12 july 1472: Richard of York (Richard III) married Anne Neville

It is possible that a match between Anne Neville and Richard of York was being considered at early stage, since much of Richard's childhood was spent at Middleham Castle, one of Neville's properties, where Anne knew him and they became playmates with her sister, Isabel, and his brother, George.

But during The War of Roses, in July 1470, Anne's father changed allegiance and she was betrothed to Edward of Lancaster and married to him by the end of the same year.

Following the decisive Yorkist victory at the Battle of Tewkesbury, prince Edward of Lancaster was killed, and Anne Neville was taken prisoner.

Then she was taken to the house of her brother-in-law the Duke of Clarence in London, George of York.

Anne, now widowed, became the subject of some dispute between George and his brother Richard, who still wanted to marry her.

Anne and her sister, the Duchess of Clarence, were heiresses to their parents' vast estates. George, anxious to secure the entire inheritance, treated her as his ward and opposed her getting married, which would strengthen her position to claim a share.

There are various accounts of what happened subsequently, including the story that George hid Anne in a London cookshop, disguised as a servant, so that his brother would not know where she was. But Richard found her anyway and escorted her to sanctuary at the Church of St Martin's le Grand.

In order to win the final consent of his brother George to the marriage, Richard renounced most of Warwick's land and property, including the earldoms of Warwick (which the earl had held in his wife's right) and Salisbury and surrendered to Clarence the office of Great Chamberlain of England.

The couple made their marital home in the familiar surroundings of Middleham Castle, Yorkshire, after Richard was appointed Governor of the North on the king's behalf.

In their childhood mansion, they lived quite happy and serene.

Upon her marriage, Anne was styled Duchess of Gloucester. They had only one child, Edward, born at Middleham.

"In contrast to the strategic, business-like marriages typical of the day, Richard and Anne were friends long before they married, suggesting there may have been more to their union.

In their feeling for the past and their shrinking from the life at court, the twenty-year-old bridegroom and the sixteen-year-old bride seem to have been thoroughly compatible.

🌳 Alberobello, Italy

Look at these white-tipped, small houses with conical roofs. They are called "trulli". 🏘 They are dated back to the 14th century.

- The Death of Albine by John Collier (1895)