Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King's 'Beloved Sister'

Anna was the 'last woman standing' of Henry VIII's wives - and the only one buried in Westminster Abbey. How did she manage it? Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King's 'Beloved Sister' looks at Anna from a new perspective, as a woman from the Holy Roman Empire and not as a woman living almost by accident in England. Starting with what Anna's life as a child and young woman was like, the author describes the climate of the Cleves court, and the achievements of Anna's siblings. It looks at the political issues on the Continent that transformed Anna's native land of Cleves - notably the court of Anna's brother-in-law, and its influence on Lutheranism - and Anna's blighted marriage. Finally, Heather Darsie explores ways in which Anna influenced her step-daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and the evidence of their good relationships with her. Was the Duchess Anna in fact a political refugee, supported by Henry VIII? Was she a role model for Elizabeth I? Why was the marriage doomed from the outset? By returning to the primary sources and visiting archives and museums all over Europe (the author is fluent in German, and proficient in French and Spanish) a very different figure emerges to the 'Flanders Mare'.

Author: Heather R. Darsie
Publisher: Amberley Publishing
Published: 04/15/2019
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.28lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781445677101

About the Author
Heather Darsie works as a licensed attorney in the US. As well as her legal qualifications she has a BA in German, which was of great value in her research in the archives of Germany, Switzerland and the Nether lands for this book. She is currently studying for her Master of Arts in Early Modern History. She runs MaidensAndManuscripts.com and regularly contributes to QueenAnneBoleyn.com and TudorDynasties.com. She has been researching The King's Beloved Sister for 6 years.