The life of HENRY FITZROY, Duke of Richmond and Somerset | illegitimate son of Henry VIII | Tudors

He was the ILLEGITIMATE SON OF HENRY VIII, the brother of Elizabeth I, Mary I and Edward VI and a boy who many thought might be placed in the line of succession for the English throne, but what do we really know about the life of Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset, who died at the age of just seventeen? In this week’s Tudor history documentary from History Calling, we go back to the middle years of the reign of King Henry VIII to look at the life of his only acknowledged illegitimate child (not counting the fact that he delegitimised his daughters at different points). You’ll hear about the relationship between Fitzroy’s mother, Elizabeth Blount and Henry VIII, what we know about Henry Fitzroy’s birth and childhood, why his upbringing was overseen by his godfather, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and when and why he was given the extraordinary honour of a double Dukedom. I’ll also tell you about the other positions heaped on this young child, including being made Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and describ