Anne Neville

Anne Neville, born on 11 June 1456, became Queen of England through her marriage to King Richard III. She was the younger daughter of Richard Neville, the 16th Earl of Warwick, also known as the ‘Kingmaker.’ Anne was previously married to Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales, thereby holding the title of Princess of Wales. Her initial marriage was a strategic alliance intended to end the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars for control of the throne of England.

Following the demise of her first husband and the Lancastrian defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, Anne married Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who was both her first cousin once removed and the younger brother of King Edward IV. Anne ascended to the throne as queen when Richard III took power in June 1483. Her tenure as queen lasted until her death in March 1485, a few months before her husband’s death. Their only child, Edward of Middleham, died young in 1484.