Hey, this is Heather from the Renaissance English History Podcast, and this is your Tudor Minute for July 9.
Today in 1540 the marriage of Henry VIII and his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves was declared null and void. Just about six months old, Henry’s ministers found that there was a pre-contract between Anne and the Marquis of Lorraine, and since the marriage was never consummated, it wasn’t valid. They said that Henry was free to marry again, as was Anne. Anne received a large settlement and had prominence at court just under the King’s wife and daughters. Henry married Catherine Howard, his fifth wife, less than three weeks later.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com, where there is an episode on Anne of Cleves.
Suggested links:
Episode 121: Alison Weir on Anne of Cleves
Episode 061: Anne of Cleves
From my shop:
Anne of Cleves “Best Life” T-shirt
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.