Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words. This is not one of those times.
I was watching a bit of the Tudors the other day, partly because I enjoy history and partly because Jonathan Rhys-Myers is in it. Most of the story is sensationalized, of course, and I guess if they used a more true-to-life lookalike Henry the Voluminous 8th… well, he’d look like this.
The show would probably be doing slightly … less well. However, there are some great anecdotes in this king’s life that definitely ARE true. If you are an avid watcher of the show, and don’t know what comes next, do not keep reading. Historical spoiler alert!
After Jane Seymour dies during a difficult childbirth, the loins of Henry began to stir yet again. This time he didn’t want to wait to meet, court and propose to a young woman. After three wives, the man was a pro and he was ready to skip all that flowers and chocolates stuff – he was a man ready for marriage. His court painter, Hans Holbein the Younger, had painted a lovely portrait of a woman named Anne of Cleves. Perfect for ensuring succession, and a sexy body to boot, Henry was so enchanted by the painting that he asked for Anne’s hand right there and there. By snail mail.
Here’s the picture that made the King blush so.
When Anne got to the kingdom, Henry was awaiting impatiently at the river (she came by boat). But when he finally saw her- veil came off on their wedding day- the enchantment was over. Her large and horsey face did not match the painting. The wedding night went without consummation and a quiet divorce a few months later. The king felt betrayed, and Holbein went out of favor for a while.
Even so, judging on how the other 5 wives fared, Anne turned out to be the luckiest one. While others suffered terrible marriages and beheadings, all she suffered was a secret nickname (“Flanders Mare”) and a title change from “Queen” to “King’s Sister”. Yeah, seriously.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:01 am
This is bit twisted but with a happy ending. It’s
factual but exciting and not conventional. I hope
the creators of the show have a good sense of humor
and use this fact in the show!
The Flanders Mare is my hero now!
June 6th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Well, at least he didn’t kill her…
June 18th, 2008 at 10:58 am
“and Holbein went out of favor for a while”
Did he get back to favor and why?
lg
June 19th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
He did get back into favor pretty quickly, no one is exactly sure why. But it’s probably because Henry couldn’t find a better artist.