Death of Anne of York, the seventh child and fifth daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville.  She shares her death date with her aunt Margaret, duchess of Burgundy, and – if Perkin Warbeck was indeed Richard of York – her brother.

Anne was born on 2 November 1475.  At not quite four years of age, she was betrothed to Philip (“the Handsome”),  the son of Mary of Burgundy (her aunt’s step-daughter) and Maximilian of Austria.  However, the plan was abandoned in 1482.  Richard III undertook to find a suitable marriage for her (and her sisters) and after Richard’s death she took part in ceremonies at Henry VII court, whose queen was her sister Elizabeth.

On 4 February 1495 she married Thomas Howard, who would eventually become the third duke of Norfolk.  He was the grandson of John Howard, an important supporter of Richard III.  John fell at the battle of Bosworth, fighting for Richard.  His son, Thomas (the father of Anne’s Thomas), had also fought for Richard, had been attainted, but managed to be restored to his title.  His son’s marriage to a sister-in-law of Henry Tudor was obviously a great achievement in his family’s rehabilitation.  Anne and Thomas had no children.

Reference: ODNB on ‘Howard, Thomas, third duke of Norfolk (1473–1554)’

The above picture shows the daughters of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville in a window in Canterbury Cathedral.  Anne is the third from left. (picture obtained through Wikimedia Commons)

Dorothea Preis

Tags: Edward IV, Elizabeth Woodville, John Howard