Anne de Mortimer facts for kids

Anne de Mortimer (born 27 December 1388 – died around 22 September 1411) was an important English noblewoman from the Middle Ages. She became an ancestor of the royal House of York. This family was one of the main groups fighting in the Wars of the Roses, a series of battles for the English throne in the 1400s.

Anne's family line was very important. It gave the Yorkist family their claim to be the rightful rulers of England. Anne was the mother of Richard, Duke of York. This means she was the grandmother of future kings Edward IV and Richard III, and the great-grandmother of Edward V.

Anne's Early Life

Anne de Mortimer was born on 27 December 1388. She was the oldest of four children. Her parents were Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March (who lived from 1374 to 1398) and Eleanor Holland (who lived from 1370 to 1405).

Anne had two brothers: Edmund, 5th Earl of March (1391–1425) and Roger (1393–1413?). She also had a sister named Eleanor.

A Royal Connection

Anne's father, Roger Mortimer, had a special connection to the royal family. He was the grandson of Lionel, Duke of Clarence. Lionel was the second son of King Edward III of England. This made Anne's father a possible heir to the throne. At the time, King Richard II had no children.

When Anne's father died in 1398, his claim to the throne passed to his son, Anne's brother Edmund. In 1399, King Richard II was removed from power by Henry IV. Henry IV was from the House of Lancaster. This made Edmund Mortimer a threat to the new king. King Henry IV then took Edmund and his brother Roger into royal care.

Anne and her sister Eleanor stayed with their mother, Countess Eleanor. Not long after her first husband died, their mother married Lord Edward Charleton of Powys. After their mother died in 1405, Anne and Eleanor faced harder times. They were described as "destitute," meaning they needed money to live. They required £100 each year for themselves and their servants.

Marriage and Children

The coat of arms of Anne de Mortimer

Around early 1408, Anne married Richard of Conisburgh (1385–1415). He was the second son of Edmund, Duke of York, who was the fourth son of King Edward III. This marriage was done secretly, probably very quickly. Anne's closest relatives did not know about it. The marriage was officially approved on 23 May 1408 by a special permission from the Pope.

Anne de Mortimer and Richard of Conisburgh had three children:

• Isabel of York (1409 – 2 October 1484). When she was three years old in 1412, she was promised in marriage to Sir Thomas Grey. Later, she married Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex.
• Henry of York
• Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (22 September 1411 – 30 December 1460). This Richard was a key figure in the Yorkist claim to the English throne. He was the father of kings Edward IV and Richard III, and the grandfather of Edward V.

Anne's Death

Anne de Mortimer died shortly after her son Richard was born, on 22 September 1411. She was buried at Kings Langley in Hertfordshire. This place was once home to Kings Langley Palace. It also held the tombs of her husband's parents, Edmund of Langley and Isabella of Castile.

Later, after the dissolution of the monasteries (when many religious buildings were closed), all three were reburied at the Church of All Saints' in Kings Langley.