Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset

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For other people named Henry FitzRoy, see Henry FitzRoy (disambiguation).

The Earl of Southampton
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office
1529–1534
Preceded byThe Earl of Ossory
Succeeded byWilliam Skeffington
Personal details
Bornc. 15 June 1519
Henry VIII of England
Elizabeth Blount
Arms of Sir Henry Fitzroy, KG, at the time of his installation as a knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter

Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (c. 15 June 1519 – 23 July 1536) was the son of

Edward VI. Through his mother, he was the elder half-brother of Elizabeth, George, and Robert Tailboys. His surname means "son of the king" in Norman French.[1]

Birth

Henry FitzRoy was born in June 1519. His mother was Elizabeth Blount,

Augustinian priory of St Lawrence at Blackmore near Ingatestone, in Essex.[2]

FitzRoy's birthdate is often given as 15 June 1519, but the exact date is not known.[3][4] His birth may have been earlier than predicted. Cardinal

Hampton Court, but he did not reappear at a council meeting at Westminster until 29 June. The policy of discretion worked, as the baby boy's arrival caused no great stir, and diplomatic dispatches record nothing of Henry VIII's illegitimate son.[5]

Christening

The christening of the newborn Henry FitzRoy was not recorded even though Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was his godfather and known to have been present at the event. This puts the date of the christening possibly before 29 June when he reappeared at court.

Henry Brandon (who was also the son of Henry's closest friend) in March 1516, and his daughter Princess Mary stood godmother to her half-brother Prince Edward in 1537.[7]

Acknowledgement

The infant boy was given the surname FitzRoy to make sure that all knew he was son of the King.[8] Henry VIII openly acknowledged the boy, perhaps because he felt that his lack of a male heir was a slur upon his manhood.[9] At one point he proudly exhibited his newborn son to the court.[10]

Nursery

The boy's upbringing until the moment when he entered

illegitimate, this did not mean that young Henry lived remotely from and had no contact with his father. On the contrary, it has been suggested by his biographer, Beverly Murphy, that a letter from a royal nurse implies that FitzRoy had also been part of the royal nursery, and he was often at court after 1530.[11]

In the sixteenth century, royal and noble households were in a state of constant movement and transition, so it is unlikely that FitzRoy grew up in any one house. He was probably transferred from household to household around London like his royal siblings: Mary, Elizabeth and Edward. In 1519 the only surviving legitimate child of the King was the three-year-old Princess Mary. In that year her household was reorganised, suggesting that Henry made some provisions for his only son. Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury replaced Lady Margaret Bryan as lady Mistress of Mary's household. At the same time at least two of Mary's carers appear to have left her service.[original research?]

It is not impossible that Princess Mary's household could have been reorganised some time before her former servants found posts with Henry FitzRoy.[12]

In addition, the correspondence of the child's first known tutor makes it clear that FitzRoy also received some rudimentary education prior to his elevation to the peerage in 1525. John Palsgrave grumbled loudly that Henry had been taught to recite his prayers in a "barbarous" Latin accent and dismissed the man who had instructed him as "no clerk". Although he was more well known from 1525 and onwards, there is some evidence that he was already in receipt of royal favour even before his ennoblement; this comes from a surviving list of "Wardrobe stuff appointed for my lord Henry". The "Lord Henry" in question is not identified but given that the subject was not considered to require a title and that the list has survived with further documents relating to the household established for Henry FitzRoy after his ennoblement, it would seem reasonable to assume that it is Henry FitzRoy. The familiar way in which he is described as "My Lord Henry" is also interesting and suggests that, amongst the officers close to the King, at least, his existence was hardly a secret.[13] Alternatively, he may have been raised in the north with his mother and her husband Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme, and their children.[citation needed]

Elevation

By 1525, the

had other illegitimate children, Henry FitzRoy was the only one the King acknowledged. Henry VIII was also the only surviving son of Henry VII. Henry had no surviving younger brother nor any close male relations from his father's family who could be called up to share the burden of government in the King's name.[14] As Henry and Catherine's marriage remained without a son, the king's only living son became more attractive for onlookers to observe.[15]
The King's chief minister at the time was Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, and since Henry FitzRoy's birth, he had taken an interest in his monarch's only son. In a letter dated June 1525 the Cardinal refers to the King's son: "Your entirely beloved sonne, the Lord Henry FitzRoy".

In 1525, FitzRoy was given his own residence in London, which he was granted by his father:

Henry II, King of England had created his son William Earl of Salisbury. However, the ceremony was not yet complete. The onlookers watched as the young Lord Nottingham re-emerged into the chamber. The Earl of Northumberland carried the robes; behind him came Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, carrying the sword; the Earl of Arundel, carrying the cap of estate with a circlet; and the Earl of Oxford with a rod of gold. Once again young Henry FitzRoy knelt before his father, and as the patent was read he was invested with the trappings of a duke. This time when he rose to his feet he was Duke of Richmond and Somerset
.

To be a

Edward, Prince of Wales as the Duke of Cornwall, retained its royal aura. The former Henry FitzRoy was subsequently referred to in all formal correspondence as the "right high and noble Prince Henry, Duke of Richmond and Somerset".[citation needed] As if to compound this sense of royal dignity and endow the child with as much respectability as possible, Henry VIII had granted his son the unprecedented honour of a double dukedom. While he is mostly known as Richmond, some pains were taken to see that he bore both titles in equal weight. The bulk of Richmond's new lands came from Margaret Beaufort's estate. These were lands which were the rightful inheritance of King Henry VII when he was Earl of Richmond and the lands which had belonged to John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, the father of Margaret Beaufort. The use of the Duchy of Somerset must have struck a chord among the courtiers, as it was well known that the Beauforts' eldest child was John Somerset, a royal bastard who had been legitimised following his parents' adultery and then marriage. A part of the Beaufort connection to the Somerset duchy, the title of Duke of Richmond was important as the earldom of Richmond had been held by his grandfather King Henry VII and by his great-grandfather Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond. The earldom of Nottingham had been held by Richmond's great uncle Prince Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, the second son of Edward IV. Seeing Henry's obvious pride and affection for his son, many of those who witnessed Richmond's elevation must have wondered if this was what the King had in mind.[17] To support his new status, Henry granted his young son an annuity of £4,845.[18] Following the ceremony, there were "great feasts and disguising". Henry wished to celebrate his six-year-old son with customary extravagance. It is unknown if Elizabeth Blount was present, but it is certain that the new duke's stepfather Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme
was present and must have given her an eyewitness account.

It was a proud day for Henry, and for his former mistress Elizabeth; however, the ceremony did nothing to spare the Queen's feelings. She knew she had failed to give England a prince and was anxious about her own daughter's prospects. In a private letter, the Venetian ambassador wrote: "It seems that the Queen resents the earldom and dukedom conferred on the King’s natural son and remains dissatisfied. At the instigation it is said of her three Spanish ladies her chief counsellors, so that the King has dismissed them from court, a strong measure but the Queen was obliged to submit and have patience".[19]

Also at Richmond's elevation was Sir Henry Courtenay, his father's cousin through

Eleanor Brandon, the King's niece. Richmond's ceremony was by far the most spectacular but it was also a public relations display, since the last member of the Yorkist faction, Richard de la Pole, lost his life in February of that same year fighting for the French at the Battle of Pavia.[20]
The young Henry Brandon became the new Earl of Lincoln, a title which had once belonged to the de la Pole family.

Crown Offices

Arrangements for Henry's care were initially entrusted to Thomas Wolsey and plans for his elevation were already in progress by April 1525. On 7 June that year, he was elected knight of the Garter and was installed on the 25th. On 18 June, he was made Earl of Nottingham and on the same day he received the honour of a double dukedom; those being Richmond and Somerset. As such, he was endowed with lands whose revenues amounted to £4845 in the first year.

Governor of Carlisle, the effect of which was to place the government of the north of England in his hands.[22] He held the offices in name only, the power was actually in the hands of a council dominated by Thomas Magnus, Archdeacon of the East Riding
.

From then onwards, the Duke was raised like a prince, at Sheriff Hutton Castle in Yorkshire. His father had a particular fondness for him and took great interest in his upbringing. Sir Thomas Tempest was comptroller of his household. In February 1527, Thomas Magnus told the young Duke that King James V of Scotland, FitzRoy's first cousin, had asked for hunting dogs. FitzRoy sent his cousin 20 hunting hounds and a huntsman.[23]

Kingdom of Ireland

On 22 June 1529 Richmond was made

King Henry VIII of England was proclaimed its first holder.[24]

Living in France

In October 1532, Henry VIII travelled to Calais for a meeting with Francis I of France and took Richmond with him. As part of the negotiations, Richmond joined the French court and lived with the Dauphin Francis and his younger brother, the future King Henry II of France, until August 1533, when he was recalled to England.[25]

Marriage

Sketch of the Duchess of Richmond by Hans Holbein the Younger

When Henry VIII began the process of having his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled, it was suggested that Richmond marry his own half-sister Mary in order to strengthen Richmond's claim to the throne. Anxious to prevent the annulment and Henry's possible break with the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope was even prepared to grant a special dispensation for their marriage.[26][27][28][29]

At age 14, on 28 November 1533 the Duke instead married Lady Mary Howard, the only daughter of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk.[30] He was on excellent terms with his brother-in-law, the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. The marriage was never consummated.[31]

Possible heir to the throne

At the time of Richmond's death, an

Emperor Charles V on 8 July 1536 that Henry VIII had made a statute allowing him to nominate a successor, but thought the Duke of Richmond would not succeed to the throne by it, as he was consumptive and now diagnosed incurable.[33]

Death

The Duke's promising career came to an abrupt end in July 1536. According to the chronicler

St. James's Palace
on 23 July 1536.

Tomb of Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and his wife Mary. St Michael the Archangel's Church, Framlingham, Suffolk
Noah's Ark on the Flood, one of the scenes from the Old Testament in the tomb of the Duke of Richmond

Richmond's father-in-law, the Duke of Norfolk, gave orders that the body be wrapped in lead and then taken in a closed cart for secret interment. However, his servants put the body in a straw-filled wagon. The only mourners were two attendants who followed at a distance. Richmond was first instance buried at Thetford Priory, the burial place and mausoleum of members of the Howard family.

In February 1540, when Thetford Priory was about to be closed, Norfolk, in an almost desperate move, petitioned Henry VIII, Richmond's father, not to close the Priory Church on the grounds that both his first wife

Church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham.[36][37] [38]

FitzRoy's tomb has a mix of royal and religious iconography, with his personal coat of arms surrounded by the collar of the Order of the Garter and the Order's motto "Honi soit qui mal y pense", and the coats of arms of the Howard family (by his marriage to Mary Howard), and friezes showing scenes from the

Golden Calf.[39]

One of the scenes carved on the tomb is the outline of a small door which was the private entrance of noblemen from the Castle.[40]

His father outlived him by just over a decade, and was succeeded by his legitimate son, Edward VI, born shortly after FitzRoy's death. It is said that Henry FitzRoy might have been made king had Henry VIII died without a legitimate son:

Well was it for them[a] that Henry Fitzroy his natural son ... was dead, otherwise (some suspect) had he survived King Edward the Sixth, we might presently have heard of a King Henry the Ninth, so great was his father's affection and so unlimited his power to prefer him.

— Thomas Fuller[41]

On her death in December 1557, his wife, Mary Howard, was buried along with FitzRoy.

Family tree

References

  1. ^ "Fitzroy". Dictionary of American Family Names. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  2. ^ Hutchinson, Robert, House of Treason: Rise and Fall of a Tudor Dynasty (London, 2009), pg. 58.
  3. ISBN 978-1250012746
    . Retrieved 21 November 2013.
  4. ^ Murphy, Beverley, The bastard prince: Henry VIII’s lost son (Stroud, 2004) pg. 25.
  5. ^ Murphy, Beverley, The bastard prince: Henry VIII’s lost son (Stroud, 2004) pg. 25.
  6. ^ Lipscomb, Suzannah, 1536: The year that changed Henry VIII (London, 2009) pg. 90.
  7. ^ Norton, Elizabeth, Bessie Blount: Mistress to Henry VIII (Stroud, 2011) pg. 137.
  8. ^ "FitzRoy" means "Son of the king" or "Son of a king" in Anglo-Norman (cf. article Fitz)
  9. ^ Weir, Alison, Henry VIII: king and court (London, 2002) pg. 220.
  10. ^ Mattingly, Garrett, Catherine of Aragon, pg. 145.
  11. ^ Lipscomb, Suzannah, 1536: The Year That Changed Henry VIII, p. 91.
  12. ^ Norton, Elizabeth, Bessie Blount: Mistress to Henry VIII, p. 121.
  13. ^ Norton, Elizabeth, Bessie Blount: Mistress to Henry VIII, p. 181.
  14. ^ Murphy, Beverley, The bastard prince: Henry VIII’s lost son, pg. 34.
  15. ^ Murphy, Beverley, The bastard prince: Henry VIII’s lost son, pg. 35.
  16. ^ Jones, Philippa, The other Tudors, pg. 80.
  17. ^ Murphy, Beverley, The bastard prince: Henry VIII’s lost son, pg. 39.
  18. ^ Hutchinson, Robert, A Tudor dynasty: The rise and fall of the house of Howard, pg. 59.
  19. ^ Murphy, Beverley, The bastard prince: Henry VIII’s lost son, pg. 45.
  20. ^ Murphy 2001, 64
  21. ^ Murphy, Beverley A. "Fitzroy, Henry, duke of Richmond and Somerset (1519–1536), royal bastard." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 03. Oxford University Press. Date of access 2 Mar. 2023, <https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-9635>
  22. ^ Murphy 2001, 61
  23. ^ State Papers Henry VIII, vol. 4 part 4 (London, 1836), pp. 464–5 Magnus to Wolsey 14 February 1527, p. 529.
  24. ^ Scarisbrick, J.J. English Monarchs: Henry VIII. University of California Press.
  25. ^ Abernethy, Susan (21 July 2017). "Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond". The Freelance History Writer. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  26. ISBN 0-8021-3683-4
    .
  27. ^ Lacey, Robert (1974). The life and times of Henry VIII. Praeger.
  28. ^ Tjernagel, Neelak Serawlook (1965). Henry VIII and the Lutherans: a study in Anglo-Lutheran relations from 1521 to 1547. Concordia Pub. House.
  29. ISBN 0-415-06533-X
    .
  30. ^ Nicola Clark, Gender, Family, and Politics: The Howard Women, 1485–1558, (Oxford University Press, 2018), 112.
  31. ^ Nicola Clark, Gender, Family, and Politics: The Howard Women, 1485–1558, (Oxford University Press, 2018), 145.
  32. ^ Murphy,172–174
  33. ^ Gairdner, James, ed., Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII, vol. 11 (1911), no. 40 & preface
  34. ^ Murphy, 174
  35. ^ Everett Green 1852, pp. 11–12.
  36. ^ Weir 2011, p. 139.
  37. ^ Panton 2011, p. 51.
  38. ^ "Houses of Cluniac monks: The priory of St Mary, Thetford.", A History of the County of Norfolk Volume 2. (William Page, ed.) London: Victoria County History, 1906. 363–369. British History Online. 2 September 2022
  39. ^ "Historical Tombs".
  40. ^ "Historical Tombs".
  41. ^ Thomas Fuller, The Church History of Britain, III, 232, cited in Murphy, 243.

Notes

  1. Elizabeth
    , Henry VIII's daughters.

Works cited

External links

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Political offices
Preceded by
Lord High Admiral

1525–1536 		Succeeded by
Preceded byas Lord Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
1529–1534 		Succeeded byas Lord Deputy
Preceded by Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
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