Henry the VIII
Henry Tudor, King of England, was born June 28, 1491 to King Henry VII and Elizabeth York. He was born in Greenwich Palace, Greenwich London, England. Of his six siblings, only three survived, they were; Arthur, Margaret, and Mary.
The official website of the British Monarchy describes young Henry like this… “In his youth he was athletic and highly intelligent. A contemporary observer described him thus: 'he speaks good French, Latin and Spanish; is very religious; heard three masses daily when he hunted ... He is extremely fond of hunting, and never takes that diversion without tiring eight or ten horses ... He is also fond of tennis. Henry's scholarly interests included writing both books and music, and he was a lavish patron of the arts. He was an accomplished player of many instruments and a composer. Greensleeves, the popular melody frequently attributed to him is, however, almost certainly not one of his compositions.” (The Tudors, 2009).
The official website of the British Monarchy describes young Henry like this… “In his youth he was athletic and highly intelligent. A contemporary observer described him thus: 'he speaks good French, Latin and Spanish; is very religious; heard three masses daily when he hunted ... He is extremely fond of hunting, and never takes that diversion without tiring eight or ten horses ... He is also fond of tennis. Henry's scholarly interests included writing both books and music, and he was a lavish patron of the arts. He was an accomplished player of many instruments and a composer. Greensleeves, the popular melody frequently attributed to him is, however, almost certainly not one of his compositions.” (The Tudors, 2009).
HIS SIBLINGS
Arthur Tudor, Prince of Whales, was born September 20, 1486, in Winchester. Being the eldest son, he would be heir to the throne. “At the age of three, Arthur was appointed Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester. Age five, Arthur became a Knight of the Garter” (Trueman, 2013). King Ferdinand, of Spain, and King Henry VII of England had been in talks of a treaty for many years which encompassed the betrothal to Catherine of Aragon, but it was not until 1499, that the marriage was finally agreed to. The two married in old St. Paul's Cathedral in London on November 14th, 1501. Arthur and Catherine lived in Ludlow Castle, Ludlow, England. Arthur died 6 months later on April 2, 1502, at Ludlow Castle. His untimely death at age 15, produced Henry VIII, as heir to the throne at age 10. Arthur was buried in Worcester Cathedral.
Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scotland, was born November 28, 1489 at Westminster Palace. She was married to James IV of Scotland on August 8, 1503 at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland.
“Margaret’s first pregnancy was in 1506 and she gave birth to a son, James, in February 1507 who lived about a year. Margaret next gave birth to a daughter in July 1508 who only survived for a few hours. In 1509, Margaret’s father died and her brother was now Henry VIII, the new king of England. Early in that year Margaret became pregnant once again and gave birth to another son, this one named Arthur, in October. However, this child also died at a young age, only nine months old. Margaret’s next child was born on April 11, 1512 at Lithingow and named James. This child, unlike all those before him, lived to adulthood and at little over a year old he was to succeed his father as James V. The Queen became pregnant yet again shortly afterwards and gave birth to another daughter, who died a few hours later.” (Eakins, 2014)
She married twice more to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus August 6, 1514 and to Henry Stewart, Lord Methven in 1528. Shortly after, she died on October 18, 1541 at Methven Castle, Scotland and she was buried at Carthusian Abbey of St. John's, Perth, Scotland.
“Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Duchess of Suffolk (lived 18 March 1496 – 25 June 1533) Mary was the youngest surviving daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. In October, 1514 she was married to Louis XII of France. Following his death in 1515, she married Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Their granddaughter was Lady Jane Grey.” (Royal Burial, 2014)
“Mary died at Westhorpe Hall, Westhorpe, Suffolk on 25 June 1533. Her remains were buried at the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds. The Abbey was destroyed in 1539 and Mary’s remains were reburied in the crypt at St. Mary’s Church, Bury St. Edmunds. The original grave slab survives and is in the sanctuary near the altar. There is also a later inscription and insignia on the wall and a marble kerb given by Edward VII. In the Lady Chapel, there is a stained glass window given by Queen Victoria which depicts Mary’ life.” (Royal Burial, 2014)
“Mary died at Westhorpe Hall, Westhorpe, Suffolk on 25 June 1533. Her remains were buried at the Benedictine Abbey of Bury St. Edmunds. The Abbey was destroyed in 1539 and Mary’s remains were reburied in the crypt at St. Mary’s Church, Bury St. Edmunds. The original grave slab survives and is in the sanctuary near the altar. There is also a later inscription and insignia on the wall and a marble kerb given by Edward VII. In the Lady Chapel, there is a stained glass window given by Queen Victoria which depicts Mary’ life.” (Royal Burial, 2014)