Anne Hyde

Anne Hyde (12 March 1637 – 31 March 1671) was Duchess of York and Albany as the first wife of James, Duke of York (later King James II and VII). Originally the Anglican daughter of a lawyer, Anne became James' first wife in 1660 after she fell pregnant by him, whereas James is said to have promised to marry her in 1659. The two had first met in Holland, while Anne was living in the household of James' sister Mary. However, of the eight children James and Anne had, six died in early childhood or early infancy. The two that survived to adulthood were Lady Mary, who succeeded her father after his deposition during the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688, and Lady Anne, who succeeded her brother-in-law and became the first monarch of Great Britain.

Born the daughter of a commoner, Anne is primarily remembered for her marriage to James, which caused much gossip. Two months after the marriage, Anne gave birth to the couple's first child: it was obvious that the child had been conceived out of wedlock. Until towards the end of Anne's life, some observers disapproved of James' decision to marry Anne, all except King Charles II, James' brother, who wanted the marriage to take place. Another source of disapproval was the public affection James showed towards Anne, such as kissing and leaning against each other, which was improper behavior during the 1600s.

James was a known womanizer who kept many mistresses, for which Anne often gave him a hard time, once even complaining to the king, who sent one of James' mistresses to the countryside, where she remained until her death. Nonetheless, James fathered many illegitimate children. Moreover, Anne was the reason her husband became a Roman Catholic. During Anne's and James' stays in Holland and France, respectively, they had both been exposed to Catholicism. Anne was so strongly attracted to this religion that she converted quickly after her marriage. Years later, James followed her example, which was a contributing factor to the Glorious Revolution. Suffering from advanced breast cancer, Anne died after the birth of her last child.