by Heather R. Darsie, JD Please note that this was originally published at On the Tudor Trail. After decades of being on display at the renowned Louvre Museum in Paris, the dark, shadowy portrait of Anna of Cleves has been restored. The portrait was executed by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1539. An eager Henry VIII of England sent the German master to the United … Continue reading Restoration of Anna of Cleves Portrait
by Heather R. Darsie, JD Today, Dear Reader, 20 February, is the anniversary of Edward VI of England’s coronation in 1547. As I do from time to time, I posted a little info about it on social media. I also mentioned that Edward’s father, Henry VIII of England, was buried days earlier at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. A curious interaction followed afterward. A person … Continue reading A Personal Note on Internet Discourse and a Request
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. The current Salisbury Cathedral was constructed at a quick clip from 1220 to 1258. An impressive number of stone masons carved and formed the bricks, finials, and columns from three types of limestone. They filled in the spaces between the cathedral’s Early English Gothic vaulted arches with tufa. The building dominated the building when it was built, but needing … Continue reading Salisbury Cathedral during the Reigns of the Tudors
by Sylvia Barbara Soberton Sylvia is stopping by today in celebration of her new book, The Forgotten Years of Anne Boleyn: The Habsburg and Valois Courts. Enjoy the excerpt below. Click on the book cover image at the bottom of this post to order Sylvia’s book. –Heather Anne Boleyn’s taste in music Anne Boleyn spent her formative years between 1514 and 1521 at the French … Continue reading Guest Post: Anne Boleyn’s Taste in Music
by Heather R. Darsie, J.D. For decades, if not centuries, it has been assumed that Henry VIII of England and Anna of Cleves never consummated their marriage. The Secret Council that met to devise a way for Henry to have an annulment of his marriage to Anna, rather than a divorce, knew that they had to create air-tight documents to support the idea that Henry … Continue reading The Consummation of Anna of Cleves’ and Henry VIII’s Marriage
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Anna von der Mark and her siblings, deemed by their father to be known as being “of Cleves”, his family’s territory, came from a somewhat new line of ducal power. The Duchy of Cleves existed as a county for hundreds of years before becoming a duchy. From whom the dynasty descends is a bit of a mystery, but thankfully, … Continue reading Origin of Anna of Cleves’ Family
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Illness of the human body is nothing new. Humans have contended with bacterial and viral infections, and injuries, since time immemorial. One thing which has fortunately changed since the 16th century is medical treatment. Before science provided modern society with antibiotics, medical doctors relied on sometimes ancient remedies to heal their patients. This was particularly true of the 16th … Continue reading Medical Treatment in the 16th Century
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Anna of Cleves died in July 1557, having reached her forty-second birthday weeks before. Curiously, in 1558, a woman who possessed Anna’s signet ring showed up at the court of Anna’s nephew, John Frederick the Middle. She had an interesting story for the young man, Who was this woman? Was she an illegitimate half-sister of Anna’s, or a cousin? … Continue reading The False Anna of Cleves
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Sybylla of Cleves, Anna of Cleves’ elder sister, married into the powerful ruling Saxon family. Several members of the family, all prince-electors and including Sybylla’s husband Johann Friedrich, protected Martin Luther. In particular, Sybylla’s father-in-law John the Steadfast, embraced Lutheranism and did not avoid rubbing it in the Holy Roman Emperor’s face. From the beginning, the Electors of Saxony … Continue reading Martin Luther and the House of Saxony
by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Anna of Cleves’ life in England improved substantially after her stepson Edward VI died in 1553. Anna and Mary I of England were very friendly with each other. Anna resumed coming to court, and even tried to help her friend Mary find a suitable husband. Mary wound up desiring a Spanish match, of which some in England unfortunately did … Continue reading Anna of Cleves and the Wyatt Rebellion
Maidens and Manuscripts: Taking a fresh look at people and events from 1347 to 1625, with a focus on women and illuminated manuscripts 