The short life of PRINCE HENRY TUDOR Duke of Cornwall | Son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

He was the BOY WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN KING Henry IX, but tragically it wasn’t to be. This is the story of the short life of Prince Henry Tudor, Duke of Cornwall, firstborn son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, whose death changed history.
This New Year’s Day Prince was born on 1 January 1511 at Richmond Palace much to the delight of his parents, who had already lost one child the year before. With his arrival, the position of his mother, the Spanish Princess, Catherine of Aragon, as Queen of England should have been secure and like his uncle, Arthur Tudor, over thirty years earlier, this boy seemed to represent stability for the Tudor dynasty. It now had that all important male heir to the throne and with King Henry VIII still only a teenager himself, it seemed certain there would be time for little Prince Henry to grow up before becoming King.
The baby was of course given a christening fit for royalty, with William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury, Louis XII of France and Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy as his godparents. He was then quickly set up with his own household numbering over forty people. There was also a lavish tournament to mark his birth and this was commemorated in the Westminster Roll. Yet just seven and a half weeks after his arrival, on 22 February, the little Tudor prince was dead. There hadn’t even been time to make him Prince of Wales. He was buried in Westminster Abbey after a grand funeral and ever since he has represented to history what might have been for the Tudors.
In this Tudor history documentary from History Calling we look at the brief life of Prince Henry, one of the shortest-lived Tudors and at how, despite his short time here on earth, he has nevertheless made his mark.
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[@HistoryCalling]

Let me know below if you have any questions or comments regarding the life of Prince Henry and don’t forget to check out my Patreon at www.patreon.com/historycalling and my Amazon storefront at www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling

[@adoxartist1258]

Thanks for another excellent and very interesting video! I always wonder what happened to the gifts after Henry IX died, those given to him as well as those given to the midwife, servants, and townsfolk who helped with the pregnancy, delivery, and care of the infant. Was it expected that the gifts be returned, or were they given and considered property of the recipient? Thanks! And happy new year!

[@HistoryCalling]

Ah, now that's an interesting question. I imagine most of them were kept, but that's because I imagine Henry VIII as rather grasping.

[@lilibug.]

I think the word you couldn't make out is "flocked" this is a textile term which was well established as a textile process by this time. In this context it could be plant matter or other stuff glued onto the fabric.@@HistoryCalling

[@rogerfielding1117]

Henry 9th is a misnomer, each King is asked by what name they will reign we can never know what name the Duke of Cornwall would have chosen

[@lizzdoe2821]

What would typically happen to the wet nurses and those who cared for babies in such high status that passed away..? So heartbreaking..

[@kimberlybates6261]

I always felt so bad for Queen Catherine of Aragon she just went through so much. She was a true Queen.

[@markmode2568]

Catherine was a real lady and a Queen.

[@user-fq8rs7rz3i]

But her daughter Mary was a nightmare, worse than her father Henry viii. So glad that the Tudor line ended. Elizabeth I knew what she was doing by not getting married. Good for her.

[@bethwilliams4903]

Quite unfair to the grandfather, Henry of Richmond. How could Mary ever outdo his mania for retribution, even against a child, a prisoner held in solitary confinement for 14 years, since he was 10 years old. But if we are speaking of heinous torture, and such, Mary’s father, he holds the record as the only English king to rack and then burn to death a woman (Anne Askew, sorry, no BBC series for this Anne). Her crime was being an authentic Protestant, unlike Henry’s grotesque grifter pretense of his new religious edicts. She also refused to reveal names of any of her companions, even after being racked to the point that she had to be tied to a chair, and then brought out to her execution to be burned alive. But that’s just one of Henry’s hundred’s of executions of family, Court, and sundry wives who annoyed the great man. One thing to consider concerning the ‘Tudor’ infertility may be that Henry of Richmond’s parents were first cousins, both Beauforts.

[@pamelamorgan7354]

She lost 7 childbearing years waiting for Henry to age enough to marry her.

[@graceneilitz7661]

@@pamelamorgan7354 Henry married her when he was 18. Had Henry the seventh been willing, the future Henry the eighth could have married her when he was 14 (at the absolute earliest).

[@tjhorsegirl]

The fact that Henry and Katherine had a son, even briefly, is overlooked so many times. 😢

[@abigailgarcia3090]

Yes, true, I never knew this! Of course im also not a historian or anything but I was obsessed with the Tudors in Middle school lol

[@brandy75]

@@abigailgarcia3090 obsessed yet never knew this?

[@brandy75]

@@abigailgarcia3090 ….No. There isn’t a problem. It seems you want to take it as such though. Just saying that for someone who was so “obsessed” you didn’t seem to take the time to learn much.

[@abigailgarcia3090]

@@brandy75 Because I literally said im no historian and I was in Middle School, 12-13 years old before internet was available at our fingertips and with was available in my school library, knew they had children no one mentions he lived that long. The person who wrote the original comment literally says how its overlooked. You dont seem to understand much, reading comprehension must not be your strength.

[@brandy75]

@@abigailgarcia3090 .....The original poster's comment had literally nothing to do with my comment to you. So I'm not sure why you're making an issue there. And yes, I did understand when you said you weren't a historian and that you were in middle school. Where you seem to be lacking in your understanding is the fact I was only pointing out the word "obsessed" that you used. Maybe if you understood the definition of that word better you would see why I brought it up. People tend to use words now a days that don't really reflect the way they're using it. Which seems to be in your case. You're the one who took it personally. You could have just as easily came back with a response where you said you may have used the word loosely. Or said at that time that you didn’t have internet. But you didn’t, Instead you got butt hurt about it and replied to me asking if there was a problem, which right now I see that at least on my end has been deleted. When I further tried explaining to you why I said what I said you came back at me insulting my reading comprehension when it’s you that clearly has missed the point. Good day.

[@turtleshellhomeschool]

As a mother who has lost a baby, I find this very comforting that this little ones short life is remembered ❤ Thank you xx

[@Thefruitspeaks]

My heart goes out to you. I lost one son 21 years ago and another 6 years later. While I had daughters in between, and I thank every power that could be for letting me watch them grow up, that grief still lingers in a part of our hearts. To remember them, though, is to keep them alive. I wish everyone going through grief all of the peace, love, and strength in the world. The smallest coffins and urns are the heaviest ones to carry. ❤

[@Justsomelemurwithinternet]

Sorry for ur loss

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

​@@Thefruitspeaks Your comment moved me nearly to tears. My heart goes out to you and all those parents who have outlived their children.

[@Kari_B61ex]

Fascinating how the early death of one dear little baby changed our history.

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. I suppose of course that there were other children whose deaths were equally important (Henry's little brothers by Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn spring to mind and someone else mentioned Princess Charlotte and her baby), but I suspect in a lot of cases the lack of a male royal heir wouldn't have led to the total carnage that the loss of this boy ultimately did.

[@SurferJoe1]

@@HistoryCalling The utter madness of the human race...

[@baylorsailor]

And if Henry VIII's own brother hadn't died, that would have been a different future indeed.

[@user-fq8rs7rz3i]

@@HistoryCalling Carnage is right. But glad the Tudor line came to an end with Elizabeth 1. In your opinion, why do you think she never married?

[@helene4397]

​@@HistoryCalling what about those two Princes of the Tower?

[@macgyversmacbook1861]

Imagine if little Henry survived, Katherine wouldn’t have died alone and torn not only from her daughter but her deserved title and status

[@maryduhon9769]

Elizabeth was meant to be queen

[@monicacall7532]

Can you imagine how different English history would be if little Henry (IX) had lived. No English Reformation (or at least it would have happened later on); no reigns of Edward VI, Mary I or Elizabeth I; no first reigning queen regnant (Mary I); no Bibles in English until later on; no mass slaughter of wives and anyone else who upset Henry; a close and loving family for Henry rather than fractured relationships with his 6 wives and 3 children all born to different mothers, much less religious persecution, the possibility that the Dissolution of the Monasteries would never have happened and so much more. I’m an American and can also see how my own country’s history would’ve been very different if baby Henry had lived to reign after his father. It’s amazing how one seemingly tiny event (in the context of what was happening in Europe and elsewhere and not the tragic fact that infant mortality rates were extremely high at that time and had nothing to do with whether or or not babies were born into wealthy or poor families) could so quickly and, dare I say it, brutally change the course of history!

[@macgyversmacbook1861]

I wonder how different my family would be, I’m a granddaughter of Elizabeth Tudor’s advisor William Cecil, who only gained power around the time she ascended to the throne

[@lazygardens]

This would make a good "alternate history" novel, especially if you wrote it so all of Catherine's children lived.

[@annp.whitaker4091]

​@@lazygardens- What a brilliant idea - with a movie to follow - love it.

[@mariahoulihan9483]

its too simplistic to think the Reformation only happened, as you seem to imply, because of Henry VIII divorcing Katherine of Aragon and marrying Ann. Much more was at play there.

[@catherineball5071]

Poor old Catherine of Aragorn. Easily my favourite wife. She suffered so much and was so wronged but never lost her regal composure. Shes hanging on my Christmas tree amongst my children's decorations, because of my love for her ❤😊

[@tatata1543]

Bit weird tbh.

[@Lily_of_the_Forest]

That is a beautiful tribute to her.

[@Lily_of_the_Forest]

@@tatata1543Yo Mama said the same about you.

[@tatata1543]

@@Lily_of_the_Forest Also weird.

[@finamac698]

I like the Aragorn title 😊

[@sweethistortea]

The death of the possible Henry IX reminds me of the death of Charlotte, Princess of Wales. Not only were the losses heavy for the family, but heavy on the entire nation and a scramble to produce heirs began. The deaths also led to the births of two historic women monarchs being Elizabeth I and Victoria.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, that's very true. They have that in common. In fact Charlotte's baby was a boy, so we could compare those two princes as well.

[@user-oj7bn5fq4m]

Caroline and Catherine also share many similarities as well.

[@rachelschenck9761]

You mean Charles?

[@tessat338]

@@rachelschenck9761 Charlotte was the daughter of the Prince of Wales, later George IV. She was her father's only legitimate child and was his heir. She was married to Prince Leopold, later King of Belgium. Her death and that of her stillborn son in 1817 led George III's other sons to leave their mistresses, to get married and then to race to produce children. The winner was Edward, Duke of Kent, whose wife, Victoria, produced Alexandrina Victoria, later Queen Victoria.

[@Pulchria24]

@@rachelschenck9761 Charlotte PrinCESS of Wales.

[@okiejammer2736]

Thank you for highlighting this sad episode. Henry the VIII being 'Wild with joy' is simply a wonderful visual, he and Katherine of Aragon sharing their bliss. The calm before the .. well, you know. SO well done! Thanks so much.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. Yes, this little boy obviously doesn't get much attention paid to him, but that tournament in his honour was really something else and his household was huge.

[@user-om9ht2it4f]

Thank you so much for sharing!! I somewhat recently found your channel and I absolutely love your content!! I have ALWAYS loved history and so much to the point I excelled at history all throughout school. I love British history and funnily enough I'm Irish,Swede, and Cherokee and I live in the U.S. in the south!! LOL I don't know if I have any family descending from England..but it would be awesome to me if I did. I only know that I'm Irish, Swede, and Cherokee on my Mom's side. I don't know my biological Dad. so I don't know what I got from him. I love Tudor history and would love to visit England and Hever castle someday if I could afford it. I'm a big Anne Boleyn fan, so I'd k love to visit her childhood home..and I'd love to dress up in Tudor dress 😍😍 plus England is soo beautiful!! Keep up the wonderful work I do thoroughly enjoy it!! Hope you had a good Christmas!!🎄❤️🥰✨

[@annp.whitaker4091]

If you ever do go to Hever try and go in May. The gardens are awesome then. Do go into the chapel by the graveyard and see the tomb of Thomas Boleyn. I hope you make it.

[@elisabethhopson5639]

The sudden death of any baby is sad, but for a prince born to be King is dreadful. History is so easily changed. 💔

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, this little boy's fate really changed history.

[@talex1625]

The sudden death of any baby is dreadful!

[@louwinters508]

​@@HistoryCalling I think it was a curse. Because all of Henry's male children died young. Even his bastards. Infact all his nephews died aswell and great nephews. The only great nephew left was on the side that he wanted out of his sucession his sister Margaret's grandson or great grandson James.

[@csh43166]

The infant (and mother) mortality rate during past times is so very sad. A baby boy, with no idea as to who and what he was to become, born to elated parents and loved beyond measure, then gone. They must have been broken hearted, regardless of outward appearances. Great video - thank you, HC. Wishing you and yours a wonderful 2024 - can't wait to see what you bring us!

[@baylorsailor]

I often wonder about how different history and the future would have been if Henry's own brother Arthur didn't die. We will never know.

[@JunoBeachGirl_]

Imagine if God forbid William died before having a child with Catherine and Harry had still married Meghan? Those two would have been on the throne! Makes your blood run cold does it not?!?

[@UnicornsPoopRainbows]

​@@JunoBeachGirl_ Not even comparable. The current British monarchy is mainly for tourism and a figurehead without much political power. It would pretty much be the same as it is now with Charles and Camilla on the throne. The hate I see people spew online about any of the current royal members is insane. Only one has ties to anything extremely immoral. Harry is just unfortunate enough to be the spare. The media, and palace, has a history of demonizing the spare to make the heir look better and to keep public support from favoring the spare. In the past it made sense to prevent civil wars over the throne but nowadays, it's just to get people to click and wag their tongues. If something were to happen to the line of succession and Harry and Meghan were next in line, the media and palace would do a 180 and sing their praises to garner public support.

[@user-gz3pj5np6h]

Soo queen Elizabeth 2 wouldn't of been the queen if that the case 🤷

[@Goodiesfanful]

Also, how would the course of history have changed if Catherine had become pregnant by Arthur? Given the track history of Catherine's pregnancies later on, the child might not have survived, but you never know. Anyway, nobody would have doubted the marriage was consummated. If the marriage had been consummated, I wonder it didn't result in pregnancy. Maybe Arthur couldn't go all the way or was sterile? Catherine's pregnancies by Henry showed she was fertile; she just had a lot of trouble producing a living child.

[@IMAMONGUS]

The books I've read gloss over this event but it seems so incredibly significant, for Henry and Katherine of course, but also for history.

[@Shane-Flanagan]

"He was the boy who should've been King Henry IX" 👑 👶 That sums up the very short life of little baby Henry (RIP) 🙏 🕊️

[@annmoore6678]

Such a poignant story about the New Year's prince who never grew up to be king. You told it beautifully, bringing the entire pageant alive, from the celebrations to the sorrowful burial ceremony. Life was so perilous for children in the 16th century. Who knows what might have happened to the Tudors with a different roll of the cosmic dice?

[@renatewest6366]

The same for death of Prince Henry, heir to James 1.

[@stephencarrillo5905]

The grief of Henry's royal parents is made clear in your video, HC. Did Catherine ever share her grief in correspondence in the years following her son's death? It feels as if it cast a shadow over her life especially when Henry's later actions are taken into account. She comes across as a woman of real fortitude. Great job as always, HC! Happy New Year. 🙏🏼

[@HistoryCalling]

I can't think of any letters where she mentions it, but when Henry was dumping her she made a point of saying that they'd had many children together and it was God who took them out of the world, not her.

[@stephaniehowe0973]

In the whole I don't think it would have mattered. Henry was still a narcissistic jerk. Who cheated ad nosium He wanted Anne they were together 10 yrs none the less.

[@vialogan]

I've read lots of books, watched lots of videos, docs, etc. about the Tudors - esp. the reign of Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth- but your content is always so intelligent, accurate, and satisfying! Thank you for your hard work ❤

[@HistoryCalling]

Aww, thank you so much. I aim to please :-) Have a lovely new year.

[@christinehornsby9586]

😅

[@ladyrazorsharp]

Poor little prince. I never knew they had a son at all; I always thought that was the difficulty with Catherine, that she only bore him daughters. No, it was that only her daughter Mary survived. What a very, very different history we would have had!

[@geslinam9703]

Or so it was thought that only girls was Catherine’s’ difficulty, though it’s the sperm that determines sex, and then there were all the miscarriages, which could have been due to syphilis, which Henry VIII or both of them might have had.

[@MsJubjubbird]

Most likely Henry had a non-ubiquitous antigen on his blood cells that would result in miscarriages after most of his wives and mistresses had had their first delivery with him. Katherine's first miscarriage was probably just bad luck and poor hygiene and Mary may have inherited the antigen. these days they'd do a c section

[@glen7318]

he did not have syphilis@@geslinam9703

[@mariahoulihan9483]

no.. male children come from the husband.. so it could never have been her problem in that regard. the sex of children. She had still births and miscarriages.. lots of them.

[@LauraFromMarkerQuest]

I knew some of this already but I really enjoyed the incredible detail! I've often wondered how things would be different today if little Henry had lived to become king.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. It was interesting to research as I'd never looked at little Henry in that level of detail either. I wonder what kind of a king he'd have made too. His sister Mary turned our rather scary (the rhyming there is not deliberate) and his brother Edward was on course to be a total tyrant too, so perhaps he'd have been something similar. Of course he might have been more measured, like Elizabeth.

[@sassanada]

@@HistoryCallingI’m not sure how much can really be gauged by Mary and Edward though, since a case can certainly be argued for nature vs nurture in their childhood traumas. I would suspect Protestantism would have impacted England very differently had baby Henry survived, and Henry VIII continued to live out his life with Catherine.

[@bevinboulder5039]

What a shame that this boy's burial place has been lost. I couldn't help thinking as you were going through the list of the retainers attached to this infant's household that it was no wonder that he didn't survive for very long. The level of pathogens introduced into his immediate area must have been immense.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, that's a good point. There will have been lots of germs around him. I wonder where he is in the Abbey too, but I doubt we'll ever know :-(

[@edithengel2284]

I don't think all 40 of the household had direct contact with him, however.

[@bevinboulder5039]

@@edithengel2284 Undoubtedly not, but more than 2 or 3 would have been too many imo.

[@juliestrickland7754]

​@@bevinboulder5039yes, and he definitely would have been exposed to more than 2-3. His wet nurse, his nanny ( not what they called it but I can't remember the word), his rockers, the women who bathed and swaddled him... And that's only the ones I can think of. And they would be around most all of the other staff at some point during the day or night. It's staggering how much potential there was for royal children to catch cooties.

[@bevinboulder5039]

@@juliestrickland7754 Really sad.

[@AXEL00754]

Thank you again for an interesting story about a little-known and tragic Tudor prince. I'm sure a sweep of ground penetrating radar would be able to locate the exact position of his mortal remains and perhaps those of his long-forgotten infant siblings who probably sleep in the same general area along with other forgotten lost minor royals. Best wishes for 2024 from Sydney Australia 🙂

[@mariahoulihan9483]

it could fiond remains but not confirm who or what they were.

[@Nurichiri]

Imagine how different history would be had little Henry lived.

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. No Elizabeth I for a start and we'd all be like 'Anne Boleyn who?' :-)

[@AmynAL]

This was such an interesting video. So much hung on that small boy surviving. It was a bit of a “cold chill” moment when you said he would have been 36 when his father died, had he survived. You do so well with each of your videos HC, thank you so much. Happy New Year!

[@Feckinpaddy29]

I always think about how if this baby boy had lived to become Henry IX How differently British history would have played out. There would have been no Bloody Mary, no Elizabeth I, the Stuarts probably Never would have gained the Crown of England. There, most likely, would have been no English Civil War and probably no Oliver Cromwell. The protestant reformation in England and Britain as a whole would have taken a very different form if it happened at all and because of all of this the English colonies in the new world probably would have looked very different as well. There are myriad other things that would have been different but I don't really have the time to go into it here. It is pretty mind-blowing when you think about it. All of that history hinged on the death of one baby boy.

[@EarlyMusicDiva]

I wonder when, or even if, Scotland would have been united to the kingdom if baby Henry had lived. Then again, if he had lived, it would have been interesting to see what turns history would have taken depending on whom he married and whether they had children. Not sure how many princesses of roughly Henry's age would have been available around Europe for him to marry - perhaps the French princess Renee of France, who would have been very close in age, or a Spanish or Portugese cousin (daughters of Catherine's sisters)? Or might they have looked for a bride for Henry among the family of the Holy Roman Emperor? (It's doubtful that Henry VIII would have allowed his son to marry anyone of lesser rank, had he lived, since he would still have been seeking to bolster the power of the fledgling Tudor dynasty by marriage.)

[@suran396]

There are not nearly enough likes to your post. Please write the Alt History and let us know when it is published!!!!

[@TheSoundOfGeorgia]

I finished reading a book about Katherine of Aragon and her sister (Juana of Castile) just the other day, so I learnt about this very recently. It's so interesting to wonder how different everything would be if he had lived.

[@JaRule6]

Can you share the title of that book? I love reading about history ❤

[@TheSoundOfGeorgia]

@@JaRule6 Sister Queens by Julia Fox

[@Claire_T]

Ive always had a great admiration for Katherine, if little Henry had lived, how different the latter half of her life could have been. Thank you for another video and wishing you a happy new year 😊

[@HistoryCalling]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your very kind donation to the channel Claire and happy new year to you too :-)

[@d.aletadrawdy7584]

If the Young Prince had lived, history itself would be Changed ❣️

[@leticiagarcia9025]

This is the untold story of Prince Henry, at least to me. I knew Catherine miscarried and delivered a stillborn baby, which I don’t know if the baby was given a name. Thank you for the history lesson. Happy New Year HC and to everyone. 🎉 🥂

[@HistoryCalling]

You're welcome. I think there was a stillborn boy later on too (plus girls). Happy new year to you too. I hope you have a wonderful 2024.

[@yaemiko4271]

I heard Catherine gave birth to twin girls is that true@@HistoryCalling

[@arielsclamshellbra]

No this isnt true. She had many stillbirths including a girl and many miscarriages but never twins.​ @yaemiko4271

[@helene4397]

Stillborn babies were not babtized, so they never got names.

[@MsJubjubbird]

​​@@yaemiko4271her first pregnancy was a miscarriage. However, she was still fat after the delivery and her physician thought she was carrying twins and that the other one was still viable. Turns out it was an infection that eventually subsided and her belly shrunk.

[@maryloumawson6006]

Thank you for this amazing content, that details the extravagant celebrations following young Henry IX's birth. I remember hearing that there were celebrations, but I assumed they were limited to cannons fired in his honor, and toasts drunk to his health, etc. I had no idea such extravagance was expended on the occasion. And it made me wonder about the superstitions of the time. Even in more recent times it has often been considered "tempting fate" or bad luck to decorate a nursery before the actual birth. I remember stories of how little boys were required to wear dresses until they were 5 or 6 years old, so that the fates would not recognize him as the heir. So it surprises me that Katherine and Henry felt confident enough, after their earlier loss, to "tempt fate" with these highly visible pageants.

[@areiaaphrodite]

Fun Fact: Margaret of Austria was also Katherine's sister-in-law since she was also married to Katherine's brother, John, Prince of Asturias. (Not to mention, Phillp the Handsome's sister; making her Joanna of Castile's double sister-in-law.)

[@HistoryCalling]

I'm forgotten about all those extra links. Honestly everyone back then (in royal circles at least) was related to everyone else. It was so inbred/inter-married! :-)

[@orlalavin9352]

That boy could have had a great life but ended so tragically

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. All of English history could have been so different if only this one child had lived.

[@spencerfrankclayton4348]

He may have become a tyrant like his father.

[@judithstrachan9399]

Or his father may not have become such a tyrant, had his home life been more secure.

[@orlalavin9352]

i know but maybe if je lived Henry might have avoided his head injuries@@spencerfrankclayton4348

[@orlalavin9352]

i know its a nice thought but we will sadly never know@@judithstrachan9399

[@TimmsMJ]

I love your delivery, such a calm, clear voice. It makes it so easy to stay interested and take in every word. Thank you.

[@Rat_Queen86]

I’ve always been fascinated by Tudor history and thanks to your videos, I’m now known as a Tudor nerd among my friends and family Lol Brilliant video but very sad, the idea of high infant mortality at that time is such a devastating thought. RIP baby Henry

[@ameliapond1916]

I've found myself coming back to this video for a second time. So much sadness for a young life lost, but you've told the story very well.

[@TERMICOBRA]

Catherine conceived (at least) six children but waited several years before she was pregnant again after little Henry died. Would it be safe to say she may have lost several other children in those 2-3 years between Henry and the stillborn boy lost in late 1513? She seems rather fertile and it would have been a priority. Would her losing children have caused Henry VIII to remarry ? It seems like he would have kept her since she seems so fertile? Even though it's been 500+ years it leaves you feeling sad thinking of Catherine and these losses.

[@HistoryCalling]

I can't remember off the top of my head, but I do have a video on the Tudors' fertility problems in which I go through all her known pregnancies, so that should help. Yes, I think the loss of her children was the prime factor in him remarrying.

[@catherineball5071]

By the time Henry dumped Katherine, she was menopausal He knew her "courses" had stopped and there would be no more children by her

[@KristenK78]

@@catherineball5071true, they were married for quite a long time. Far longer than it took Henry to go through wives 2 through 6-they were all in and out in a decade or less, I think.

[@TERMICOBRA]

@@catherineball5071 I didn't realize that. I had always understood that Henry simply wanted more attractive women for selfish reasons. If Catherine was no longer able to produce a male heir wouldn't it be in the interest of security for the state to get remarried? Not only for the state but for Henry's own life since a weak line of succession would increase the chances for political chaos/war? Can it be argued that the man was absolutely desperate to produce a male child ASAP so it could grow old enough to be effective instead of him just lusting after a constant line of new women that he purposely murdered?

[@akaLaBrujaRoja]

@@TERMICOBRA”security for the state” was the reason Henry claimed that as king, he should have final authority over divorcing Catherine instead of the Pope, saying it was a governmental issue, not spiritual. But his argument that it was necessary to secure an heir didn’t hold up because Mary existed, and her mother Isabella had been one of the most powerful and successful monarchs in medieval Europe as Queen regnant of Castile, proving that a woman could rule a country and a male heir wasn’t necessary.

[@lizzdoe2821]

You make such wonderful videos!! I always wondered what this little Prince’s life was like and you have a whole video on him! Thank you!❤️

[@floraposteschild4184]

The mind naturally goes to the question: what if little Henry had survived and become king? But what if Henry and his advisors had treated Mary as the future queen? Her mother at least groomed Mary to be heir, and saw no reason why she should not be. What a lot of suffering and turmoil that would have prevented.

[@KatherineHugs]

I would love to know more about the customs of birth and infancy during this period. The swaddle looks intense!!

[@hollyh314]

Yet another Excellent video!!! In my opinion I think your channel is the best for Tudor History ❤ I always look forward to your uploads!!😊

[@vintagegal541]

It's not only this baby boy's death that changed history. It was tragic, I think, more so to Katherine. Being as devout that she was, she wanted to provide both Henry and England a stable and true heir. I think that she may have also looked at her age being 6 years older than Henry. She possible knew that it could have played against her. With that said, what would have happened if the son's of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville the "Prince's in the Tower had not "disappeared"", the oldest being, Prince Edward who would have become Edward V? Also, what if Anne Boleyn had been able to have had the son that she miscarried and he had lived to adulthood? I don't know if Henry VIII would have gotten rid of her. I think that she would have felt on more stable ground having a male or even more heir(s) and her mental health may not have been affected as it was. History is so fickle and fascinating. There are just so many "What If's". Sending Happy, Healthy and Safe wishes for a New Year to everyone!

[@kathleenvargovich9539]

She didn't even get very much chance to provide an heir. I think she was only married for 3 years and gave Henry a daughter two sons and a miscarriage. How many times can you get a woman pregnant before her health ran out.

[@vintagegal541]

@@kathleenvargovich9539 I know because Henry was in such a hurry. Someone else commented that all of his wives were actually older for that time period to be able to have children safely, I agree, with the exception of wife # 5, Katherine Howard. She was a teenager and of course by the time that he married her, he was a huge sick man that couldn't have done anything. Poor girl. There are a couple of documentaries by Lucy Worsley and I think Suzanne Lipscomb that suggests due to Henry's jousting accident in 1536, it not only affected his brain and mood swings, but also his ability to successfully be able for any of his wives to conceive without losing the baby. Of course, there was Elizabeth and Edward, but Anne had a couple of miscarriages after Elizabeth and I read that Jane Seymour had a miscarriage before Edward. They were so common then, it's hard to tell if Lucy and Suzanne's theory is accurate.

[@melissaharris3389]

I'm more inclined to believe there was some sort of ressesive genetic issue than the jousting injury being the cause (though it did seem to make him extremely volatile; probably from the chronic pain). Henry VIII had half a dozen wives and an unknown number of mistresses, but shockingly few legitimate _or_ illegitimate children that survived infancy. Ressesive issues are more common in males as they don't have the extra X chromosome of females, and there are all sorts of inherited metabolic conditions that could both cause repeated miscarriages (in multiple women) and failure to thrive causing death in live born infants.

[@tamarasmith2267]

I never knew they had a baby boy!! I love this channel! Much love from northern Indiana ❤️

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, he doesn't get spoken of all that much given how brief his life was, but had he lived, English history would be unrecognisable.

[@sekhmetsaes]

I love this look at a small, short life that is so often overlooked. Happy New Year to you and yours, may the new year bring you harmony!

[@ladymeghenderson9337]

Thank you and a happy New year to you xxx

[@jldisme]

A lot of new information for me. Thanks, HC!

[@jldrake3424]

Excellent video. Thanks!

[@nicolechannel3302]

I always wonder if some of these royal babies would have lived if they weren’t taken from their mothers so early. Babies can die from lack of touch, and can rally and thrive with skin to skin contact with their mothers. It seems sometimes that peasants had many more children live because they actually nursed them themselves

[@edithengel2284]

They were taken from their mothers, but given to wet nurses who provided the same care and touch as their mothers would have provided. I'm sure these relationships were often very affectionate as well. I don't know if there is data showing that peasant families had many more children survive than did families in higher classes.

[@clare2401]

I doubt it. I'm shocked so many royal children actually did survive. Dirt, poor sanitation, poor air quality and lack of ventilation in the housing, absolutely no medicine or quality medical care, illnesses the wet nurses could have been carrying etc etc. When you weigh all of that up, skin to skin contact is the least of the worries.

[@onagaali2024]

It's just like you said towards the end of your video. I reiterate it also that there would be a completely different line of monarchs today and back then had one infant of a monarch or grown heir survived long enough to succeed. You can pick through the centuries with different Royal houses. There would certainly be a different line of monarchs today of the Royal family had just George IV's eldest daughter Princess Charlotte survived,married, and had children.

[@dorothysutton5162]

Another excellent video.

[@anthonytroisi6682]

Henry VIII was only 18 when he mounted the throne. Because he was the second son, he had not received the intensive training his older brother did. He married Catherine of Aragon during the first few months of his reign. At the time, he probably did not regard the age difference as a problem. Although she seemed to become pregnant with relative ease, Catherine had trouble delivering healthy male heirs. In what must have seemed like a very short time, Catherine reached the stage when it was hard for her to produce an heir. Also, the failed pregnancies must have taken their physical toll. Ironically, Henry married five women--Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and Katharine Parr-- who were past the age when most women of their generation had experienced a first birth.

[@vernon2542]

That was great HC, such a sad story yet with the way you explain everything makes it so interesting. I will say it was weird hearing that neither parent was there for the christening and then the funeral. As you said that was the tradition, which I am glad has changed. My personal opinion this is probably what sent Henry the 8th on the path that he ended up leading. Yes I think he was grieving as much as Catherine was, he just didn't show it. Thanks look forward to the next one.

[@gillsinclair6927]

Thank you so much for that. A very happy new year HC

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you too and happy new year to you as well :-)

[@yourfavoritefrog]

Thank you for the research and the video !

[@Shane-Flanagan]

Thanks History Calling for yet another spectacular and thought provoking video on what could've been........ His life may have been very brief but little baby Henry deserves some spotlight nonetheless. As you say, he left his mark 💙 🕊️ Happy New Year 🎉 🥳 🎊

[@Lyndell-P]

"Hello" Shane 👋 It was so sad after all of the joy after his birth that the baby, Henry died. 🙏🕊

[@Shane-Flanagan]

@@Lyndell-P Hello Lyndell. How lovely to see you pop up here on History Calling 💙 I enjoy her videos, have you become a bit of a fan too? Yes losing a baby at any point must be one of the worst feelings in the world but losing a baby that seemed healthy and lively and had lived a few weeks. So much rested on baby Henry being born and living including Catherine of Aragon's peace , happiness and security as Henry's wife and Queen 💔 Great as always to hear from you Lyndell 🤗

[@Lyndell-P]

@@Shane-Flanagan "Hello" Shane 👋 I wouldn't say I'm a fan, but I noticed this video come up, and then (on reading the comments) saw your name, so thought I'd say 'hi'. I also watched a video of hers on Anne of Cleves, but I didn't leave a comment, but did give it a 'like' 👍. I enjoy watching 'most' things about the Tudors, but I still am ONLY subscribed to Claire's channel, even though I watch other videos that might come up about the Tudors etc. "Bye" for now, from one of your many friends, Lyndell 🇭🇲 🦘 😊

[@reader1956]

Absolutely amazing. I hadn't remembered that Catherine had a baby boy. Marvelous history from you. Thanks.

[@auntbeth448]

If he had lived…it boggles the mind to think of England as still Catholic..

[@nathanfisher1826]

Very good! Thank you

[@helenvick522]

Such a timely, but sad story. Hope you have a much Happier New Year. Thank you for all your informative videos.

[@HistoryCalling]

Thanks Helen and Happy New Year to you too :-)

[@richardlippincott8881]

Happy New Years to you guys!! Love your videos. Love, Maureen

[@HistoryCalling]

Happy New Year to you too Maureen. Thanks for being here :-)

[@redemptivepete]

It's amazing how many of our kings weren't first son of the previous king! Henry Viii and Charles I are two of our most famous kings and they were both second sons and are buried together in relative obscurity. Thinking it through I think Henry 3rd succeeeding John was the first such case post conquest. After that only Henry 3rd to Edward 1st and Henry 4th to 5th could be seen as a success until we reach the Georgians. In fact a straightforward succession of king to eldest son is the exception rather than the rule. As my dad said "You know how to make God laugh?" "Tell her your plans!"

[@judithstrachan9399]

Also George VI. And others? Probably.

[@kymrawlins8099]

​@@judithstrachan9399 George V Edward IV George III Victoria also spring to mind. There's loads when you think about it isn't there

[@ladonnaradney3466]

Fascinating! Lots of questions answered and others created, lots of "what if" speculation. It's always so sad when a child dies and the repercussions of this particular child's death were huge

[@harrywierdo14]

great video! 🥰😁

[@rachelanderson5025]

Wow, how different things could have been. Happy new year! 💜

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. All of English history changed the day that little boy passed away.

[@jeandonaldson2290]

I’ve always wondered about Catherine’s lost children. Many thanks!

[@MicaRayan]

Richmond Palace seems like a perfect place. Imagine the corridors and big hall during holidays. Great feast and dances

[@hollypedrin3276]

Happy New Year 🎉!! Great video. Thank you. Little prince Henry unfortunately is so often forgotten about due to the focus o Princess Mary and all the babies Queen Catherine lost. Yes history would bexso different if he'd survived. But we have 3 of the greatest long reigning queens due to this little prince's death. My great grandmother lived during the Reigns of Queen Victoria, King Edward VII, King George VI and the first 26 years of Queen Elizabeth II. Which thiughtcwas totally cool. Her ones surviving granddaughter (my mum) saw QE II coronation and now King Charles III. That is amazing in our family.

[@musicalmarion]

Baby Henry looks so comfortable in that mummy costume !

[@craigramage5022]

Thank you for sharing this. I wonder how different my 15th great aunt Catherine of Aragon life would have been if her son would have loved.Thank you, Maureen

[@alisonridout]

Happy New Year. Ali 🎉

[@MichelleBruce-lo4oc]

Hi, awesome live history video. I enjoyed it. How was your Christmas? My Christmas was great. We have no snow this year in Canada. Have a great weekend happy new year 2024 to you. See you next video 😊

[@Goodiesfanful]

If Prince Henry had lived to maturity, it would have changed the course of history. It shows how much the course of history depended on the life (and sex) of just one child in those days, and child mortality was high back then.

[@Jo_Lori]

Very interesting!

[@sandysox]

Thank you

[@chrisbanks6659]

Antelopes and lions. I think I'm right in stating that there used to be quite the menagerie within the grounds of The Tower's Moat, even during Henry's time - right up until about 150 years ago. As for 379.00 just for black cloth - I looked it up - £393,734.45 😳😳😳

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, they had their own personal zoo. I hate to think of how the animals were treated though. I know - it's a lot for black cloth, but when you're royal, only the best will do I guess.

[@kimberlyatwood5154]

Wow 😮

[@realmms]

Happy New Year 🥳 from Waterloo Ontario Canada

[@AnnaAnna-uc2ff]

Thank you'

[@nassauguy48]

Another "what if" is that Henry really had no reason to fear a daughter becoming Queen. Mary was welcomed as Queen before the persecutions began, and Elizabeth went on to become one of England's most celebrated rulers. Had Henry accepted the idea of Mary as his heir, England would never have broken away from the Roman Catholic Church, Mary would not have become so embittered, and, given her gifted level of intelligence, she probably would have gone to become a most beloved and successful monarch!

[@edithengel2284]

Henry didn't know that Mary and Elizabeth would be relatively easily accepted. The only other attempt to put a woman on the throne (Empress Matilda) had ended in years of fighting, and she never was securely on the throne. So being a queen regnant had virtually no track record.

[@graceneilitz7661]

Mary I was actually a rather successful ruler, with many of her ideas being used by her younger sister. With centuries of hindsight I think that Elizabeth I would not have been successful as she was if she did not have the example of her older sister. But, that is heavy speculation of course.

[@edithengel2284]

@@graceneilitz7661 I agree. If Mary had not been accepted (after a little struggle), it would have been much harder for Elizabeth, I suspect.

[@Moebian73]

First, I want to thank you so much for a great and wonderful year in making stellar videos about history of long ago from across the pond. Second, have a joyous weekend in celebrating the New Year & I hope you have a great year. Third, did you know 12/31/23 is 123123? :)

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you so much and no, I hadn't noticed the date as we would write it 31/12/23 here in the UK, but that is quite funny in the American method :-) Have a lovely New Year as well. See you in 2024.

[@KristenK78]

Could you go into more detail on why protocol said the royal parents shouldn’t be present for the child’s baptism or funeral? Was this royal protocol only, or was it the norm for all high-born families, or all classes? I’m really curious now!

[@theresalaux5655]

Thanks!

[@HistoryCalling]

OH WOW! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE DONATION THERESA. I hope you have a wonderful new year. :-)

[@theresalaux5655]

I really feel bad for Catherine. Very good video. Very informative.😊

[@user-ic8dk3zo4h]

Good stuff

[@wendym215]

Thanks for this great video hapoy new year

[@HistoryCalling]

You're very welcome and happy new year to you too. I hope 2024 is a good one for you :-)

[@wendym215]

@@HistoryCalling hope 2024 is good for you also ;)

[@edithengel2284]

Henry seems to have been an unhappy choice for the sovereign's oldest son: Henry Stuart, the senior of James VI and I's sons, also died before he could become Henry IX--though he lived to age 18.

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. There were other Prince Henrys too of course (including the current one), but as you say, it hasn't worked out well for the heirs apparent given that name.

[@LKMNOP]

Thank you for this. At least, it's about a relatively unknown tutor instead of about Henry the 8th lol lol. You've given us an excellent video as always.

[@shanenolan5625]

Thanks. Happy New Year .

[@HistoryCalling]

Happy new year to you too. I hope 2024 is a good one for you :-)

[@HistoryCalling]

Happy New Year to you too! :-)

[@maryannehuber2922]

Would you consider doing a video on Westminister and St. Paul's? I'd love to be able to visit those two places.

[@Valerie-nf3jl]

Merci 😢

[@danielnickerson5561]

My 12 great grandfather was cardinal Wolsey! My family left the UK in the 1660s!

[@chrisbanks6659]

Welcome back Hc. Hoping you had the best wind-down. Not long back myself!! 😄

[@HistoryCalling]

Thanks Chris. Yes, it was nice to have a little break, though I find there are always so many things to do around Christmas that you're rarely just lounging around eating chocolate (mind you, I did that as well).

[@chrisbanks6659]

@@HistoryCalling Highly recommend Cordoba if you fancy going further afield any time. Serenity personified. Spectacular. Beautiful. Ok - that's enough fawning) 🤣

[@HistoryCalling]

Sounds like someone had a good holiday :-)

[@stephencarrillo5905]

@@chrisbanks6659 Welcome back, young man! Sounds wonderful. Happy New Year!

[@stephencarrillo5905]

@@HistoryCalling Chocolate is the best medicine for any holiday blues that occur.😉

[@missmia7869]

This is the first time I have heard of this baby Prince, I had no idea Henry and Catherine had a son. Fascinating!

[@shannonfick7170]

Poor, sweet baby… I really hope that little Henry went as quickly and painlessly as possible, while also feeling loved from those around him. I think most people looking back on history think that parents were just so accustomed to losing children that it didn’t matter as much to them as it does to us now. Or that people were so emotionally stifled all the time. But people, even royal people from 500 years ago, are still human. They laughed, made mistakes, felt nervous or awkward, and grieved just as we do. Even the formidable and intelligent Catherine of Aragon and her husband.

[@amandagreen4332]

The practice of swaddling could have presented problems for weak babies or those with breathing issues. Infants were tightly bound to ensure “straight” limbs; it might even be difficult to recognize illness when it set in.

[@capt.obvious2460]

Thanks! Have you ever done a video on the life and work of Eustace Chapuys? I’d love an in depth look at what his family, contemporaries, colleagues bosses, & other sources say about him. Clearly he was known as a bit of a gossip, but was he fully trusted by Spain? Did they take into account that he was a gossip? Did they use it to their advantage or was it something they just dealt with? Questions along those lines that only an experienced historian would be able to provide the answers to. (If it’s survived). Thanks for your hard work. Love it all!

[@HistoryCalling]

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your very kind donation to the channel. No, I haven't done a video on him specifically. He's certainly an interesting character, but I imagine most of the sources on him are in Spanish and to examine his whole career and what other people thought of him too would be a mammoth undertaking, so sadly I don't think it's something I'll be able to get to. For now, I'll have to stick to the snippets of his letters that I use for other videos. I'm sorry about that, but thank you again for your donation and I hope you have a lovely new year :-)

[@capt.obvious2460]

Have a happy new year as well. Thank you for the quick reply and I look forward to the next video, whomever it may be on. I knew it was a long shot when I asked but I'm happy to donate because I always learn something new here and the original &/or contemporary sources are a particular favorite of mine. Thanks again. : )@@HistoryCalling

[@maryannpshock955]

That would be an interesting video! I understand why she doesn't plan to do a full presentation about him, but I agree with you that he is an interesting subject. Maybe she would consider doing an overview video about notable characters whose communications are cited in modern research - a commentary on their reputations as primary sources...🤔

[@kepckatherinec805]

I find this bit of history interesting indeed-and very sad.

[@Ariel33317]

I LOVE your videos, GREAT WORK! (and the accent, *to me*) but I can't always tell a word or so... Had you said Henry gave Catherine 2 Doe's or am I not hearing that right??

[@Alan.92n]

If only Henry had lived or Mary had been a boy, the history of England would've been much different. It would be another 26 years, before the future Edward V1, was born, who died at age 15. How ironic that despite Henry's attempts to secure the Tudor dynasty, Edward, Mary and Elizabeth, would all die childless.

[@kymrawlins8099]

And thats only had he divorced Catherine. Anne Boleyn might not even had happened. Jane was a lady in waiting to Catherine. The possible outcomes had Henry had lived are interesting to think about aren't they.

[@Alan.92n]

@@kymrawlins8099 Indeed. History(my degree subject), is full of "what iffs!" Did Tudor History, both at school and as part of my degree, always been my favourite period in History!

[@creamdelacreme]

I can’t even comprehend what different world it might have been. This baby, only 7.5 weeks changed the entire world.

[@carnifaxx]

I am aware of the fact that royal children were taken care of by lots of servants etc., but I still wonder how much time the parents actually spent with this particular child...

[@renatewest6366]

Not to mention if Henry V111 had not kept making his daughters illegitimate. As this made them undesirable on the marriage market.Maru could have been married younger and had an heir.

[@Vic35102]

Makes you think what could have been had he lived

[@HistoryCalling]

I know. English history would be so different.

[@pheart2381]

Legs covered with green silk(hose)which was Flossed,which means the join where the hose were joined up was covered in decorative embroidery. Hose were made from a flat piece of fabric sewn up to make a tube.