Henry VIII ChildrenHenry VIII Children
For most of his life King Henry VIII was consumed with the belief that it was his duty to produced a male heir to secure the throne and continue the Tudor Dynasty. A woman had not ruled England since the reign of Queen Matilda (1102 – 1167) or Maude (the Latin for this name was Matilda). She was never crowned as Queen and her reign was a total disaster. His other concern was the tenuous hold that the Tudors had on the throne of England. The firm belief of King Henry VIII was that the English people would never accept a female monarch. Henry VIII Children - The Tudor Claim to the throne of England
The Tudors claim to the throne of England was via Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII, from his mother Margaret Beaufort. Margaret Beaufort was a descendant of King Edward III through his son, John of Gaunt, and his third wife Katherine Swynford - it was an illegitimate line. Henry Tudor was a member of the House of Lancaster. England had entered a period of Civil war called the War of the Roses between the noble factions of the House of York and the House of Lancaster. Henry Tudor defeated the Yorkist leader King Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth Field and Henry Tudor claimed the throne of England. The Tudor Dynasty was born, but it was was shaky claim. Henry VIII needed a male heir to feel secure and assure the continuance of the Tudor Dynasty. Names of Henry VIII Children
King Henry VIII had three legitimate children: First Child - Mary Tudor who became Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary)
Second Child - Elizabeth who became Queen Elizabeth I
Third Child - Edward who became King Edward VI Henry VIII was also believed to have fathered at least two illegitimate children - Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and possibly a son called Henry by Mary Boleyn. Henry VIII Children - Edward
The third of King Henry VIII children was Edward who became King Edward VI (1537 - 1553) by his third wife, Jane Seymour. Edward was only 10 years old when he came to the throne of England in 1547 when his father, King Henry VIII died. The young king was a devout Protestant and in 1549 introduced a uniform Protestant service in England based on his Book of Common Prayer. Edward was a sickly child, it was believed that he suffered from from tuberculosis. He became terminally ill and declared his sisters the Princess Mary and Princess Elizabeth illegitimate and naming Lady Jane Grey as his heir to ensure that the Protestant religion remained in England. King Edward VI eventually died on 6 July 1553. Lady Jane Grey became Queen just for nine days but was deposed by the supporters of the rightful heir, Mary - the first of the Henry VIII children. Henry VIII Children - Mary Tudor - Bloody Mary
The first of King Henry VIII children was Mary who became Queen Mary I "Bloody Mary" (1516 - 1558) by his first wife Katherine of Aragon. Mary became queen in 1553 and in 1554 Mary married King Philip II of Spain. Mary was eleven years older than Philip. The English Parliament refused to crown him jointly with Mary so he had little power in England. Shortly after their marriage Queen Mary I, Mary Tudor, announced she was pregnant but it was a false pregnancy. Mary returned England to Roman Catholicism. Protestants were persecuted and 300 are burnt at the stake (in later times this led to Queen Mary I, Mary Tudor, being called Bloody Mary). Queen Mary I died on November 17, 1558. Henry VIII Children - Elizabeth
The second of King Henry VIII children was Elizabeth who became Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603) by his second wife Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth became Queen of England in 1558. Elizabeth immediately repealed the Catholic legislation introduced by Mary. Queen Elizabeth never married, gaining the name of the Virgin Queen. She was, however, linked to many suitors notably Robert Dudley and the young Earl of Essex. England prospered during the reign of Elizabeth and new lands were explored in the New World. During her reign the great Spanish Armada was defeated and England remained safe from foreign invasion. Queen Elizabeth I died 24 March 1603 of of blood poisoning and despite all of the concerns of King Henry VIII regarding a female monarch she is often referred to as the greatest of all England's Kings and Queens. Henry VIII Children - Illegitimate Children
King Henry VIII was believed to have fathered at least two illegitimate children. The first of the illegitimate children of Henry VIII was born in 1519. King Henry VIII had started an affair with Elizabeth Blount ( 1500-1539) known as Bessie Blount in 1518 and in June 1519 "Bessie" Blount gave birth to Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII. Henry Fitzroy died on 22 July 1536. In 1525 King Henry VIII had a brief affair with Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne Boleyn. On March 4 1526 Mary Boleyn gave birth to a son, called Henry - he was widely assumed to be the son of King Henry VIII although never acknowledged as such and was known as Henry Carey. Henry Carey died on 22 July 1536. Henry VIII Children
Each section of this Tudors website addresses all topics and provides interesting facts and information about the children of King Henry VIII. The Sitemap provides full details of all of the information and facts provided about the fascinating subject of the Tudors! | 