Why Choose This Wife?
Henry VIII was quite clear about why he needed a fourth wife: sons. In an age when infant mortality rates were high, both an heir (the toddler Prince Edward) and a "spare" were needed to reinforce the Tudor dynasty.
What finally pushed Henry VIII in the direction of Anne of Cleves, however, was not her status as a nubile virgin, but the urgings of his chancellor, Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell saw considerable advantage to England in an alliance with the German duchy of Cleves. Positioned in Germany's north, Cleves controlled territory that effectively acted as a buffer to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who controlled the Netherlands. At the same time, Cleves' family ties to the Schmalkaldic League of Protestant German princes gave England yet another chance to trounce Charles V's territorial ambitions. At a time when England was wary of an invasion in response to its break with Rome, an alliance with a Protestant league could prove a considerable comfort.
Match point, England. Or so it appeared.
Who Could Henry VIII Also Have Married?
Christina of Milan
Though the great-niece of Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, 16-year-old Christina of Milan presented a very attractive bridal option for the middle-aged Henry VIII. Christina was niece to the powerful Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and reported to be "an excellent beauty." The portrait painted of Christina by Tudor court painter Hans Holbein fired the middle-aged monarch's imagination.
He sent an envoy to visit Christina at the court of her aunt, Mary of Hungary, Regent of the Netherlands, in Brussels. There, the teenaged princess reportedly left little doubt as to views on Henry VIII. She would only marry Henry VIII, Christina reportedly said, if she had two heads. Ironically, in 1541 Christina would instead marry Anne of Cleves' ex-fiancè, Francis of Lorraine.
Marie de Guise
When Marie de Guise received word of Henry VIII's interest, her response was swift: she got engaged to someone else. Her choice? Henry's nephew, James V of Scotland. A curvy widow of 22, Marie was related to the French royal house of Valois and had already had two sons. But even as the wife of James V, Marie de Guise would yet exercise influence over the Tudor dynasty. Her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, would later pose one of the more formidable challenges to the rule of Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I, and pay for it with her head.
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