1st Edition

Anne of Cleves The Historical and Cultural Legacy of a Queen

By Valerie Schutte Copyright 2027
310 Pages
by Routledge

310 Pages
by Routledge

310 Pages
by Routledge

This study of Anne of Cleves, the fourth wife of King Henry VIII, offers readers a more nuanced retelling of her queenship, which has often been dismissed as unimportant due to its brevity. Re-evaluating many of the misconceptions surrounding the queen, including her religion, the fateful year of her marriage, and her appearance, the book brings together historiography and the most recent... Read more

Acknowledgements

1. Introduction

 

Section I: Becoming an English Queen

2. Negotiating a Marriage

3. Journey to England

 

Section II: Queen Anne

4. The Six-Months Queen

5. Queen Anne: Another Perspective

 

Section III: Texts for a Queen

6. The King’s Sister

7. Books and Manuscripts

 

Section IV: Remembering a Queen

8. Memorializing a (Former) Queen

9. An Intertwined Legacy with Hans Holbein

 

Epilogue

 

Works Cited

 

Index

Biography

Valerie Schutte is a historian of early modern England and an associate of the University of Oxford. She has published extensively on royal Tudor women and book history, including two monographs – Mary I and the Art of Book Dedications: Royal Women, Power, and Persuasion (2015) and Princesses Mary and Elizabeth Tudor and the Gift Book Exchange (2021). She has edited seven volumes on Queen Mary I, Shakespeare, and queenship, three of which are prizewinning in their fields. She is currently editing volumes on Queen Mary I, Tudor myths, and the Tudors in historical fiction.

“Valerie Schutte’s new biography of Anne of Cleves will change how we look at the life and brief queenship of Henry VIII’s fourth wife. […] Schutte demonstrates that Anne’s six-month queenship was not the immediate disaster traditionally depicted; rather, she conducted the usual duties of a royal consort and enjoyed the perquisites of being queen. Henry showed no sign of being dissatisfied until after Thomas Cromwell’s arrest in June. […] These are blockbuster revelations, backed by abundant evidence and delivered in a very well written account. This is an important book!”

William B. Robison, Southeastern Louisiana University

 

“Insightful, critical, and a jolly good read!”

Nadia van Pelt, Delft University of Technology