Person of the Month

Anne of Cleves was the daughter of the Duke of Cleves-Jülich-Berg, who held an agglomeration of territories within the Holy Roman Empire. A future as Queen of England could never have been imagined for her at the time of her birth, but by the late 1530s, European politics were becoming polarised between Lutherans and Catholics.  Cleves, whilst still Catholic, had, like Henry VIII of England, abandoned allegiance to the pope, and maintained good relations with Lutheran states – this made Anne the ideal choice for an England searching for allies against the combined forces of France and Spain.

Anne spent her childhood in the ducal castles of Cleves, including the romantically-named Swan Castle, from which she took her personal badge. Anne travelled overland to Calais, before sailing to England, where she spent most of her time in the palaces that bordered London to the south.

The most recent biography of Anne of Cleves, Anne of Cleves: The Historical and Cultural Legacy of a Queen, by Valerie Schutte was published in July 2026.