It took Henry VIII 28 years, three wives, and a break with Rome before he secured a legitimate male heir. Yet he already had the illegitimate Henry Fitzroy. Fitzroy was born in 1519 after the king's affair with a gentlewoman named Elizabeth Blount. He was the only illegitimate offspring ever acknowledged by Henry VIII, and Cardinal Wolsey was even one of his godparents. The Duke of Richmond, Fitzroy was educated as befitted a Renaissance prince and the offices bestowed upon him included Lord Lieutenant of the North and Lord Admiral of England; indeed rumors abounded that Henry VIII intended...
It took Henry VIII 28 years, three wives, and a break with Rome before he secured a legitimate male heir. Yet he already had the illegitimate Henry Fi...
