Anne of York (daughter of Edward IV)

English Royalty
House of York
Arms of Plantagenet
Edward IV
Elizabeth, Queen of England Mary Cecily, Viscountess Welles Edward V, King of England Margaret Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke Anne, Lady Howard George Plantagenet, Duke of Bedford Catherine, Countess of Devon Bridget
v t e

Anne of York (2 November 1475 – 23 November 1511) was the fifth daughter of King Edward IV of England and his queen consort Elizabeth Woodville.

Soon after the death of her father and the usurpation of the throne by her uncle Richard III, Anne, who was about eight years old, was declared illegitimate among the other children of Edward IV by Elizabeth Woodville. The princess's mother, fearing for the children's lives, moved them to Westminster Abbey, where the late king's family received asylum and spent about a year. After the king promised not to harm his brother's family, Anne and her older sisters went to the court.

When Richard III was killed, and Henry Tudor took the throne under the name of Henry VII, the act recognising the children of Edward IV as bastards was cancelled. Henry VII married the eldest of Edward IV's daughters, Elizabeth, and Anne became a valuable diplomatic asset. Her marriage to a Scottish prince was planned, but in 1488 the prince's father, King James III, was killed, and marriage negotiations were interrupted and never resumed. In 1495, Anne was married to Thomas Howard, who had claimed marriage to her since the time of Richard III. The union with Howard was not happy and overshadowed by the death of all their children. Anne herself, who had poor health, died at the age of about 36 years.