Children of Henry VIII

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Henry VIII of England had several children. The best-known are the three legitimate children who survived Henry and succeeded him as monarchs of England successively, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

His first two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, had several pregnancies that ended in stillbirth, miscarriage, or death in infancy. Henry acknowledged one illegitimate child, Henry FitzRoy, as his own, but is suspected to have fathered several illegitimate children by different mistresses.[1] The number and identity of these is a matter of historical debate.

There are many theories about whether Henry VIII had fertility difficulties.[2] His last three wives, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr are not known to have conceived by him, although Parr conceived in her next marriage.[3]

Legitimate children

Known children of Henry VIII of England
Name Birth Death Notes
By Catherine of Aragon (married Palace of Placentia 11 June 1509; annulled 23 May 1533)
Unnamed daughter
31 January 1510
stillborn
Henry, Duke of Cornwall
1 January 1511
22 February 1511
died aged almost two months
Henry, Duke of Cornwall
17 September 1513
either stillborn or died shortly after birth[4]
Henry, Duke of Cornwall
8 January 1515
stillborn
Queen Mary I
18 February 1516
17 November 1558
married Philip II of Spain in 1554; no issue
Unnamed daughter
10 November 1518
stillbirth in the 8th month of pregnancy[5] or lived at least one week
By Anne Boleyn (married Westminster Abbey 25 January 1533; annulled 17 May 1536) beheaded on 19 May 1536
Queen Elizabeth I
7 September 1533
24 March 1603
never married; no issue
Unnamed son
August / September 1534
miscarriage
Unnamed son
29 January 1536
miscarriage of a child, believed male, in the fourth month of pregnancy[6]
By Jane Seymour (married Palace of Whitehall 30 May 1536) died 24 October 1537
King Edward VI
12 October 1537
6 July 1553
unmarried; no issue

Illegitimate children

Henry VIII of England had one acknowledged illegitimate child, as well as several others who are suspected to be his, by his mistresses.

He acknowledged Henry Fitzroy (15 June 1519 – 23 July 1536), the son of his mistress Elizabeth Blount, and gave him a dukedom.

Others suspected of being his include:

Fictional portrayals

See also

References

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  2. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7918883
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  4. The Pregnancies of Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon in: theanneboleynfiles.com [retrieved 17 April 2016].
  5. Starkey 2003, p. 160
  6. Starkey 2003, p. 553
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Further reading

  • The Children of Henry VIII by John Guy (Oxford UP, 2013 ISBN 978-0-19-284090-5)
  • Children Of England: The Heirs of King Henry VIII 1547-1558 by Alison Weir (Jonathan Cape, 1996; Vintage, 2008 ISBN 9780099532675)
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