1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Miinkie. Listener discretion is advised. 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: Anne of Cleaves had traveled over three hundred miles by 4 00:00:16,840 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: land and by sea to come to England to meet 5 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 1: her future husband to be, King Henry the Eighth. Neither 6 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: had laid eyes on the other before the marriage arrangement 7 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:31,960 Speaker 1: was finalized, but Henry had commissioned a portrait of Anne, 8 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: and he liked what he saw well enough to agree 9 00:00:34,159 --> 00:00:38,839 Speaker 1: to the diplomatic match, and so arrangements were made for 10 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:41,840 Speaker 1: the twenty four year old sister of a prominent duke 11 00:00:42,440 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: to become wife number four. After weeks of travel, Anne 12 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: and her entourage made it to Rochester in England on 13 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: New Year's Eve, the final day of fifteen thirty nine. 14 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,959 Speaker 1: She was staying there at the Bishop's Palace. In three 15 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: three days time, she would make her way to London, 16 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,840 Speaker 1: where she was supposed to meet her future husband for 17 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: the first time. On New Year's Day, Anne found herself 18 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: gazing out the window of her bedchamber into the courtroom below, 19 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:20,399 Speaker 1: where a celebratory bull baiting was occurring, and didn't speak English, 20 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: only German, and while her escorts had been nothing but 21 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,119 Speaker 1: polite and deferential to her, she was still in an 22 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: alien country where the clothings, customs, even the smiles could 23 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: be sinister. They had warned her that the English court 24 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: was a dangerous place. Watching the men danced around the 25 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: animals in the courtyard below the dog dodging in between 26 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: the legs of the bull, Anne wondered if she had 27 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: come to England to be predator or prey. She had 28 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: the uneasy sense that the position of queen wasn't a 29 00:01:56,440 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: spectator role, and the bull baiting never as well for 30 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: either the dog or the bull. The English seemed to 31 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: enjoy their sports when they end in blood. It was 32 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: at that moment that her chamber door flung open, and 33 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: nine men wearing hooded cloaks swept into the room and screamed. 34 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: But before the sound had even left her mouth, the 35 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: tallest of the men had ensnared her in his arms 36 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: and attempted to sweep her into a kiss. Anne wriggled away, 37 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 1: disgusted and called for help. In German, she begged her 38 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: attendance for an explanation. The men didn't seem to mean 39 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: any harm. In fact, they had begun to laugh. The 40 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 1: man who had tried to kiss her, she saw, who 41 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: was not only the tallest but also the widest, had 42 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,560 Speaker 1: an uneasy gait and a glint of red hair that 43 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: flashed from beneath his hood. After a few words in 44 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:07,200 Speaker 1: English that Anne couldn't comprehend, all of the men walked away. 45 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:10,880 Speaker 1: It was a game, one of her attendants explained to her, 46 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 1: a courtly game of chivalry. The men were pretending to 47 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: be robin Hood or romantic heroes. I don't understand, Anne replied, 48 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: I'm going to marry the king now, why would anyone 49 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: insult him by trying to compromise my honor. Anne got 50 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: her answer a moment later, when the same retinue of 51 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: men re entered her chamber, this time without their cloaks. 52 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 1: Now the tall broad man wore purple and gold, His 53 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: hair and beard were red, and as he stepped forward, 54 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:53,400 Speaker 1: everyone around Anne lowered into a bow. Anne bowed too. 55 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: Of course, the man was King Henry the Eighth, himself, 56 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: not content to wait three days to see his bride. 57 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: Henry had come to surprise her early in disguise, imagining 58 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 1: that she would fall instantly in love. That soulmates do. 59 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,280 Speaker 1: It would be like something out of the stories of 60 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: King Arthur and his Knights at the round Table, the 61 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: beautiful princess recognizing her love even as he's disguised as 62 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: a common knave. Henry had played masquerade games in court 63 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 1: for decades. His courtiers were well practiced in both treating 64 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: him with nothing but flattery when he was in his 65 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:39,080 Speaker 1: flimsy disguises, and at feigning delighted surprise when the King 66 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: unmasked himself. But Anne had never seen Henry before, let 67 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: alone heard of his proclivity for self indulgent theatrics. To her, 68 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,920 Speaker 1: here was just a strange middle aged man attempting to 69 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: assault her days before her wedding. As soon as she 70 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: saw the King and his royal fine, she lowered her 71 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: face to the floor to avoid the discomfort of their 72 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: mutual humiliation. But King Henry just laughed and raised her 73 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,280 Speaker 1: up and kissed her on the cheek. The two made 74 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: polite conversation with an interpreter and bid each other goodbye 75 00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,000 Speaker 1: until they would see each other in London in a 76 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: few days time. The disaster, it seemed, had been averted 77 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: by their mutual good humor. But the moment Henry left 78 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:33,039 Speaker 1: the bishop's palace, the good humor dissolved from his face, 79 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:38,919 Speaker 1: replaced with a scowl. He turned to his minister, Thomas Cromwell, 80 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: riding next to him on a horse. I like her not, 81 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:50,360 Speaker 1: Henry said. It was an inauspicious start to an inauspicious marriage. 82 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:54,119 Speaker 1: Though Anne of Cleaves is now mainly remembered for being 83 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:56,719 Speaker 1: less attractive than her portrait made her out to be, 84 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: her story goes much deeper than that. She spent her 85 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:05,440 Speaker 1: life in England outliving all five of Henry's other wives, 86 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,719 Speaker 1: something between a hostage and a casualty of Henry the 87 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: Eighth's narcissism and ego. She was a woman who did 88 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: what it took to survive. I'm Danish Schwartz and this 89 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 1: is noble blood. It had been two years since Henry's 90 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: third wife, Jane Seymour, died after giving birth to their 91 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:35,320 Speaker 1: son Edward. Henry of course felt the immense relief at 92 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: having a male heir, a toddler whom everyone assured him 93 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: was perfectly healthy. But two years without a wife was 94 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:46,159 Speaker 1: enough time in mourning. Besides, everyone knows you need a 95 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: second son, just in case, a backup. Henry already had 96 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,000 Speaker 1: a tiny Prince of Wales, and now he wanted a 97 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:57,520 Speaker 1: baby Duke of York. Henry's first choice of bride was 98 00:06:57,600 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 1: the beautiful French widow Madame de la Longville, born Mary 99 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: of Geese. Henry sent envoys to France to try to 100 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: negotiate to try to entice her to become the fourth 101 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:14,040 Speaker 1: Queen of England, but Mary of Geese was already spoken for, 102 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: engaged to the young and very handsome King James of Scotland. 103 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 1: Though Henry demanded some diplomatic wheedling to try to break 104 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: up their engagement, it was a lost cause. Both Mary 105 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: of Geese and King James of Scotland were attractive and 106 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:35,240 Speaker 1: in their twenties. Henry was in his late forties, already 107 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: expanding with a swollen leg that needed to be periodically 108 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:44,960 Speaker 1: punctured to let the ooze out. Mary politely declined his 109 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: offer and married James. A little stung, Henry asked the 110 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: French ambassador to assemble all of the eligible French women 111 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,600 Speaker 1: at the same Mannor house in Calais so he Henry 112 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:02,480 Speaker 1: could come by and cho is one. The King of France, 113 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: Francis the First, was outraged when he heard Henry's proposition. 114 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 1: It is not our custom, he wrote back, to display 115 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 1: women of noble rank like horses for sale. Henry would 116 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,160 Speaker 1: need to look further afield to find his next bride. 117 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: In Brussels, Henry's ambassador, Thomas Rothsley, had finally convinced the 118 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: beautiful Christina of Denmark to sit for a portrait so 119 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: that they could send it back to Henry and he 120 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:39,560 Speaker 1: could see what she looked like. Christina was tall and willowy. 121 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: She had dimples when she smiled, one in each cheek 122 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: and one that appeared in her chin when she was laughing. 123 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: She was widely praised among the courts of Europe for 124 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: her gentle nature. People whispered that she was also brilliant. 125 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: She spoke three languages. She also had very little interest 126 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,600 Speaker 1: in King Henry the Eighth. Christina knew all about what 127 00:09:04,679 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: had happened to Catherine of Arragon so cruelly disposed of, 128 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: and to Anne Boleyn, and the third one had died too, 129 00:09:12,480 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: hadn't she No, it was much safer not to be 130 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 1: a wife at the mercy of Henry's fickle whims and 131 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: mercurial mood swings. While Christina posed for her portrait. Rothley 132 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: tried to convince her of Henry's charms. He told her 133 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: that Henry was gentle and kind and good. Christina couldn't 134 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: help but laugh at that hard enough that the dimple 135 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 1: in her chin appeared. I would marry King Henry, she said, 136 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,360 Speaker 1: if I only had an extra head to spare. Another 137 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: dead end and another blow to the ego of the king, 138 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 1: who had once been celebrated for his looks and charm. 139 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: And now the need for Henry to make a diplomatic 140 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,959 Speaker 1: marriage was increasing. Thanks to the kerfuffle of divorcing Catherine 141 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 1: of Aragon and marrying Anne Boleyn. Henry was excommunicated, which 142 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: meant any neighboring country could invade England and claim it 143 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: was in the name of the Church, and the Catholic 144 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 1: nations around England seemed to be getting pretty cozy. King 145 00:10:16,160 --> 00:10:19,959 Speaker 1: Francis the First and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles the 146 00:10:20,040 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 1: Five looked to be forging a little friendship. The two 147 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 1: of them were gallivanting around the Louver Palace together while 148 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: the English ambassador present was assigned the smallest, least hospitable 149 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: rooms possible. If the two of them united and attacked England, 150 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:40,960 Speaker 1: Henry had very few international allies who would help him. 151 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: Henry had married for love before, and now he needed 152 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:52,720 Speaker 1: a foreign bride. Though Henry was excommunicated, he still wasn't 153 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:56,240 Speaker 1: a Lutheran, which limited his options for a bride a bit. 154 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 1: What about Cleave's Juelich Henry's adviser, Thomas Cromwell offered one day. 155 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 1: Their new duke was a reformed Catholic but no friend 156 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:11,640 Speaker 1: of the pope, and he had an unmarried sister. When 157 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: Rothsley went to visit Cleaves, Germanic custom meant that the 158 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:21,679 Speaker 1: unmarried girl appeared wearing heavy veils. Well, Henry bellowed when 159 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: Rothsley returned, so much prettier than Christina of Denmark. Rothsley 160 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,320 Speaker 1: assured the king, but Henry didn't need to take his 161 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,080 Speaker 1: word for it. He had commissioned a portrait of the 162 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:37,600 Speaker 1: girl and of Cleaves by Hans Holbein, and when the 163 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:42,520 Speaker 1: portrait came back, Henry was entranced. She had a gentle, 164 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: kind face and heavy lidded eyes that made her look 165 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:52,400 Speaker 1: both mysterious and wise. Henry spent hours staring at the portrait, 166 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: imagining his hands around her tiny waist and his lips 167 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 1: upon her perfect smooth cheek x. The match was set. 168 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:06,560 Speaker 1: Twenty four year old Anne of Cleves, who had never 169 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 1: before left the cloistered confines of her family, was going 170 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:20,880 Speaker 1: to become the next Queen of England. Though Anne of 171 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: Cleves had a sterling noble lineage on both sides of 172 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: her family, she was almost entirely unprepared for life in 173 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:31,679 Speaker 1: the English court. No one had ever really believed she 174 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:36,120 Speaker 1: would marry higher than being a duchess. She spoke only German, 175 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 1: no English or French, and she was untrained in music 176 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:44,439 Speaker 1: and poetry. The only dances she knew were the German 177 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:47,839 Speaker 1: ones she had grown up with. But prepared or not, 178 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:50,560 Speaker 1: the chance to become the Queen of England was not 179 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:54,800 Speaker 1: something her family was going to refuse, especially because being 180 00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: unmarried at twenty four, Anne was beginning to become a 181 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 1: bit of an embarrassment. Henry wanted her to travel north 182 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 1: via Antwerp on her way to England so she wouldn't 183 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:08,360 Speaker 1: have to pass through the lands of the Holy Roman Emperor, 184 00:13:08,960 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: but that would necessitate a longer sea voyage, and Ann's 185 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: mother didn't want to risk and complexion being damaged by 186 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:20,319 Speaker 1: the salty sea air. After all, Henry only wanted her 187 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:23,600 Speaker 1: because he liked what he saw in the portrait, so 188 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: permission was asked and granted by Charles the fifth, and 189 00:13:27,520 --> 00:13:31,120 Speaker 1: Anne and her retinue of nearly three hundred people traveled 190 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:36,520 Speaker 1: across Europe towards her new future in Calais, where Anne 191 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 1: was set to board a boat across the English Channel 192 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:44,920 Speaker 1: and was delayed two weeks by foul weather. Rothsley was apologetic. 193 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: He brought Anne to see the ship all ready for 194 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: her departure, dripping in festive streamers and ribbons and banners. 195 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 1: No matter, Anne said, I'll take this time to learn 196 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: of my new people and my new husband. While staying 197 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 1: in Calais at the home of Lord and Lady Liesel 198 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:09,240 Speaker 1: And asked Rothsley for his help via translator. Rothsley taught 199 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: Anne how to play Henry's favorite card game called Scent, 200 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: and also requested that Rothsley bring English noblemen and ladies 201 00:14:17,640 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: to dine with her, that she could learn English table 202 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: manners and become more accustomed to the pattern of their 203 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: jokes in the pattern of their speech. She didn't understand 204 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: the language, but she smiled and laughed alongside them. All 205 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: the same letters arrived for Henry, describing how charming and 206 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:44,320 Speaker 1: good natured his bride on the way was. Henry was 207 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: jittery with anticipation. He was supposed to spend Christmas with Anne, 208 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: but the weather delay meant he spent it alone. He 209 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 1: paced his palaces, waiting for her to arrive, like a 210 00:14:55,960 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 1: package to be delivered. Finally, by New Year's the Anne 211 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,120 Speaker 1: had made it to Richmond, and Henry, not willing to 212 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: wait any longer, rode out to surprise her. That was 213 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: when he first appeared to her in his robin hood costume, 214 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: imagining that she would be so taken by his handsomeness 215 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: that she would succumb immediately. Imminent marriage be damned. These 216 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 1: were the sort of courtly games that Henry was used 217 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: to everyone around him indulging him in. Catherine of Aragon 218 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,400 Speaker 1: had grown up in the great courts of Europe, she 219 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 1: would have known exactly how to react and clever Anne 220 00:15:33,040 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 1: Boleyn would have also perfectly matched Henry in this game. 221 00:15:37,280 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 1: But Anne of Cleves was a complete stranger and totally 222 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: unaware of both what Henry looked like and of what 223 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,360 Speaker 1: the game she was supposed to be playing was. She 224 00:15:47,520 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: left Henry humiliated, smarting from the pushed down knowledge that 225 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 1: maybe he was no longer as handsome as he once was. Well, 226 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:00,240 Speaker 1: what of it, Henry thought, She's not so pretty herself, 227 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,080 Speaker 1: not nearly as pretty as that portrait made her out 228 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 1: to be. His first three marriages had been love matches 229 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 1: with women who matched him in wits and flattered him 230 00:16:10,920 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: with affection. Now Henry was being roped into a diplomatic 231 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:18,440 Speaker 1: marriage with a stranger, and he did not care for 232 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: it one bit. Anne of Cleaves arrived in London in 233 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 1: a drawn chariot flanked by one hundred horsemen, wearing livery 234 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:32,520 Speaker 1: embroidered with golden lions. Anne was escorted to a massive 235 00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: pavilion with lit fires inside, where she was dressed in 236 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: a gold gown with a round skirt in the Dutch fashion, 237 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,160 Speaker 1: and given a round pearl bonnet to set it up 238 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: her head. As for Henry, when she arrived, he played 239 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: the part of the loving groom, perfectly, smiling and extending 240 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,120 Speaker 1: his arms and kissing her and welcome. But as soon 241 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:00,360 Speaker 1: as the pageant was over he turned to Cromwell, get 242 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 1: me out of this marriage, he said, But it was 243 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:11,160 Speaker 1: too late. The wheels of diplomacy had already been set 244 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 1: into motion. If Henry were to reject Anne at this point, 245 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,160 Speaker 1: he would anger not only Anne and her powerful family, 246 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:22,639 Speaker 1: but all of their allies across Germany, especially if he 247 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:26,800 Speaker 1: was rejecting her for no good reason. Cromwell, for his part, 248 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,119 Speaker 1: tried his best back. When Anne had been tent, she 249 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:33,880 Speaker 1: had been temporarily engaged to the Duke of Lorraine. If 250 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: she was pre contracted, that would avoid the marriage arrangement 251 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:42,160 Speaker 1: with Henry. The ambassador from Cleaves was confused when Cromwell 252 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,120 Speaker 1: brought it up to him. She was a child. Then 253 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: he said it was before the age of consent. No 254 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 1: one actually believes it was a legitimate engagement. Cromwell knew 255 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:55,879 Speaker 1: that well enough, but still Cromwell had the confused and 256 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:00,119 Speaker 1: scrambling ambassador from Cleaves agreed to send for the for 257 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:03,199 Speaker 1: paperwork back in Germany that would prove that Anne was 258 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:07,240 Speaker 1: completely free and clear to marry Henry, as everyone knew. 259 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:16,120 Speaker 1: The two were married on January sixty eight. Year old 260 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:19,520 Speaker 1: King Henry the Eighth got married for the fourth time 261 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 1: to Anne of Cleaves. She wore her long blonde hair 262 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:29,280 Speaker 1: loose beneath a golden cornet set with jewels and fresh 263 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:34,480 Speaker 1: sprigs of rosemary. That evening, they were ceremonially put to 264 00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:38,720 Speaker 1: bed so that the pair might conceive another son for Henry, 265 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 1: a little duke of York. They didn't Henry, how do 266 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:49,160 Speaker 1: I put this, couldn't sail his boat without a stiff breeze. 267 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: Young virginal Anne, who had only been instructed with the 268 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: vaguest possible descriptions of what was expected of her, just 269 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 1: spent the night a s ape next to her new husband. 270 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: The next morning, Henry confronted Cromwell, I like her not before, 271 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:11,639 Speaker 1: but now I like her much less. He consulted his 272 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:15,399 Speaker 1: doctors about his sexual problems, while making it very clear 273 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: to anyone who would listen that it was not his fault. 274 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: I mean, I saw the way her breasts and her 275 00:19:21,359 --> 00:19:26,359 Speaker 1: belly sagged. Henry said, she probably wasn't even a virgin. 276 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:30,200 Speaker 1: Henry made sure that the doctors wrote down that it 277 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:35,440 Speaker 1: wasn't his fault. He wasn't impotent. He had two missions 278 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 1: in the night in his sleep. Doctors advised that he 279 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:42,679 Speaker 1: take a night off from trying, and so on the 280 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:46,200 Speaker 1: third night, he once again went to Anne's bed, where 281 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: he once again failed to consummate the union. No virgin 282 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: has breasts like that, Henry set that has to be 283 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:01,640 Speaker 1: good enough, free and to get this marriage, And all right, 284 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: what more proof could I possibly need? Also she smells, 285 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:11,120 Speaker 1: to make matters worse. The Franco imperial threat that Cromwell 286 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:15,359 Speaker 1: had warned about never actually materialized, which meant that this 287 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 1: diplomatic marriage, which had seemed so important, was now basically worthless. 288 00:20:22,440 --> 00:20:25,560 Speaker 1: Though Anne was still in the slow process of learning English, 289 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: it was abundantly clear that Henry wasn't pleased with her. 290 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: He kissed her good morning and good night, and came 291 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: to her bedroom, but his increasing chill was obvious in 292 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:39,760 Speaker 1: any language. Anne began wearing a French hood, like the 293 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 1: kind that Anne Boleyn used to wear, one that showed 294 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,680 Speaker 1: off her beautiful blonde hair, but Henry paid her no attention. 295 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,520 Speaker 1: He much preferred flirting with the very young Katherine Howard, 296 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:56,000 Speaker 1: a very pretty teenager who, like the late Anne Boleyn, 297 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: was a niece of the powerful Duke of Norfolk. When 298 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 1: it was time for Anne of Cleaves to establish her 299 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,600 Speaker 1: own household at Greenwich, all of her ladies in waiting 300 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:12,800 Speaker 1: were Henry's choice. Anne requested that one of the ladies 301 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: be Catherine Beset, the daughter of Lord Leesel, who had 302 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,520 Speaker 1: been so warm and hospitable to her during her two 303 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: weeks stay in Calais. But Henry rejected the proposition not 304 00:21:24,160 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 1: attractive enough. If he was going to have to be 305 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:29,560 Speaker 1: married to an ugly wife, he at least wanted to 306 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:33,880 Speaker 1: be surrounded by attractive ladies in waiting. Of course, Catherine 307 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 1: Howard was given a position outside the bedroom. Anne of 308 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:40,920 Speaker 1: Cleaves was finding that she was good at being queen, 309 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:44,120 Speaker 1: and she was, for the most part, enjoying it. Though 310 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 1: she had been Catholic, of course, she converted to Anglicanism 311 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:51,399 Speaker 1: when she married Henry. The Reformers loved her, and the 312 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:55,160 Speaker 1: people loved her, mostly because she wasn't that social climbing 313 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,639 Speaker 1: little nobody Catherine Howard, who seemed to be monopolizing all 314 00:21:58,680 --> 00:22:02,199 Speaker 1: of the King's attention. Everyone seemed to find Anne of 315 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:08,000 Speaker 1: Cleave's charming, everyone except her husband. Even after three wives. 316 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:12,399 Speaker 1: One thing remained consistent about Henry the Eighth. When he 317 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: was done with a woman, he wanted her out of 318 00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:17,400 Speaker 1: sight so he didn't have to deal with her himself. 319 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:22,679 Speaker 1: Late in the spring, just months after their wedding, Anne 320 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: got word that Henry wanted her household moved to Richmond, 321 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: far from the plague in London. She was told it 322 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:34,360 Speaker 1: was a thin excuse. I'm going the way of Catherine 323 00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 1: of Arragan, she told one of her ladies. He is 324 00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 1: disposing of me. What power did she have to stop him. 325 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:44,359 Speaker 1: She was in a foreign country where she didn't speak 326 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:47,960 Speaker 1: the language and had no power. Her brother seemed very 327 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,479 Speaker 1: far away, and anyway, she believed it was her fault. 328 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:54,880 Speaker 1: If she had been able to consummate the marriage with Henry, 329 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:58,159 Speaker 1: none of this would be happening. In the middle of 330 00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:02,120 Speaker 1: the night on June twenty fourth, messenger arrived and an 331 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:05,439 Speaker 1: interpreter delivered the news to Anne that the King was 332 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:09,720 Speaker 1: beginning an investigation to determine whether or not their marriage 333 00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:15,679 Speaker 1: was valid with extraordinary composure and signed the request. Anna, 334 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:21,400 Speaker 1: daughter of Cleaves, thanked the man and went about her business. 335 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: Her confusion, her shame, her hurt, her fear. All of 336 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: that was dealt with privately. Cromwell knew he was hanging 337 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: on by a thin rope. After all, the marriage to 338 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:35,879 Speaker 1: Anne of Cleaves had been his idea all along, and 339 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 1: now it was a disaster. He needs to figure out 340 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 1: a way to give the King the divorce he wanted 341 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:46,840 Speaker 1: and fast. During the investigation, two of AND's ladies testified 342 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 1: they had talked with the brand new queen a few 343 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,879 Speaker 1: weeks after her wedding and inquired as to whether a 344 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,359 Speaker 1: little prince might be on the way. According to them, 345 00:23:56,760 --> 00:23:59,199 Speaker 1: Anne said that the King kissed her good night and 346 00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: fell asleep, and then in the morning bid her farewell. 347 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: Anne had looked at the ladies with wide doe eyes. 348 00:24:06,320 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 1: That's enough, right, she asked. That story became the gossip 349 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 1: of court, repeated endlessly until ultimately it became an anecdote 350 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:18,359 Speaker 1: of history to prove that Anne of Cleaves was not 351 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:22,240 Speaker 1: only a virgin, but so innocent that she didn't even 352 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:26,359 Speaker 1: know what the act of sex was. The truth of 353 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: it was those two ladies were trying to tell Henry's 354 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 1: commission what they wanted to hear, proof that the marriage 355 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:37,040 Speaker 1: was never consummated. Anyway, Anne wasn't nearly fluent in English 356 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: at that point. If that private conversation had taken place, 357 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: it would have been a comedy of confusion on both sides. 358 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:55,120 Speaker 1: Henry's Assembly of clergymen examined the charges first that Anne 359 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: of Cleaves had already been betrothed. Second that the wedding 360 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:02,440 Speaker 1: was never consummated, but of course not because Henry was impotent. 361 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 1: And third that Henry had never consented to the marriage. 362 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,560 Speaker 1: I mean, yes, they said, he consented in his manner 363 00:25:10,640 --> 00:25:15,080 Speaker 1: and fashion of behavior, but inside, inside he was troubled. 364 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:21,720 Speaker 1: On July seven, the marriage was deemed invalid. Anne received 365 00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:26,040 Speaker 1: the news with genuine grace after the trouble Catherine of 366 00:25:26,119 --> 00:25:29,399 Speaker 1: Arragon had given him. Henry was so relieved that Anne 367 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: wasn't going to put up a fight that he granted 368 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:37,720 Speaker 1: her an extremely generous settlement, two palaces, a large annual income, 369 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 1: furniture lands, a household. Anne had only one request, that 370 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:46,240 Speaker 1: her former step daughter Elizabeth might be allowed to visit 371 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,920 Speaker 1: her every once in a while, and Henry gladly accepted. 372 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: Of course, he wrote, I know how this annulment pains her, 373 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:58,199 Speaker 1: considering the great love and affection which she seems to 374 00:25:58,240 --> 00:26:02,280 Speaker 1: have for my person. Henry did require one thing of 375 00:26:02,320 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 1: Anne that caused her to struggle to write a letter 376 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: to her brother telling him of the new arrangement, so 377 00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:13,040 Speaker 1: that he wouldn't be angry at Henry. Anne swallowed the 378 00:26:13,119 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 1: humiliation and wrote that her body remained in the same 379 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:20,359 Speaker 1: integrity with which she brought it to England, and that 380 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,879 Speaker 1: the King had quote kindly adopted her as his beloved sister. 381 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,199 Speaker 1: She asked her brother to treat Henry with kindness and 382 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,120 Speaker 1: told him that she would be staying in England as 383 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:36,879 Speaker 1: required by the terms of their settlement. Anne's family privately 384 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 1: was of course outraged. Her sister always continued to refer 385 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:43,560 Speaker 1: to her as the Queen of England, and they never 386 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:47,199 Speaker 1: blamed her. Every one knew what a nightmare Henry was 387 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:50,760 Speaker 1: when it came to women, and from the people of England. 388 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 1: There came a massive outpouring of public sympathy towards the 389 00:26:54,600 --> 00:27:05,400 Speaker 1: woman jilted for a teenage would be mistress. With marriage 390 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: behind them and the pressures of the wedding bed gone, 391 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:13,720 Speaker 1: Henry and Anne's relationship vastly improved, especially once Anne became 392 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:16,199 Speaker 1: fluent enough in English for the pair to talk and 393 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,720 Speaker 1: realized they actually had a lot in common. Anne lived 394 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: happily enough, making a mini Germany of her household, and, 395 00:27:23,880 --> 00:27:29,280 Speaker 1: according to one observer, wearing new dresses every day. About 396 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,920 Speaker 1: a year after Little Katherine Howard, former Lady in waiting, 397 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: became Queen, Anne of Cleave's came to Hampton Court for 398 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:41,679 Speaker 1: New Year's Katherine was terrified and insecure, unsure what the 399 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:44,600 Speaker 1: protocol was for a former queen to come and greet her, 400 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:49,159 Speaker 1: but Anne of Cleave's was grace itself. She brought a 401 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:52,920 Speaker 1: New Year's gift of horses for the couple and greeted 402 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:57,399 Speaker 1: Katherine with a deep bow. Henry came in, kissed Anne, 403 00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,680 Speaker 1: and the three of them had what was, by all accounts, 404 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:06,359 Speaker 1: the least awkward dinner among exes in history. Still gracious 405 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 1: as she was, Anne was still a little secretly pleased 406 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 1: to hear about Catherine's fall, and even thought that maybe 407 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: she would get a second chance of being queen now 408 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:18,760 Speaker 1: that he had gotten his fling out of the way. 409 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 1: Maybe Henry would want to remarry her, But unfortunately that 410 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 1: hope was dashed. Anne's former stepdaughter, Mary Tudor, came to 411 00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:31,440 Speaker 1: visit Anne at Richmond, but had to leave suddenly and 412 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:35,080 Speaker 1: found out why two weeks later, when Henry came by 413 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:37,879 Speaker 1: to tell her that he had gotten married to a 414 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:43,160 Speaker 1: woman named Catherine Parr. Anne never married again. In her mind, 415 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:46,840 Speaker 1: she was always still married to Henry the Eighth after 416 00:28:46,960 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 1: his death, she even briefly tried to overturn the annulment 417 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 1: ruling to make her settlement more generous, but the counsel 418 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:57,480 Speaker 1: of the brand new young King Edward didn't bite. With 419 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: Henry's death, and status was reduced from that of the 420 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:05,560 Speaker 1: king's sister to the king's aunt. So although she lived comfortably, 421 00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:09,040 Speaker 1: her position was still limited, especially when her brother lost 422 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: his lands to the Holy Roman Emperor, which meant that 423 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: even if she wanted to give up her English property, 424 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,240 Speaker 1: she wouldn't be able to return home. Now. For the 425 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 1: last decades of her life, An's real family was the 426 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:26,680 Speaker 1: household she maintained. They became her friends and confidants, and 427 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: when Anne finally died, aged forty one, she left generous 428 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 1: gifts to the poor surrounding her properties and to her 429 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:39,720 Speaker 1: entire household staff. In her will, she referred to them 430 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:44,280 Speaker 1: all by name, an extraordinary gesture of the charm and 431 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:48,440 Speaker 1: kindness that hadn't won over a king but managed to 432 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:58,120 Speaker 1: win over everyone else. That's the story of Anne of 433 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 1: Cleave's brief marriage to hen the Eight, but stick around 434 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:04,400 Speaker 1: after a sponsor break for a little bit more about 435 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 1: the marriage's consequences. Anne managed to get out of her 436 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:20,400 Speaker 1: marriage to King Henry the Eighth with her head, but 437 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: the same wasn't true for Thomas Cromwell, Henry's former chief minister. 438 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,520 Speaker 1: Cromwell had been the one who pushed Henry into the 439 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:32,600 Speaker 1: marriage with Anne, who told him that France and the 440 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:36,120 Speaker 1: Holy Roman Emperor were going to forage an alliance, and 441 00:30:36,280 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 1: Cromwell had maybe overplayed Anne's beauty to make sure that 442 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: Henry accepted the match. While the Council was examining the 443 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:47,320 Speaker 1: validity of Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleaves in the 444 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:52,800 Speaker 1: summer of Cromwell was thrown into the Tower of London. 445 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 1: Cromwell was beheaded without a trial on charges of treason, 446 00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: to the delight of his political enemies. There's always a 447 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:13,480 Speaker 1: cost for a bad marriage with Henry the eight. Noble 448 00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 1: Blood is a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm 449 00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,960 Speaker 1: and Mild from Aaron Manky. The show is written and 450 00:31:19,040 --> 00:31:22,880 Speaker 1: hosted by Dana Schwartz and produced by Aaron Mankey, Matt Frederick, 451 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:27,080 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, and Trevor Young. Noble Blood is on social 452 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:29,880 Speaker 1: media at Noble Blood Tales, and you can learn more 453 00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:32,800 Speaker 1: about the show over at Noble Blood tales dot com. 454 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:35,440 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i 455 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,920 Speaker 1: heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 456 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.