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Product Description
Product Description
The first major biography of Henry VIII least favourite wife - but the one who outlived them all. 'I like her not!' was the verdict of Henry VIII on meeting his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, for the first time. Anne could have said something similar on meeting Henry and, having been promised the most handsome prince in Europe, she was destined to be disappointed in the elderly and corpulent king. Henry also felt that Anne was not as she had been described, complaining that he had been sent a Flander's mare. Forced to proceed with their wedding for diplomatic reasons, Henry and Anne tried to make the best of the situation, but attempts to consummate the match were farcical. Henry could not bring himself to touch his new bride and Anne, entirely ignorant of such matters, did not even notice that there was a problem. After only seven months of marriage Henry was so desperate to rid himself of Anne that he declared himself impotent in order to secure a divorce. Anne was also eager to end her marriage and, with her clever handling of Henry obtained one of the biggest divorce settlements in English history. Following her divorce, Anne made good use of her many properties, including Richmond Palace, Hever Castle and the house at Lewes now known as 'Anne of Cleves' House'. Anne of Cleves is often portrayed as a stupid and comical figure. The real Anne was both intelligent and practical, ensuring that, whilst she was queen for the shortest period, she was the last of all Henry VIII's wives to survive. Henry's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell lost his head for his role in the Cleves marriage, but Anne's shrewdness ensured she kept hers. Even after Henry's death, Anne managed to work to her own advancement, attempting to annul her divorce in order to ensure her financial security as a dowager queen. Anne of Cleves led a dramatic and often dangerous life but, for all this, of Henry VIII's six wives, she is truly the wife that survived.
About the Author
Elizabeth Norton gained her first degree from the University of Cambridge, and her Masters from the University of Oxford. Her other books include CATHERINE PARR ('Scintillating' THE FINANCIAL TIMES'; 'Cuts an admirably clear path through tangled Tudor intrigues' JENNY UGLOW; 'Wonderful - a joy to read' HERSTORIA), ANNE BOLEYN: HENRY VIII'S OBSESSION ('Meticulously researched and a great read' THEANNEBOLEYNFILES.COM), JANE SEYMOUR: HENRY VIII'S TRUE LOVE, MARGARET BEAUFORT: MOTHER OF THE TUDOR DYNASTY, ENGLAND'S QUEENS: THE BIOGRAPHY (all published by Amberley Publishing) and SHE WOLVES: THE NOTORIOUS QUEENS OF ENGLAND. She is currently writing the first ever biography of Elizabeth Blount, Henry VIII's first mistress, also for Amberley Publishing. She lives in Kingston Upon Thames.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This most neglected of Henry the Eighth's wives, Anne of Cleves created no scandal, was not involved in political intrigue, was not beheaded or imprisoned; lived an uneventful life and seemingly was liked by all who met her, including Henry once he was no longer married to her.
Elizabeth Norton has not unearthed anything new about Anne but she has done a good job in presenting the known facts in a clear and readable manner. Anybody writing Anne's biography is limited by the fact that so few personal details were known about her and she was perceived as being of little political or social importance after her brief marriage to Henry the Eighth ended as she had no power to promote faction or advancement at the Henrician court so her movements and thoughts were seen by the chroniclers of the times as unimportant. Neither did Anne of Cleves leave any diaries or personal letters that might reveal her true thoughts about her marriage and divorce - as opposed to her dutiful stance to promote her family's interest.
Little is known about the early youth of this obscure German princess from Cleves but Elizabeth Norton provides more details about her family background which is interesting. The narration follows Henry's choice of Anne as his fourth wife and rejection of her on their marriage night,and although the real reason for this is still unclear it appears to foreshadow the rejection of Caroline of Brunswick on her wedding night by the future George the Fourth - lack of personal hygiene, which must have indeed been dire given the very low standards of the age. Following her apparently relucatant acceptance of the divorce Anne settled for a quiet and prosperous life as the King's Dear Sister. Elizabeth Norton shows that, in a different less dramatic way, Anne of Cleves was just as much a victim of Henry as his other wives in that, despite her desire to return to Cleves Henry frustrated this by the terms of the settlement and even after his death her attempts to do so were fruitless.
The book is lavishly illustrated with full colour plates of Anne, and the people and places familiar to her. However, I was puzzled by the attribution of plate 52 as a portrait of Elizabeth the First; the features of this woman bear no relation to any accredited portraits and the features are impossibly youthful given her dress is late Elizabethan.
I enjoyed this biography of Anne of Cleves and I recomend it to anybody wanting to know about Anne of Cleves.
Elizabeth Norton has not unearthed anything new about Anne but she has done a good job in presenting the known facts in a clear and readable manner. Anybody writing Anne's biography is limited by the fact that so few personal details were known about her and she was perceived as being of little political or social importance after her brief marriage to Henry the Eighth ended as she had no power to promote faction or advancement at the Henrician court so her movements and thoughts were seen by the chroniclers of the times as unimportant. Neither did Anne of Cleves leave any diaries or personal letters that might reveal her true thoughts about her marriage and divorce - as opposed to her dutiful stance to promote her family's interest.
Little is known about the early youth of this obscure German princess from Cleves but Elizabeth Norton provides more details about her family background which is interesting. The narration follows Henry's choice of Anne as his fourth wife and rejection of her on their marriage night,and although the real reason for this is still unclear it appears to foreshadow the rejection of Caroline of Brunswick on her wedding night by the future George the Fourth - lack of personal hygiene, which must have indeed been dire given the very low standards of the age. Following her apparently relucatant acceptance of the divorce Anne settled for a quiet and prosperous life as the King's Dear Sister. Elizabeth Norton shows that, in a different less dramatic way, Anne of Cleves was just as much a victim of Henry as his other wives in that, despite her desire to return to Cleves Henry frustrated this by the terms of the settlement and even after his death her attempts to do so were fruitless.
The book is lavishly illustrated with full colour plates of Anne, and the people and places familiar to her. However, I was puzzled by the attribution of plate 52 as a portrait of Elizabeth the First; the features of this woman bear no relation to any accredited portraits and the features are impossibly youthful given her dress is late Elizabethan.
I enjoyed this biography of Anne of Cleves and I recomend it to anybody wanting to know about Anne of Cleves.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you can have a favourite wife of Henry VIII mine will always be Katherine of Aragon but I find Anne Of Cleves the most interesting and if I were to chose which wife I would have rather been it would have been her; the one that really survived. Although the author uncovers nothing already known about Anne's life there are few recent biographies dedicated solely to her, which is the book's main attraction. The most interesting parts are of course the mystery surrounding Henry's dislike of Anne and her treatment under Edward and Mary. After reading the author's poor Jane Seymour biography I took a chance on her Anne Of Cleves offering. It was worth it and thoroughly enjoyable.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A wonderfully lucid account of the life of Anne of Cleves which manages to avoid the pitfalls of wild supposition which make so many books like this read like author fantasies that lack a firm historical basis. Essentially we are still in the dark as to why the king rejected her. An ego-zapping first meeting? Personal hygiene? We really don't know and I prefer to be presented with the possibilities rather than a neat solution provided by the author. This is also the first book to recognise that Anne must have been clever to survive as she did. We also see though that the marriage blighted her life for she never remarried or had a child or went home to Cleves again and while she was financially well off during Henry's lifetime, she had to struggle and fight for her rights for the last few years of her life. This was a good read and although it presented little new it shone a wise and evenhanded light on Anne of Cleves.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not enough personal detail
I was looking forward to reading about how Anne of Cleves lived after her annulment, what affairs she had and her relationships with Henry VIII's children etc. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Paris
A disappointment
There is a dearth of books on Anne of Cleves and I looked forward to an informative read.Unfortunately, I found the book quite generic, being a history of Henry V111 slanted toward... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Paul
Reader Review
I found some of Ms Norton's theories and conclusions about Anne rather debatable... I have certainly not come across any other historians concluding that Anne wanted Henry back or... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Charmkat
Anne of Cleves - Good for you Anne you beat them all
I admire Anne of Cleves, I really do. For a woman of her time, and especially one placed into her unique situation, she showed immense strength of character throughout what must... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Faydra
tudor history
bought this book as i wanted to complete my set of henry viii six wives found the book very easy to read wording not to small
am enjoying reading this book
am enjoying reading this book
Published on 2 Feb 2010 by Mrs. D. J. Petts
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