GCSE History Edexcel: Henry VIII - Significance of Henry's Marriage to Anne of Cleves (Lesson 16)

In this lesson, students will investigate the brief marriage and relationship between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves. The lesson is suited for or could easily be adapted for students aged 12-16

This lesson examines the following questions relating to Cromwell’s Reforms:
Why did Henry VIII marry Anne of Cleves in 1540?
Why was the marriage between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves annulled?
Why was their marriage significant for Henry VIII?

This is a fully resourced lesson which includes a printable fact sheet based on the GCSE Edexcel specification as well as worksheets, discussion tasks, engaging background information, warm up tasks and learning reviews.

The downloaded lesson includes the following:
2x A4 worksheets
3x A4 Wives of Henry VIII worksheets

1x main Power Point:
Slide 1: Title slide – The Significance of Henry VIII’s Marriage to Anne of Cleves.
Slide 2: Main Lesson Aims
Slide 3: As You Enter Warm Up: What do you know about Henry VIII’s previous three marriages?
Slide 4-8: Starter Task: A multiple-choice problem-solving activity to pick the most suitable wife for Henry.
Slide 9: Source Analysis: Students analyse a contemporary source which describes Anne of Cleves. Questions included.
Slide 10-11: Background Information: Key information about the location of Cleves and the significance of Hans Holbein the Younger’s portrait of Anne of Cleves.
Slide 12: Task 1: An overview of the two worksheets students need to complete.
Slide 10-11: Task 1 – Students use a table to break down the reforms, and their impact.
Slide 13-14: Task 2 – An activity based on the significance of Henry’s marriage with Anne of Cleves – answers given.
Slide 15: Bonus Timeline Activity
Slide 16: Follow Up Challenge Questions
Slide 17: Example Exam Questions
Slide 18-19: Learning Review 1: Match the reasons activity – answers provided.
Slide 20-21: Learning Review 2: Quiz with answers provided.
Slide 22: Lesson Fact Sheet
Slide 23: Original map of Europe if required for editing purposes.

I would be grateful if you could leave a review for the lesson if you feel the lesson is effective for you. Many thanks if you spend some of your valuable time doing this as feedback is highly valued.

All images used in this lesson are in the public domain and are therefore copyright free at the time of publishing. Images which require attribution have been attributed in the notes section of each slide where the image appears. If you feel any errors have been made, please contact me at raschoolresources@gmail.com in the first instance to resolve any issues. My lessons are completed using PowerPoint and designed on widescreen formatting. Thank you.