Anne of Cleves

Anne, daughter of a minor German prince, married Henry VIII for political reasons. He soon divorced her, but Anne lived happily ever after.

Anne of Cleves was a daughter of John III, duke of Cleves in Germany. Like most of Germany, Cleves was technically part of the Holy Roman Empire, but for all practical purposes a small independent realm. In 1538 her father died, leaving her brother as duke. Cleves and its ruling family were Protestants, which is what brought the new duke's sisters to the attention of King Henry VIII of England.

Henry married Anne in 1540, largely - as with most royal marriages - for the sake of an alliance with another Protestant power. He almost immediately divorced her, but she remained in England as his "sister" and guest. She long outlived him, dying in 1557, ten years after Henry and just a year before his daughter Elizabeth I came to the throne.