#ngl I didn't know much about Anne Stanhope (or the Seymours - sans Jane - in general) so this was an interesting read!

[wonder-worker]

"Anne Stanhope was a devoted and loyal wife and mother. She was also a politician, a committed religious reformer, and a survivor of Tudor intrigue. It was her actions and her connections at court that saved the Seymour family from ruin throughout the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Her activities as a patroness of religious literature distinguished her from many of her contemporaries. Anne also worked with both of her husbands – but with Edward Seymour in particular – to form influential political partnerships. Like many of her female contemporaries, she was a major force in politics and religion. The Duke and Duchess of Somerset’s struggle with Thomas Seymour in the late 1540s, however, set the groundwork for Anne’s unfortunate historical image. Almost immediately, writers and historians slandered her reputation. She became a stereotypical “bad wife” – proud, nagging, vengeful. By looking beyond this image, however, scholars may now view Anne Stanhope’s story in a more balanced light."

-Caroline Elizabeth Armbruster, '"A woman for many imperfections intolerable": Anne Stanhope, the Seymour family, and the Tudor court', (MA thesis, Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, 2013)

#This thesis is online if anyone wants to read it! #historicwomendaily #anne stanhope #edward seymour #seymours #tudors #ngl I didn't know much about Anne Stanhope (or the Seymours - sans Jane - in general) so this was an interesting read! #I think it may have misunderstoodsome stuff about Edward Seymour's first marriage to Catherine Filliol though #as it claimed that Edward repudiated her which I'm not sure happened (and that she entered a nunnery which I'm not sure we have #solid evidence for either) #though admittedly like I said I don't know much about the Seymours so I could be wrong #my post #this has been in my drafts for months adkjsksks #tudor era #16th century #anne seymour #anne seymour duchess of Somerset #anne stanhope duchess of Somerset