1536 was an eventful year for Henry VIII! Just over two months after the fall of his second wife, Queen Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's only son, his illegitimate son by Elizabeth Blount, died on 22nd July 1536 at St James's Palace. It was a huge blow for the king.
In today's "on this day" talk, I give details of Fitzroy's illness, death and burial, and also just how much of a favourite he was with his father.
Also on this day in history:
- 1437/8 – Birth of John Scrope, 5th Baron Scrope of Bolton, soldier and a Councillor of Richard III. He was imprisoned after supporting pretender Lambert Simnel in 1487, but was pardoned in 1488.
- 1549 – Robert Kett and protesters stormed Norwich and took the city, during Kett's Rebellion.
- 1576 – Baptism of playwright and pamphleteer, Edward Sharpham, at Colehanger, East Allington, in Devon. He is thought to have written the plays “The Fleire” and “Cupid's Whirligig”.
- 1581 – Death of Richard Cox, Bishop of Ely, at Downham in Cambridgeshire. He was buried in Ely Cathedral.