Henry VIII may have ended his marriage to fourth wife Anne of Cleves because she had already conceived a baby with another man, a historical novelist has claimed.
Alison Weir, 67, who has written several bestselling historical novels as well as historical accounts of Henry’s six wives, made the claim in her latest book; ‘Anne of Kleve’.
Henry married Anne – who became Queen of England through the marriage – in January 1540, but the union was declared unconsumated and annulled just seven months later.
Henry VIII may have divorced his fourth wife Anne of Cleves because she had already conceived a baby with another man, a historical novelist has claimed. Above: Anne in 1539
Henry had initially agreed to marry Anne after commissioning a portrait of her, which was painted by Hans Holbein.
But he then argued he was so disgusted by Anne’s real physical appearance that he could not carry out his marital obligations by consumating the marriage.
Anne had previously been set to marry the Duke of Lorraine’s son, but the marriage was cancelled in 1535 after being declared unofficial.
However, Henry got out of his own union by claiming Anne was still betrothed to the Duke’s son, because there was no document present which declared it dissolved.
Alison Weir, 67, who has written several bestselling historical novels as well as historical accounts of Henry’s six wives, made the claim in her latest book; ‘Anne of Kleve’
But Weir claims in her most recent novel that Henry may have discovered Anne was not a virgin but kept it under wraps so as not to cause a scandal, the Telegraph reported.
She argued depictions and descriptions of Anne from the time suggest Anne was very beautiful, therefore giving Henry no basis to his claims of her ugliness.
Mrs Weir, speaking at the Hay Festival, said: ‘Was some scandal locked away in Anna’s past? It is inconclusive, and speculative but I think you might find it convincing.’
In her book, Weir says Henry told courtiers on the morning after his and Anne’s wedding night that he did not believe Anne was a virgin.
He told Thomas Cromwell, who as Lord Privy Seal was one of his closest advisers, that: ‘I liked her before not well, but now I like her much less, for I have felt her belly and her breasts and as I can judge, she should be no maid.’
Weir said that Henry’s ‘vast experience’ of women – he had previously been married to Catherine of Arragon, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour – meant he must have been able to tell whether or not a woman had given birth already.
‘Were Anna’s loose breasts and belly indicative of her being pregnant?,’ Weir said.
She added: ‘Loose flesh can be the consequence of losing weight and its common for a bride to lose weight before her wedding.
‘But the other tokens Henry mentions, which included stretch marks, might argue against a more innocent explanation.’
Instead, Weir’s book lays out the hypothesis that Anne may have already been ‘seduced’ by a cousin while living in the court of her brother, William V, Duke of Julich-Cleves-Berg, a state of the Holy Roman Empire in Germany.
She may also have followed in the footsteps of grandfather, William of Cleves, who had 63 children outside of his marriage and was known as the ‘babymaker’.
Rather than placing emphasis on non-consumation – which would have resulted in a physical examination of Anne – during his annulment attempts, Henry instead had focused on her being contracted to the Duke of Lorraine’s son already.
Henry married Anne – who became Queen of England through the marriage – in January 1540, but the union was declared unconsumated and annulled just seven months later
Weir says this may have been to avoid a previous pregnancy being revealed in the examination, because accusing of her of already having had sex would rupture relations with the duchy of Cleves.
Alongside Weir’s claims, Henry’s 17th Century biographer, Lord Herbert, said there were ‘secret causes’ as to why the King had ended his marriage to Anne.
Lord Herbert is known to have had access to sources which have since been lost.
Weir suggested at the Hay Festival that these secret causes may have been related to Henry’s doubts about Anne’s virginity.
Following their separation, Anne was referred to as ‘the King’s Beloved Sister’ and received both Richmond Palace and Hever Castle as part of her settlement.
Henry and Anne became friends and she was invited to his court frequently by way of gratitude of her not contesting the annulment.