The Life of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset | Illegitimate Son of Henry VIII

He was the ILLEGITIMATE SON OF HENRY VIII, the brother of Elizabeth I, Mary I and Edward VI and a boy who many thought might be placed in the line of succession for the English throne, but what do we really know about the life of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, who died at the age of just seventeen? In this week’s Tudor history documentary from History Calling, we go back to the middle years of the reign of King Henry VIII to look at the life of his only acknowledged illegitimate child (not counting the fact that he delegitimised his daughters at different points). You’ll hear about the relationship between Fitzroy’s mother, Elizabeth Blount and Henry VIII, what we know about Henry Fitzroy’s birth and childhood, why his upbringing was overseen by his godfather, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and when and why he was given the extraordinary honour of a double Dukedom. I’ll also tell you about the other positions heaped on this young child, including being made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and describe his relationship with his father, even showing you a letter written by the Duke of Richmond to his royal parent. We’ll discuss his marriage to Mary Howard, who was a cousin of Anne Boleyn and the only daughter-in-law of Henry VIII and look at some of the famous moments in Tudor history which this boy was present for, including the execution of Anne Boleyn in 1536. Richmond would outlive his step-mother by only a couple of months and the video will conclude by taking you through the sudden death of this illegitimate Tudor on 23 July, plus his funeral, burial and what happened to his grave later on.