On 9th July 1540, Convocation declared that the marriage between Henry VIII and his fourth wife Anne of Cleves was null and void:
“After mature deliberation, they have found the marriage null by reason of a precontract between lady Anne and the marquis of Lorraine, that it was unwillingly entered into and never consummated, and that the King is at liberty to marry another woman, and likewise the lady Anne free to marry.”
The couple had married on 6th January 1540, but Henry had never been happy with the marriage and had tried to get out of it before it even happened. Legal proceedings into the annulment had begun on 29th June and Henry was ready to move on to a new wife, Catherine Howard. He married Catherine on 28th July 1540.
You can read all about the annulment in my previous articles 9 July 1540 – The End of Henry VIII’s Marriage to Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII Divorces Anne of Cleves.
Trivia: Did you know that it was rumoured in 1541 that Anne of Cleves had given birth to a child fathered by Henry VIII? Click here for more information.
