Anneof Cleves

Anne of Cleves, the second daughter of John III., Duke of Cleves, born in 1516. Henry VIII. of England, fascinated by her portrait, painted by Holbein, made her an offer of marriage. On her arrival he was bitterly disappointed to find that she was pitted with small-pox, and was at no pains to conceal his disgust. However, the ceremony took place in 1540, and the queen's gentleness and forbearance won every heart except that of her husband. Henry divorced her in six months, and she spent the rest of her life in retirement, dying at Chelsea Palace in 1577.