Anne of Cleves
15th October 2026 by | Uncategorized
Before They Were Queens:
Anne of Cleves
Before Holbein painted her portrait, Anne of Cleves had spent her life preparing for a future very different from the one awaiting her in England. Born in Düsseldorf in 1515, she was the daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves, and Maria of Jülich-Berg. She grew up with her brother Wilhelm and sisters Sibylla and Amelia, within the territories of the Holy Roman Empire. Her mother supervised an education suited to a German noblewoman. Anne learned to read and write in German, alongside needlework, cooking and household management.
Music and dancing, so prized at Henry’s court, were not part of that training. She had been prepared for the customs of her own society. England would expect her to understand another. Imagine leaving the familiar rooms of home for a country whose language you did not speak, to marry a king you had never met.
For Anne, that journey began in the autumn of 1539. Her portrait had travelled ahead of her. Ambassadors had discussed her, ministers had negotiated over her, and a marriage contract had settled her future.
But behind those arrangements was a young woman leaving her family and everything she knew. Our Spiced Apple Sauce accompanies Anne in an orchard setting inspired by her German homeland—a tribute to the life she lived before England called her queen.
If you would like to purchase an individual jar or the complete Six Queens collection, please drop me an email at info@murderinthetower.london UK delivery is free. We also welcome enquiries from castles, museums and heritage sites interested in stocking the range. Our jams and preserves can be paired with my historical novels to create gift sets—a little taste of Tudor history to enjoy at home.
Best wishes
Gemma
Author and British Historian Founder, The Princes in the Tower Society Member of The Norfolk Archaeological Trust Member of The Historical Novel Society https://lnkd.in/eTt5ciZh