Background
She was born in IJsselstein as the daughter of the Dutch stadtholder of Guelders, Count Floris van Egmont, and Margaretha van Bergen (ca 1481-ca 1551).
She was born in IJsselstein as the daughter of the Dutch stadtholder of Guelders, Count Floris van Egmont, and Margaretha van Bergen (ca 1481-ca 1551).
Anna van Egmont married the first time on 26-8-1523 to Joseph baron van Montmorency (ca 1500-ca 1530), and they had 4 children. According to her biographer Maria Luyten, a nun of the Catholic Witte Nonnen located on the Maasstraat in Weert, both Anna van Egmont and her daughter-in-law were instrumental in promoting the Lutheran faith in the area around Weert. From 1566 they were to be seen in the company of a geuzen-paap or "beggar pope".
Soon after this Anna and Walburgis fled to Cologne, where they began proceedings to recover their seized goods and also secure the release of Anna"s son Floris of Montmorency who was in prison in Simancas.
In 1570 Floris was strangled and little is known of Anna after that, but it is assumed that she died in 1574.
When the Duke of Alva arrived in the North to defend the interests of the Inquisition, Anna"s son Philip was seized along with Lamoral and they were beheaded 5 June 1568 in Brussels.