During the end of Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, we learned that Henry VIII would marry Catherine Howard on the day of Thomas Cromwell’s execution. Yes, this was the case. An execution and a wedding happened on the same day in real history.
However, before Thomas Cromwell was arrested, Henry VIII had married Anne of Cleves. He didn’t want to, but he had to for the safety of England from Spain and France. When the truce between the two European countries came to an end, Henry VIII wanted Cromwell to find a way out of the marriage, and he said there was an option, but would Anne of Cleves’s brother accept?
Anne of Cleves and Henry’s marriage was annulled before Wolf Hall ended
Cromwell suggested that Henry offer a settlement, and that’s exactly what happened. In real history, Cromwell was the one to help create the deal, and it’s the reason his time in prison was so prolonged. He was needed to get the best deal for Henry VIII.
The marriage between Henry and Anne was annulled, so a divorce didn’t actually happen. Henry was able to use the pre-contract between Anne and Francis of Lorraine as the reason, as pre-contracts meant marriage back in those days. Henry also said that the marriage was unconsummated, which meant that technically, it hadn’t happened.
Anne was offered terms to accept the annulment, including housing, a financial settlement, and being known as The King’s Sister. She accepted those terms, remaining in England and in favor of the King for the rest of her life. In fact, she outlived all of Henry’s other wives, including Catherine Parr, and she would go on to be good friends with Mary I of England and Elizabeth I of England.
Anne died in July 1557, just before Elizabeth would become Queen of England, of natural causes. Historians believe that Anne and Henry were friends in the end, and she may have been somewhat of a confidante to him. However, he would go on to regret his decision to execute Thomas Cromwell, and maybe seeing how Anne was graceful in her “downfall” led to that.
Out of all of Henry’s wives, Anne certainly fared the best. However, it wouldn’t have been easy to come to a new country and face the embarrassment of the King.
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light is available to stream on PBS.org.
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