Photo of Christina from Denmark – JSTOR Daily

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In 1538, King Henry VIII of England returned to the marriage market. His third wife, Jane Seymour, had died in childbirth a year earlier, leaving room for a fourth wife. Henry liked to look around before making a purchase, so his court painter, the German-Swiss genius Hans Holbein III, painted a portrait of the famous beauty, 16-year-old Christina of Denmark. I headed to Milan with the mission of delivering this message. The one-year-old widow of the Duke of Milan, whom Henry had his eye on.

According to art historian Catherine M. Poole, the portrait of Christina commissioned by Holbein was a triumph of artistic skill and royal portraiture. Holbein understood his task to accurately, respectfully, but charmingly portray the formidable Christina in her widow’s mourning clothes. Building on the scholarship of Christiane Hertel, Poole suggests that Christina played a “more important role in shaping the image presented to the king” than her patrons or painters.

Henry was impressed with Christina, but she was not enamored with her suitor. Henry’s track record with women was a nightmare, and for a single woman it was a stomach-churning prospect. His first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was Christina’s great-aunt, whom Henry had legally disposed of after she failed to bear him a son. His second wife, Anne Boleyn, was also beheaded after failing at the exact same task. And what about poor Jane Seymour? She gave birth to a son, but her body was so weak that her bed fever took her away. Legend has it that when Christine was asked if she would marry Henry, she replied, “If I had two heads, one would be at the mercy of the King of England.” It is said that

Christina’s declaration was what is known today as a “sick burn.” But in her time, it was a masterful political maneuver. With wisely chosen words, she did not reject Henry outright or incur his wrath against herself or his powerful family, but she did not acknowledge his marital illicit behavior, nor did she reject Henry’s He made it clear that he does not believe that marriage will lead to disharmony. happiness.

Christina’s family collectively condemned and listened to Henry’s abuse of Catherine of Aragon. In the end, this match was thankfully denied. Instead, Christina married the less threatening Francois I, Duke of Lorraine, with whom she had a fairly amicable marriage. The best swing that Henry himself could take was Anne of Cleves, sister of the Duke of Cleves. The marriage failed, ending in divorce after six months of mutual dislike. Ironically, Anne of Cleves and Francis I were betrothed to each other at some point. Henry and Christina basically swapped fiancées.

Today, Holbein’s full-length portrait of Christina, narrowly rescued from Henry’s clutches, can be seen in the National Gallery in London. According to records from art historian Elizabeth Goldring, the painting passed into the hands of several people in the country of Christina’s potential husband. Holbein herself, after painting her for Henry, must have secretly wondered how long her head would have rested on his shoulder if she had accepted Henry’s proposal. .

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