Anne Cecil

Anne Cecil
Effigies of Anne Cecil and her mother. Anne's is on the raised shelf
Born	5 December 1556 England
Died	5 June 1588 (aged 31)
Burial place	Westminster Abbey, London
Occupation	Maid of Honour
Known for	poet peer's wife
Title	Countess of Oxford
Spouse(s)	Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Children	Lady Elizabeth de Vere, Countess of Derby Lord Bulbecke Lady Bridget de Vere Lady Frances de Vere Lady Susan de Vere, Countess of Montgomery
Parent(s)	William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley Mildred Cooke

Anne Cecil, Countess of Oxford (5 December 1556 – 5 June 1588) was the daughter of the statesman William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, chief adviser to Queen Elizabeth I of England, and the translator Mildred Cooke. In 1571 she became the first wife of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. She served as a Maid of Honour to Queen Elizabeth before her marriage.

Anne was born 5 December 1556, the elder daughter of William Cecil, later created 1st Baron Burghley, the leading member of Queen Elizabeth's Privy Council, by his second wife, Mildred Cooke, a woman noted for her learning and translations from the Greek. Anne was an intelligent, well-educated child. She is thought to have been tutored by William Lewin. She knew French, Latin, and possibly Italian. A letter from the German scholar Johannes Sturm referred to her knowledge of Latin. Her father affectionately called her Tannakin.

In 1569, Anne was engaged to marry Sir Philip Sidney. When these marriage negotiations failed, she married instead Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford on 19 December 1571 at London's Westminster Abbey, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth. The wedding was celebrated with great pomp. According to some accounts, Anne genuinely loved Oxford, who as her father's ward had partly grown up in the Cecil household. However, his reasons for marrying Anne were largely mercenary, as he had hoped her father would pay his many outstanding debts.

Following her marriage Anne continued to live with her parents at Theobalds House. When she gave birth to her first child, Elizabeth, on 2 July 1575, Oxford was abroad touring the Continent. Upon his return, he accused Anne of adultery and declared the baby to have been fathered by another man, reputedly because Burghley failed to save his cousin, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, from execution.

In April 1576 he separated from Anne, after rumours of her infidelity, and refused to sleep with her, recognise her or countenance her presence at court, despite Burghley's threats and public admonitions from Anne's mother.[8] During his separation from Anne, Oxford began an affair with the Queen's Lady of the Bedchamber, Anne Vavasour. When the latter gave birth to his illegitimate son Edward in March 1581, both he and his mistress were sent to the Tower of London by the Queen's command. Oxford was soon released, and in December 1581 Anne began a correspondence with him; and by January 1582, he was reconciled with her, acknowledging the paternity of her daughter Elizabeth.