Anne Stanhope

The Life of Anne Stanhope, Duchess of Somerset

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As the only child of Sir Edward Stanhope and Elizabeth Bourchier, Anne Stanhope became the sole heiress of her father's estate at the age of one. Through her mother's side of the family Anne was descended from King Edward III of England through his son, Thomas of Woodstock. After the death of Edward Stanhope, Anne's mother eventually married again, her third marriage was to Sir Richard Paget, who was also well-connected to King Henry VIII. Paget was a gentleman of th [More]

Mary Howard: Too Wise for a Woman

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In this article I will be discussing one of my favorite women at Tudor court - the fearless Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset. Mary had the bravery that wasn't often shown by a woman during this time period. She wasn't afraid to stand up for what she thought was right. It was her father who was quoted as saying that Mary was, "too wise for a woman" - one of the reasons I love her so much. This post was originally a podcast that was transcribed into an [More]

Tudor Power Couple: Edward and Anne Seymour

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The consummate “power couple from hell” Edward Seymour and his wife Anne Stanhope were portrayed in Showtime’s “The Tudors” as selfish, greedy and uncompromising. In real life you could say the same...or is there more to the story? Edward Seymour Born in 1500, Edward Seymour was the second son of John Seymour and Margery Wentworth and grew up at Wolf Hall. The eldest son of the couple, John most likely died in infancy - so Edward was now the oldest. He had nine siblin [More]

Anne Seymour: Wicked Woman

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  Born in 1510 was the only child of Sir Edward Stanhope and his wife Elizabeth Bourchier. Through her mother, Anne was a descendant of Thomas of Woodstock, the youngest son of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault.  Anne Stanhope met Edward Seymour (not yet the queen's brother) around 1529, after the downfall of his first marriage to Katherine Fillol. Anne and Edward married in 1535. Edward Seymour was a social climber - surely h [More]