Anne Neville, often seen as a victim depicted by Shakespeare, was a powerful and influential figure in medieval England.
Daughter, Wife, Princess, Widow and Queen: Anne Neville had many faces.
Shakespeare presents her to us as a woman consumed with rage, bitterness and grief. He has her cursing the killer of her husband and father, before marrying him and condemning herself to despair. She rages, screams and weeps but ultimately she is shown as nothing more than a passive victim of the men who used and exploited her.
This could not be further from the truth. Born into one of the most powerful dynasties in medieval England, Anne knew her worth, and her power. She was a great survivor escaping the tide of blood that consumed England not just alive but emerging with a crown on her head.
Tragedy would untimely engulf her, the death of her son ended all her hopes for a lasting legacy and her premature death was subject to rumour and speculation. But there is undoubtedly more to Anne than her marriage and her end.
She is fascinating, elusive, a powerbroker and very much her father’s daughter.
This is Anne’s story.