The Archaeologist

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Anne of Cleves: Too Ugly for Henry VIII? Facial Re-Creations & History Revealed

Ugliest wife, or luckiest wife?

Anne of Cleves is known to history as being the “ugly” fourth wife of King Henry VIII, but we have reasons to believe this is not true. Anne of Cleves was sent at the age of 24, only speaking German and not familiar with English customs, to be the fourth wife of King Henry VIII. After an awkward first meeting between the two, Henry shunned her, saying she was not nearly as beautiful as everyone described. Today, we'll interweave her history with information about her appearance using contemporary accounts. After that, I'll reveal my re-creations of Anne of Cleves from two different portraits.