Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter, (''née'' Blount ; c.1499/1502 – 25 September 1558) was an English Marchioness, married to Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter and a member of the court of

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. She was a godmother to the future

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

Life

Gertrude was the daughter of

William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy (8 November 1534), KG, of Barton Blount, Derbyshire, was an extremely influential English courtier, a respected humanistic scholar and patron of learning. He was one of the most influential and perhaps the we ...

Katherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533. She was previously P ...

's chamberlain, and his first wife Elisabeth Saye; she may have had a sister, Mary, who married

Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

and died in 1555. One of her step-mothers was Inez de Venegas, one of Catherine of Aragon's original Spanish ladies-in-waiting. She married in 1519. Her spouse Henry Courtenay was a close friend of Henry VIII's, having "been brought up of a child with his grace in his chamber." She was one of Queen Catherine of Aragon's attendants at the

Field of the Cloth of Gold The Field of the Cloth of Gold (french: Camp du Drap d'Or, ) was a summit meeting between King Henry VIII of England and King Francis I of France from 7 to 24 June 1520. Held at Balinghem, between Ardres in France and Guînes in the English ...

in 1520. In 1533,

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

gave birth to a baby girl. Princess Elizabeth was

baptised Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

, and Gertrude, a close friend of Katherine of Aragon's, was chosen as the godmother at the confirmation, which was performed immediately after the baptism. Apparently, it was well known that Gertrude "really wanted to have nothing to do with this" but agreed "so as not to displease the King". As this was such a public spectacle—and as a godparent was expected to provide an extremely expensive present—historian Eric Ives has concluded that the decision to appoint Gertrude to this role was malicious. In October 1537, Gertrude represented Princess Mary at the pre-funeral ceremonies for Queen

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (c. 150824 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII of England from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne ...

at Hampton Court Palace. Gertrude was imprisoned with her husband, Henry Courtenay, and their son, Edward, in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

following the discovery of the supposed

Exeter Conspiracy The Exeter Conspiracy in 1538 was a supposed attempt to overthrow Henry VIII, who had taken control of the Church of England away from the Pope, and replace him with Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, who was a first cousin of the King. C ...

in 1538. Widowed when Henry was executed, Gertrude and her son were attainted and remained in prison. In 1540, she was released from the Tower. A personal friend of queen Mary I of England, Gertrude attended court during her reign.

References

* Cooper, J. P. D. "Courtenay, Gertrude, marchioness of Exeter (d. 1558)." ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Oxford University Press 2004. Online Edition January 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Exeter, Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness Of English marchionesses Daughters of barons 16th-century English women Gertrude Gertrude 1558 deaths Year of birth uncertain Prisoners in the Tower of London