Anne of Cleves Wasn’t “Ugly.”
There is no reliable evidence that Anne of Cleves was unattractive. Henry’s agent, Thomas Cromwell, praised her looks. The portrait Hans Holbein presented Henry may have been flattering, but Holbein wouldn’t have taken too many liberties, knowing Henry would see her for real at some point. She may have been taller and stronger featured than his other wives, but that doesn’t mean “ugly.”
Nobody in her lifetime called her the “Flanders Mare.” This nasty name originated with Bishop Gilbert Burnet in the 1600s. Historians question whether Henry’s inability to be aroused by Anne was more about how he was no longer a strapping, handsome young man. But he couldn’t let the fault lie in himself. His diminishing bedroom skills would threaten the succession, as he had only one living son and two daughters.
