In March , negotiations for Anne's marriage to Henry began. Henry believed he needed to form a political alliance with her brother, William , a leader of the Protestants of Western Germany, to strengthen his position against potential attacks from Catholic France and the Holy Roman Empire.
Following the annulment , Henry gave her a generous settlement and Anne was thereafter known as the King's Beloved Sister. Anne outlived the rest of Henry's wives. Anne was born in , on either 22 September [ 2 ] [ 5 ] or 28 June. She grew up in Schloss Burg on the edge of Solingen.
Anne's father was influenced by Erasmus and followed a moderate path within the Reformation. In , at the age of 11, Anne was betrothed to Francis , the 9-year-old son and heir of Antoine, Duke of Lorraine. Her brother William was a Lutheran but the family was unaligned religiously, with her mother, the Duchess Maria, described as a "strict Catholic".
The match with Anne was urged on the King by his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell. Henry required the artist to be as accurate as possible, not to flatter the sisters. Negotiations to arrange the marriage were in full swing by March Thomas Cromwell oversaw the talks and a marriage treaty was signed on 4 October of that year.
Henry valued education and cultural sophistication in women e. She had received no formal education but was skilled in needlework and liked playing card games. She could read and write, but only in German. Anne was described by French ambassador Charles de Marillac as tall and slim, "of medium beauty, and of very assured and resolute countenance.
