Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset

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

Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (c. 15 June 1519 – 23 July 1536) was the son of King Henry VIII of England and his mistress, Elizabeth Blount, and the only child born out of wedlock whom Henry VIII acknowledged. He was the younger half-brother of Queen Mary I, as well as the older half-brother of Queen Elizabeth I and King Edward VI. Through his mother, he was the elder half-brother of the 4th Baroness Tailboys of Kyme and of the 2nd and 3rd Barons Tailboys of Kyme. He was named FitzRoy, which is derived from the Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning "son of" and Roy, meaning "king".^[1]

His Grace The Duke of Richmond and Somerset
Portrait miniature by Lucas Horenbout, between 1533 and 1534
Lord High Admiral of England
In office 1525–1536
Monarch	Henry VIII
Preceded by	The Duke of Norfolk
Succeeded by	The Earl of Southampton
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office 1529–1534
Preceded by	The Earl of Ossory
Succeeded by	William Skeffington
Personal details
Born	c. 15 June 1519 Blackmore, Essex
Died	23 July 1536(1536-07-23) (aged 17) St. James's Palace, London
Resting place	First at Thetford Priory, then at the Church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham
Spouse	Lady Mary Howard
Parent(s)	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

Birth

Henry FitzRoy was born in June 1519. His mother was Elizabeth Blount, Catherine of Aragon's lady-in-waiting, and his father was Henry VIII. FitzRoy was conceived when Queen Catherine was approaching her last confinement with another of Henry's children, a stillborn daughter born in November 1518. To avoid scandal, Blount was taken from Henry's court to the 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 Thomas Wolsey was out of London from 9 to 18 June when he reappeared back at court in Windsor. The following day he was expected at 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.^[6] The identity of the other godfather is unknown. Although Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk took a great interest in Henry FitzRoy when he was older, in 1519 he was still the heir to the Dukedom of Norfolk, and styled the Earl of Surrey. If Henry had chosen the House of Howard, he would probably have chosen the elder Thomas Howard, who at the time was the 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Another suggestion for the second godfather could be Henry VIII himself, although it was not normal practice for a parent to stand as godparent to his own child:^{[citation needed]} Henry had taken the role of godfather at the christening of his own nephew, Lord 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 Bridewell Palace in June 1525 (six years following his birth) remains shrouded in confusion. Although the boy was 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 Tudor dynasty had been on the throne for 40 years. However, cracks were beginning to appear. By the sixteenth year of his reign, 34-year-old Henry still lacked a male heir with his 40-year-old wife Catherine of Aragon. Their only surviving child and heiress was Princess Mary, who at the time was a girl of nine. Henry, though, had another child, an illegitimate one, a sturdy six-year-old son. Although Henry may have 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: Durham House on the Strand.^[16] Since his birth FitzRoy had remained in the background, although the boy had been brought up in remarkable style and comfort, almost as if he were a prince of the blood and not an acknowledged royal bastard. Such discretion over his son may not have been to the King's taste, and he may have felt his manhood and virility should be publicly demonstrated. He fully made up for his son's quiet birth and equally quiet christening when on 18 June 1525 the six-year-old boy was brought to Bridewell Palace on the western edge of the city of London where honours were showered upon him. That morning of the 18th, the six-year-old Lord Henry FitzRoy travelled by barge from Wolsey's mansion of Durham Place, near Charing Cross, down the River Thames. He came in the company of a host of knights, squires, and other gentlemen. At 9am his barge pulled up at the Watergate and his party made their way through the palace to the king's lodgings on the south side of the second floor. The rooms were richly decorated, with various members of the court and the nobility coming to see FitzRoy's elevation. Among them were numerous bishops, as well as Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, and the King's brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. During the first ceremony, when he was created Earl of Nottingham, FitzRoy was attended by Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, who carried the sword of state, along with John de Vere, 14th Earl of Oxford, and William FitzAlan, 18th Earl of Arundel. Six-year-old Henry knelt before his father as Sir Thomas More read out the patents of nobility. It was the first time since the 12th century that an illegitimate son had been raised to the peerage, when 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 duke was a significant honour. It was the highest rank of the peerage, and the title, originally devised by Edward III, King of England for his son 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 Catherine of York, the younger sister of Elizabeth of York. He was raised from being merely the Earl of Devon to be the Marquess of Exeter. Sir Thomas Manners, a great nephew of Edward IV through his sister Anne of York was made the earl of Rutland. Henry Clifford was made the new Earl of Cumberland and would cement his ties to the Tudor dynasty by marrying his son and heir, Lord Henry Clifford, to Richmond's cousin, lady 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.^[21] In that same year, Richmond, as he came to be known, was granted several other appointments, including Lord High Admiral of England, Lord President of the Council of the North, and Warden of the Marches towards Scotland and 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 Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, and there was a plan to crown him king of that country, though the King's counsellors feared that making a separate Kingdom of Ireland whose ruler was not that of England would create another threat similar to the Kingdom of Scotland. After Richmond's death, the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 established a personal union between the English and Irish crowns, providing that whoever was King of England was to be King of Ireland as well. 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 Act was going through Parliament which disinherited Henry's daughter Elizabeth as his heir and permitted the King to designate his successor, whether legitimate or not. There is no evidence that Henry intended to proclaim Richmond his heir, but the Act would have permitted him to do so if he wished.^[32] The Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys wrote to 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 Charles Wriothesley, Richmond became sickly some time before he died, although Richmond's biographer Beverley A. Murphy cites his documented public appearances and activities in April and May of that year, without exciting comment on his health, as evidence to the contrary.^[34] He was reported ill with "consumption" (usually identified as tuberculosis, but possibly another serious lung complaint) in early July, and died at 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 Anne of York, FitzRoy's great-aunt, as well as Richmond himself were buried there. The request had no effect; at the same time however, the King ordered that the current dissolution of the monasteries be briefly suspended, so that everyone who wished had time to rebury the remains of their relations.^[35] Norfolk moved his son-in-law's grave to the Church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham.^{[36][37] [38]}

FitzRoy's tomb has a mix of both royal and religious iconography, with his personal coat of arms and the Howard family coats (by his marriage to Mary Howard) and friezes showing scenes from the Biblical Old Testament (mainly from the Book of Genesis and part of the Book of Exodus). On the north side are the birth of Eve; God giving the Garden of Eden into the charge of Adam and Eve; the Temptation, and the Expulsion from Paradise. On the west are the nursing of Cain and Abel, and Adam digging to return to Eden; Cain and Abel making their sacrifices (offerings) to God, and Cain killing Abel. On the south side are Noah's Ark in the Flood; the drunkenness of Noah; the Prophet Abraham and the Angels, and Lot escaping from Sodom and Gomorrah. On the east are Abraham and his son Isaac as well as Moses and the Law tables, and the Israelites sacrificing to 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

v t e Family tree of the Dukes of: Beaufort, Lancaster, and Somerset, Marquesses of: Dorset, Hertford, Somerset and Worcester, and Earls of: Dorset, Hertford, Lancaster, Leicester, Somerset, and Worcester

Roger de Beaumont (c. 1015–1094) Earl of Leicester (1st creation), 1107 King Henry I (c. 1068–1135) King Stephen (1092/1096–1154) Robert de Beaumont (c. 1040/1050–1118) 1st Earl of Leicester Henry de Beaumont (d. 1119) 1st Earl of Warwick Earl of Worcester (1st creation), 1138 Robert FitzRoy (c. 1090–1147) 1st Earl of Gloucester Matilda (d. bef. 1141) Waleran de Beaumont (1104–1166) Earl of Worcester Robert de Beaumont (1104–1168) 2nd Earl of Leicester Hugh de Beaumont (b. 1106) 1st Earl of Bedford Earldom of Worcester (1st creation) extinct, 1166 William FitzRobert (1116–1183) 2nd Earl of Gloucester Hawise de Beaumont Robert de Beaumont (d. 1190) 3rd Earl of Leicester Robert de Beaumont (d. 1204) 4th Earl of Leicester Amice Countess of Rochefort King John (1166–1216) Isabella (1173/1174–1217) Countess of Gloucester Simon de Montfort (c. 1175–1218) 5th Earl of Leicester King Henry III (1207–1272) Eleanor of England Simon de Montfort (c. 1208–1265) 6th Earl of Leicester Earldom of Leicester (1st creation) forfeited, 1265 Earl of Leicester (2nd creation), 1267 Earl of Lancaster, 1276 King Edward I (1239–1307) Edmund Crouchback (1245–1296) 1st Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Lancaster Earldom of Leicester (1st creation) restored, 1324 Earldom of Lancaster restored, 1327 King Edward II (1284–1327) Thomas of Lancaster (1278–1322) 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl of Lancaster Henry of Lancaster (1281–1345) 3rd Earl of Leicester, 3rd Earl of Lancaster Earldom of Leicester (1st creation) forfeited, 1322 Earldom of Lancaster forfeited, 1322 Duke of Lancaster, 1351 King Edward III (1312–1377) Henry of Grosmont (c. 1310–1361) 4th Earl of Leicester, Duke of Lancaster Joan of Lancaster (c. 1312–1349) John (II) de Mowbray (1310–1361) 3rd Baron Mowbray Eleanor of Lancaster (1318–1372) Mary of Lancaster (c. 1320–1362) Earl of Worcester (2nd creation), 1397 John of Gaunt (1340–1399) (6th) Earl of Leicester (jure uxoris), Duke of Lancaster Blanche of Lancaster (1342–1368) Maud of Lancaster (1340–1362) a.k.a. Matilda, Countess of Hainault William (1330–1389) Duke of Bavaria Count of Holland (5th) Earl of Leicester (jure uxoris) Richard Fitzalan (1346–1397) Earl of Arundel Thomas Percy (1343–1403) Earl of Worcester Earldom of Worcester (2nd creation) extinct, 1403 Roger La Warr (1326–1370) Eleanor Mowbray Earl of Somerset (1st creation), 1397 Marquess of Somerset and Marquess of Dorset (1st creation), 1397 Henry Bolingbroke (1367–1413) (7th) Earl of Leicester, Duke of Lancaster King Henry IV John Beaufort (c. 1373–1410) Marquess of Somerset, Marquess of Dorset, 1st Earl of Somerset Joan Beaufort (c. 1379–1440) Joan La Warr Thomas West (1365–1405) 1st Baron West Joan de Beauchamp (1375–1435) Earldom of Leicester (2nd creation) and Dukedom of Lancaster merged into the Crown, 1399 Marquessate of Somerset and Marquessate of Dorset (1st creation) revoked, 1399 Duke of Lancaster, 1399 Earl of Worcester (3rd creation), 1421 Henry of Monmouth (1386–1422) Duke of Lancaster King Henry V Reginald West (1395–1450) 6th Baron De La Warr and 3rd Baron West Richard Beauchamp (1394–c. 1422) Earl of Worcester Dukedom of Lancaster merged into the Crown, 1413 Earldom of Worcester (2nd creation) extinct, 1422 Duke of Somerset (1st creation), 1443 Earl of Dorset (3rd creation), 1442 Marquess of Dorset (2nd creation), 1443 Duke of Somerset (2nd creation), 1448 Henry Beaufort (1401–1418) 2nd Earl of Somerset John Beaufort (1404–1444) 3rd Earl of Somerset, 1st Duke of Somerset Edmund Beaufort (1406–1455) 2nd Duke of Somerset, 1st Marquess of Dorset, 4th Earl of Somerset, Earl of Dorset Richard Neville (1400–1460) Earl of Salisbury Richard West (1430–1476) 7th Baron De La Warr and 4th Baron West Edward Neville (d. 1476) de facto 3rd (de jure 1st) Baron Bergavenny Elizabeth Beauchamp (1415–1448) Dukedom of Somerset (1st creation) extinct, 1444 Claimed titles here are disputed Earl of Worcester (4th creation), 1449 Margaret Beaufort (1443–1509) Elizabeth Woodville (c. 1437–1492) Henry Beaufort (1436–1464) 5th Earl of Dorset, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, 3rd Duke of Somerset Edmund Beaufort (c. 1438–1471) 6th Earl of Dorset, 3rd Marquess of Dorset, 4th Duke of Somerset Cecily Neville (c. 1425–1450) John Tiptoft (1427–1470) 1st Earl of Worcester Earldom of Dorset, Marquessate of Dorset (2nd creation), and Dukedom of Somerset (2nd creation) attained, 1461, but possibly restored (disputed), 1463 Earldom of Dorset, Marquessate of Dorset (2nd creation), and Dukedom of Somerset (2nd creation) extinct, 1471 Earldom of Worcester (4th creation) attainted, 1470 Thomas West (c. 1457–1525) 8th Baron De La Warr and 5th Baron West Marquess of Dorset (3rd creation), 1475 Earl of Worcester (5th creation), 1514 Earl of Worcester (4th creation) restored, 1471 Margery Wentworth (c. 1478–1550) King Henry VII (1457–1509) Elizabeth of York (1466–1503) Thomas Grey (1451–1501) 1st Marquess of Dorset Charles Somerset (c. 1460–1526) 1st Earl of Worcester Edward Tiptoft (c. 1469–1485) 2nd Earl of Worcester Eleanor West (b. 1481) Edward Guildford (c. 1474–1534) Earldom of Worcester (4th creation) extinct, 1485 Viscount Beauchamp "of Hache" (1st creation), 1536 Earl of Hertford (2nd creation), 1537 Duke of Somerset (4th creation), 1547 Duke of Somerset (3rd creation), 1499 Edward Seymour (c. 1500–1552) 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp Jane Seymour (c. 1508–1537) King Henry VIII (1491–1547) Thomas Grey (1477–1530) 2nd Marquess of Dorset Henry Somerset (c. 1495–1548) 2nd Earl of Worcester John Dudley (1504–1553) Duke of Northumberland Jane Guildford (c. 1508/1509–1555) Mary Tudor (1496–1533) Queen of France Duchess of Suffolk Prince Edmund (1499–1500) 1st Duke of Somerset Dukedom of Somerset (4th creation), Earldom of Hertford (2nd creation), and Viscountcy Beauchamp (1st creation) forfeit, 1552 Dukedom of Somerset (3rd creation) extinct, 1500 Duke of Richmond and Somerset, 1525 King Edward VI (1537–1553) Henry Fitzroy (1519–1536) 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset Henry Grey (1517–1554) Duke of Suffolk 3rd Marquess of Dorset Lady Frances Brandon (1517–1559) Duchess of Suffolk Dukedom of Richmond and Somerset extinct, 1536 Marquessate of Dorset (3rd creation) extinct, 1554 Earl of Hertford (3rd creation) reverted, 1559 Earl of Leicester (3rd creation), 1564 Edward Seymour (c. 1528–1593) Edward Seymour (1539–1621) 1st Earl of Hertford Katherine Grey (1540–1568) William Somerset (c. 1526–1589) 3rd Earl of Worcester John Dudley (c. 1527–1554) Earl of Warwick Robert Dudley (1532–1588) 1st Earl of Leicester Mary Dudley (d. 1586) m. Henry Sidney Lord Guildford Dudley (c. 1535–1554) Lady Jane Grey (1537–1554) Disputed Queen of England Earldom of Hertford (3rd creation) forfeit, 1552 Earldom of Leicester (3rd creation) extinct, 1588 Earl of Leicester (4th creation), 1618 Edward Seymour (c. 1563–1613) 1st Baronet Edward Seymour (1561–1612) Viscount Beauchamp Edward Somerset (1553–1628) 4th Earl of Worcester Philip Sidney (1554–1586) Mary Sidney (1561–1621) Robert Sidney (1563–1626) 1st Earl of Leicester Marquess of Hertford (1st creation), 1641 Duke of Somerset (4th creation restored), 1660 Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, 1641 Viscount Rochester, 1611 Earl of Somerset (3rd creation), 1613 Marquess of Worcester, 1642 Viscount Somerset of Cashel, 1626 Edward Seymour (c. 1580–1659) 2nd Baronet William Seymour (1588–1660) 2nd Earl of Hertford, 1st Marquess of Hertford, 3rd Duke of Somerset Francis Seymour (c. 1590–1664) 1st Lord Seymour of Trowbridge Robert Carr (c. 1587–1645) Earl of Somerset Henry Somerset (1577–1646) 1st Marquess of Worcester, 5th Earl of Worcester Thomas Somerset (1579–1651) Viscount Somerset Robert Sidney (1595–1677) 2nd Earl of Leicester Earldom of Somerset (3rd creation) and Viscountcy Rochester extinct, 1645 Viscountcy Somerset extinct, 1651 Edward Seymour (1610–1688) 3rd Baronet Henry Seymour (c. 1626–1654) Lord Beauchamp Charles Seymour (c. 1621–1665) 2nd Lord Seymour of Trowbridge Edward Somerset (1601–1667) 2nd Marquess of Worcester, 6th Earl of Worcester Philip Sidney (1619–1698) 3rd Earl of Leicester Algernon Sidney (1623–1683) Lady Lucy Sidney (1630–1685) Henry Sidney (1641–1704) Earl of Romney Duke of Beaufort, 1682 Edward Seymour (1633–1708) 4th Baronet William Seymour (1650–1671) 3rd Duke of Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Hertford, 3rd Earl of Hertford John Seymour (c. 1646–1675) 4th Duke of Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Hertford, 4th Earl of Hertford Francis Seymour (1658–1678) 5th Duke of Somerset, 3rd Lord Seymour of Trowbridge Charles Seymour (1662–1748) 6th Duke of Somerset Henry Somerset (1629–1700) 1st Duke of Beaufort, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, 7th Earl of Worcester Robert Sidney (1649–1702) 4th Earl of Leicester Thomas Pelham (1653–1712) Marquessate of Hertford (1st creation) extinct, 1675 Baron Conway of Ragley in the County of Warwick, 1703 Baron Conway of Killultagh in the County of Antrim, 1712 Edward Seymour (1663–1740) 5th Baronet Francis Seymour-Conway (1679–1732) 1st Baron Conway Edward Coke (d. 1707) Algernon Seymour (1684–1750) 7th Duke of Somerset, Earl of Northumberland Charles Somerset (1660–1698) styled Marquess of Worcester Philip Sidney (1676–1705) 5th Earl of Leicester John Sidney (1680–1737) 6th Earl of Leicester Jocelyn Sidney (1682–1743) 7th Earl of Leicester Elizabeth Pelham (1681–1711) Earldom of Leicester (4th creation) extinct, 1743 Baron Lovel, of Minster Lovel in the County of Oxford, 1728 Earl of Leicester (5th creation) and Viscount Coke of Holkham in the County of Norfolk, 1744 Edward Seymour (1695–1757) 6th Baronet 8th Duke of Somerset Anne Coke Thomas Coke (1697–1759) Earl of Leicester, Viscount Coke Henry Somerset (1684–1714) 2nd Duke of Beaufort, 4th Marquess of Worcester, 8th Earl of Worcester Charles Townshend (1700–1764) 3rd Viscount Townshend Earl of Hertford (4th creation) and Viscount Beauchamp (2nd creation), 1850 Marquess of Hertford (2nd creation), 1793 Earldom of Leicester (5th creation) extinct, 1759 Edward Seymour (1717–1792) 9th Duke of Somerset Webb Seymour (1718–1793) 10th Duke of Somerset Francis Seymour (1726–1799) Francis Seymour-Conway (1718–1794) 1st Marquess of Hertford, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp, 2nd Baron Conway Wenman (Roberts) Coke (c. 1717–1776) Henry Somerset-Scudamore (1707–1745) 3rd Duke of Beaufort, 5th Marquess of Worcester, 9th Earl of Worcester Charles Noel Somerset (1709–1756) 4th Duke of Beaufort, 6th Marquess of Worcester, 10th Earl of Worcester George Townshend (1724–1807) 1st Marquess Townshend Earl of Leicester (7th creation), 1837 Earl of Leicester (6th creation), 1784 Francis Compton Seymour (d. 1822) Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway (1743–1822) 2nd Marquess of Hertford, 2nd Earl of Hertford, 2nd Viscount Beauchamp, 3rd Baron Conway Thomas William Coke (1754–1842) 1st Earl of Leicester, 1st Viscount Coke Henry Somerset (1744–1803) 5th Duke of Beaufort, 7th Marquess of Worcester, 11th Earl of Worcester George Townshend (1753–1811) 2nd Marquess Townshend, 1st Earl of Leicester Baron Raglan, 1852 Edward Adolphus St Maur (1775–1855) 11th Duke of Somerset Francis Charles Seymour-Conway (1777–1842) 3rd Marquess of Hertford, 3rd Earl of Hertford, 3rd Viscount Beauchamp, 4th Baron Conway Henry Charles Somerset (1766–1835) 6th Duke of Beaufort, 8th Marquess of Worcester, 12th Earl of Worcester FitzRoy James Henry Somerset (1788–1855) 1st Baron Raglan George Townshend (1778–1855) 3rd Marquess Townshend, 2nd Earl of Leicester Earldom of Leicester (6th creation) extinct, 1855 Francis Edward Seymour (1788–1866) Richard Seymour-Conway (1800–1870) 4th Marquess of Hertford, 4th Earl of Hertford, 4th Viscount Beauchamp, 5th Baron Conway Henry Somerset (1792–1853) 7th Duke of Beaufort, 9th Marquess of Worcester, 13th Earl of Worcester Earl St. Maur, 1863 Edward Adolphus St Maur (1804–1885) 12th Duke of Somerset Archibald Henry Algernon St Maur (1810–1891) 13th Duke of Somerset Algernon Percy Banks St Maur (1813–1894) 14th Duke of Somerset Francis Payne Seymour (1815–1870) Francis George Hugh Seymour (1812–1884) 5th Marquess of Hertford, 5th Earl of Hertford, 5th Viscount Beauchamp, 6th Baron Conway Thomas William Coke (1822–1909) 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Viscount Coke Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset (1824–1899) 8th Duke of Beaufort, 10th Marquess of Worcester, 14th Earl of Worcester Richard Henry FitzRoy Somerset (1817–1884) 2nd Baron Raglan Earldom St. Maur extinct, 1885 Edward Adolphus Ferdinand St. Maur (1835–1869) Algernon St Maur (1846–1923) 15th Duke of Somerset Edward Hamilton Seymour (1860–1931) 16th Duke of Somerset Hugh de Grey Seymour (1843–1912) 6th Marquess of Hertford, 6th Earl of Hertford, 6th Viscount Beauchamp, 7th Baron Conway Thomas William Coke (1848–1941) 3rd Earl of Leicester, 3rd Viscount Coke Henry Adelbert Wellington FitzRoy Somerset (1847–1924) 9th Duke of Beaufort, 11th Marquess of Worcester, 15th Earl of Worcester George FitzRoy Henry Somerset (1857–1921) 3rd Baron Raglan Henry Richard Charles Somerset (1849–1932) Evelyn Francis Edward Seymour (1882–1954) 17th Duke of Somerset George Francis Alexander Seymour (1871–1940) 7th Marquess of Hertford, 7th Earl of Hertford, 7th Viscount Beauchamp, 8th Baron Conway Henry Charles Seymour (1878–1939) Thomas William Coke (1880–1949) 4th Earl of Leicester, 4th Viscount Coke Arthur George Coke (1882–1915) FitzRoy Richard Somerset (1885–1964) 4th Baron Raglan Henry Charles Somers Augustus Somerset (1874–1945) Percy Hamilton Seymour (1910–1984) 18th Duke of Somerset Thomas William Edward Coke (1908–1976) 5th Earl of Leicester, 5th Viscount Coke Anthony Louis Lovel Coke (1909–1994) 6th Earl of Leicester, 6th Viscount Coke Henry Hugh Arthur FitzRoy Somerset (1900–1984) 10th Duke of Beaufort, 12th Marquess of Worcester, 16th Earl of Worcester Henry Robert Somers FitzRoy de Vere Somerset (1898–1965) Hugh Edward Conway Seymour (1930–1997) 8th Marquess of Hertford, 8th Earl of Hertford, 8th Viscount Beauchamp, 9th Baron Conway Edward Douglas Coke (1936–2015) 7th Earl of Leicester, 7th Viscount Coke FitzRoy John Somerset (1927–2010) 5th Baron Raglan Geoffrey Somerset (b. 1932) 6th Baron Raglan David Robert Somerset (1928–2017) 11th Duke of Beaufort, 13th Marquess of Worcester, 17th Earl of Worcester John Michael Edward Seymour (b. 1952) 19th Duke of Somerset Henry (Harry) Jocelyn Seymour (b. 1958) 9th Marquess of Hertford, 9th Earl of Hertford, 9th Viscount Beauchamp, 10th Baron Conway Thomas Edward Coke (b. 1965) 8th Earl of Leicester, 8th Viscount Coke Arthur Geoffrey Somerset (1960–2012) Henry John FitzRoy Somerset (b. 1952) 12th Duke of Beaufort, 14th Marquess of Worcester, 18th Earl of Worcester Sebastian Edward Seymour (b. 1982) styled Lord Seymour William Francis Seymour (b. 1993) styled Earl of Yarmouth Edward Horatio Coke (b. 2003) styled Viscount Coke Inigo Arthur Fitzroy Somerset (b. 2004) Henry Robert FitzRoy Somerset (b. 1989) styled Marquess of Worcester Heir apparent to the Dukedom of Somerset Heir apparent to the Marquessage of Hertford Heir apparent to the Earldom of Leicester Heir apparent to the Raglan Barony Heir apparent to the Dukedom of Beaufort

References

1. "Fitzroy". Dictionary of American family names. Retrieved 30 May 2023. Anglo-Norman French patronymic from fi(t)z 'son' (see Fitz) + Roy 'king son of the king'. It is usually taken to imply that the original bearer was a bastard son of the king...
2. Hutchinson, Robert, House of Treason: Rise and Fall of a Tudor Dynasty (London, 2009), pg. 58.
3. Hutchinson, Robert (2012). "Dramatis Personae". Young Henry: The Rise of Henry VIII. Macmillan. p. 262. 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. Weir, Alison (2000). The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Grove Press. 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. Elton, Geoffrey Rudolph (1991). England under the Tudors, Volume 4. Routledge. 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. I.e. Mary and Elizabeth, Henry VIII's daughters.

Works cited

• Everett Green, Mary Anne (1852). Lives of the Princesses of England. Vol. 3. London: Longman, Brown, Green, Longman and Robers. pp. 1–14.
• Panton, James (2011). Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-810-87497-8.
• Weir, Alison (2011). Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy. Random House. ISBN 978-1-446-44911-0.

External links

 

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• About Henry Fitzroy

Political offices
Preceded by The Duke of Norfolk	Lord High Admiral 1525–1536	Succeeded by The Earl of Southampton
Preceded by The Earl of Ossory as Lord Deputy	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1529–1534	Succeeded by Sir William Skeffington as Lord Deputy
Preceded by The Viscount Rochford	Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports 1536	Succeeded by Sir Thomas Cheney