ABSTRACT
This chapter contextualizes Richard and Anne’s double tomb, and Richard’s increased devotion to Edward the Confessor after Anne’s death, as Richard’s attempt to perform virginity. This was designed to buttress both his regality and his manhood by showcasing the king as sacral and self-controlled. Richard’s performance tied in with the saintly memorialization of Anne in her eulogies and epitaph, thereby presenting the couple as virginal and holy. While this was important for Richard since his opponents attacked his mature manhood throughout his reign, Anne’s womanhood was consistently presented positively. Anne’s ability to be seen as sufficiently womanly also reflects the lower place of womanhood in the medieval gender hierarchy.
