Sir Thomas Knyvett

Sir Thomas Knyvett (also Knevitt or Knivet or Knevet), of Buckenham, Norfolk (c.1485 - 10 August 1512) was a young English nobleman who was a close associate of King Henry VIII shortly after that monarch came to the throne. According to Hall's Chronicle,[1] Knyvett was a frequent participant in the jousts and pageants of the new king's glittering court and was made Henry's Master of the Horse in 1510.

Death

When Henry declared war on France in 1512, Knyvett, along with Sir John Carew, was given command of the royal flagship, the Regent. With a number of court favourites commanding other vessels, a small fleet set sail for the coast of Brittany. On 10 August 1512 they engaged a slightly larger French fleet, and a violent melee known as the Battle of St. Mathieu ensued off the coast of Brest. Knyvett's ship grappled with the Breton command vessel Cordelière, and was engaged in boarding her when the Cordelière's powder magazine blew up (some say it was deliberately ignited). The two vessels burst into flame. Knyvett and Carew both perished, along with the Breton captain Hervé de Portzmoguer and more than 1,700 men, both French and English.

Family

Knyvett married, before 9 July 1506, Muriel Howard, the widow of John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle, by whom she was the mother of Elizabeth Grey, Viscountess Lisle, who was at one time betrothed to Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. Muriel Howard was the daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and Elizabeth Tilney, and through the Howard connection, Knyvett was related to many of the great figures of English history (his brother-in-law, for example, was Thomas Boleyn, father of Queen Anne, and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I). By Muriel Howard Knyvett had three sons and two daughters, Edmund (1508-1551), Katherine, Ferdinand, Anne, and Henry (died c.1546). Four months after her husband's death, Muriel Howard died in childbirth between 13 and 21 December 1512. Their five orphaned children were brought up by their grandmother, Eleanor Knyvett.[2]

In fiction

On the TV series The Tudors, a fictionalized Sir Anthony Knivert is based on him and played by Callum Blue.

References

Gunn, S. J., "Knyvet, Sir Thomas", on the website of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (subscription or UK public library membership required)

Notes

1^ Hall, Edward, The Vnion Of The Two Noble And Illustre Famelies Of Lancastre & Yorke (London, 1548). Generally known as "Hall's Chronicle," this contemporary history remains an important source of Tudor history. The 1809 edition, which is available online, describes the death of Thomas Knyvett pp. 534 ff. 2^ Gunn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other persons named Thomas Knyvett, see Thomas Knyvett (disambiguation).

[edit]Sir Thomas Knyvett (d. 1512) – also: "Sir Thomas Knivet" or "Sir Thomas Knevet"

A young English nobleman who was a close associate of King Henry VIII shortly after that monarch came to the throne. According to Hall's Chronicle[1], Knyvett was a frequent participant in the jousts and pageants of the new king's glittering court.

When Henry declared war on France in 1512, Knyvett, along with Sir John Carew, was given command of the royal flagship, the Regent. With a number of court favourites commanding other vessels a small fleet set sail for the coast of Brittany. On August 10, 1512 they engaged a slightly larger French fleet, and a violent melee ensued. Knyvett's ship grappled with the French command vessel, and was engaged in boarding her when the French powder magazine blew up (some say it was deliberately ignited). The two vessels burst into flame. Knyvett and Carew both perished, along with the French captain and more than 1700 men, both French and English.

Knyvett was married to Muriel, daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk (1443–-1524), and through the Howard connection was related to many of the great figures of English history (his brother-in-law, for example, was Thomas Boleyn, father of Queen Anne, and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I.

[edit]Notes

^ Hall, Edward, The Vnion Of The Two Noble And Illustre Famelies Of Lancastre & Yorke (London, 1548). Generally known as "Hall's Chronicle," this contemporary history remains an important source of Tudor history. The 1809 edition, which is available online, describes the death of Thomas Knyvett pp. 534 ff.

Page 1

Knyvet, Sir Thomas (c.1485–1512), courtier and sea captain, was the eldest son of EdmundKnyvet of Hilborough, Norfolk (d. 1503/4), himself the eldest son of Sir William Knyvet ofBuckenham, Norfolk (c.1448–1515). Thomas's mother was Edmund's wife, Eleanor (d. after1540), daughter of William Tyrell of Gipping. He came to notice at court towards the end ofHenry VII's reign, jousting in the tournaments of May and June 1507 and serving as anesquire for the king's body. He was closely attached to the Howard family from the time ofhis marriage, by 9 July 1506, to Muriel (d. 1512), daughter of Thomas Howard, earl ofSurrey and later second duke of Norfolk (1443–1524), and his first wife, Elizabeth Tilney(d. 1497), and widow of John Grey, Viscount Lisle (d. 1504). From 1509 he emerged as one ofthe favourites of Henry VIII, taking a leading part in many tournaments and revels at court.The king made him knight of the Bath at his coronation on 23 June 1509 and appointed himbearer of the king's standard on 27 July 1509 and master of the horse on 22 February1510. He was also rewarded with local offices on the crown lands, customs licences, and alease of those Lisle estates not already allocated to his wife in dower. Muriel served as alady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine, and their links with the queen were presumablyreflected in the names of two of their children, Katherine and Ferdinand; another, Anne,would serve the queen in the 1520s and receive a dowry from her mistress. On the outbreak of war with France in 1512 Knyvet was given command of the Regent, oneof the two largest ships in the fleet led by his brother-in-law, Sir Edward Howard. On 10August, in an engagement outside Brest, the Regent grappled and boarded the Cordelière,the largest ship in the French fleet. The Cordelière caught fire and both ships burnt, killingsome 600 or 700 men on the Regent and 900 or more on her opponent. Sir Thomas, whoaccording to one report was killed by gunfire before the conflagration, was among the dead.Sir Edward Howard vowed to avenge Knyvet's death before he saw the king again, and waskilled in the attempt in April 1513. Knyvet's widow died in childbirth between 13 and 21December 1512, leaving their three sons and two daughters to be brought up by theirgrandmother, Eleanor Knyvet. The eldest son, Edmund (1508–1551), eventually succeeded tomost of his great-grandfather's estates, while his brother Henry (d. 1546) became agentleman of Henry VIII's privy chamber. Four of Sir Thomas's five brothers also servedthe king at court or in the navy. Sir Thomas Knyvet's portrait, which does not survive, waspainted by the Venetian artist Antonio da Solario, and he was commemorated in a poem byJohn Leland; his fatal encounter with the French inspired a poetic exchange betweenThomas More and Germain de Brie.

S. J. Gunn Sources R. Virgoe, ‘The earlier Knyvetts: the rise of a Norfolk gentry family [pt 2]’, Norfolk Archaeology, 41 (1990–93), 249–78 · LP Henry VIII, vols. 1–2 · St Thomas More, Latinpoems, ed. C. H. Miller and others (1984), vol. 3/2 of The Yale edition of the complete worksof St Thomas More, 218–27, 284–9, 429–694 · ‘Some unpublished poems by John Leland’, ed. L. Bradner, Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 71 (1956), 834–5 ·A. Spont, ed., Letters and papers relating to the war with France, 1512–1513, Navy RS, 10(1897) · will, TNA: PRO, PROB 11/17/17

Thomas KNYVETT of Buckenham (Sir Knight)

Born: 1482/9, Buckenham, Norfolk, England

Died: 12 Aug / 14 Dec 1512, England / 10 Aug 1512 at sea

Notes: made a Knight of the Bath at the Coronation of Henry VIII on 23 Jun 1509, and Master of the King's Horse on 26 Feb 1509/10. He was Captain of the "Regent", the largest ship in the Royal Navy, and he was killed in action at sea off Brest in a battle with the French on 10 Aug 1512.

Father: Edmund KNYVETT of Buckenham (Sir Knight)

Mother: Eleanor TYRRELL

Married: Muriel HOWARD (V. Lisle) BEF 1510, Norfolk, England

Children:

1. Catherine KNYVETT

2. Anne KNYVETT

3. Edmund KNYVETT (Sir Knight)

4. Ferdinado KNYVETT (b. 1509)

5. Henry KNYVETT (Sir Knight)

6. Anthony KNYVETT

Husband: Thomas Knyvett, [Sir Knight]

  Born: ABT 1482         at: of Buckenham Cas, Norfolk, Engl.  

Married: at:

  Died: 14 Dec 1512      at: England  

Father:Edmund Knyvett, [Sir Knight]
Mother:Eleanor Tyrrell
Other Spouses:
NOTES

  Wife: Muriel Howard

Born: 1486 at: Buckenham Castle, Norfolk, England
Died: 14 Dec 1512 at: Lambeth
Father:Thomas Howard, [Duke of Norfolk
Mother:Elizabeth Tilney, [Duchess]
Other Spouses: John Grey John Gray
CHILDREN

  Name: Catherine Knyvett

Born: ABT 1503 at: of Buckenham Cas, Norfolk, Engl.
Married: at:

  Died:                  at:   

Spouses: William Farmer Nicholas Mynne

NOTES

  Name: Anne Knyvett

Born: ABT 1505 at: of Buckenham Cas, Norfolk, Engl.
Married: at:

  Died:                  at:   

Spouses: Thoresby

NOTES

  Name: Henry Knyvett, [Sir Knight]

Born: ABT 1506 at: of, Buckenham, Norfolk, England
Married: at:

  Died: BEF 30 Mar 1547  at: England  

Spouses: Anne Pickering

  Name: Edmund Knyvett, Sir

Born: ABT 1507 at: of Buckenham Cas, Norfolk, Engl.
Married: ABT 1527 at:

  Died: 1 May 1550/1551  at:   

Spouses: Anne Shelton

NOTES

  Name: Son Knyvett

Born: ABT 1508 at: of, Buckenham, Norfolk, England
Married: at:

  Died: AFT 13 Dec 1512  at:   

Spouses:

  Name: Ferdinado Knyvett

Born: ABT 1509 at: of Buckenham Cas, Norfolk, Engl.
Married: at:

  Died:                  at:   

Spouses:

NOTES

  Name: Son Knyvett

Born: ABT 1510 at: of, Buckenham, Norfolk, England
Married: at:

  Died: AFT 13 Dec 1512  at:   

Spouses:

  Name: Son Knyvett

Born: ABT 1512 at:
Married: at:

  Died:                  at:   

Spouses:

  Name: Anthony Knyvett

Born: ABT 1512 at: of Buckenham Cas, Norfolk, Engl.
Married: at:

  Died:                  at:   

Spouses: www.findagrave.com

Sir Thomas Knyvett
BIRTH 1485
Buckenham, Broadland District, Norfolk, England
DEATH 10 Aug 1512 (aged 26–27)
Brest, Departement du Finistère, Bretagne, France
BURIAL
All Saints Churchyard
Ashwellthorpe, South Norfolk District, Norfolk, England
MEMORIAL ID 146071406

Family Members
Parents
Edmund Knyvett
1462–1504
Eleanor Tyrrell Knyvett
1461–1514

Spouses
Muriel Howard Knyvet
1485–1511
Muriel Howard Knyvett
unknown–1512

Siblings
Anne Knyvett St Leger
1475–1559
Edmund Knyvett
1490–1546

Children
Henry Knyvet
1510–1547

NOTES

there is an extra Henry Knyvett in this sequence.