As you probably know, today marks the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta. It's a momentous anniversary, which is being covered across many news outlets and websites. So, because it's clearly being covered by plenty of other people, I've decided to instead highlight a different anniversary; the birth of Henry FitzRoy.

Who Was Henry FitzRoy?

Henry Fitzroy was the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII and Bessie Blount. They met when Bessie was a maid of honour to Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Bessie appears to have been a court from 1512 at the latest. By this time Henry and Catherine had had two children, a stillborn daughter, and a son who died just six weeks old. They had only been married for three years, and despite this run of bad luck there was no reason for them to think that they wouldn't have a son who would survive.

Henry would have several affairs over the years, although the discretion he adopted has caused historians to argue about the extent of his extra-marital activities for years. Henry had three well-known mistresses; one of the sisters of the Duke of Buckingham (which caused a rift at court when the Duke found out), Bessie Blount (who gave birth to the King's son), and Mary Boleyn (whose sister became Henry's second wife). It's due to this discretion that it's difficult for historians to work out when Henry and Bessie's affair began, with some opting for some time around 1514 (when Catherine was pregnant with a son born in December that year, who survived only a few hours), and others for 1518 (when Catherine was pregnant with her daughter Mary).

Regardless of when the affair started, on 15th June 1519 Bessie gave birth to Henry's son. He was named Henry, after his father, with the surname "FitzRoy" to show his royal, albeit illegitimate, parentage. FitzRoy was the only illegitimate child of Henry's to be formally recognised by his father. Other suspected children by his mistresses include Catherine and Henry Carey by Mary Boleyn. It's possible that Henry was reluctant to acknowledge too many of his illegitimate offspring, in case any of them became a threat to his throne. In 1519 he could acknowledge FitzRoy as he had no other male heir. Had he acknowledged Henry Carey on the other hand, then he would be facing two illegitimate sons potentially leading a civil war against any legitimate offspring he left behind. Henry never gave up hope about having a legitimate heir and spare of the required gender, as shown by his frequent marriages, so to him there was no point in muddying the waters further.

Why Was Henry FitzRoy Important?

FitzRoy was important because he showed Henry that he could have a son who lived. By the time of his birth the King and Catherine had their daughter Mary, who had survived far longer than her brothers. So why could he have a living son with his mistress and not his wife? This question would form the basis of Henry's quest for a divorce from Catherine for many years.

FitzRoy originally led a discreet but royal life from the moment of his birth, with his prominance growing as he got older and the likelihood of him surviving increased. Bessie was married off to a nobleman named Gilbert Tailboys (or Talboys) in 1522, her son did not accompany her to her new home, but she was allowed to visit him frequently. Instead his upbringing was overseen by both Cardinal Wolsey and the King, who officially made him Duke of Richmond and Somerset and gave him lands which would support a household fit for a prince.

Over the years FitzRoy would continue to be given responsibilities and lands that indicated his high status. Princess Mary was still acknowledged as their father's legitimate heir (until Henry married Anne Boleyn) and sent to live in Wales, although she was never officially given the title "Princess of Wales" that indicated her status as next in line for the throne. FitzRoy on the other hand was named Lord High Admiral, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. In reality FitzRoy's responsibilities for these roles were handled by other men, who were appointed by Cardinal Wolsey, but symbolically the titles meant a lot. Henry also tried to find a suitably royal bride for his son, with Maria of Portugal, Catherine de Medici and a princess of Denmark all considered, although all negotiations for each one eventually fizzled out. Perhaps the most shocking marriage suggestion, put forward when Henry was trying to divorce Catherine, was that FitzRoy marry his half-sister Princess Mary. As with the other suggestions, this never came to pass, but it would have raised a lot of questions both in England and Europe if it had.

FitzRoy was still a potential in the succession picture when Henry married his third wife, Jane Seymour. The Act of Succession that passed after the wedding officially marked Anne Boleyn's daughter Elizabeth as illegitimate, and banned her and Mary from the line of succession. It specifically noted that if Jane Seymour had daughters but no son, then her daughters would be in line AFTER the sons of any wife that followed her. But, in the event that Henry had no legitimate sons, the Act gave him the right to nominate his own heir. In theory this could have been any of his surviving Yorkist cousins, those that hadn't been executed by his father or Henry himself. But it also meant that he could name FitzRoy as his heir, if it was absolutely necessary.

Instead FitzRoy was married to Mary Howard, a cousin of Anne and Mary Boleyn, her father was their uncle the Duke of Norfolk. The marriage was never consummated, the couple were in their early teens and considered too young to be allowed to live together, but Mary was allowed to use the title "Duchess of Richmond". She may have been a step down from a European princess, but Mary Howard was probably the best match that a king's illegitimate son could have got under the circumstances.

FitzRoy didn't live long enough to see his half-brother Prince Edward, whose birth would have promptly cut off any hope he may have had of becoming king. He died on 23rd July 1536, a week after he turned seventeen, probably from tuberculosis. Henry was reportedly devastated by his son's death, but declined to make any funeral arrangements. Instead FitzRoy's father-in-law, the Duke of Norfolk, had the young man's remains interred at the Howard family's church at Framlingham, where his tomb can still be seen.

It's interesting to speculate what might have happened if FitzRoy had lived, or lived long enough to father children with his wife. Would he have supported his little half-brother Edward? Would his children have been a thorn in Elizabeth's side? Or would he have carved out a position for himself as a notable politician, with no aim for the throne itself. Even though he never had a chance to show what he could do, his birth at least had a part in persuading Henry to consider a divorce from Catherine, which would lead to monumental changes in English religion, something which is just as significant as the signing of Magna Carta.