Amberley Publishing Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King's 'Beloved Sister'

Anna was the "last woman standing" of Henry VIII&;s wives&;and the only one buried in Westminster Abbey. How did she manage it? Starting with what Anna&;s life as a child and young woman was like, this book describes the climate of the Cleves court, and the achievements of Anna&;s siblings. It looks at the political issues on the Continent that transformed Anna&;s native land of Cleves&;notably the court of Anna&;s brother-in-law, and its influence on Lutheranism&;and Anna&;s blighted marriage. Finally, it explores ways in which Anna influenced her step-daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and the evidence of their good relationships with her. Was the Duchess Anna in fact a political refugee, supported by Henry VIII? Was she a role model for Elizabeth I? Why was the marriage doomed from the outset? By returning to the primary sources and visiting archives and museums all over Europe, a very different figure emerges to the "Flanders Mare." New B-format paperback - A fresh look at Anne of Cleves’ life as a German noblewoman, and the Continental politics that affected her marriage. Did the doomed union really cause the fall and execution of Thomas Cromwell?