Anne Seymour, Duchess of Somerset

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Anne Stanhope (1497 - April 16 1587), was the daughter of Sir Edward Stanhope (1462-June 6, 1511) and Elizabeth Bourchier.

First marriage

Anne became the second wife of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, who was brother-in-law to King Henry VIII of England who married Seymour's sister Jane Seymour; she thus became the Duchess of Somerset. She was a great friend of Princess Mary and Seymour. She had nine children while married to Edward.

Children

• Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford born 22 May 1539
• Anne Seymour born 1540, died 1588
• Mary Seymour born 1552
• Elizabeth Seymour born 1552, died. 3 Jun 1602
• Lord Henry Seymour born 1552

Second Marriage

Francis Newdigate of Hansworth, who had been Steward to her late husband. He died on 26 January 1581.

Life in the royal court

After Henry VIII's death Edward acted as King in all but name. With this power Anne considered herself the first lady of the realm, claiming precedence over Katharine Parr, Henry VIII's widow. She wielded considerable power and freedoms for short time, which later would reflect negatively on her husband's reputation. Her husband managed to free himself from the restrictions of the council and wielded almost royal authority in effecting major Protestant reforms in the church and in relaxing such measures as the heresy and treason laws.

Her husband lost his position as Protector following the Coup of 1549, which was engineered by John Dudley, Earl of Warwick. Despite initially being allowed to rejoin the Privy Council, he was convicted in 1552 on a charge of high treason and felony. At his trial, 1 December, he was found guilty of the latter only, but was executed by beheading, 22 January 1551/2, on Tower Hill, and buried there in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula.

Anne has been described as being a "violent woman", and was held responsible for the fate of Edward Seymour, through having urged him to adopt a ruinous policy. She was disliked throughout the royal court, and married a lesser noble, Francis Newdigate of Hansworth, who had been Steward to her late husband.

Her second husband died January 26, 1581. She lived out the rest of her life at Shelford. She died on April 16 1587 and was buried in Shelford church

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Last updated on Wednesday March 05, 2008 at 19:30:47 PST (GMT -0800)
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