ENGLISH ROYALTY
Richard III
(1452 – 85). Eighth and youngest child of Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, who was killed at Battle of Wakefield, 30 December 1460. Created Duke of Gloucester at age of eight. In 1472 he married the Prince of Wales’ widow, Anne, younger daughter of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, ‘the Kingmaker’. Edward IV died on 9 April 1483 and Richard was appointed Lord Protector to the heir to the throne, twelve-year-old Edward V, who disappeared after entering the Tower of London with his younger brother Richard, Duke of York. Seized power and was crowned 6 July 1483 in Westminster Abbey. His army was defeated and he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485 by invading forces commanded by
Henry VII
. Richard was the last reigning English monarch to be killed in battle.
Henry VII
(1457 – 1509). Born to
Margaret Beaufort
, wife of Edmund Tudor, First Earl of Richmond, who died from the plague three months before in Carmarthen Castle, south Wales, where he was imprisoned by Yorkists. Exiled in 1471 after the defeat of the Lancastrian cause in the Wars of the Roses and spent fourteen years under the protection of Francis II, Duke of Brittany. Snatched the throne of England after his defeat of
Richard III
at Bosworth, 22 August 1485. Crowned as first Tudor monarch at Westminster that October and married
Elizabeth of York
, daughter of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, in 1486.
Lady Margaret Beaufort
,
Countess of Richmond
(1443 – 1509). Daughter of John Beaufort, First Duke of Somerset. She was aged twelve when she married Edmund Tudor, First Earl of Richmond on 1 November 1455. She gave birth to their only child, later
Henry VII
, on 28 January 1457, three months after the death of her husband whilst incarcerated. On 3 January 1462 Margaret married her cousin, Henry Stafford, son of Humphrey Stafford, First Duke of Buckingham, who had died in 1471. In June 1473 she married for the third time to Thomas Stanley, Second Baron Stanley, who with his brother
William
, decisively changed sides at Bosworth to hand victory to
Henry VII
. Now known as ‘the King’s Mother’, Margaret was not only was the richest woman in England but also one of the most pious. In 1499, after securing her husband’s
permission, she took a vow of chastity and lived apart from Stanley. In 1505 she refounded the impoverished Godshouse in Cambridge as Christ’s College and six years later her executors founded St John’s College in the same university. After being regent to
Henry VIII
for a few weeks after his accession, she died at Westminster on 29 June 1509.
Elizabeth of York
(1466 – 1503). Eldest child of Edward IV (died 1483) and his queen Elizabeth Woodville. This marriage was declared invalid by Richard III’s
Titulus Regius
in 1483, making the couple’s children illegitimate and ineligible for the succession to the crown. After
Henry VII
snatched the throne at Bosworth, the
Titulus Regius
was repealed and he married Elizabeth on 18 January 1486. She was crowned queen consort on 25 November 1487. The couple had eight children:
Arthur
, Prince of Wales; a boy reputedly named Edward who died shortly after birth;
Margaret
, later queen consort of Scotland; Henry, later
Henry VIII;
Elizabeth (died 1495);
Mary
, later queen consort of France; Edmund, Duke of Somerset (died 1500) and Katherine (died a few days after her birth, 1503). Elizabeth herself died after delivering her last child.
Arthur Tudor
,
Prince of Wales
(1486 – 1502). First child of
Henry VII
and
Elizabeth of York
, born a month prematurely at Winchester. Created Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester at the age of three. Married
Katherine of Aragon
on 14 November 1501 in St Paul’s Cathedral and the couple moved to Ludlow Castle, Shropshire in Arthur’s role as Prince of Wales and president of the Council of Wales and the Marches. Died, probably of tuberculosis, on 2 April 1502 and buried in Worcester Cathedral.
Henry VIII
(1491 – 1547): Second son of
Henry VII
and
Elizabeth of York
. After his father’s death, his accession to the throne was proclaimed on 24 April 1509. Only a daughter,
Princess Mary
, survived as issue of his marriage with
Katherine of Aragon
, whom he sought to divorce because of his claim that their union was against the law of God and the church. At least one illegitimate child:
Henry Fitzroy
, born to Henry’s mistress,
Elizabeth Blount
on 15 June 1519. Awarded the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ by Pope Leo X but later became Supreme Head of the Church of England after his break with Rome. Married his mistress
Anne Boleyn
who was beheaded for adultery and incest (one child –
Elizabeth
); Jane Seymour (one child –
Edward
) and Catherine Howard (beheaded), Anne of Cleves (annulled) and Katherine Parr who outlived him.
Katherine of Aragon
(1485 – 1536). Henry’s first queen. Youngest surviving child of
Ferdinand of Aragon
and
Isabella of Castile
and aunt to
Charles V
of Spain, the Holy Roman Emperor. Married Henry’s elder brother,
Arthur
, on 14 November 1501 but left a widow after his death on 2 April 1502. Married Henry on 11 June 1509 and had six pregnancies but only
Princess Mary
survived birth.
Died at Kimbolton Castle, Huntingdonshire, of cancer of the heart, 7 January 1536.
Anne Boleyn
(
c
.1501 – 36) second daughter of Sir Thomas Boleyn, Earl of Wiltshire and Ormond and second wife of
Henry VIII
, secretly marrying the king on 25 January 1533. Gave birth to
Elizabeth
, her only child, on 7 September 1533 at Greenwich. Arrested on charges of adultery and incest and executed at the Tower, 19 May 1536.
Princess Mary
, later Queen Mary I (1516 – 58). Only surviving child of
Henry VIII
and his first wife
Katherine of Aragon
. Proclaimed queen on 19 July 1553. Re-introduced Catholicism to England. Married Philip, son of
Charles V
of Spain at Winchester, 25 July 1554. Died, childless, from ovarian or stomach cancer, St James’ Palace, London, 17 November 1558.
Princess Elizabeth
, later Elizabeth I (1533 – 1603). Daughter of
Henry VIII
and his second wife
Anne Boleyn
. Succeeded
Mary I
as queen 17 November 1558. Secured Protestantism as state religion. Died, unmarried, from pneumonia and dental sepsis, Richmond, 24 March 1603.
Prince Edward
later Edward VI (1537 – 53). Legitimate son of
Henry VIII
and his third wife Jane Seymour. Proclaimed king 31 January 1547 at the Tower of London. Died of tuberculosis, complicated by measles and sundry unorthodox medicines, Greenwich Palace, 6 July 1553.
Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond
(1519 – 36). Bastard son of
Henry VIII
and
Elizabeth Blount
, a maid of honour to
Katherine of Aragon
. Created Duke of Richmond at Bridewell on 18 June 1525. Under care of Thomas Howard, Third Duke of Norfolk. Married, on 26 November 1533, Mary Howard, daughter of Norfolk. Died 23 July 1536 of a pulmonary infection. The marriage was never consummated.
Margaret Tudor
, queen consort of Scotland (1489 – 1541). Elder daughter of
Henry VII
and
Elizabeth of York
. Married
James IV
of Scotland in Edinburgh on 8 August 1503 and was crowned in March 1504. In 1512 she gave birth to a son who succeeded as James V after his father was killed at Flodden in 1513. The following year, Margaret bore a posthumous son, Alexander, Duke of Ross, who died in 1515. She married Archibald Douglas, Sixth Earl of Angus, on 6 August 1514 and lost the regency and guardianship of her sons by James IV. After divorcing Douglas in 1527, Margaret married Henry Stewart, created Lord Methven, and died at Methven Castle on 18 October 1541.
Mary Tudor
, queen consort of France (1496 – 1533). Second daughter of
Henry VII
and
Elizabeth of York
and
Henry VIII
’s younger sister. In 1508 she was betrothed to Charles of Castile, afterwards
Charles V
but the marriage plans
were scrapped and instead, she married the aging
Louis XII
of France on 9 October 1514 and was crowned queen of France in November. He died on 1 January 1515 and Mary secretly married
Charles Brandon
, Duke of Suffolk, much to
Henry VIII
’s anger. After the couple agreed to pay back Mary’s dowry and hand over her plate and jewels, the king’s indignation was mollified and their marriage was publicly solemnised at Greenwich in May 1515. They had four children: Henry, who died young; Frances, later the wife of Henry Grey, Marquis of Northampton and mother of Lady Jane Grey, Eleanor, and a second son, also called Henry who died about the age of twelve. Mary died at Westhorpe, Suffolk and was buried in the abbey at Bury St Edmund’s but after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, her body was moved into the parish church there.