Anne Hyde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anne Hyde |
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| Duchess of York and Albany | |
c. 1665 portrait by Sir Peter Lely. "Anne's teasing playing of her hair is deliberately suggestive of a royal consort's prime role—breeding—but also a reminder of her great wit."
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| Born | 12 March 1637 Windsor, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 31 March 1671 (aged 34) St James's Palace, Westminster, Middlesex, England |
| Burial | 5 April 1671 Westminster Abbey |
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| Issue more... |
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| Father | Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon |
| Mother | Frances Aylesbury |
| Religion | Roman Catholic prev. Anglican |
Anne Hyde (born 12 March 1637 – died 31 March 1671) was the first wife of James, Duke of York. After Anne's death, James became King James II and VII of England and Scotland. She was known as the Duchess of York and Albany.
Anne was the daughter of Edward Hyde, a respected English nobleman. She met James when they were both living away from England in the Netherlands. They married in 1660. Two months later, their first child was born. Some people did not approve of their marriage, but James's brother, King Charles II of England, wanted them to marry. James also showed a lot of public affection for Anne, which was unusual for the time.
Anne and James had eight children together. Sadly, six of them died when they were very young. However, their two daughters who survived to adulthood, Mary II and Anne, both later became queens of England.
Anne was originally an Anglican (a type of Protestant Christian). But after she married James, she became a Catholic. She had learned about Catholicism during her time in the Netherlands and France and was very interested in it. Anne's decision to become Catholic later influenced James, who also converted to Catholicism. This change in religion for James eventually led to a major event in English history called the Glorious Revolution. Anne suffered from breast cancer and passed away shortly after giving birth to her last child.
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Early Life (1637–1660)
Anne Hyde was born in Windsor, England, in 1637. Her parents were Edward Hyde and Frances Aylesbury. Anne was named after her father's first wife, who had passed away.
Not much is known about Anne's early life until 1649. In that year, her family had to leave England and go to the Netherlands. This happened after King Charles I was executed during the First English Civil War. Anne's father was a key advisor to King Charles I and then to his son, Charles II, who was also in exile.
Many English people who had to leave England found shelter in Breda, Netherlands. Mary of Orange, who was King Charles II's sister, helped many of these English refugees. Mary hired Anne to be one of her maids of honour.
Anne became very popular with the people she met in the Netherlands. She was seen as attractive and fashionable. Many men were interested in her. She first fell in love with Henry Jermyn, but she quickly changed her mind when she met James, Duke of York. James was the son of the former King Charles I.
In November 1659, James promised to marry Anne. This was a big decision, and many people were against it, including Anne's own father. However, King Charles II, James's brother, supported the marriage. He believed that Anne's strong personality would be a good influence on his brother.
Duchess of York (1660–1671)
Marriage
In 1660, Anne became visibly pregnant. Because of this, she and James had to get married. After the monarchy was restored in England in May 1660, they had a private wedding ceremony in London. The wedding took place late at night on 3 September 1660, at Worcester House, which was her father's home.
Their first child, Charles, was born in October of that year. Sadly, he died seven months later. Anne and James had seven more children after Charles:
- Mary (1662–1694)
- James (1663–1667)
- Anne (1665–1714)
- Charles (1666–1667)
- Edgar (1667–1671)
- Henrietta (1669–1669)
- Catherine (1671–1671)
All of their sons and two of their daughters died when they were babies or very young children.
Even after their marriage, some people at court did not approve of James marrying Anne because she was not from a royal family. The writer Samuel Pepys noted that Anne was "not only the proudest woman in the world, but the most expenseful."
Life at Court
Anne was not very popular with everyone at the royal court. However, her brother-in-law, King Charles II, liked her.
Historians believe Anne played a very important role in James's decision to become a Catholic. Anne had been raised in the Anglican Church, which had some traditions similar to Catholicism. In 1669, Anne stopped attending Anglican church services. James also converted around the same time. However, King Charles II asked James to keep his conversion a secret until 1673 for political reasons.
Even though James became Catholic, King Charles II insisted that James's children must be raised as Protestants. This is why both Mary and Anne grew up as members of the Church of England.
Death and Legacy
Anne was ill for about 15 months after her son Edgar was born. She gave birth to Henrietta in 1669 and Catherine in 1671. She never fully recovered after Catherine's birth. Anne was suffering from breast cancer and passed away on 31 March 1671.
Before she died, her brothers tried to bring an Anglican priest to her. However, Anne refused and instead received the last rites from a Catholic priest. Two days after her death, her body was buried in Westminster Abbey.
In June 1671, Anne's only surviving son, Edgar, died. Then, Catherine also passed away in December. This meant that Anne's daughters, Mary and Anne, were the only surviving children of James, Duke of York.
After Anne Hyde's death, a portrait of her was painted by Willem Wissing for her daughter, Mary II. This portrait used to hang at Windsor Castle.
Two years after Anne's death, James married another woman, a Catholic princess named Mary of Modena. Mary later gave birth to James Francis Edward, who was James's only son to live to adulthood.
James became King of England, Ireland, and Scotland in 1685. But he was removed from the throne during the Glorious Revolution of 1688. The English Parliament then offered the throne to Anne's eldest daughter, Mary, and her husband, William III of Orange. After Mary died in 1694 and William in 1702, Anne Hyde's only other surviving child, Anne, became queen. In 1707, Queen Anne became the first ruler of the united Kingdom of Great Britain.
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles, Duke of Cambridge | 22 October 1660 | 5 May 1661 | Born two months after his parents' legal marriage, died aged seven months of smallpox. |
| Mary II | 30 April 1662 | 28 December 1694 | Married her cousin William III, Prince of Orange in 1677. She and her husband became rulers in 1689 after her father was removed from the throne. No surviving children. |
| James, Duke of Cambridge | 12 July 1663 | 20 June 1667 | Died of the bubonic plague. |
| Anne, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland | 6 February 1665 | 1 August 1714 | Married Prince George of Denmark in 1683. She became queen in 1702. She was the first monarch of Great Britain after the Act of Union in 1707. No surviving children. |
| Charles, Duke of Kendal | 4 July 1666 | 22 May 1667 | Died of convulsions. |
| Edgar, Duke of Cambridge | 14 September 1667 | 8 June 1671 | Died in childhood. |
| Henrietta | 13 January 1669 | 15 November 1669 | Died as a baby. |
| Catherine | 9 February 1671 | 5 December 1671 | Died as a baby. |
Media Portrayals
- In the 2003 mini-series, Charles II: The Power and the Passion (also known as The Last King), Anne Hyde is played by Tabitha Wady.
See Also
In Spanish: Ana Hyde para niños
