This biography focuses on Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of King Henry VIII, most famous for being the wife that Henry divorced after only six months of marriage and allegedly no consummation. Popularly she is thought to be ugly and stupid, unable to keep the king’s attention. This biography retells Anne’s early life, focusing on her time in England, and offering an overview of her legacy for the last 500 years.

Re-evaluating many of the misconceptions around Anne, including her religion, the fateful week of her marriage, her life during Mary’s reign, and her legacy in history, the book brings together historiography and the most recent research on Anne, including her relationship to books and foreign reputation. Also, for the first time, it thoroughly investigates Anne’s relationship with Mary Tudor. Rather than being a traditional biography, the book combines a breakdown of events with chapters that are thematic in nature, examining the political landscape that led to her queenship, her culture and patronage, relationship with members of the Tudor court, and her image, lifestyle, and household both as queen and the King’s Sister.

With its new interpretations, new sources, and engagement with historiography, and as the first academic, full-length biography of Anne, the book will be of great interest to students of Tudor History, Queenship, and Women’s History, as well as by those who simply want to learn more about Anne of Cleves, as Henry VIII and his wives.