Marriage of Prince Edward of Westminster to Anne Neville

Marriage of Prince Edward of Westminster to Anne Neville, 13 December 1470.

The union of Prince Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales and Anne Neville is one of the more unlikely marriage contracts entered into during the Wars of the Roses era. The Prince was the son of King Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. His bride, the daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick. The marital couple’s parents had spent much of the previous two decades bickering and waging war against each other, so for a contract to be entered into may seem unusual.

The marriage contract was drawn up alongside the Angers Agreement. That agreement suited both Queen Margaret and the Earl of Warwick. Both parties wanted their rights, titles, power, and their offspring’s inheritances to be secured. Both parties would wage war against Edward IV and, once successful, would both have what they wanted.

As a sign of trust between the erstwhile enemies, the Prince’s marriage to the Earls daughter was arranged. The Earl of Warwick then left Angers, returned to England, and ousted Edward IV from the throne. This left the route open for the wedding to take place.

The ceremony was held at the Chateau of Amboise in France in the presence of Queen Margaret and King Louis XI of France. It created Anne Neville, the Princess of Wales. There is lots of speculation about the nature of the couple’s marriage. No hard evidence exists though of consummation. Nor, or whether it was happy, or as rumour has it, a violent, marriage.

The marriage was short-lived. Prince Edward died at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.

Image Credits

Depiction of Edward, Prince of Wales from the Beauchamp Pageant, c. 1483-1494. Via Wikipedia.