Update: by 1566 Henry is 75 with 9 wives, 8 mistresses and 89 children (not all surviving)
Dragon King: the Many Wives, Mistresses and Children of King Henry VIII (1491-1577)
- Thread starter Brita
- Start date
Charlotte de Laval (1530-1569)
Charlotte de Laval (1530-1569)
Henry’s wife from 1560 to 1569
Erzsébet Arany had often been told she looked like Queen Charlotte de Laval, so when she heard that a series about Henry VIII was in preparation, she read no less than three biographies of the Queen and applied for the role, which she got immediately.
Erzsébet Arany had often been told she looked like Queen Charlotte de Laval, so when she heard that a series about Henry VIII was in preparation, she read no less than three biographies of the Queen and applied for the role, which she got immediately.
The youngest daughter of Guy XVI de Laval, a powerful Franco-Breton lord, and his third wife Antoinette d’Aillon, Charlotte had married Admiral Gaspard II de Coligny and they both secretly converted to Calvinism.Charlotte met Henry VIII and Renata while her husband was Ambassador to England. Renata’s Protestant sympathies earned her Charlotte’s friendship and when Gaspard was executed for his involvement in the Amboise Conspiracy, his widow fled to England. She reached London to find her friend in the middle of a diplomatic and religious crisis: Rome had declared her children illegitimate and the Prince of Wales had just died, leaving Henry with no legitimate male heir of his body. The sovereigns’ marriage was eventually annulled but Renata advised her husband to marry again, not trusting the Pope to keep his word as far as her children’s legitimacy was concerned. Henry, who had recently converted, married the Protestant Charlotte. There could be no possible cause for annulment: he and Charlotte were not related within the prohibited degree of kinship and their children, if they had any, could not be declared illegitimate.
The marriage caused great scandal among the Catholic circles and when Charlotte’s first-born son was christened in the Protestant faith, many saw it as an answer to the Pope’s meddling and a way to ensure that no one would contest the legitimacy of Renata’s Catholic-raised children again. This time, the succession was secure.
Although committed to the Protestant cause, Charlotte strove to appease the tensions between the religious factions at court, which eventually earned her some respect even from some of the most fiercely anti-Protestant partisans.
A few days before giving birth to her last child in December 1568, Charlotte caught a cold. She thought nothing of it at first, but the bad cough lingered for weeks and settled on her lungs until she was too exhausted to appear in public. She died on 28 February 1569, surrounded by her grieving husband and children.
The marriage caused great scandal among the Catholic circles and when Charlotte’s first-born son was christened in the Protestant faith, many saw it as an answer to the Pope’s meddling and a way to ensure that no one would contest the legitimacy of Renata’s Catholic-raised children again. This time, the succession was secure.
Although committed to the Protestant cause, Charlotte strove to appease the tensions between the religious factions at court, which eventually earned her some respect even from some of the most fiercely anti-Protestant partisans.
A few days before giving birth to her last child in December 1568, Charlotte caught a cold. She thought nothing of it at first, but the bad cough lingered for weeks and settled on her lungs until she was too exhausted to appear in public. She died on 28 February 1569, surrounded by her grieving husband and children.
Children
1 Guy, Duke of Rutland (1561-1598)
2 Charlotte of England (1563-1600)
3 Antonia of England (1564-1659)
4 Magdalena of England (1565-1665)
5 Charles, Duke of Buckingham (1567-1654)
6 Nicole of England (1568-1615)
2 Charlotte of England (1563-1600)
3 Antonia of England (1564-1659)
4 Magdalena of England (1565-1665)
5 Charles, Duke of Buckingham (1567-1654)
6 Nicole of England (1568-1615)
Last edited:
Update: by 1569 Henry is 78 with 10 wives, 8 mistresses and 95 children (not all surviving)
Can't believe I'm only just seeing this thread - very well done! So glad my post inspired someone else to do this (and better than I, I might add)
Thank you! I didn't think I would manage to find Henry enough wives but I decided to give it a try all the same.
Actually I am surprised by the low number of mistresses. Unless we're only counting long standing and openly acknowledged relationships and children. Wouldn't Henry have had a number of brief flings or "one night stands" with other women at court? Not to mention the odd serving girls.
Or was he more romantic than that and valued a relationship, marital or otherwise?
He certainly would, but I'm focusing on the women who really meant a lot to him. Though IIRC he didn't have that much acknowledged mistress OTL.
Lady Margaret Seymour (1540-1574)
Lady Margaret Seymour (1540-1574)
Henry’s wife from 1569 to 1574
Slam poet Hannelise Schwartz was chosen to play Lady Margaret Seymour, one of the first female poets of England
Slam poet Hannelise Schwartz was chosen to play Lady Margaret Seymour, one of the first female poets of England
Lady Margaret Seymour was one of the many daughters – and children – of Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, and Anne Stanhope. She and her sisters had been maids of honour to Queen Renata and it was under the latter’s tutelage that the Seymour sisters took to writing, mostly poetry.
Like many members of her family, Lady Margaret converted to Protestantism. After the annulment of Henry and Renata’s marriage, she remained in the former Queen’s inner circle and wrote one of her most famous poem, With Great Fortitude Endureth Thy Torment, Thou Gentle Queene, celebrating Renata’s selflessness and determination to keep the peace in England.
The repudiated Queen had considered her for Henry’s next marriage before opting for Charlotte de Laval, who she thought was more mature and capable of dealing with the thorny situation of England than twenty-year-old Margaret.
After Charlotte married Henry, Lady Margaret often visited the Court, delighting the sovereigns with her poetry and it was no wonder when, two months after Charlotte died, Henry took the young writer as his next wife.
Contrary to Renata and Charlotte, Margaret did not take part in her husband’s religious policy, preferring to sponsor artists, from writers to painters and composers.
Margaret died on a sunny morning in March 1574: she and Henry had been staying for a few days in Hatfield, enjoying the return of spring, when Margaret and two of her ladies-in-waiting decided to spend the day on the pond. Their rowboat capsized and the Queen drowned, leaving a grief-stricken husband.
Children
1 Edward, Duke of York (1570-1659)2 John, Duke of Somerset (1571-1642)
3 Margaret of England (1571-1630)
4 Jane of England (1573-1641)
5 Henry, Duke of Hereford (1574-1599)
Last edited:
They have won genetic lottery! Such ages are really impressive for those days.
And he's got 3 more years to go. Wouldnt be surprised if heas posthomus trueborn and natural children
Update: by 1574 Henry is 83 with 11 wives, 8 mistresses and 100(!) children (not all surviving)
My God. Henry putting in that work 😤. How much money as a whole is he spending on allowances on all his children's households, butlers, servants, etc?
He really is doing whatever it takes to make sure the Tudor blood and line continues.
Above and beyond the call of duty. Maybe he will be the 16th century equivalent of Victoria. The Grandfather of Europe...
As far as his legitimate children are concerned, several daughters are/will be married abroad and most sons didn't live to adulthood - the eldest surviving one is only 24 in 1574. Re the illegitimate ones, several will go abroad too (both Europe and America) and although they've been acknowledged, most don't have very large households (except the Paleologa and Di Monferrato children), and several are in their legitimate half-siblings' households.
He will.
Last edited:
Joan Knollys (c.1520-1576)
Joan Knollys (c.1520-1576)
Henry’s wife from 1574 to 1576
Deserting action film for historical saga, Vivien Carstairs offered a very convincing performance as the gentle and dedicated “Good Queen Jane”.
Deserting action film for historical saga, Vivien Carstairs offered a very convincing performance as the gentle and dedicated “Good Queen Jane”.
Joan (or Jane) Knollys was the second daughter of Sir Robert Knollys and a companion to Queen Renata. As Henry and his repudiated wife maintained an excellent relationship, she often met him when he came to Eltham. In the months that followed Queen Margaret’s death, Henry grew closer to Joan. She however, refused to be a royal mistress, out of respect for Renata. Henry then offered to marry her and after much hesitation, she accepted, having had Renata’s blessing. The two were married in November.
“Good Queen Jane”, as she became known, did not leave her mark in the political or artistic history of England but she was fondly remembered by the people for her generosity and good heart. She had an orphanage built for girls from the nobility whose fathers had died in the King’s service “regardless of their religious background”, on Chelsea Manor, one of the estates Henry had granted her, which later became the famous Joan Knollys Royal Boarding School for Girls, the first high-ranking school to accept non-Christian boarders. She died there on 9 November 1576.
“Good Queen Jane”, as she became known, did not leave her mark in the political or artistic history of England but she was fondly remembered by the people for her generosity and good heart. She had an orphanage built for girls from the nobility whose fathers had died in the King’s service “regardless of their religious background”, on Chelsea Manor, one of the estates Henry had granted her, which later became the famous Joan Knollys Royal Boarding School for Girls, the first high-ranking school to accept non-Christian boarders. She died there on 9 November 1576.