. . . whom Henry may have truly loved, Lady Jane Seymour, died as a result of the difficult labour that produced the King's viable male heir. After mourning for nearly two years, Henry accedes to everyone's wishes & allows Cromwell to search~out a bride from the continent. Upon contracting w/ the Duke of Cleves for the hand of his 24 yr~old daughter, Anne arrives at the English court not only totally ignorant of the language but also knowing nothing of Court & its manners. To top it off (in Henry's eyes), the German princess is dark, heavy~featured, & full~figured. In short, Anne was as unlike Jane as could be imagined! After failing to break the contract (Henry tried to claim a deception on the part of the Germans who had Hans Holdein paint the extremely generous portrait that had clinched the deal for him.), Henry went thru w/ the marriage ceremony more out of a sense of duty than anything else. Not having the notion of romantic love that the English thrived on, Anne was more than willing to have the increasingly corpulent Henry sleep anywhere BUT her bed. After six months of this charade, Henry divorced Anne of Cleves on the basis that the union had never been consummated & as King it was his duty to provide the country w/ an heir. Nevermind that he already had an Heir & two Spares! The Church of England, of which Henry was the Supreme Head, was quick to acquiesce, despite Henry's argument obviously holding no water.
Here endeth the Lesson. >;~}