anne of cleves

English - English

Definition of anne of cleves in English English dictionary

Queen of England (January-July 1540) as the fourth wife of Henry VIII. a European princess of the duchy of Cleves, who became the fourth wife of the English king Henry VIII in 1540. They were divorced after six months (1515-1557). born Sept. 22, 1515 died July 16, 1557, London, Eng. Fourth wife of Henry VIII of England. Henry married Anne, whom he found homely, to form an alliance with her brother William, duke of Cleves, a leader of the Protestants of western Germany. The alliance, arranged by Thomas Cromwell, seemed necessary because it appeared that the major Roman Catholic powers, France and the Holy Roman Empire, intended to attack Protestant England. When that threat dissipated, the marriage became a political embarrassment and was annulled by an Anglican convocation in 1540

Hyphenation

anne of Cleves