The cover. Thomas Cromwell.

摘要

After Henry succeeded in marrying Anne Boleyn, he fell out of love with her. Cromwell had her tried on dubious charges of treason and adultery so Henry could marry her maid of honor, Jane Seymour, and Jane became his third wife. When she died of complications of pregnancy, Henry mourned her and was reluctant to remarry, but eventually Cromwell persuaded him to try again. This time he looked outside England for a political alliance, finding one in the Duchy of Cleves, which included parts of present-day Germany and the Netherlands. The Duke of Cleves was amenable to a marriage between Henry and his daughter Anne, but Henry would consent to marry her only if he found her attractive. It would be an unthinkable breach of etiquette to invite her for a visit and not propose marriage, so Cromwell sent Holbein to Cleves to paint Anne's portrait. Henry was presented with the portrait, liked her looks, and the match was made, but when he finally met Anne just a few days before the wedding, he did not find her attractive at all.