The accounts
at right were written by the Spanish ambassador Eustace Chapuys.
Anne was Henry VIII's fourth wife. The marriage was
annulled after only a few months, primarily because the king did not find
her attractive. And he had already found an attractive replacement -
Catherine Howard.
Of particular interest is Henry's trick at their first
meeting and Anne's reaction, undoubtedly a humbling experience for the
king.
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1539 This year on St John's Day, 27 December, Lady Anne, daughter of the
duke of Cleves in Germany, landed at Dover at 5 o'clock at night, and there
was honorably received by the duke of Suffolk and other great lords, and
so lodged in the castle. And on the following Monday she rode to
Canterbury where she was honorably received by the archbishop of Canterbury
and other great men, and lodged at the king's palace at St Austin's, and
there highly feasted. On Tuesday she came to Sittingbourne.
1540 On New Year's Eve the duke of Norfolk with other knights and the barons
of the exchequer received her grace on the heath, two miles beyond Rochester,
and so brought her to the abbey of Rochester where she stayed that night
and all New Years Day. And on New Years Day in the afternoon the
king's grace with five of his privy chamber, being disguised with mottled
cloaks with hoods so that they should not be recognized, came secretly
to Rochester, and so went up into the chamber where the said Lady Anne
was looking out of a window to see the bull-baiting which was going on
in the courtyard, and suddenly he embraced and kissed her, and showed here
a token which the king had sent her for New Year's gift, and she being
abashed and not knowing who it was thanked him, and so he spoke with her.
But she regarded him little, but always looked out the window.... and when
the king saw that she took so little notice of his coming he went into
another chamber and took off his cloak and came in again in a coat of purple
velvet. And when the lords and knights saw his grace they did him
reverence.... and then her grace humbled herself lowly to the king's majesty,
and his grace saluted her again, and they talked together lovingly, and
afterwards he took her by the hand and led her to another chamber where
their graces amused themselves that night and on Friday until the afternoon.
....So she came to Greenwich that night, and was received as queen.
And the next day, being Sunday, the king's grace kept a great court at
Greenwich, where his grace with the queen offered at mass, richly dressed.
And on Twelfth Night, which was Tuesday, the king's majesty was married
to the said queen Anne solemnly, in her closet at Greenwich, and his grace
and she went publicly in procession that day, she having a rich coronet
of stone and pearls set with rosemary on her hair, and a gown of rich cloth
of silver, richly hung with stones and pearls, with all her ladies and
gentlewomen following her, which was a goodly sight to behold.
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