Anna was the -last woman standing- of Henry VIII-s wives ? and the only one buried in Westminster Abbey. How did she manage it?Anna, Duchess of Cleves: The King-s -Beloved Sister- looks at Anna from a new perspective, as a woman from the Holy Roman Empire and not as a woman living almost by accident in England. Starting with what Anna-s life as a child and young woman was like, the author describes the climate of the Cleves court, and the achievements of Anna-s siblings. It looks at the political issues on the Continent that transformed Anna-s native land of Cleves ? notably the court of Anna-s brother-in-law, and its influence on Lutheranism ? and Anna-s blighted marriage. Finally, Heather Darsie explores ways in which Anna influenced her step-daughters Elizabeth and Mary, and the evidence of their good relationships with her.Was the Duchess Anna in fact a political refugee, supported by Henry VIII? Was she a role model for Elizabeth I? Why was the marriage doomed from the outset? By
