It's one of the most famous stories surrounding Henry VIII's fourth marriage. Hans Holbein the Younger was supposedly sent to Cleves to paint Anne's portrait, produced an image that made her look far more attractive than she really was, and Henry agreed to the marriage - only to be bitterly disappointed when he finally met Anne in person.

But is that actually what happened?

In this podcast, I'm going back to the evidence from 1539 to investigate what Henry VIII really knew about Anne of Cleves before they met.

Did Christina of Denmark really tell Henry VIII, "If I had two heads, one would be at His Majesty's disposal"?

It's one of the most famous quotations associated with Henry VIII's search for a fourth wife. Christina, the young widowed Duchess of Milan, was considered as a possible bride for the Tudor king in 1538, and the story goes that she responded to Henry's interest with this wonderfully cutting remark.

But did she actually say it?

This question came up in the comments on my recent video about Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves, when someone claimed that the famous quotation first appeared in Martin Hume's 1905 book, The Wives of Henry VIII.

I knew I'd seen it earlier than that, so I went down a historical rabbit hole to see just how far back I could trace it.

In this video, I follow the quotation through nineteenth-century histories to a fascinating seventeenth-century account by German artist and art historian Joachim von Sandrart, who had actually seen Hans Holbein the Younger's famous portrait of Christina in England.

But Sandrart's version isn't quite the quotation we know today.

I also look at the contemporary diplomatic evidence surrounding Henry's proposed marriage to Christina, including what Thomas Wriothesley reported about Christina's attitude towards the match, and a wonderfully dry comment made by Christina's aunt, Mary of Hungary, about Henry VIII's treatment of his wives.

So, did Christina of Denmark really make the famous "two heads" remark? Or are we looking at a story that developed long after the events of 1538?

Join me as I follow the evidence and try to find out.

The National Gallery's current scholarly catalogue likewise describes the two-heads story as apocryphal and identifies Sandrart as the first known source for it.

Sources include: Joachim von Sandrart, Teutsche Academie (1675) Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII Calendar of State Papers, Spain Henry William Herbert, Memoirs of Henry VIII of England (1856) The Herald and Genealogist (1863) Martin Hume, The Wives of Henry VIII (1905) Retha M. Warnicke, The Marrying of Anne of Cleves Susan Foister, National Gallery catalogue entry for Holbein's Christina of Denmark

National Gallery: Christina of Denmark, Duchess of Milan

Did Henry VIII Have Erectile Dysfunction? The Anne of Cleves Bedroom Mystery

Did Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves ever actually "do it"?

Henry claimed that his marriage to Anne was never consummated because he found his new wife so unattractive that he simply couldn't bring himself to have sex with her.

But what if we've spent nearly 500 years looking at the wrong person?In this video, I take a fresh look at the contemporary evidence surrounding Henry VIII's short-lived marriage to Anne of Cleves. From their awkward first meeting at Rochester and Henry's extraordinary complaints about Anne's body, to intimate testimony from his physicians, allegations about his sexual performance that surfaced at George Boleyn's trial, and Anne's supposedly naïve conversations with her ladies.

Could Henry have been experiencing intermittent erectile dysfunction? Could wounded pride, lack of attraction and performance anxiety have played a part? And what can Henry's subsequent relationship with the young Catherine Howard tell us?Perhaps there was nothing wrong with Anne of Cleves at all.Perhaps Henry VIII couldn't have sex with Anne... and Anne got the blame.

Join me as I delve into the evidence and share my own theory about what may really have happened in Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves's royal bedchamber.What do you think? Let me know your theory in the comments.

Why did so many people believe Henry VIII would remarry Anne of Cleves after Catherine Howard's fall?

While researching my forthcoming event, The Rise and Fall of Catherine Howard, I noticed something fascinating. Anne of Cleves kept appearing in the primary sources surrounding Catherine Howard's downfall.

By the end of 1541, Catherine Howard's marriage to Henry VIII was collapsing, and rumours spread rapidly across England and Europe that Henry would take Anne of Cleves back as his wife.Anne's own brother instructed his ambassador to seek a reconciliation. The King's Council investigated extraordinary rumours that Anne had secretly given birth to Henry VIII's son. Foreign ambassadors reported widespread expectation that Anne would once again become Queen of England.

But why did so many people believe this would happen?

In this podcast, we examine the contemporary evidence, including ambassadorial reports, State Papers, Letters and Papers, and Cranmer's correspondence, to uncover why Anne of Cleves unexpectedly became central to the story of Catherine Howard's fall.

If you enjoy evidence-based Tudor history, please like, subscribe and let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Was Henry VIII a narcissist? A psychopath? A sociopath?

These labels are increasingly applied to England's most famous king, but after years of researching Henry VIII and reading contemporary sources, I don't think the evidence allows us to make that kind of diagnosis.

In this video, I explain why I believe there's an important difference between judging Henry VIII's actions and trying to retrospectively diagnose his personality using modern psychology. I also explore why I don't believe there were "two Henrys", why context matters, and why reducing complex historical figures to a single label can actually stop us asking the most interesting historical questions.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Do you think historians should diagnose historical figures using modern psychological terms? #HenryVIII #TudorHistory #AnneBoleyn #History #Tudors

Why did Henry VIII marry so differently from other European monarchs?

Most Renaissance kings married for diplomacy, alliances and dynastic advantage. Personal attraction might have mattered, but politics usually came first.

Henry VIII repeatedly did the opposite.

Instead of choosing the most politically advantageous bride, he often pursued the woman he personally wanted to marry, even when it transformed the course of English history.

In this video, I explore why Henry approached marriage so differently from rulers such as Ferdinand of Aragon, Francis I and Charles V. Was he shaped by his childhood? Did the example of Elizabeth of York influence his idea of the perfect queen? Did the ideals of chivalry and courtly romance leave him expecting too much from marriage?

Join me as we examine each of Henry's six marriages through a different lens and ask whether England's most famous king was searching for something no real woman could ever provide.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below. Do you agree with this interpretation, or do you see Henry's marriages differently?

If you enjoy Tudor history, don't forget to subscribe for new videos every week.

Become a channel member for exclusive Tudor content, live Zoom talks, and our monthly digital magazine, *The Privy Chronicle*.

Thank you so much for watching!

#HenryVIII #TudorHistory #AnneBoleyn #SixWives #History #EnglishHistory

People often call Anne Boleyn the love of Henry VIII's life, but was she really?

In this video, I'm taking a closer look at one of the most romanticised relationships in Tudor history and asking whether we've mistaken obsession, desire and possession for love. Henry VIII pursued Anne Boleyn for years, wrote her passionate letters, and changed the course of English history in order to marry her, yet in 1536, when Anne was arrested, imprisoned in the Tower and accused of adultery, incest and treason, where was that love?

I'll be exploring Henry's relationships with Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon, Mary Tudor, Thomas More, Wolsey and Cromwell to ask a much bigger question: was Henry VIII capable of real love at all, or was his affection always conditional on people giving him what he wanted?

In this video, I explore:

- the myth of Anne Boleyn as Henry VIII's great love
- what Henry's behaviour in 1536 reveals
- obsession, possession and power in their relationship
- whether Anne was the hunted rather than the beloved
- and what Henry's treatment of wives, children and friends tells us about the man himself

I'd love to know what you think: was Anne Boleyn the love of Henry VIII's life, or is that one of Tudor history's biggest myths?

#AnneBoleyn #HenryVIII #TudorHistory #TheTudors #SixWives #BritishHistory #EnglishHistory #HistoryChannel #RoyalHistory #TudorEngland

#TudorHistory #FootballHistory #WorldCup

#TudorHistory #FootballHistory #SoccerHistory #WorldCup #HenryVIII #MedievalFootball #History #EnglishHistory #TheAnneBoleynFiles #Tudors #BritishHistory #HistoryFacts #Football #Soccer #HistoryYouTube

England waited anxiously for the birth of Anne Boleyn’s child in 1533.

Henry VIII had broken with Rome, overturned his kingdom, and married Anne believing she would finally give him the son and heir he desperately wanted. Astrologers predicted a prince, celebrations were prepared, a letter announcing the birth of a male heir had even been drafted in advance, but behind the splendour of Greenwich Palace lay the terrifying reality of Tudor childbirth.

In this video, I explore Anne Boleyn’s confinement, the ritual of “taking her chamber”, Tudor beliefs and superstitions surrounding labour, the dangers faced by women in childbirth, and the dramatic birth of the future Elizabeth I.

Discover:
- The strange rituals of Tudor childbirth
- Anne Boleyn’s lavish lying-in chamber
- Tudor beliefs about labour and protection
- The dangers royal women faced in childbirth
- Henry VIII’s reaction to the birth
- The magnificent christening of Princess Elizabeth
- Anne Boleyn as a mother
- The lasting influence Anne may have had on Elizabeth’s future

#AnneBoleyn, #ElizabethI, #HenryVIII, #TudorHistory, #Tudors, #History, #BritishHistory, #RoyalHistory, #HistoryTube, #HistoryTok, #WomenInHistory, #EnglishHistory, #TudorEngland, #QueensOfEngland, #MedievalHistory

On 20th May 1536, just one day after Anne Boleyn’s execution, Henry VIII became formally betrothed to Jane Seymour. Even by Tudor standards, many saw the speed of the relationship as shocking and unseemly.

In this off-the-cuff video, I explore the gossip and murmuring at court following Anne’s fall, ask why Henry was in such a desperate hurry, and consider whether fears of pregnancy may have played a role. I also reflect on what the atmosphere at court must have been like after the sudden destruction of the Boleyn faction — Anne gone, George Boleyn dead, courtiers executed, and two men still imprisoned in the Tower.

How did people react? What did they really think? And what did this sudden betrothal reveal about Henry VIII?

#HenryVIII #JaneSeymour #AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #Tudors #OnThisDay #History