June 20, 1540 – Anne of Cleves Worried About Henry’s Attention to Catherine Howard

Last week, I wrote of Cromwell’s arrest for treason, and shared the first pleading letter he sent to the King. Cromwell’s crime was religiously based: his enemies managed to persuade the King that Cromwell was a rabid Protestant. The main proof? He had saddled his king with a German bride.

So what would that mean for Anne of Cleves?

Clearly Anne was worried about the same thing, and on June 20, 1540, she complained to her brother’s ambassador that the King was paying too much attention to young Catherine Howard. This is the earliest formal reference to the King’s affection for Catherine Howard, though the attraction would have started much earlier than this.

Anne must have known something was afoot. During the six months that the couple had been married, Henry had not yet touched her. Meanwhile, the Franco-Spanish alliance that had prompted the marriage in the first place had dissolved. Henry was working to repair his relationship with Spain – who increasingly looked to be close to war with Cleves. Things did not look good right now for Anne of Cleves…

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