Henry Tudor

## Early Life

**Henry Tudor** was born the second son and third child of Henry VII of England and Queen Elizabeth of York. As such, he was not expected to become king, and was expected to join the church or make an advantageous match with a foreign princess. He was raised with his mother and two younger sisters and lived an altogether happy, if not typical, childhood.

When his brother, Arthur, died unexpectedly in 1502 when he was just ten years old, Henry's life changed immediately. A further blow was dealt when his mother died just ten months later, following the death of a younger sister, Katherine Tudor. As a result, his father kept the young Henry close, as Henry was now the heir to the kingdom of England, as his other two siblings (elder sister Margaret, Queen of Scots, and younger sister, Princess Mary) could not legally inherit the crown.

## The First Betrothal

After becoming Prince of Wales at the age of ten, young Prince Henry was told that he would marry the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile. Princess Catherine, his betrothed, had been in England since 1501, just weeks before her marriage to Prince Henry's brother, the now-deceased Arthur. The betrothal was to take place when Prince Henry was fourteen-years-old, and the now-Princess Dowager Catherine would be called Princess of Wales again once she married Prince Henry.

The Spanish Ambassador, Don Pedro de Ayala, is told by Prince Henry's father in 1504-1505 that Prince Henry has protested against a betrothal to Princess Catherine, as he cannot bring himself to marry his dead brother's wife. His reasoning was entirely religious, as he himself was quite active in the Catholic faith, and felt it would be against God to marry Catherine.

As he grows older, the prince catches a glimpse of the dowager princess whilst with his tutors at Greenwich Palace, and finds her attractive, yet does not speak a word to her.

## King of England

Prince Henry takes the throne of England upon the death of his father, in April 1509, just two months before his eighteenth birthday. The new king reports to Princess Catherine, humbled by her widowed circumstances, that it was his father's dying wish that they are married. The pair marry, and are crowed immediately thereafter, and enjoy many months of wedded bliss.

As king, Henry upheld some traditions of his father, yet was by far a kinder and generous man than the former king had been. He loved going to war, and did so with Spain against France in 1525, but was devastated when the Holy Roman Emperor sided with the French king instead of with him, as Henry was hoping to take France for himself. He took this personally, after the Holy Roman Emperor released the imprisoned King Francis, and did not trust his wife, Queen Catherine, as he once did. But this was not the only reason he had to show anger towards Catherine.

## Wives

Catherine of Aragon: See Herine.

Anne Boleyn: See Henne.

Jane Seymour: See Hane.

Anne of Cleves: See Hanne.

Kathryn Howard: See Henryn.

Katherine Parr: See Henrine.

## Children

Princess Mary: Mary is Henry's eldest legitimate child to survive infancy, born to **Henry Tudor** and Catherine of Aragon in 1516 after years of miscarriages and stillbirths. Reportedly, the king was hopeful that after Mary's birth, sons would follow. However, Catherine's next pregnancy ended in a miscarriage and, in 1518, Catherine had another daughter that died within a week. After that, there were no more children from their marriage.

Mary was a child active in religion and learning, and her mother got her an impressive education, and she was reportedly doted on by both her parents. However, when her father petitioned Rome for a divorce after the lack of a male heir, Mary was forced to decide which parent she would side with in the argument. Mary chose Catherine, vehemently denying to say that Anne Boleyn was queen, even after her marriage to her father, or acknowledge that her half-sister, Princess Elizabeth was the Princess of Wales and heir to the throne.

Things looked up for Mary after the execution of her father's second wife. She was warmly welcomed at court by Jane Seymour, her father's third wife, who favored the Catholic faith and repaired the relationship between father and daughter. Mary and Jane went horseback riding in one scene, and Mary was a chief player in the christening of her younger half brother, Edward, Prince of Wales. Mary stayed up all night after Jane's death, sitting with her body in mourning, and refusing to leave her side despite the pain of a toothache.

She is next mentioned in passing by her father's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Anne claims that she loves all of Henry's children, although she favors Princess Elizabeth as they are seen together doing needlepoint.

Mary is shown to have a positive relationship with Katherine Parr, her father's sixth and final wife. She is brought back to court and mothered by Katherine, who is very attentive to her, plus her younger sister and brother. Katherine asked Henry why his children weren't at court, and claims that she heard that the appearance of Mary and Elizabeth upsets him. Henry, pained by such a statement, adamantly expresses his love for his two daughters. Mary is permitted to see her father before his death, but is turned away at the mention of his dying, as she cannot bear to lose another parent.

Henry Fitzroy, Earl of Richmond: The king's illegitimate son is only mentioned in passing by Anne Boleyn before her marriage to the king. Anne says that she understands Catherine's discomfort with the boy, as Earl of Richmond had been the title of Henry VII at birth before he took the throne of England. The earl was the son of one of Henry's mistresses, Bessie Blount; Henry reportedly wanted to give him the throne, but was convinced not to do so for political reasons. The young earl was married to a cousin of Anne Boleyn and Kathryn Howard, Mary Howard, before dying in 1536 of disease without children.

Princess Elizabeth: By all accounts, Henry was initially a doting father to his second legitimate child, Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn. However, before her mother's execution, Elizabeth was living in her own household away from court. Elizabeth was brought back to court during her father's marriage to Anne of Cleves, who was very doting to her and was rumored to be her favorite. Elizabeth is next seen in the care of Katherine Parr, while her father is making war in France, and Katherine is named Regent of England. She is seen sitting quietly with her younger brother, Edward, Prince of Wales, but is shooed out of the room when Thomas Seymour arrives with news of her father's battle. She is not seen when her father dies, and is assumed to be back in her own household.

Edward, Prince of Wales: Edward was the desired son that **Henry Tudor** had wanted since his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, but would not get until his third marriage to Jane Seymour. Edward was given everything and anything a prince could want, yet he lacked a mother's care until his father married Katherine Parr, and brought his sisters back to court. Katherine loved her stepson, and had him get significant opportunities for more education and time with his sisters. Edward is brought to court by his uncle, Edward Seymour, at his father's death, and is proclaimed King of England. His uncle was named Lord Protector of England in the final moments of his father's life, and young Edward faces an unknown.