
Henry VIII of England had one acknowledged bastard and several suspected bastards by his mistresses.
Acknowledged Children
The Geni profile for this son is linked to Henry VIII. His mother is linked as a mistress.
- Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (15 June 1519 – 23 July 1536), son of Henry VIII's mistress Bessie Blount. Acknowledged by Henry VIII, who created him duke of Richmond and Somerset.
Claimed But Not Proven
The Geni profiles for these children are not not linked to Henry VIII. Only Mary Boleyn is proven to have been a mistress of Henry VIII, therefore she is the only one of these children's mothers who is linked as a mistress.
- Catherine Carey, Lady Knollys (15 August 1524 – 15 January 1568), daughter of Henry's mistress Mary Boleyn, the sister of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, and wife of William Carey.
- Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon (4 March 1526 – 23 July 1596), brother of Catherine.
- Rev. Richard Edwardes (1523? - 1566), son of Mrs. Agnes Edwardes, née Blewitt.
- Ethelreda Malte (c. 1527 – bef. 1559), daughter of Joan Dobson, née Dingley. Paternity was claimed by John Malte.
- Sir John Perrot (November 1528 – 3 November 1592), son of Mary Berkeley, the wife of Sir Thomas Perrot.
- Capt. Thomas Stucley (c. 1520 – 4 August 1578), son of Jane Pollard, the wife of Sir Hugh Stukeley.
If You Disagree
The evidence about the six children who are claimed to be Henry's is not good enough to accept them as his children. However, new evidence could be discovered at any time.
If you think you have good academic evidence in the form of new primary sources, please start a public discussion from the profile. Be sure to give full details. If the new evidence persuades the historians working in the field, the change will be reflected on Geni.
If you don't have new evidence but you want to advocate for the existing evidence, you should not expect to change our shared information. However, the Geni community would still be interested in hearing your point of view.
Sources
- Illegitimate children of Henry VIII at Wikipedia
- Who were the Mistresses of King Henry VIII?" at Tudor Wiki
- Alison Weir, Mary Boleyn: Mistress of Kings (2011).