Elizabeth Blount

[9] It was there at court that the young woman caught the eye of the King and became his mistress during 1514 or 1515, a relationship which continued for about eight years, after the suggestion of an affair was brought to light.[13] On 15 June 1519, Blount bore the King an illegitimate son who was named Henry FitzRoy, later created Duke of Richmond and Somerset and Earl of Nottingham.Her role in the life of her royal son is less documented, although a letter of 1529 to her from John Palsgrave, Henry FitzRoy's tutor, suggests that her involvement in the duke's upbringing was greater than previously believed.[16] Compared with Henry's first two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, Blount's importance to history is arguably negligible.Blount was the mother of Henry's only acknowledged illegitimate child, and at one point in the 1520s it was suggested that her son should be named the King's legal heir.[citation needed] The fact that Henry fathered a healthy son with Elizabeth would later prove to be important during the king's Great Matter.
Sculpture of Elizabeth Blount on the tomb monument of her parents at Kinlet church.
Elizabeth, Lady BlountKinletShropshireGilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of KymeEdward Clinton, 1st Earl of LincolnHenry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and SomersetElizabeth Tailboys, 4th Baroness Tailboys of KymeGeorge Tailboys, 2nd Baron Tailboys of KymeRobert Tailboys, 3rd Baron Tailboys of KymeSir John Blount of Kinletmistress of Henry VIII of EnglandSir John BlountBridgnorthKing HenryLouis XII of Francelanded gentrymaid-of-honourCatherine of AragonillegitimateHenry FitzRoyDuke of Richmond and SomersetEarl of Nottinghamillegitimate son of Henry VIIIMary Boleynmaîtresse-en-titreAnne BoleyntuberculosisLeonard GrayLincolnshireEdward Clinton or Fiennes, 9th Baron Clintonlady-in-waitingAnne of ClevesCatherine HowardHenry, Duke of CornwallRichmondSomersetNottinghamLady Mary HowardAmbrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of WarwickRobert DymokeScrivelsbymartyrThomas Burgh, 1st Baron BurghThomas Burgh, 3rd Baron BurghCharles Willoughby, 2nd Baron Willoughby of ParhamPerseus BooksWeir, AlisonIves, EricDictionary of National BiographyJ. J. ScarisbrickRuta GedmintasShowtimeThe Tudors