, “I have left her as good a maid as I found her.”

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