Anne of Cleves (Edexcel GCSE History)

Worked Example

Explain why Henry married Anne of Cleves in January 1540

12 marks

Partial answer:

One reason why Henry married Anne of Cleves was because of the Catholic threat to England. In 1539, England heard news of a potential Catholic crusade started by Francis I of France and Charles V (Charles I of Spain). This encouraged Henry to marry Anne because the marriage would give England a Protestant ally in Europe. Anne's father, the Duke of Cleves, could persuade more Protestant German states to ally with England. This would give more soldiers for Henry to use to protect England from invasion. Therefore, the marriage to Anne had some important political and religious motivations behind it.

Exam Tip

An exam question based on this section could ask you to explain why Henry married Anne of Cleves in 1540. The key reasons for Henry's marriage to Anne were:

• The potential Catholic invasion of France and the Holy Roman Empire

• Henry's desire for more male heirs

• The Duke of Cleves own motivations for the marriage

This is a 12-mark question. Ensure you write three paragraphs that:

• P - Make a point about the question

• E - Use evidence that supports the point that you have made

• E - Explain why this evidence caused Henry to marry Anne. Avoid repeating the point again. Explain how this factor advantaged Henry or advantaged the Duke of Cleves enough to result in the marriage

• L - Link your explanation back to the question by stating how significant this factor is causing the marriage between Henry and Anne

Exam Tip

Edexcel GCSE History relies upon your ability to remember and utilise key knowledge from throughout the course. To make it easier to remember, try to make connections between different sections of the course. For example, the failure of one of Henry's marriages contributed to the fall of power of both Wolsey and Cromwell. Try to find other similarities or differences between Cromwell and Wolsey's actions and downfalls.