Marriage
Meets Henry VIII for the first time
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1540 in England
Explore 69 historical events and records for England in 1540.
Historical records for England in 1540
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 69 unique records.
69Unique records
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16Named events on this page
7Named people on this page
9Places on this page
January
Marriage
Meets Anne of Cleves for the 1st time. Feels he has been tricked by Cromwell into marrying Anne of Cleves
Alliance Agreement with German Protestants against the Holy Roman
Cromwell recommends an alliance with German Protestants against the Holy Roman Empire
Alliance Henry VIII and German Protestants
Cromwell recommends an alliance with German Protestants against the Holy Roman Empire
Marriage
Henry VIII & Anne of Cleves are married at the royal Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer
Marriage
Marries Henry VIII, his 4th wife. Henry calls her "the Flanders mare" & the marriage is never consumated. Arranged by Cromwell to seek an alliance with a foreign royal house
Marriage
Henry VIII & Anne of Cleves are married at the royal Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer
Marriage
Henry VIII marries Anne of Cleves, fourth wife of Henry VIII of England from 6 January 1540 to 9 July 1540
Marriage
Marries Anne of Cleves, the daughter of the Duke of Cleves. Cromwell recommends an alliance with German Protestants against the Holy Roman Empire
Marriage
Anulled because of Annes contract to the son of the Duke of Lorraine
Marriage
Receives a generous settlement, including Hever Castle, home of Henrys former in-laws, the Boleyns
Marriage
Henry VIII annuls the marriage because it was without his consent
Marriage
Anne was commanded to leave the court of Henry VIII
March
Lord Great Chamberlain
Appointed Lord Great Chamberlain
Peerage
Created Earl of Essex
Monastic Dissolution Completed
The remaining major monastic houses are closed or surrendered, leaving the Crown in possession of extensive former church lands and revenues.
April
Great Chamberllain
Appointed Great Chamberlain
Knight of the Garter
Created Knight of the Garter
June
Arrest of Thomas Cromwell
Henry VIII has Cromwell arrested for his part played in the marriage to Anne of Cleves
Arrest of Thomas Cromwell
Henry VIII has Cromwell arrested for his part played in the marriage to Anne of Cleves
Marriage
Anne of Cleves is ordered to leave court
Treason
Accused of treason in the House of Lords
Trial
Accused of treason in the House of Lords
Bill of Attainder
Parliament passes a bill of attainder against Thomas Cromwell after his fall from power.
Marriage
Claims that her marriage to Henry VIII had been consumated. Annes betrothal to Lorraine & the non-consumation of the marriage are investigated. A formal trial into the marriage between Henry VIII & Anne of Cleves begins
Marriage
Anne's betrothal to Lorraine & the non-consummation of the marriage are investigated. A formal trial into the marriage between Henry VIII & Anne of Cleves begins
July
Marriage
Henry VIII asks for Anne of Cleves formal consent for the trial of their marriage
Marriage
Henry VIII seeks Anne of Cleves's formal consent for an inquiry into the validity of their marriage.
Marriage
The Church marriage tribunal finds Henry VIIIs marriage to Anne of Cleves is invalid. Sends a message to Henry VIII saying that only God can part them
Marriage
The Church marriage tribunal finds Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves invalid
Marriage
Court decrees that Anne is not Queen & will be known as the sister of the King
Marriage
The marriage between Henry VIII & Anne of Cleves is anulled on the grounds that it had never been consummated, Henry claimed that he had found his bride so unattractive that he could not bear to sleep with her
Marriage
Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves is annulled after six moninth of marriage. Court decrees that Anne is not Queen & will be known as the sister of the King
Marriage
The marriage between Henry VIII & Anne of Cleves is annulled on the grounds that it had never been consummated, Henry claimed that he had found his bride so unattractive that he could not bear to sleep with her
Dissolution of Parliament
Henry VIIIs 7th Parliament closes
Execution
Thomas Cromwell is executed after losing Henry VIII's confidence following the Anne of Cleves marriage.
Marriage
Marries Catherine Howard, 5th wife
Marriage
Marries Henry VIII, Henry VIIIs 5th wife
Reform of Bible Use
The English Bible is ordered in every parish church
Execution of Robert Barnes
Robert Barnes is burned for heresy after renewed conservative pressure against evangelical preaching under Henry VIII.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.