Henry Fitzroy: The Lucky Bastard Henry Fitzroy was the product of King Henry and King Henry’s mistress, Elizabeth Blount. This parentage, although involving King Henry, means he was an illegitimate heir to the throne of England. But power was slipping from their hands, and Henry became their last resort (Loades 146). Although the life of Henry Fitzroy ended early, he was a key character whose existence gave fleeting hope to not only his father Henry VIII and his half-sister Mary, but the fate of the Tudor dynasty.
To be legitimate, a child must be born of the King and his lawfully wedded wife. The problem was, the only legitimate child that the royal couple had was Mary. With Catherine of Aragon, the Queen of England, many of their children were stillborn, miscarriages, or died shortly after birth (Lindsay 61). They needed a male heir, and …show more content…
He certainly wasn’t about to put his daughter in charge of England. He considered another alternative to Mary. Henry could divorce Catherine of Aragon and so Henry would be his successor (Duncan, Derrett 8). By this time, the younger Henry was be married to Lady Mary Howard at the age of 14 (Fraser 30). This marriage was another big step in the process of legitimizing Henry Fitzroy as an heir. If Henry VIII had decided to divorce and let Henry Fitzroy succeed him, Fitzroy was prepared with all his titles and royal connections and now he was lawfully wedded (Duncan, Derrett 8). Henry Fitzroy’s health became a rising issue at this point, however. He was becoming weaker and thinner, and for this reason his marriage with Mary Howard remained unconsummated until his death at the age of 17 (Fraser 30). Some historians are not completely convinced that it wasn’t Anne Boleyn that somehow poisoned Henry. He was her rival for the throne, after all. Henry clearly wasn’t going to have a son with Catherine. But he could with someone else, and that someone else would be Anne
To be legitimate, a child must be born of the King and his lawfully wedded wife. The problem was, the only legitimate child that the royal couple had was Mary. With Catherine of Aragon, the Queen of England, many of their children were stillborn, miscarriages, or died shortly after birth (Lindsay 61). They needed a male heir, and …show more content…
He certainly wasn’t about to put his daughter in charge of England. He considered another alternative to Mary. Henry could divorce Catherine of Aragon and so Henry would be his successor (Duncan, Derrett 8). By this time, the younger Henry was be married to Lady Mary Howard at the age of 14 (Fraser 30). This marriage was another big step in the process of legitimizing Henry Fitzroy as an heir. If Henry VIII had decided to divorce and let Henry Fitzroy succeed him, Fitzroy was prepared with all his titles and royal connections and now he was lawfully wedded (Duncan, Derrett 8). Henry Fitzroy’s health became a rising issue at this point, however. He was becoming weaker and thinner, and for this reason his marriage with Mary Howard remained unconsummated until his death at the age of 17 (Fraser 30). Some historians are not completely convinced that it wasn’t Anne Boleyn that somehow poisoned Henry. He was her rival for the throne, after all. Henry clearly wasn’t going to have a son with Catherine. But he could with someone else, and that someone else would be Anne