Yes they became FitzRoys after Henry succeeded his father. I edited the post to make it clearer.
Dragon King: the Many Wives, Mistresses and Children of King Henry VIII (1491-1577)
- Thread starter Brita
- Start date
Elizabeth Blount (c.1500-1547)
Elizabeth Blount (c.1500-1547)
Henry’s mistress from 1514 to 1517, then from 1520 to 1526
The discovery of the year 2015 was Phyllis Dougherty, cast as Bessie Blount for her first-ever – but certainly not last – role.
Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount met the King in December 1514. They fell in love “at first sight”, as she later wrote in a letter to their daughter, and soon became lovers, until Henry met Mary Boleyn and became infatuated with her. Bessie was wise enough not to protest and stepped back. Henry arranged a marriage with Gilbert Tailboys for her. Soon after Mary Boleyn’s dismissal in 1521 and while Henry’s wife was pregnant, they became lovers again, until another Boleyn girl appeared in the King’s life.
Children
1 Henry FitzRoy (1516-1571)
2 John FitzRoy (1517-1564)
3 Elizabeth FitzRoy (1521-1587)
4 Katherine FitzRoy (1523-1564)
2 John FitzRoy (1517-1564)
3 Elizabeth FitzRoy (1521-1587)
4 Katherine FitzRoy (1523-1564)
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I haven't chosen husbands or wives for most of Henry's children but why not? I'll keep it in mind.
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Elizabeth I, Queen of England (1503-1514)
Elizabeth I, Queen of England (1503-1514)
Henry’s wife from 1509 to 1514
Child actresses Winnie and Betsy Hammer played young Elizabeth I, England’s “Queen in name only”.
Child actresses Winnie and Betsy Hammer played young Elizabeth I, England’s “Queen in name only”.
Born in 1503 as the posthumous daughter of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Catherine of Aragon, she was betrothed to her uncle as soon as her grandfather got the needed dispensation. As the Duke of York was not very keen on marrying so young a wife, an ailing Henry VII had the wedding be celebrated in March 1509, lest his son would try to break the betrothal after he died. However, Elizabeth, a frail child, died from a bout of influenza in February 1514 before the marriage was consummated.
Although she had been acknowledged as her grandfather’s heiress and designated successor, Elizabeth was never considered a Queen of England in her own right by her contemporaries, who saw Henry VIII as the true King and not a mere sovereign jure uxoris, and thus became known as the “Queen in name only”.
Children
None
Catherine of Aragon (1485-1543)
Catherine of Aragon (1485-1543)
Henry’s wife from 1514 to 1515
After much discussion between the producers, Spanish-born Jimena de la Cerda was cast to play Catherine of Aragon, a part that required her to dye her chestnut hair red.
After much discussion between the producers, Spanish-born Jimena de la Cerda was cast to play Catherine of Aragon, a part that required her to dye her chestnut hair red.
Widowed in 1502, Catherine remained in England after her daughter’s birth. Henry soon became more interested by his widowed sister-in-law than by his young fiancée, and Catherine herself grew very fond of the dashing prince – so much so that soon after Elizabeth’s death Henry decided to marry her. Catherine, despite her feelings toward Henry, was more than hesitant, as technically they were twice related, Catherine having been married to Henry’s brother and Henry to Catherine’s daughter. Henry would not be deterred though, claiming that his first wedding had been null and void as Elizabeth had been under age and he himself unwilling when it had been celebrated, and successfully talked (or more likely threatened) the Archbishop of Canterbury into granting them a dispensation. He married Catherine in April 1514.
The King’s second union caused an uproar: as soon as news of the wedding reached Rome, the Pope insisted that the marriage be annulled. The birth of a son in 1515 only strengthened Henry’s determination to stick to Catherine, until the Queen suffered a miscarriage and the infant Prince of Wales sickened and died only a few months later.
Catherine, devastated by the loss of her three children, and feeling her union to Henry had caused the death of the last two, decided to persuade Henry to have their wedding annulled, even giving him advice as to who he should remarry. By the time Henry agreed however, she was pregnant again and her child, Mary, was considered born out of wedlock at the time, although she would later be legitimised by Henry. Catherine then retired on a quiet estate Henry granted her and raised their daughter.
The King’s second union caused an uproar: as soon as news of the wedding reached Rome, the Pope insisted that the marriage be annulled. The birth of a son in 1515 only strengthened Henry’s determination to stick to Catherine, until the Queen suffered a miscarriage and the infant Prince of Wales sickened and died only a few months later.
Catherine, devastated by the loss of her three children, and feeling her union to Henry had caused the death of the last two, decided to persuade Henry to have their wedding annulled, even giving him advice as to who he should remarry. By the time Henry agreed however, she was pregnant again and her child, Mary, was considered born out of wedlock at the time, although she would later be legitimised by Henry. Catherine then retired on a quiet estate Henry granted her and raised their daughter.
Children
1 Henry, Prince of Wales (1515)
2 miscarriage (1515)
3 Mary FitzRoy, Duchess of Pembroke (1516-1584)
2 miscarriage (1515)
3 Mary FitzRoy, Duchess of Pembroke (1516-1584)
Good to see that Mary's still around, does she get to marry and have her own family?
I have a chapter already written about her - I'll send it when all of Henry's wives and mistresses have been posted - but I can tell you she'll have a happier life ITTL than she did OTL.
I'm very happy for her.
And Henry will be known as "The English Charlemagne" on account of all his children.
I meant it only on the account of his children and descendants.
Claude, Duchess of Brittany (1499-1520)
Claude, Duchess of Brittany (1499-1520)
Henry’s wife from 1516 to 1520
Lily MacGregor had been considered for the part of Catherine of Aragon but was eventually recast as Claude, Duchess of Brittany.
Lily MacGregor had been considered for the part of Catherine of Aragon but was eventually recast as Claude, Duchess of Brittany.
The eldest daughter of King Louis XII of France and Duchess Anne of Brittany, Claude was her mother’s heiress presumptive, even after the birth of her brother François in 1509, although her father hoped to keep Brittany in French hands. Louis’s unexpected death while he and Anne returned from a pilgrimage to thank Saint Anne for giving them their long-awaited son, strengthened Claude’s position.
While Anne, pregnant with a posthumous third child, held the regency for her infant son, François d’Angoulême asked for Claude’s hand in marriage. Anne refused and considered renewing Claude’s betrothal to Charles of Ghent but the young Duke of Burgundy showed more interest in Henry VIII’s beautiful younger sister, Mary.
When the Pope demanded the annulment of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s marriage, Anne saw her chance and offered Claude’s hand. Catherine advised Henry to agree: a foothold on the continent was not to be sneezed at. Henry eventually accepted the proposal and the two were married in February 1516. Anne, eager to preserve Brittany’s autonomy at all costs, insisted that a marriage contract similar to her own be established: by it, Claude agreed to bequeath the Duchy to her second surviving son, or, if she had none, to her daughter. It also specified that should Brittany be inherited by Claude’s daughter, the new Duchess would marry a Breton cousin, preferably among the Houses of Rohan or Chalon-Arlay.
Although very different in character, husband and wife seem to have gotten along quite well, Claude being content to be a dutiful wife and mother while her husband jousted, hunted and flirted around during her many pregnancies.
She gave Henry several children. Her eldest son Henry was a delicate child and she and Henry feared he would not survived, especially after his twin brother Edmund died of smallpox, but the baby clung to life. In 1520, shortly after giving birth to her third (but second surviving) son Arthur, she insisted on visiting her recently deceased mother’s tomb and making a pilgrimage to Saint Anne, in order to thank her for giving her another boy. Although Henry asked her to wait till she was completely recovered from the birthing, Claude stood up to him for the first time in her life and returned to her duchy.
The journey proved difficult for the young mother and after resting for a few weeks in Brittany, she decided to sail back to England. However, her ship was caught in a storm on the journey back and sank; the young Queen died of exposure in the craft that was taking her to safety. One of her ladies-in-waiting, Lady Mary Talbot, who survived the shipwreck, later said the Queen’s last words had been: “tell my lord husband the King that I love him dearly and beg him pardon for not listening to his advice; tell my dear Madeleine to take care of my poor children; and tell my children that their Mama loves them and will watch over them from Heaven.”
Her second son Arthur would succeed her as Duke of Brittany but would die a few years later, leaving his eldest sister Elizabeth as his heiress.
Children
1 Elizabeth I, Duchess of Brittany (1516-1583)
2 Henry, Prince of Wales (1517-1532)
3 Edmund, Duke of York (1517-1518)
4 Anne of England (1518-1548)
5 Claudia of England (1519-1585)
6 Margaret of England (1520-1545)
7 Arthur IV, Duke of Brittany and Richmond (1520-1525)
2 Henry, Prince of Wales (1517-1532)
3 Edmund, Duke of York (1517-1518)
4 Anne of England (1518-1548)
5 Claudia of England (1519-1585)
6 Margaret of England (1520-1545)
7 Arthur IV, Duke of Brittany and Richmond (1520-1525)
She’ll have the help of her father, and then later on her half siblings and nieces and nephews to Brittany.
For those keeping score, by 1520 Henry is 29 and is up to 3 wives, 2 mistresses and 21 children between them.
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