Henry, Duke of Cornwall (1 January 1511 – 22 February 1511) was the first living child of King

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 known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

and his first wife,

Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon (also spelt as Katherine, historical Spanish: , now: ; 16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England as the Wives of Henry VIII, first wife of King Henry VIII from their marr ...

, and though his birth was celebrated as that of the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

, he died within weeks. His death and the failure of Henry VIII and Catherine to produce another surviving male heir led to succession and marriage crises that affected the relationship between the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, giving rise to the

English Reformation The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...

Birth and christening

Henry was born on 1 January 1511 at

Richmond Palace Richmond Palace was a Tudor royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminste ...

, the first live-born child of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, born eighteen months after their wedding and coronation. Catherine had previously given birth to a stillborn daughter, on 31 January 1510. He was christened on 5 January in a lavish ceremony where beacons were lit in his honour. The christening gifts included a fine gold salt holder and cup weighing a total , given by

Louis XII Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), also known as Louis of Orléans was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples (as Louis III) from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Marie of Cleves, he succeeded his second ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, his godfather. His godmother was

Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy Margaret of Austria (; ; ; ; 10 January 1480 – 1 December 1530) was Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands from 1507 to 1515 and again from 1519 until her death in 1530. She was the first of many female regents in the Netherlands. She was vario ...

. Appearing as proxy for the French King was Richard Foxe, Bishop of Winchester, while the proxy for the Duchess of Savoy was Lady Anne Howard, daughter of Edward IV and the King's maternal aunt.

Celebrations and the Great Tournament

Henry VIII and his queen planned extravagant celebrations rivalling that of their joint

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

for the birth of their son, who automatically became

Duke of Cornwall Duke of Cornwall () is a title in the Peerage of England, traditionally held by the eldest son of the reigning Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarch, previously the English monarch. The Duchy of Cornwall was the first duchy created i ...

and

to the English throne, and was expected to become

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

, and third king of the

House of Tudor The House of Tudor ( ) was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of Kingdom of England, England from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs ruled ...

. The most lavish tournament of Henry's reign was held at

Westminster Palace The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the ...

on the 12 and 13 February 1511. The illuminated manuscript challenge survives, signed by the main participants. The events of the second day were memorialised by a long illuminated vellum roll, known as The Westminster Tournament Roll. The roll is now to be found in the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional Officer of Arms, officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the ...

collection, and its depictions include the trumpeter John Blanke. Jousting at

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

took place on a tournament ground, or tiltyard, located just beyond the north door of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

. The 1511 event cost around £4,400 (). The roll depicts the procession to the "lists", Henry VIII tilting with a grandstand or viewing gallery of spectatators, and the exit procession. The chronicle writer Edward Hall described the pageants and

masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...

s. Fabrics and costume featured the royal initials, "H" and "K". The theme of the event, as was customary, was a fictional invitation or challenge. Queen Noble Renown of Coeur Noble had heard news of the birth of the English prince. She sent her four best knights to Westminster; Coeur Loyall (played by Henry VIII), Valiant Desire ( Thomas Knyvett), Bone Voloyr (Good Will, William Courtenay), and Joyous Panser (Joyful Thought, Edward Neville). Charles Brandon led the challengers. The pageants on the first day included a castle in a forest drawn into the tiltyard by a lion and an antelope led by wildmen. The four knights of Queen Noble Renown emerged from the castle to salute Catherine of Aragon.

Death

The Duke of Cornwall died on 22 February 1511, aged 52 days, at Richmond Palace, and was buried in

. Henry VIII gave Elizabeth Poyntz, his nurse, a pension of £20 () for life. Her identity is uncertain, and it has been suggested that she was a member of the Poyntz family of Iron Acton, possibly Elizabeth, daughter of William Huddesfield, the first wife of Anthony Poyntz, or a woman of an earlier generation. Maria Hayward, ''Dress at the court of Henry VIII'' (Maney, 2007), p. 199: Amy Licence, ''The Six Wives & Many Mistresses of Henry VIII: The Women’s Stories'' (Amberley, 2014): John Maclean
''Historical and genealogical memoir of the family of Poyntz'' (Exeter, 1886), p. 95
/ref>

References

, - {{authority control English heirs apparent who never acceded English people of Welsh descent Dukes of Cornwall 1511 births 1511 deaths Burials at Westminster Abbey 16th-century English nobility House of Tudor Children of Henry VIII English royalty who died as children Sons of kings English princes