by Emily McMahon © Unofficial Royalty 2013
Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset; Credit: Wikipedia
Born on June 15, 1519, Henry Fitzroy was the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII of England by his mistress Elizabeth Blount, a maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, better known as Bessie Blount. Fitzroy (a surname meaning “son of the king”) was born in relative seclusion at the Augustinian Priory of St. Lawrence in Blackmore, Essex. Elizabeth was between 17 and 21 years old when she gave birth to King Henry VIII’s son after becoming his mistress a few years prior.
Fitzroy’s birth came at a crucial time in his father’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon as a few months before Catherine had given birth to the last of her six children, a stillborn daughter. The future Mary I was Henry’s and Catherine’s only surviving child, and Henry was wary of entrusting his kingdom to a sickly female. Fitzroy’s birth proved to Henry that he could father a healthy male child, and convinced him that Catherine was at fault for the lack of male heirs.
Fitzroy was christened a few weeks later with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and possibly the King himself serving as godfathers. Fitzroy is King Henry VIII’s only acknowledged illegitimate child. Although little documentation from his first years survives, Fitzroy is thought to have been cared for in the royal nursery with his half-sister Mary.
Fitzroy was given his own London residence in 1525, the same year he was raised to the peerage as the Duke of Richmond and Somerset. He was also given numerous titles such as Lord High Admiral of England, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Lord President of the Council, among others. Fitzroy also spent time in Cambridge living with his tutor Richard Croke.
The granting of Fitzroy’s peerage and many titles suggests the esteem in which his father held him. Henry wanted to make Fitzroy his heir, even considering the possibility of marriage between Fitzroy and his half-sister Mary. Due to the scandal surrounding Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon, the Pope was willing to provide a dispensation to accommodate the unconventional marriage to prevent Henry’s eventual break from the Church.
Fitzroy was said to be rather handsome in his teens, greatly resembling King Henry VIII. He was also reportedly intelligent and well-behaved. In 1533, Fitzroy married Lady Mary Howard, a daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, the uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of Henry VIII’s wives. Henry’s second wife Anne Boleyn arranged the marriage. Fitzroy and Mary reportedly did not consummate their relationship, possibly due to their young age or concerns for Fitzroy’s health.
Fitzroy died somewhat unexpectedly on July 23, 1536, at the age of seventeen, likely of tuberculosis. At this point, Henry VIII had made both his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, illegitimate and was left with no real heir. Henry VIII may have been planning to legitimize his son in the years before Fitzroy’s death. Fitzroy was buried rather hastily at Thetford Priory in Norfolk and with no autopsy, suggesting that perhaps he died of the plague. Fitzroy’s remains were later moved to St. Michael the Archangel Church in Framlingham, Suffolk, England where his widow was later interred. Fitzroy may have left two illegitimate daughters of his own at the time of his death, but their fates are unknown. His younger half-brother succeeded their father as King Edward VI in 1547.
Tomb of Henry Fitzroy and his wife Lady Mary Howard; Credit – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10925235/henry-fitzroy#view-photo=9540028
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