#my lady of cleves

[blub-blub-bish]

reading a book about anna of cleves and henry VII. for a second, i forgot gay means happy, so when i read it i was like "since when mary is gay?! ... wait, no it means in her happy way."

[buildoblivionthenwewilltalk]

a time lady

[enyoalkis]

I think about sometimes how 2000s Scarlett Johansson would've been better cast as Catherine Howard in a different Tudor drama than Mary Boleyn in The Other Boleyn Girl if you believe the Portrait of a Young Woman, by Hans Holbein the Younger, is Catherine.

[earlgreyandanime]

I feel like there's an Anne of Cleves reference/joke somewhere here.

[historicalreusedcostumes]

This Dress is worn on Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves in The Tudors: Sister (2010) and many years later altred worn on an extra in My Lady Jane (2024)

Credit: recycledmoviecostumes

[247reader]

Day 21: Anne of Cleves!

Anna von Kleve was born in 1515, daughter of Johann “the Peaceful,”Duke of Cleves, a territory on what is now the border between Germany and the Netherlands, and Maria, Duchess of nearby Julich-Berg in her own right. Her father earned his nickname striving for religious harmony during the tumult of the Reformation, but his feuds with his nominal overlord, the Holy Roman Emperor, pushed the family towards Protestantism - and a political alignment with England.

In 1539, Anne’s portrait was painted by Hans Holbein, court artist of Henry VIII, as preparation for a possible marriage. Henry, a widower three times over, was reputedly thrilled by the painting, and the alliance went forward. Anne, a very sheltered young woman who spoke no English and had received little of the education offered to her brother, sailed to England - and for the first months of her distant, unconsummated marriage, had no idea anything was out of the ordinary, much less that Henry was complaining to anyone who would listen that she was “nothing so fair as she has been reported.”

By the time Henry sent her away from court, however, Anne, a deceptively intelligent woman who was learning English quickly, was well aware of the fate of his previous unwanted wives. The annulment seems to have been something of a relief, considering the alternative, and Henry offered her generous terms, including multiple castles and the status of the king’s sister. Remarkably, she and Henry became friends, and she grew close to both her former stepdaughters Mary and Elizabeth.

Anne settled in to an independent life in England, becoming known for hosting a fine table. She died in 1557, the longest surviving of Henry’s wives, and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

[world-of-wales]

CONSORTS OF ENGLAND SINCE THE NORMAN INVASION (3/5) ♚

Anne Neville (June 1483 - March 1485)

Catherine of Aragon (June 1509 - May 1533)

Anne Boleyn (May 1533 - May 1536)

Jane Seymour (May 1536 - October 1537)

Anne of Cleves (January 1540 - July 1540)

Catherine Howard (July 1540 - February 1542)

Catherine Parr (July 1543 - January 1547)

Lord Guildford Dudley (July 1553 - July 1553)

Philip II of Spain (1554 – 1558)

[podsn]

I don't make much six stuff anymore but wa sre watching the six stuff and I got inspired to make this animatic so here is a wip

[jezabelofthenorth]

Portrait of Anne of Cleves, Hans Holbein the Younger

1539

Lourve Museum, Paris

Holbein was sent to paint her at Düren in summer 1539, so that Henry could appraise her as a possible wife. Holbein posed Anne square-on and in elaborate finery.  Henry was disappointed with her in the flesh, and he divorced her after a brief, unconsummated marriage. He redesignated Anne as "king's sister", and she remained in England, where she died during the reign of Queen Mary

The use of parchment suggests that Holbein painted, or at least began, the portrait in Düren. A miniature version in the Victoria and Albert Museum was probably painted at the same time. Holbein also produced a portrait of Anne's sister, Amelia, which is now lost. Nicholas Wotton, the head of the English delegation, reported to Henry: "Your Grace's servant Hanze Albein hathe taken th'effigies of my lady Anne and the lady Amelye and hath expressed theyr images very lyvely". The tradition that Holbein flattered Anne is not borne out by the evidence: no one except Henry ever described her as repugnant.

[swifty-fox]

“New boys rolled into town today. Well, old boys. New-old boys.” Curt wobbles his head from side to side in thought, “Old as in been in the club a while, New as in y’aint met them yet. They been out in Cheyenne the last few years, long before you started hanging off me like the rest of my girlfriends,” He gestures around to Ken, who smirks knowingly, and Ev, who rudely salutes him.

“Good riders,” Ev agrees.

“Great bikes, real old school choppers.” Ken adds

“Yeah, you like a good ride dontcha Kenny,” Curt leers. John feels their legs hook more tightly under the table, “Now, if these animals would let me finish-”

Curt pauses to wait, only to be met with silence, and nods pleasedly before continuing.

“- was gonna say I, you might wanna go meet ‘em. Get some more photos for your little mod-podge photo collage.”

John grins at him, because Curt never said anything seriously when he could be flippantly rude but was no less sincere for it, and tweaks his ear, “See, this is why I hang out with you skuzzes.”

“Thought it was ‘cos we don’t stink half as bad as half the dropouts in this bar and are prettier than the other half?” 

“Curt,” John says, stealing his drink to have a sip of the same lukewarm beer that was in his own glass, “Whoever told you that you didn’t stink was lying to you.”

“Hey, Ken took me out back last week and bathed me!”

“They nice guys? Or will I get my teeth knocked in for shoving a camera in their faces?”

“Nice enough,” Ev says, hand stroking up and down Helen’s hip. The motion left grease stains behind on her pale jeans, but she either didn’t notice or was well-used to it by now,

Ken picks up where he leaves off, all their voices rising over the crowd; John snaps a picture, “Benny’s real quiet, but DeMarco already thinks he’s a movie star. Shocked he hasn’t hunted you down for his debut photoshoot by now.”

“DeMarco’ll pop you one good if he hears you callin' him Benny.” 

“Not, Ben- Benny. Gale-Benny.” 

“Since when do we call Cleve, Benny?” 

“Jesus, Ev, forgot you were busy with your little rugrat back then. Chick used to call him that. Said he looked just like this kid Benny he used to ride with back in the forties, ‘fore he showed up with those scars.”

“Scars?” John asks, calling to mind all the ways a human body could be broken apart. 

“Yeah,” Curt answers, leaning forward and tracing a ringed finger against both hollows of his cheeks, “Just showed up one summer with big slashes in both cheeks, almost down to the bone, I remember. He’d rescued some old lady from being mugged, got slashed by some kids knife.”

“I heard it was from pushing drugs,” Ken said, his Arkans drawl sweet as honey

“Fuck no, man doesn’t even smoke and you think he’s out there running cocaine for Castro? I was there, I know what happened” Curt shakes his head, “Man’s straight as they come, save for the whole,” he waves his hand, “outlaw biker deal.” 

“Yeah,” Ev agrees, “What is the deal with that?”

“Dunno, Everett, think maybe he likes bikes and traffic tickets,” Curt answers ponderously.

“Oh, look at him,” Ev nudges Ken and nods at John, “He’s eating this up.”

John puts his camera down, “If you three stooges didn’t make such good subjects I wouldn’t need to take the photos. Helen, you’re the exclusion of course, I’ll photograph you however or whenever you want, Doll.”  Helen laughs over Ev’s sharp whistle of warning to back off, cheeks flushing bright red because she was one of the few truly good girls that hung about the club.

curt in this whole scene:

[slashingdisneypasta]

The Evil Queen x Lover!Reader || Drabble

Plot: Pretty boring 😅 Just a moment alone with Hilda. Oh and you've been listening to too much English politics.

Warnings: Cheating (The King is alive here), and talk of real historic people and events (Tudors).

The sounds of the door creaking open and the rustling of a dress wake you up from your dozing rest. Luckily you weren't fully asleep; you were still above the covers. You had been reading a few books late into the night, those pages still open around you on the blankets although your candle went out sometime after your eyelids fell closed.

Hilda closes your creaking door shut again behind her her own candle burning bright beside her face, before moving over to the bed and sitting down beside you. Her soft lips find yours in a warm, soft kiss that wakes you up the rest of the way; her tongue drawing out a soft, sleepy moan from you.

When her lips separated from yours, you followed her and sat up; picking up her hand that wasnt still holding up the candle, in both yours. "... What are you doing still awake?" You ask, stroking your thumb over her knuckles.

She rolls her eyes, the irritation in every muscle of a her body clear now that you were fully awake. "The King's killing me."

That startles you, and your eyes widen. "-what???"

Another venemous green eyeroll, and a huff. "He's so stupid, so doting on that airheaded child of his, I cant take it."

Oh thank god, you think, relaxing again. Doesn't she know you're on edge these days, what with all that's happening in England with that crazy Tudor King right now??? She must know. She must say these things to scare you. Shaking your head, you give your royal lover a bemused grin. "Do you know what you just did to me??"

A smirk quirks at the corner of lips, but only for just a second before she shakes her head and makes it dissapear. "Nevertheless- I can't sleep in that bed with him."

"Well you can't sleep here, love." You say, incredulously. "I would love you to- but how do you think servants will react when they see their beautiful, dishevelled queen slipping out of her ladies room in the morning?? Imagine the rumours, Hilda."

"Oh, that I'm a filthy witch queen who kisses women?" Another amused smirk slips across her red lips, and this one stays put. The candle lights her face up in soft orange and the pretty, comforting crackling sound fills your ears.

"Yes, which is true, which is the most damning kindof rumour. Just look at England right now." Your voice raises a few decibells, filling with worry. "Anne Bolyn was beheaded, because some people said she had an extra finger we both know, Hilda, that she didn't have- "

"Yes, Y/N, but my husband is a weakling."

"-and then he divorced poor Anne of Cleves because she wasn't as pretty! And she's beautiful. Are you hearing me Hilda?? These King's are crazy- "

"English politics are truly bothering you, aren't they."

Embarrassed and sputtering, you try to deny that, but can't, and close your mouth. Hilda gives a chuckle at this. "Thats it, no more English politics for you, dear."

"What? But- "

"No."

You sigh, lowering your face and looking to Hilda's hand in your lap. Not a wrinkle or age spot to be seen despite passing her 30's years ago, thanks to her creams and tonics.

"... and I will be staying here." She tells you, a no-arguments-thank you kind of tone in her voice. The softer sister to the dangerous, stern tone she uses in court with everyone there. Carefully she leans past you and sets her candle on your side-table, atop a few more books on topics such as dangerous flowers, teas all over the world, and ancient histories. Then she hooks a cold finger under your chin and raises your face to look up at her; speaks in a low whisper. "Isn't it your job to keep your Mistress happy?"

"... " Finally you give a sigh; giving in to her. To hell with the rumours that might spread. You want her here; you want her to stay. "Well yes, your majesty. Thats true."

After another kiss, the Queen quietly starts going through the books strewn about on your bed. You began reading again, occasionally showing Hilda something interesting. Half an hour passed this peacefully, until Hilda says something supposedly 'off-hand' that causes you to thrust your book down back onto the bed.

"... oh, and I probably shouldn't tell you now that the newest English queen has been imprisoned for adultery, should I- "

"The c h i l d?? Oh for gods sake. Should we be d o i n g something about this??"

[fareehaandspaniards]

Associations post

While I am doing big Laurence post, I found out that lots of paintings for me have strong vibes and references for certain characters. If I will write big text again - I swear I fall asleep, so just a post for me to have as reference in future

Anne of Cleves for Rom

Saint John drawn by Sandro Botticelli and angel drawn by Filippino Lippi for young Laurence

THIS ADORABLY LOOKING MAN - ‘Hans Tucher’ by Albrecht Durer for DAMIAN OF MENSIS GKLNSKJRGTNSKEJHFTKJEA AAAAAA *girly screaming* I LOVE THIS PAINTING FOR YEARS YOU CAN'T IMAGINE HOW MUCH

Oswolt Krel by Durer oooooooooohohhhhhh for Sir Gremia and I I II I I.... (not a reference tbh! My Gremia has different face shapes. But MOOD. THE VIBE. AAAAH)

A man with leather belt by Gustave Corbet for Ludwig

Lady Marjorie Manners (1883–1946), Later Marchioness of Anglesey by James Jebusa Shannon  as Saint Adeline! For long time I tried not to think that she is black-haired but... Lady fell in love with Bicolash in my head and I can't get rid of this headcanon now

Hans Holbein the Younger - "Sketch of unudentified woman" for Adella

I think I will add more later! :0

[elizabethan-memes]

Youve probably been asked this; but do you have any favorite books, movies, media, etc. on the tudor period or Elizabeth 1?

Also I love your account!!!

You have unlocked an unskippable cutscene

Books:

Fiction:

Elizabeth:

Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain

Legacy (Susan Kay)

The Tudors:

The Man on a Donkey (kind of. It DOES live in my brain rent free.)

The Concubine (Christopher Rae)

On ao3 Hollow Bones and Draw Your Swords

Non-fiction:

How To Be A Tudor

How To Behave Badly In Renaissance Britain both by Ruth Goodman

Tudor England

Henry VIII both by Lucy Wooding

Tudor Children by Nicholas Orme

New Worlds Lost Worlds by Susan Brigden

Black Tudors by Miranda Kaufmann

All Things Made New by Diarmaid Macculloch (make that anything by Macculloch)

The Age of Reformation by Alec Ryrie

The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer- good, but read this one in conjunction with other historians like Kaufmann.

Thomas More by Joanne Paul. This one's more academic than the others. But it's very good for looking at Tudor politics and philosophy.

Movies:

Elizabeth (1998). Not accurate but more rewatchable than most Tudor dramas.

Lady Jane (1986). Inaccurate but moving.

Anonymous (2011). It's an AU. Not realistic in the slightest. But it moves me, and Elizabeth is such a force of nature that I end up loving her. She's closer to a Greek goddess than the real Elizabeth. Part Athena, part Aphrodite. She's tempestuous, impulsive, but never pathetic. She does whatever she damn well pleases and I find that compelling.

Bill (2015). It's fun.

Luther (1974). Not about the Tudors but one of their most important contemporaries.

TV:

Blackadder II. Not as good as the later series but still fun.

Elizabeth R. Essential viewing.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII. The most accurate Henry VIII. And refreshing in its interpretation of Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves.

The Shadow of the Tower. I haven't seen all of it. But episode 5 is pretty stand-alone and probably my favourite single piece of Tudor media. You can watch it here. Episode 7 is also a good standalone episode if u want an hour of wacky Tudor hijinks here

Episode 8 if you want early tudor explorers here

Not strictly Tudor, but Jane Howell's Shakespeare tetralogy (Henry VI 1-3, Richard III) is one of my favourite pieces of media... ever.

I'm also fond of the documentaries Hidden Killers of the Tudor Home and A Tudor Feast.

[isabelleneville]

Are there any period dramas you’re looking forward to in 2024?

Hiya,

I will split this into two lists.

Returning Shows:

Being a Penelope girl I am looking forward to Bridgerton Season Three for what I call my soft period drama fix.

I also thoroughly enjoyed Marie Antoinette for what it was so looking forward to the show returning for a second season and how that goes.

Vikings Valhalla season two felt very stale for me apart from Godwin and Emma (oh and Cnut but he needs to be a leading man IMHO), I am waiting with trepidation if it delivers in its final season which I think is a waste because I wanted to see it go to 1066.

The Serpent Queen do I need to say anything more, that show was a f**king hoot and produced by The Hunger Games sequels and prequels director (who also directed Britney's Slave 4 U video btw) it met my expectations.

Being a Tudor girlie I have to obligatory say Wolf Hall but in my honest opinion only for new portrayals of Anne of Cleves and Kathryn Howard (I am not a Thomas Cromwell girlie).

New Projects:

Firebrand being the #1 Catherine Parr girlie I cannot wait to see a new production of her and how they handle her story. I am also looking forward to a younger Catherine than what has previously been portrayed.

King and Conqueror, it is a new show with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as William the Conqueror and James Norton as Harold, Earl Of Wessex during 1066 (so answering my Vikings: Valhalla wishes) produced by CBS and BBC (CBS owns Showtime). No official release date yet but I am into it. X

My Lady Jane, now Queen Jane Grey has become a fast favourite of mine so anything with her in it I am there.

Dick Turpin with Noel Fielding as Dick, now the Horrible Histories fan in me is squealing (why no Matt Baynton though?).

Mary and George, I feel the Tumblr girlies are going to go miles with this and I just want to see what it is about y'know be part of the fun.

Thanks for the ask!.

[edmundhoward]

This is probably a huge question but do we know much about the six wives and their relationships to their mothers?

you would be much better off asking the coa/ab/kp blogs this about their fave wives, because i don’t know every woman in depth! we naturally don’t have an equal level of source about these relationships for all women, and as it is a relationship between women the scholarship also often underserves us!

catherine of aragon and isabel seem to have been close, but of course i doubt catherine had the opportunity nor inclination to insult or diminish her connection with her mother, considering isabel of castile’s importance. tremlett describes isabel as a surprisingly “affectionate and attentive mother”, citing a source where “the queen held up her youngest daughter” to watch a bullfight with her. catherine’s predicament following arthur’s death leads me to assume isabel must have felt some genuine concern for her daughter, as she attempted to push for catherine to return home or marry henry, and financially maintained the spanish ladies in her daughter’s household iirc.

i believe anne boleyn and her mother, elizabeth howard, were genuinely close. elizabeth played the functional role as mother (acting as chaperone for anne and henry, for example) — but it seems like they had an affectionate relationship. in letters, anne described her affectionately: “next to my own mother, no woman alive I love better”, and when anne boleyn was in the tower, she had an outburst that “oh my mother, thou wilt die with sorrow”.

we know next to nothing about jane’s relationship with her mother, margery, unfortunately!

anne of cleves seems to have been close with her mother, maria! according to darsie: “from henry viii’s ambassadors it is known that maria of jülich-berg shared a close relationship with anna”. anne continued to write to her mother once in england, and reportedly maria was thrilled to hear from her, described as “she showed great joy” upon receiving anne’s letter.

katherine howard’s mother, jocasta, died when she was very young, so they were not able to have a relationship. i suppose you could argue that the dowager duchess, agnes, functionally filled that role, but i do not think there’s evidence that she served that role on an emotional capacity, nor that either felt that intimately close to the other. in any case, katherine left us no evidence of her feelings regarding her parents.

i haven’t focused much on maud, katherine parr’s mother, so i don’t know much about their relationship. she worked hard for her daughter’s prospects, but i don’t know much about their personal relationship. i can’t imagine she was around much in katherine’s early years, considering her court career, but i must confess i haven’t looked too deeply into it so i genuinely don’t know!

[mackeydoodledoo]

Pov: Catherine of Aragon chooses you specifically to be her "Lady in Waiting"

A/n: I went to see SIX [The US Tour Boleyn Cast] once, and now it's my new hyperfixation. You can kinda tell who my favorite queen is

It's very rare that the Six wives would 'propose' to a Lady in Waiting while touring. First of all, there's only four of you. Second, they're singing to compete for who had it worse with Henry VIII after all.

You were a part of that "Ladies in Waiting" Band, interacting with the Queens between shows was difficult for you, especially. To at least catch the attention of the Golden Queen: Catherine of Aragon.

But seeing how she was always bitter about her divorce with Henry VIII, you just kept your feelings to yourself

It wasn't like you were King Henry VIII's younger sister

You often like to be by your lonesome between shows. To practice even more before the evening show.

That was... Until Catherine of Aragon began joining you on your extra practice sessions.

You also helped her in any way you could with her solo No Way.

You slowly opened up to the idea of enjoying someone's company.

She would often be the one to bring the both of you lunch while you remain behind.

One day, you made the decision to go with her to a lunch outing.

You underestimated how fun it is to be around people. Catherine of Aragon showed that to you.

Right before the evening show, you began unraveling how you felt about her, to her face

"Every time I watch you, whether it was rehearsal or a show... I'm... I'm in awe. I see how your crown makes it look like it was made from the rays of the sun... My Lady, you are as beautiful as the first sunrise..."

Catherine got down on a knee and 'proposes'

"Will you be my 'Lady in Waiting'?"

She gives you a gold rose to place somewhere on your instrument or outfit

Aragon smiles smugly as she catches every glimpse of you wearing the gold rose with pride

Boleyn, Seymour, Cleves, Howard & Parr were surprised to see Catherine finally boasting about something that wasn't about her bitter resentment towards Henry.