On This Day In History: April 16th, 1485: The Death of Anne Neville

One has to wonder if by the time 1485 was rung in, that England had hoped that their Royal couple would produce a new heir, or if their reigns would last long: King Richard III had been crowned 2 years prior in the heat of early July, yet his reign had brought a mess of personal turmoil: his cousin, The Duke of Buckingham, had incited a rebellion to depose him, his brother, Edward IV’s children were declared illegitimate, and in the spring of 1484, his only legitimate son, Edward of Middleham, died of an unknown illness. Chroniclers claimed that the grief of this loss had hit the couple hard, and that they had become “as wild as animals.” Yet, the King and Queen were still very young, and they could produce another son. However, the signs that his wife, Anne’s health was also failing would have started around Christmas: a persistent cough, malaise, and a fatigue that would never lift. Whether the cause would have become clear in the weeks after onset isn’t clear, yet as weight would have dropped from her frame, as her appetite ceased, it would have become clear that she was terminally unwell. Although this illness is very much a mystery, most historians believe that it was either a form of cancer, or tuberculosis. She was 29. On April 16th, 1485, Anne Neville, youngest legitimate daughter of the Kingmaker, Queen of England, passed away. As her last breath left her lungs, London was engulfed in darkness: they were witnessing a total solar eclipse. Although we today know what causes eclipses, the people of England felt unease at sight of this omen: was it a sign of things to come? Of God’s waning favor for King Richard? Yet all would come to a head once Henry Tudor began his trek across the English Channel. Sources: