Anne Neville
Encyclopedia
Lady Anne Neville was Princess of Wales
as the wife of Edward of Westminster and Queen of England as the consort of King Richard III
. She held the latter title for less than two years, from 26 June 1483 until her death in March 1485. She had just one son, Edward, whom she outlived.
Anne was a member of the powerful northern English Neville
family, being the younger daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
, called in history, "The Kingmaker". As a result of this, she was used to strengthen the alliance between her father and Margaret of Anjou
during the dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses
fought between the houses of York
and Lancaster
.
, the younger daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
and Anne de Beauchamp
. Throughout her life, she would be used as a political pawn. Much of her childhood was spent at Middleham Castle
, one of her father's properties, where she and her elder sister, Isabella, met the younger sons of Richard, Duke of York
. These boys would play a major role in the destiny of both sisters.
; he would later be Richard III of England
. Anne's father, dissatisfied with the rewards he had received for helping Edward gain the throne, compared with the favours lavished on the Woodville family, changed sides and allied himself with Margaret of Anjou, Queen consort of the ousted Lancastrian
king Henry VI
. Margaret harboured suspicions about Warwick's motives, particularly since Anne's sister, Isabel, was married to the reigning king's brother, George, Duke of Clarence
.
As part of the formal agreement, Anne was formally betrothed to Queen Margaret's son, Edward of Westminster
at the Chateau d'Amboise
in France
, and married in Angers Cathedral probably on 13 December 1470.
The Earl of Warwick, who had been dispatched by Margaret to England to restore King Henry to the throne, succeeded in this task but was defeated and killed in battle a few months later. Anne arrived back in England with her new husband and mother-in-law to find herself fatherless.
With the death of Prince Edward at the Battle of Tewkesbury
on 4 May 1471, she was taken prisoner along with Queen Margaret. She was taken first to Coventry
and then to the Duke of Clarence's house in London
, where she became the subject of some dispute between Clarence and Richard. Since she and her sister Isabel were heiresses to their father's Neville
estates, her sister and Clarence were not keen to see her married and strengthen her position to claim them. The king refused her safe conduct to plead her case and she wrote to Queen Elizabeth
, Elizabeth of York
and several others to no avail.
There are various accounts of what happened subsequently, including the story that she escaped from Clarence's custody and sought refuge in a London cookshop disguised as a servant.
Clarence, married to Anne's sister and anxious to secure the whole Neville inheritance, treated her as his ward. His brother, Richard (later Richard III of England
) is said to have tracked her down and escorted her to sanctuary at the Church of St Martin le Grand. They were married early next year and left for Middleham Castle.
) took place on 12 July 1472, at Westminster Abbey
, and they made their marital home in the familiar surroundings of Middleham Castle
, Richard having been appointed Governor of the North on the king's behalf. Upon her marriage, she was styled Duchess of Gloucester. They had only one child, Edward, born at Middleham in around 1473.
On 9 April 1483, Edward IV died. Richard was named Lord Protector
for his 12-year-old nephew Edward V
. However, on 25 June 1483, Edward and his siblings were declared illegitimate
, and Richard ascended the throne as King Richard III. Anne was crowned on 6 July 1483 by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, and her son was created Prince of Wales
. She was accompanied by less than half the knights that her predecessor had, which might have reflected the reluctance of many to embrace the new regime.
She was on good terms with her mother-in-law, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, with whom she discussed religious works, such as the one written by Mechtilde of Hackeborn.
Edward of Middleham died suddenly on 9 April 1484, at Sheriff Hutton
, while his parents were absent. He was then 11 years old.
After the death of his son and heir, rumours arose that Richard planned to divorce Anne and marry his niece, Elizabeth of York
. There is little evidence for this, however, and none at all for the later rumour that he had poisoned Anne.
After the death of her son, Anne effectively adopted Richard's nephew, Edward, Earl of Warwick, the nine-year-old son of George of Clarence
. Richard made the boy his heir, probably in deference to Anne's wishes. Edward of Warwick was described as "simple-minded", and after Anne died, Richard promptly named another nephew — John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln — as his heir.
, at Westminster
. The day she died, there was an eclipse, which some took to be an omen of Richard's fall from heavenly grace. She was buried in Westminster Abbey
, in an unmarked grave to the right of the High Altar, next to the door to the Confessor's Chapel. Richard openly wept at her funeral. There was no memorial to her until the late 20th century, when a bronze tablet was erected on a wall near her grave by the Richard III Society in 1960.
's Richard III
, in the early scenes when Richard persuades her to marry him, in one brief scene just before Richard's coronation, and towards the end of the play as a ghost. She is portrayed by Claire Bloom
in Laurence Olivier
's 1955 film adaptation of the play
, Kristin Scott Thomas
in Ian McKellen's
1995 adaptation
of the play and by Winona Ryder
in the 1996 movie Looking for Richard
. In the play, Richard woos her as she stands mourning over the coffin of her father-in-law King Henry VI, whom Richard killed. After Richard becomes King, he arranges for Anne to be poisoned so that he can marry his niece Elizabeth.
Anne is portrayed by Rose Hobart
in the 1939 film Tower of London
, and by Joan Camden in the 1962 remake
. The story of Anne and Richard is portrayed in the 1982 novel The Sunne in Splendour
by Sharon Kay Penman
, which presents a sympathetic portrayal of Richard. The early lives of Anne and Richard are dramatised in parallel fashion in Rhoda Edwards' Fortune's Wheel and their marriage and last years in The Broken Sword
(alternately Some Touch of Pity), both published in the 1970s. Desire the Kingdom: A Story of the Last Plantagenets (2002), by Paula Simonds Zabka, features Anne as the protagonist in a story set towards the end of the Wars of the Roses
. The book The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York
is by Jean Plaidy. She is the main character of Jan Westcott's Set Her on a Throne (1972).
Anne and Richard's romance is the centerpiece for Anne O'Brien's novel, The Virgin Widow. The novel is told in first person by Anne herself and follows the events firsthand from the time she first met Richard at her family's estate in Middleham
to the time her son is born in 1472. The novel is a romantic historical account of the War of the Roses, portraying Richard Plantagenet as a heroic, romantic figure.
Princess of Wales
Princess of Wales is a British courtesy title held by the wife of The Prince of Wales since the first "English" Prince of Wales in 1283.Although there have been considerably more than ten male heirs to the throne, there have been only ten Princesses of Wales. The majority of Princes of Wales...
as the wife of Edward of Westminster and Queen of England as the consort of King Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
. She held the latter title for less than two years, from 26 June 1483 until her death in March 1485. She had just one son, Edward, whom she outlived.
Anne was a member of the powerful northern English Neville
House of Neville
The House of Neville is a noble house of early medieval origin, which was a leading force in English politics in the later middle ages...
family, being the younger daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
, called in history, "The Kingmaker". As a result of this, she was used to strengthen the alliance between her father and Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou
Margaret of Anjou was the wife of King Henry VI of England. As such, she was Queen consort of England from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471; and Queen consort of France from 1445 to 1453...
during the dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
fought between the houses of York
House of York
The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...
and Lancaster
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
.
Early life
Lady Anne was born at Warwick CastleWarwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century,...
, the younger daughter of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
and Anne de Beauchamp
Anne Neville, 16th Countess of Warwick
Anne de Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick was the daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and his second wife Isabel le Despenser. Isabel was a daughter of Thomas le Despenser Anne de Beauchamp, 16th Countess of Warwick (13 July 1426 – 20 September 1492) was the daughter of...
. Throughout her life, she would be used as a political pawn. Much of her childhood was spent at Middleham Castle
Middleham Castle
Middleham Castle in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. It was built near the site of an earlier motte and bailey castle...
, one of her father's properties, where she and her elder sister, Isabella, met the younger sons of Richard, Duke of York
Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York
Richard Plantagenêt, 3rd Duke of York, 6th Earl of March, 4th Earl of Cambridge, and 7th Earl of Ulster, conventionally called Richard of York was a leading English magnate, great-grandson of King Edward III...
. These boys would play a major role in the destiny of both sisters.
Princess of Wales
At 14, Anne was betrothed by her father to Richard, youngest brother of Yorkist king Edward IV of EnglandEdward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
; he would later be Richard III of England
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
. Anne's father, dissatisfied with the rewards he had received for helping Edward gain the throne, compared with the favours lavished on the Woodville family, changed sides and allied himself with Margaret of Anjou, Queen consort of the ousted Lancastrian
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
king Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
. Margaret harboured suspicions about Warwick's motives, particularly since Anne's sister, Isabel, was married to the reigning king's brother, George, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
.
As part of the formal agreement, Anne was formally betrothed to Queen Margaret's son, Edward of Westminster
Edward of Westminster
Edward of Westminster , also known as Edward of Lancaster, was the only son of King Henry VI of England and Margaret of Anjou...
at the Chateau d'Amboise
Château d'Amboise
The royal Château at Amboise is a château located in Amboise, in the Indre-et-Loire département of the Loire Valley in France.-Origins and royal residence:...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and married in Angers Cathedral probably on 13 December 1470.
The Earl of Warwick, who had been dispatched by Margaret to England to restore King Henry to the throne, succeeded in this task but was defeated and killed in battle a few months later. Anne arrived back in England with her new husband and mother-in-law to find herself fatherless.
With the death of Prince Edward at the Battle of Tewkesbury
Battle of Tewkesbury
The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. The forces loyal to the House of Lancaster were completely defeated by those of the rival House of York under their monarch, King Edward IV...
on 4 May 1471, she was taken prisoner along with Queen Margaret. She was taken first to Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and then to the Duke of Clarence's house in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where she became the subject of some dispute between Clarence and Richard. Since she and her sister Isabel were heiresses to their father's Neville
Neville
Neville is a name that originates from place names in Normandy, from the Old French Néville "Néel's estate" or Neuville, meaning "new village" or "new town".Neville may refer to:-Places:*Néville, Haute-Normandie, France...
estates, her sister and Clarence were not keen to see her married and strengthen her position to claim them. The king refused her safe conduct to plead her case and she wrote to Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
, Elizabeth of York
Princess Elizabeth
-People:* Elisabeth of Bohemia, eldest daughter of Frederick V* Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, wife of future Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor* Elisabeth of Hungary, daughter of Andrew II of Hungary, and Saint...
and several others to no avail.
There are various accounts of what happened subsequently, including the story that she escaped from Clarence's custody and sought refuge in a London cookshop disguised as a servant.
Clarence, married to Anne's sister and anxious to secure the whole Neville inheritance, treated her as his ward. His brother, Richard (later Richard III of England
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
) is said to have tracked her down and escorted her to sanctuary at the Church of St Martin le Grand. They were married early next year and left for Middleham Castle.
Duchess of Gloucester
The wedding of Anne Neville and Richard, Duke of Gloucester (subsequently Richard III of EnglandRichard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
) took place on 12 July 1472, at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, and they made their marital home in the familiar surroundings of Middleham Castle
Middleham Castle
Middleham Castle in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. It was built near the site of an earlier motte and bailey castle...
, Richard having been appointed Governor of the North on the king's behalf. Upon her marriage, she was styled Duchess of Gloucester. They had only one child, Edward, born at Middleham in around 1473.
Queen consort of England
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
for his 12-year-old nephew Edward V
Edward V of England
Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...
. However, on 25 June 1483, Edward and his siblings were declared illegitimate
Titulus Regius
Titulus Regius is a statute of the Parliament of England, issued in 1484, by which the title of King of England was given to Richard III of England....
, and Richard ascended the throne as King Richard III. Anne was crowned on 6 July 1483 by Thomas Bourchier, Archbishop of Canterbury, and her son was created Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
. She was accompanied by less than half the knights that her predecessor had, which might have reflected the reluctance of many to embrace the new regime.
She was on good terms with her mother-in-law, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, with whom she discussed religious works, such as the one written by Mechtilde of Hackeborn.
Edward of Middleham died suddenly on 9 April 1484, at Sheriff Hutton
Sheriff Hutton
Sheriff Hutton is a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies about ten miles north by north-east of York...
, while his parents were absent. He was then 11 years old.
After the death of his son and heir, rumours arose that Richard planned to divorce Anne and marry his niece, Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until 1503, and mother of King Henry VIII of England....
. There is little evidence for this, however, and none at all for the later rumour that he had poisoned Anne.
After the death of her son, Anne effectively adopted Richard's nephew, Edward, Earl of Warwick, the nine-year-old son of George of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
. Richard made the boy his heir, probably in deference to Anne's wishes. Edward of Warwick was described as "simple-minded", and after Anne died, Richard promptly named another nephew — John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln — as his heir.
Death
Anne died on 16 March 1485 of tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, at Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. The day she died, there was an eclipse, which some took to be an omen of Richard's fall from heavenly grace. She was buried in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, in an unmarked grave to the right of the High Altar, next to the door to the Confessor's Chapel. Richard openly wept at her funeral. There was no memorial to her until the late 20th century, when a bronze tablet was erected on a wall near her grave by the Richard III Society in 1960.
Depictions in fiction
Anne appears in three scenes in William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
, in the early scenes when Richard persuades her to marry him, in one brief scene just before Richard's coronation, and towards the end of the play as a ghost. She is portrayed by Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom
Claire Bloom is an English film and stage actress.-Early life:Bloom was born in the North London suburb of Finchley, the daughter of Elizabeth and Edward Max Blume, who worked in sales...
in Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
's 1955 film adaptation of the play
Richard III (1955 film)
Richard III is a 1955 British film adaptation of William Shakespeare's historical play of the same name, also incorporating elements from his Henry VI, Part 3. It was directed and produced by Sir Laurence Olivier, who also played the lead role. The cast includes many noted Shakespearean actors,...
, Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin Scott Thomas
Kristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
in Ian McKellen's
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
1995 adaptation
Richard III (1995 film)
Richard III is a 1995 drama film adapted from William Shakespeare's play of the same name, starring Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Jim Broadbent, Robert Downey Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, John Wood and Dominic West....
of the play and by Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
in the 1996 movie Looking for Richard
Looking for Richard
Looking for Richard is a 1996 documentary film and the first film directed by Al Pacino. It is both a performance of selected scenes of William Shakespeare's Richard III and a broader examination of Shakespeare's continuing role and relevance in popular culture...
. In the play, Richard woos her as she stands mourning over the coffin of her father-in-law King Henry VI, whom Richard killed. After Richard becomes King, he arranges for Anne to be poisoned so that he can marry his niece Elizabeth.
Anne is portrayed by Rose Hobart
Rose Hobart
Rose Hobart was an American actress.-Career:Born in New York City, her father was a cellist in the New York Symphony...
in the 1939 film Tower of London
Tower of London (1939 film)
Tower of London is a 1939 black-and-white historical film and quasi-horror film released by Universal Pictures and directed by Rowland V. Lee. It stars Basil Rathbone as the future Richard III of England, and Boris Karloff as his fictitious club-footed executioner Mord. Vincent Price appears as...
, and by Joan Camden in the 1962 remake
Tower of London (1962 film)
Tower of London is a 1962 historical drama and horror film, starring Vincent Price and Michael Pate. The film is a remake of the 1939 film of the same name, starring Price, Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Directed by Roger Corman, the film was produced by Edward Small Productions...
. The story of Anne and Richard is portrayed in the 1982 novel The Sunne in Splendour
The Sunne in Splendour
The Sunne in Splendour is historical novel written by Sharon Kay Penman. Penman became interested in the subject while a student and wrote a manuscript that was stolen from her car. She rewrote the manuscript which was published in 1982.- Background :...
by Sharon Kay Penman
Sharon Kay Penman
Sharon Kay Penman is an American historical novelist, published in the UK as Sharon Penman. She is best known for the Welsh Princes trilogy and the Plantagenet series. In addition, she has written four medieval mysteries, the first of which, The Queen's Man, was a finalist in 1996 for the Best...
, which presents a sympathetic portrayal of Richard. The early lives of Anne and Richard are dramatised in parallel fashion in Rhoda Edwards' Fortune's Wheel and their marriage and last years in The Broken Sword
The Broken Sword
The Broken Sword is a fantasy novel written by Poul Anderson in 1954. It was issued in a revised edition by Ballantine Books as the twenty-fourth volume of their Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in January 1971. The original text was returned to print by Gollancz in 2002.-Plot:The book tells the...
(alternately Some Touch of Pity), both published in the 1970s. Desire the Kingdom: A Story of the Last Plantagenets (2002), by Paula Simonds Zabka, features Anne as the protagonist in a story set towards the end of the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. The book The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York
The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York
The Reluctant Queen is a novel by historical novelist Jean Plaidy which tells the tale of Anne Neville, the reluctant wife of King Richard III of England. It weaves the tale of Anne's life told in first person. The book was published in the US as The Reluctant Queen: The Story of Anne of York-Plot...
is by Jean Plaidy. She is the main character of Jan Westcott's Set Her on a Throne (1972).
Anne and Richard's romance is the centerpiece for Anne O'Brien's novel, The Virgin Widow. The novel is told in first person by Anne herself and follows the events firsthand from the time she first met Richard at her family's estate in Middleham
Middleham
Middleham is a small market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in Wensleydale, in the Yorkshire Dales, on the north-facing side of the valley just above the junction of the River Ure and River Cover. There has been a settlement there since Roman...
to the time her son is born in 1472. The novel is a romantic historical account of the War of the Roses, portraying Richard Plantagenet as a heroic, romantic figure.