Alternate History: What If Anne of Cleves Had a Child with Henry VIII?

In truth, it would have depended on the gender. Henry VIII would have waited for Anne of give birth. If it was a boy, then there are high chances that he would have remained married to his bride. He would have just gritted his teeth because he really did need that spare heir.

If it was a girl, he would have used his reasoning for annulling the marriage. After all, Anne had been contracted to marry someone else. It was a good enough reason at that time to make Henry VIII’s marriage to her invalid. He would have likely recognised the child, and offered everything he promised Catherine of Aragon for Mary. And Anne would have likely taken it. She was not a stupid woman; or maybe her advisors weren’t stupid!

If it was the spare heir, things would have turned out very differently for England. This boy would have been raised with Protestants beliefs, and would have been placed second-in-line to the throne after his older half-brother Edward. That would have pushed Mary and Elizabeth further down the line of succession.

In fact, at the time of Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne of Cleves, Mary and Elizabeth were just illegitimate daughters who could not hold the crown. It would have been up to Anne to do everything that Katherine Parr had managed years later. Would she have done that?

With her own son in line of succession, possibly not. At least, she may not have helped Henry see that his daughters were rightful queens. She would have likely helped reconcile Henry with his daughters, though.

This child between Henry and Anne would have eventually become King of England. This wouldn’t have changed Edward’s death, but it would have prevented Edward naming Jane Grey as his successor. Why name a woman successor when there was a male heir? It wouldn’t have made sense, and there is no way the council would have supported the idea. The country would have backed this second son all the way.

In an ideal world, the boy would have gone on to marry and have children of his own. The marriage would have likely been a Protestant one, and may have even been to Lady Jane Grey. It would have depended on the political situation at the time. His own children would have had Protestant marriages arrange for them, with daughters possibly moving to German and the Netherlands.

If the marriage was not to Lady Jane Grey, there is a possibility that a marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots may have been arranged. It would have been an important and advantageous marriage for an heir of Henry VIII. The question is whether Scotland would have agreed to this. At the time of Mary’s marriage to Francis of Valois, the country was still a Catholic one. Her councilmen would have wanted a Catholic marriage.

Mary may have still married Francis, but he died in 1560. That would have been when the English king was in his late teens/early 20s. It is possible that he was not married by this point and he would have become Mary’s second husband instead of Henry Stuart.

With Henry VIII aging though, I don’t think she would have been at too much risk. She has proven with her decisions in history to give into Henry’s will. She knew the risks being his queen, and wasn’t going to let anyone find a reason to have her executed, even if she did not manage to have any more children.

I hope you enjoyed the latest alternate history series, this time looking into Anne of Cleves again. There are many what ifs throughout history, and the idea of Anne having a son with Henry VIII would have certainly changed a lot that happened.